Edo Kabuki in the 1780s TIMOTHY T. CLARK So, why don’t you go over to Higurashi for the day? would prefer the theater "You could take the boat to Fukagawa forthe day “I prefer the theater” “Wor you come to the festival on the fifteenth?” 1 prefer the theater” This is what you call “liking something better than food — Maids looking ata playbill, from Yokusha Natsu no Fuji (Actors: Mt, Fuji in Summer), by Ichiba Tsosho, iluseated by Karsukawa Shunsho, 1780 (fig. 1) Theater Row Evening of the seventeenth day of the tenth month, 1784 and the weather in Edo (present-day Tokyo) is clear and pleasant but rather cold! Its on this evening that the new Kabulki theater season can truly be said to begin, for in theater dressing rooms and theater tealbouses (shia jaya) the acting companies for the coming season ate assembling, in a ceremony known 25“ together" (yorizome).? At some point in the proceedings the actors gather in the strct in front of their theater and formally grect the management: this is the scene drawn =r8t5), artist of the popular “Floating World” (ukiyo-«) school, in an extra-large (bai shan) color woodblock print (fig. 2) by Torii Kiyonaga (17: (On the far right i the main public entrance to the Naka~ ‘mura Theater, flanked by lanterns beatin gingko-Leaf crest and auspicious fying the lef ofthis entrance are the green reed blinds and lan~ tems of the management office and ticket counter (sh: Iirba) and then another door leading to the boxes ‘Along signboard half cut off by the right-hand border of the print reads: “[We will be staging] a new opening-of the-season play from the first day of the coming eleventh, ‘month, year of the dragon [178).” In front ofthe main public entrance a group of theater employees are clap~ ping with raised hands—a common ritual for auspicious ‘occasions, In this they ate led by the actor Ichikawa Dan: {jar V, who wears a long black hiaor jacket and faces to the right The name Ichikawa D: the most prestigious in Edo Kabuki, passed from generation to generation. The present incumbent, Da cogital his large nose and smal, as well as by th crest on his sleeve ofa carp leaping a waterfll— is carly forties, atthe hig! the leading actor of his day. He appears in many of th actor prints in ehis volume, Behind Danjaco v stand: Ichikawa Yaoz6 11, another mainstay ofthe Ichikawa ac ing dynasty, bolding the hand of Danjaro V's six-yea som, who had made his precocious debut under the nam ‘of Ichikawa Ebizo 1V some two ye the Ichikawa group isthe rest dressed in formal hamish and wide trousers) over their ki ier. Behind f che season's comp no, in the order precedence appropriate on such a ceremonial accasion A bevy of female impersonators (ounagata— all female parts were played by men), wearing the required pu! head kerchi and “feminine” kimono are led by Mimase. with long hanging sleeves (fr Tokujiro 1 (an Osaka actor working in Edo forthe sea son) and Nakamura Riko 1, Then comes Sawamura Sojara m1, a handsome young male lead in his early sents, side by side with Otani Hiroemon mt, show as a graying elderly man (actually in his late fifties) look ing to the left. These are the leading actors atthe Nak mura Theater forthe 1784-1785 season; those crowding in behind them will be performing minor suppor roles, In two weeks time they will open the season with he kaomise (literally, “face showing”) production Oakina Hina ga Kojima (Prosperous Business on Hiragashin Island). In the foreground servants squat beside large lan- jems bearing the crest ofeach leading actor Edo, with a population of over a million, was one oft largest cities in the world in the eighteenth century. Its ree Kabuki theaters ll government-licensed, were ated in the heart ofthe downtown area: the Nakamura in Sakai Stree, the Ichimura in continuing Fukiya Street (on the right a the far end ofthe street in Kiyonaga’s prin fig, 2), and the Morita close by in Kabiki Street. Tucked mong these large playhouses were dozens of theste teahouses, their names blazoned on lanterns hung out side, Teahouses provided refreshments during the inter vals, served as convenient places for actors to mect their patrons, and acted asin diaries in arranging boxIn Kiya othe sits ote that Dan 1 prin the wore ruses have an excellent view o iV, hough superstar, is out among his publi zrousng by hs mete presence their support and pat- Ihe coming yea. Individual productions sue: ale lrge mesure cording te Sill ofthe actors and musicians on stag, but Kabuki asa ‘whole enjoyed huge reserve of popular support, both financial and emotional, Actors and audience inbabited ose-knit, downtown world of the same world the crowded two-story tile-and-imberbuldings—a world which was very much the preserve ofthe