Kabuki Plus
Dance masterpiece of late 1700s
First performed in 1784, following a major earthquake and a period of famine in Edo. Kabuki in those years was characterized by large-scale stylized aggregations of dances. Seki no To is a masterpiece of the times. It has a unique fantasy-like ambience.
Mt Osaka Gate
A crucial gate on the east side of Kyoto, existing from the Heian Period (794-1185). It marked the border of two provinces and is said to correspond to the current Otsu City, but its precise location is not clear because of road construction during the Edo Period. There are two poems referring to the spot in the anthology One Hundred Poets, One Hundred Poems (early 13th century).
Kabuki choreography
notable!Kabuki derived from dance and has always had dance as a critical element. Kabuki dance is rarely abstract but full of gestures descriptive of the lyrics of puppet-style chanting or narrative nagauta. Close attention to the lyrics enhances the audience’s appreciation for the choreography. Seki no To is unparalleled in its humorous and witty choreography.
Playful puns
Some of the lyrics to the show’s dances include playful puns that are played out in the dance itself. In the gatekeeper’s dance for Komachi, the lyrics include a series of homonyms for tree, arrow, pole, pestle, a knocking sound, and key, each of which the dancer illustrates comically by gesture.
Princess Komachi
Appears in a typical red princess costume of gold and silver thread brocade with long-sleeved kimono and pompadour hair. She appears on the hanamichi with a gold-thread cape, straw hat, and silver walking stick with purple-cloth handle. This is unsuitable for walking on mountain roads, but is befitting a legendary beauty of the Heian Period according to the aesthetics of the Edo Period in a fascinating interpretation.
Bukkaeri costume change
notable!When Kabuki characters reveal their true identity, they often strip off their outer costume and reveal another costume underneath in an instant change known as bukkaeri. It is an eye-catching trick whereby a thread attached to the shoulder of the outer costume is pulled. In Seki no To, the comical gatekeeper Sekibei changes into a scary rebel wearing a deep black nobleman’s costume and completely different wig. The courtesan Sumizome does a similar trick with costume and wig, revealing her identity as the spirit of a cherry tree in a breathtaking moment.
Cherry tree branch
In the fight with the gatekeeper, the cherry tree spirit breaks off a branch of the tree and uses it as a weapon. Old cherry trees sometimes have small flowering branches around their trunks. The author seems to have imagined this fight from such scenery. The cherry blossom in the backdrop is created by the scenery department, but the cherry blossom branch, which is used by the actor, is handled by the props department as per the traditional division of labor in Kabuki.
