Kumo ni Magou Ueno no Hatsuhana (Kochiyama & Naozamurai)

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Kumo ni Magou Ueno no Hatsuhana (Kochiyama & Naozamurai)

March 1881, Tokyo

The prolific Kawatake Mokuami, whose career spanned the Edo and Meiji Eras, was known for his poetic dialogue, sharp characterizations, picturesque settings and high emotional content. This work represents the culmination of Edo-style Kabuki and is considered one of his masterpieces. Mokuami based the story on a popular tale, “The Six Stars of the Tempo Era”, spun by contemporary storytellers about gangsters active at the end of the Edo Era. The first stage iteration of this story appeared in October 1874 at Tokyo’s Kawarasaki Theater as Kumo no Ueno San’e no Sakumae, starring Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Kochiyama. This was substantially revised and lengthened into the current piece. The former work was basically a solo performance by Danjuro, but the revised play added characters and plotlines that also featured the popular Onoe Kikugoro V and Ichikawa Sadanji I.
The actual Kochiyama Soshun, who died in 1823, was a tea master in Edo Castle. Despite his duty as a government official, he undertook unrespectable behavior such as gambling, for which he was arrested and imprisoned until his death. The other lead, Naojiro, was believed to have been modeled on one of several people such as the gangster Naojiro or Tattoo Jingoro. Naojiro’s grave is believed to have been erected by his lover Michitose.
The two halves of the drama are often performed independently, in which case they are entitled respectively Kumo ni Magou Ueno no Hatsuhana (The First Flowers of Ueno) and Yuki no Yube Iriya no Azemichi (A Narrow Road in Iriya on a Snowy Evening). These are both beautiful titles nicely encompassing the ambience of each work. The kiyomoto music used in the drama is a famous piece entitled Shinobiau Haru no Yukidoke (The Secret Spring Rendezvous in the Melting Snow), known familiarly as Michitose.

●main graphic ［from left］Michitose（Nakamura Tokizo）、Kataoka Naojiro（Onoe Kikugoro）　November 2010　Shimbashi Enbujo Theatre

●publication date　May 2017