artisans and secant, the so-called townsman (hinin) cass. Ifthe ‘al lords o thei samurai retanes from the large vansons surrounding Edo east, sea of government of the Tokugava shoguns, attended the Kabuki thester— and this was nor uncommon they mingled with the townsmen onthe townsmen’ terms, forgoing forthe occasion their entitled forms of respect. Kabuki theiter ‘vas popular obsession, pethaps the min focus and ex- Presson of ownsmen’ values, Sok tree adits envi= rons wer a separate word, Theater Row. A glimpse cn be had into that vanished world by = lating the events surrounding 2 typical opening-of the season (aomise) production, the grandest event in the "eat calendar,by describing the theaters and theater teabouses and by touching on the personalities ofa leading actor and his illustrious patton, The kaise pro- Auctions wet highly structured afin, with strict eon- ‘ventions governing such matters as the sequence and general content ofthe acts, the stage sets and the types of ‘musical accompaniment. The production eat will be ‘considered in detail was anew drama entitled Jn- Komashi-zakura (Twelve-Layered Robes: Komacht (Chetry Tre), which admirably strates al thse vat ions and ex highly convoluted fen fantastic plots of Kabuki inthe Ane (73-1781 nd Teme (1781-178) ers. le was forthe opening of new these, the Ke (competitor of the Nakamura described above), to seve a its aomine Production in th eleventh month of kg The Kiri “Temporary” Theater Kivonaga’ large col ofthe Nakamura Th nthe tenth month of 78y ly shows the curtained turret rival ehimura Theat Fukiya Stet, the contin righthand Pounded by unusual Tehimura Theate hi ape) of the be frend ofthe street actual ation of Sakai Street) on the In this Kiyonaga was exe cisng ati ears of accumulating debts coms feat desruction by ire, the ad ben forced to close ia the fourth fs of he dl tories the cy magia Te my, boas story of hundred Pistedic pened boosiest (ig 1), pres the thenenping plc with he vib ). was petitioned accordingly. The new managers, ofthe new On the eighteenth day ofthe tenth month (the day after the ceremony shown in fig. 2) permission was duly aranted for Kiri Chokiri to operate a “temporary theater hari shibi or kaeyapus) fora period of five years, The hole exercise can in fact be seen asa legal maneuver, probably onthe part of Ichimura Uzaemon IX, to evade the erushing debis the Ichimura Theater had incurred, (On the very same day the empry site ofthe old Ichimura Theater was fenced in and banners raised bearing the name ofthe new Kiri Theater. On the twenty-second the ‘ret went up a the front of the building, and three days Lateran army of workmen moved in. This may scem very fast work, but theaters were often destroyed com pletely by the great fires that wepe the city every few eats or so and were designed as simple timber-and-tile cafes which could be reconstructed in a matter of days, The Theater Diary of Lord Yanagisawa Nobutoki At this point in the mrrative of events we ean switch to the mote personal account provided by Lord Yanagisawa Nobutoki (1724-1792), retired lord ofthe Koriyama fief and ardent theater fan, in his diary, Enya Nikki (Diary ‘of Banguets and Pleasures Lord Yanagisawa had eelin- ished hs official duties in 1773, a the age of fifty and ttre toa vila a Someiin the Komagome dcict ‘of Edo to pusuc his twin passions: composing hak) poetry and attending the Kabuki theater” He also commenced a diary, written every day ofthe next thine een years, that mentions no fewer than one hundred aad ‘ineteen visits to the three Edo Kabuki theaters * init itself would have been unusual ina member of the fecal aristocracy, wh 108e appropriate entertainment ‘ms considered to be the venerable, august, and pocticalNo drama rater than the hasiasms went much Kabul, bur Lord Yanagisawa ther Several times a year he had a tage constructed und puton amateur Kabul thea The professional-sounding ed pro Tals, generally of pays wen by himself actors’ to whom he as names sch 3s Ichikawa Benz6 or Bando Shitsgor ‘maid ofis hoosehold. Fo were none othe than th a formance he would vice critiques ofthe tors an on one occasion he even commissioned ‘block prints co immmortalze thei efforts (by fone Beisha, an otherwise unknown ‘sec an wn-lordly mania for Kabuki became a focus ofp sip and was parodied in the comic illus trated novel (ibys) Ky gen Yabo Daim (The “ThexzeeMad Boorsh Lord) of 784, with text by Kishi Hosha and illasteations by Kita Masayosti. ‘Umanosuke, the fictional young lord, becomes so er= thelled with che thester that he commands his retain crs in language peppered with tage jargon, tact out Seenes, Courtesan fom the exclusive Matsubaya house of pleasure ate even invited tothe mansion