Kabuki Plus
Goro’s acting style
Ya no Ne opens with the spectacle of Goro in a huge wig, colorful kumadori makeup and full armor, polishing an impossibly large arrow. He makes an opening speech, then falls asleep face up with his legs spread out in a form known as segiba. After he learns of his brother’s desperate straits in a dream, he does a special “pillar-tied mie” pose (also seen in Narukami) and adjusts his sleeve straps to resemble a temple guardian. Grabbing two swords, he shoves aside a horse keeper and takes the horse. The varied energetic poses adopted by Goro represent the highlight of this work.
Revenge of the Soga brothers
The real Soga brothers, Juro and Goro, lived in the 13th century as children of an Izu-based aristocrat names Kawazu Saburo Sukeyasu. The father was killed by his relative in a territorial dispute. The brothers’ mother remarried, but the brothers remained determined to avenge the murder. After 18 years of hardship, they ultimately killed the murderer at a hunting party near Mt Fuji hosted by the shogun. The older brother lost his life in battle, while the younger was captured and executed. These historic events have often been dramatized in a genre known as “Soga mono” (Soga stories).
Kabuki and Soga brothers
notable!There are several side stories concerning the Soga brothers during their struggle for revenge, such as their association with courtesans at Oiso. Also, when they are about to achieve their revenge, the brothers secretly enter the home of Suketsune, a senior government official. These episodes were developed in Noh dramas and folk dances during the medieval period. This also gave way to many other stories that were incorporated into Kabuki pieces, a later art form. It has been a tradition in Kabuki since the 18th century to perform such pieces as a New Year’s show.
Grinding the arrowhead
The story of Goro running to rescue his older brother is based on a medieval folk dance called Wada’s Banquet. In that piece, Juro is summoned by Wada Yoshimori, a warrior serving the Kamakura government, and is forcibly made to drink sake. The anger he feels is passed in a dream to Goro while he is grinding an arrowhead. Goro rushes and crashes the banquet. This scene was incorporated in the Kabuki play Suehiro Eho Soga in Edo in January 1729, with Danjuro II as Goro. The play is believed to have included the grinding ceremony performed by the government-approved grinders guild as a New Year’s ritual. This performance proved highly popular, lasting from January to May and enabling the sponsor to build a kura (treasure storage house) known popularly as the “Ya no ne gura”. There is an area in Tokyo called Ya no Kura that is believed to have been the location of this storage house.
Tsurane stage greetings
notable!Danjuro II took over the aragoto style established by his father and polished it into an art form. He was a highly literate person. There is a long speech at the beginning of Ya no Ne said to be written by Danjuro II himself containing a series of clever puns, including propitious references for the New Year and the names of the seven lucky gods. While expressing Goro’s commitment to his vendetta and his self-grief for his poor status, it is delivered in a humorous manner. The witty speech offers a laid-back style appropriate to the coming of the new year.
Ozatsuma
notable!Ozatsuma is a school of puppet-theater music created by a singer named Ozatsuma Shuzen Dayu in Edo. It is distinguished by dynamic shamisen music and manly storytelling. It became popular in the 18th century as an accompaniment for aragoto plays, but was subsequently absorbed within the broader nagauta style. The melodies are currently performed by the nagauta school. The narrator in Ya no Ne traditionally appears on stage to offer a New Year’s greeting to Goro (and the actor playing that role) to thank him for hiring him for aragoto productions. The actual lead singer used to appear on stage and present the main actor with a fan and picture of a treasure boat, but this is now portrayed by an actor.
