Kokusenya Gassen (The Battles of Koxinga)
An exotic story featuring a hot-blooded hero of Chinese and Japanese descent who goes to battle in a foreign land.
Kamikakete Sango Taisetsu (The Lover’s Pledge)
Loyalty vs. money: a tale of deception ending in gruesome murder. A piece exploring the depth of human emotions.
Toribeyama Shinju (Love Suicide at Mt. Toribe)
The fate between an obstinate youth and an innocent Kyoto courtesan. A New Kabuki masterpiece strongly redolent of the romantic early 20th-century Taisho Era.
Sesshu Gappo ga Tsuji (Gappo and His Daughter Tsuji)
A woman’s seemingly illicit love for her stepson is not all it seems
Kamakura Sandaiki (Three Generations of Kamakura)
“I shall defeat Tokimasa. I’d even kill my father to serve my lover.” The blind love of the Red Princess.
Shinju Ten no Amijima (Love Suicide of Amijima)
Desperate love between a married man and courtesan, whose struggles with duty and money issues lead to tragedy.
The Renowned Banzui Chobei
“A man has but one life, but his name lasts forever.” Chobei’s manly pride leads him to his death.
The Tale of Shuzenji
A master mask carver foresees the death of his model
The Haunted Sword
Cherry blossoms and oiran courtesans were called the flowers of Yoshiwara. The homely but innocent Jirozaemon falls for their beauty. When he is mistreated, he turns to the seductive glare of the sword.
Sogoro the Fishmonger
The fishmonger Sogoro is serious and sober. When he learns that his sister was punished unjustly, he lets drink get the better of him and attacks his master.
The Tweezers
Amazing work from womanizing detective in midst of succession battle
Sanja Matsuri
Muscular men dance in the seaside in a battle among equals.
Hikimado (The Skylight) from Futatsu Chocho Kuruwa Nikki (A Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters)
A sumo wrestler and his stepbrother find themselves on opposite sides of the law
The Women’s Chushingura
Jealousy and intrigue in the ladies chamber
The Love Story of Izayoi & Seishin
A monk’s love for a courtesan sets him on the path of evil
The Stone-Cutting Feat of Kajiwara
A pure-hearted warrior and a miraculous sword
The Treasury of Loyal Retainers
Kabuki’s greatest work
Heike and the Isle of Women, aka Shunkan
Long-awaited pardon eludes Shunkan
The Courier for Hell
A man who has stolen money out of love runs away with his lover, but they cannot escape their destiny.
The Castle Tower
Once-in-a-millennium love of a fairy princess living in a castle tower
Hokaibo
A lovable villain blending evil and winsomeness, a roguish but engagingly free spirit who ends up indeed a spirit. Hokaibo has retained his strange popularity for over two centuries.
Nozaki Village
Osome is desperately in love with Hisamatsu, but the latter is already engaged to the innocent country girl Omitsu. The heartbreaking fate of a three-sided love affair.
The Scarlet Princess of Edo
Sweet child and monk, esteemed princess and thief. Two unusual couples whose fates are linked by karma.
The Oil-Hell Murder
A money-hungry youth murders a young woman in a brutal scene of blood and oil
The Fight of the Megumi Fire Brigade
Fights and fires are called “the flowers of Edo”. A showdown between firemen and sumo wrestlers is replete with the ambience of old Edo.
Masakado
Princess Takiyasha uses sorcery in an attempt to take over the country on behalf of her rebel father Masakado.
Two Wankyus
“If we could meet in a dream, I would bring our joyful hearts together and dance.” The dream world of a man driven mad by love.
The Spider
A mysterious monk, who has come ostensibly to cure a lord through prayer, is betrayed by his shadow.
The Mirror Lion
A lion materializes in the ladies chamber of Edo Castle
Wait a Minute!
A superhero swoops in to save the innocent. An inventive one-act piece that conveys the joyful feel of Genroku Kabuki.
The Heron Maiden
An unrelenting passion leads to doom
Sukeroku: Flower of Edo
Edo’s most famous dandy and most beautiful courtesan
First great love suicide drama
First great love suicide drama
Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy
A masterpiece featuring three interwoven tales of parent-child separation
The Felicitous Soga Encounter
Brothers find their father’s murderer after 18 years of hardship
The Summer Festival
A gruesome murder in mud and water against the backdrop of Osaka’s joyous summer festival
The Three Kichisas
Blood pact by three like-named thieves spirals into tragedy
Yotsuya Ghost Story
A horror story of love, desire and vengeance
The Love Affair of Yosaburo and Otomi
A downtrodden scar-faced gangster reencounters his first love
Barrier Gate
Colorful battle between a cherry tree spirit and a rebel aiming to conquer the nation
The Sword and the Sumo Ring
A poor sumo wrestler is saved by a stranger’s compassion
Shinza the Barber
A poetic depiction of commoners in Edo Period life
The Precious Incense and Autumn Flowers of Sendai
Tense battle of wills in the ladies chamber
The Golden Pavilion
A warrior attempts a hostage rescue against a ruthless insurgent, while a young woman aims to save her struggling husband
The Dish Mansion at Bancho
A chambermaid’s doubts over her lover, a high-ranking official, lead to tragedy