to puton the famous play about the Soga brothers” revenge! One ikstration from the book (fig. 3) shows the young lord Seated on the verandah of hs mansion, isuinginstruc- thos, He wears a summer kimono decorated with the trplerice-measure (mini) rest ofthe leading Ichi keaws ating dynasty, and che cloth cap of theater going dandy, and he holds his pipe with studied moncalance— the very epitome of the manrabout-town, At Kabuki a ‘common cutsin-asce was a scene in which minor a tors played servants while sprinkling water to freshen the ground outside feudal mansion, they warmed up the audience with gosip about the leading stars. In the illustration Lord Umanosuke has hi el servants doing Justis, to thetvelyshythm ofa hand drum, but the text fas him complaining, “You all sprinkling water like butt you don't gossip about met just won't be ke real theater” Loed Yanagisawa was quite likely the direct objet ofthis stir Jord Yanagisawa dary reveals that he wasn of exchanging gifts wit habe any leading ators, but makes clear thace extended special patronage tothe veteran f villain’ roles Nakamura Nakazb ¢ Nak inthe diary by hs pen name, Sakai), Tt was Lovo would ed the troupe atthe new Ki heater in the hao production Jit Ki and write abour inhi dary. Buc before “accompany actor who, perhaps more than any oth, ‘ypified the Edo stage in the 1770s and r8os. appeas it x. His cacer took of than any other ac ‘Shunsho was died in 1790, just Wo Yeas Seem to havestriven toward a new degree of ra their especive professions; Shunsho fora recognial Hhenes of actos aes (rigao~), Nakaz9 1 for a reinter- Fert in Ching Tear of he Forty toy Reta) and th villi Kado Susie i srr en Patlry evolutionary wa is icterp Se Suskrg inact five of hh, “Murder o Ie ghey the production tha opened Mhenmthennth of 66. From he lo Nakao 12> soned that Sadakurb should not be played as aloutish mountain bandit but asa masterless samurai (rnin) fl toevil ways and hard times. Thus he dressed in a tattered black kimono with allover white body makeup and an ‘unkempt wig with halfan inch of hair grown out on the ‘pormally shaven pate, Since the scene rook place during a sorm at night, he doused himself with a bucket of water before coming on tage and carried a battered snake’ ye umbrel.” Shunsh6 and his pupils designed several prints of Nakaza 1 as Sidskuro in various ofthe eight productions in which he acted the role: a hosoban from 168i which he appears every inch the slick young killer (fig. 73.1; the striking large fan print from the series Azuma Oxi (Fans of the Eis) of 1776 (No. 73); ancl shan by Shun from 1786 (No. 13 he frst performed the role in which, though still vigor- ‘us, he sports portly belly. After his success as Sada- karo, Nskaz6 came to specialize in the roles of evil lover (oak) and out-and-out villain Though not tll, NakazO had great masculine presence and was praise forthe expressive power and variety of his expressions. The fict remains, however, that although many of Nakazd 1s costumes of ered a new alism of appearance, his acting style was grand and artifi- cial and his delivery ofines completely unrealistic and old-fashioned. His voice was inelegant, described in an 2etor critique (yekusha hysank) of 1786 as even “painful tolisten to” (kiki-gur hi). Nakazo 1 can thus be seen as ‘an important transitional figure, master of an acting style halfway between the fantasy and bombast of the original Eto Kabuki ofthe late seventeenth and ealy eighteenth century andthe realism ofthe contemporary dea: domestic (ewamon) which would be written by Teuruya Namboku tv in the eatly nineteenth century. Nakazo's acting style toa very considerable extent Eo Kabul of the haeacterized 0s and 17805 a whole. Nakazo t excelled also a5 a ance. His father was 2 mas his parents separated and teress samurai alled Saito, buta oy Nakazo 1 was brouy yama Oshun, The at the leading Nak p from the age of five by Shiga amma family were dance masters ‘Theater, and Oshun’s husband was the famous negauta stage singer Nakayama Ko- {fro 1H.” The early training Nakazo 1 received from them in the dance and him in good stead. From the mid-eighteenth century mic to play an in ‘of the theater was to stand convvard mimeric dancing (sh creasingly significant role in Edo Kabuki; such dancing, in combination with run chanting to shamisen accom= paniment (borrowed from the puppet cheater), the brilliane dance sequences with onstage musical chanted accompaniment (jrurishosagoo) that customarily brought a kaomise perforn quences dialogue would be interspersed with si sicians took wp /hamisen accompaniment, as ons the narrative while actors danced, often miming eh events ofthe text." The highlight ofthe ply J Komachi-zakuna would be