The Castle Tower

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The Castle Tower

October 1951, Tokyo

This work by the noted writer Izumi Kyoka (1873-1939), based on his novel of September 1917, is considered the supreme work of Japanese aestheticism. It was inspired by the tale of Princess Osakabe, who is said to live in the keep of Himeji Castle and is featured in numerous ghost stories. It was seen as extremely difficult to stage – Izumi said, “I wouldn’t charge anyone if they would put on this show. I would even give them a gift” – and was not performed during Izumi’s lifetime. It was finally staged in 1951 as a mixed-gender shinpa work in Tokyo’s Shinbashi Enbujo Theater, though even then it took unusual steps such as using a man in the princess role and Debussy’s “Clouds” as its background music. The first Kabuki version was self-produced in 1955 by Nakamura Utaemon VI, who played the princess. With his success, he subsequently portrayed the role twice at the Kabukiza. Sakata Tojuro (then known as Senjaku) also performed the show in 1965. Bando Tamasaburo played the princess for the first time in shinpa style at Tokyo’s Nissei Theater in 1977 for what proved the start of a long association in the role. He has played in the Kabuki version since 1999, included a filmed broadcast for the Cinema Kabuki series in 2012. The play has had numerous incarnations in drama, film, anime and opera.

●main graphic ［from left］Princess Tomi（Bando Tamasaburo）、Princess Kame（Nakamura Kantaro）、Shitanaga Uba（Ichikawa Monnosuke）　July 2009　Kabukiza Theatre

●publication date　 July 2016