these final dance sequences In che mid-cighteenth century dancing was province of the great female impersonators Segawa Kikunojé 1 and Nakamura Tomi ‘brought the new style to Edo from their native Kamigata (the Kyoto-Osaka region of western Japan). Nakazo t seems to have been active in introducing male lead char- acters (tachi yak) into these dances, bringin ‘own particular blend of “fantasy, cruelty, and humor,” to produce the mature full-length dramatic dance sequences (buys ge) of the 17705 and 1780s.” For instance, Nakazo 1 ‘wanted to dance “Musume Dojo-j'" (Maiden at Do} the story ofa young woman's consuming, unrequited jon fora young monk of lel but tis twas the special preserve of thy ed female impersonators, Kikunojé 1 and Tomijaro 1. So the playwright Kawatake Shinshichi devised ar * iternative version of “Dojo,” in which the evil monk Dainichibo appeared disguised as a wom! ob, and Nakao 1 firse per ‘of Hare's-foot Fern), including a dane at acclaim at the New Year of 17 Nakard Lwas ex nostly of form of corrupted later copies.” The style i ish, and paints a led and wee the bed night after nig] n the eighth month of 1778 Matsumoto Ko-mors of an affair between Dano Vand chika 2 Deaya 2 Naka 1 wasn acta pup Yaozo t's widow, Oras isted to veDanjr 1 in all but name, having been Pe a in the later 1708 rend his eeuteson the at of acting it che young Danjtr0 V He remained a loyal colleague to Danjaro V's com laying the ach-vllin oppose In generl Nakazo comes across asa highly conscien= fd working actor who, without the advantage prominent theatrical family, succeeded i ot itt nto level of his profession. Once es ‘Sptshe he was punetitous in is loyalty ro those who te heped im: reskin his contac with the Kini The- et and reurning to try to restore the fortunes ofthe ‘Nakamura the eleventh month of 1785; oF taking the nme Nakamura Kojor6 1v in memory ofhis deceased opive fier and reviving the Shigayama school of dancing of his adoptive mother Two pictures of Nakazb Tin “peivte” ie in the seth height of his caret, presen disparate impressions tthe man. The fists lovely ain color print (fig. 4) fiom series by Kiyonaga showing leading ator, each swith wo courtesans fom the Yoshiwara pleasure dis- trict: the series dates from about 1783, and eleven ofthe prints are known. Nakazo sts 2c covered brazier(h- fa), smoking, while a courtesan reads him a ete. The courtesans young apprentice (hinz3) stands beind, gia sling, The book box behind Nakaz0 rand the book lying tthe braier hint, peshaps, this writing interests. The uxtapositon of NakazO {andthe two young beauties, however, is most key facttious, though persuasively teal there is no evidence that Nakaz0 1 was incimate with any particular courtesan. The public idolized actors and courtesans, and probably Kiyonaga was simply cater= ing to that publc—pethaps to its fantasies by present- sing the idols in tandem, An llstration by Shansha fom the book Yekushe Nata ro Fuji (Actors: Me. Fujin Summer) of more specific in its references (ig. s). Nakao I seated ith his back to the tokonoma alcove, is holding audi- [Nakamura lineage: te female m= ersonator Riko feminine aire, ho ‘up, and behind him sit espectilly Yo hizo, Kono, and Dengor®, thir faces earful differemtiated (go n the manne of single-sheet pins. Nakaa ts perhaps lecturing fom the open volume in font of him, and prominent on thetble behind him ia ple of books hed “diary” (vie). Clearly his dry was wel the time, The serious f Serious atmosphere ofthis scene ds beter with what we know of Naki t's chat acc from his writings. Except for Riko, the female mpersonator, ech ofthe a Nika : he stylized chara nan” written thre imes side by side. Legend has itchat Nakaz and had the supers tracing the characte swith one finger jus falilled his ambition. A Trip to the Kiri Theater on the second di Nakizo 5 wife, Okishi, died tenth month, 3784 and on ence cal, bringing the actor a present 2 The feudal authorities inn), a pariah class fifcenth Lord Ya sava paida condo fof buckwheat oodles (of) classified actors s "non-persons excluded from normal society empty law more poignantly than the V ful lord tos od tien the actor, to console him in tis bereavement, Preparations forthe kaomise perfor mance to beled by Nakazo 1 atthe new temporary Kiri “Theater went ahead despite Nakaz0's loss. On the eigh teenth day Lord Yanagisawa received a note from Nakzo Tsaving that construction work had begun on the theater (as we have seen, p28), and on the twentieth he pur~ Chased a peinted announcement fr the new Kiri Theater from a vendor in the stret at Nakabashi* When he walked past Fukiya Street onthe twenty-fourth, he noted, “Construction is in fll swing on the Kiei The- ter. the turetis up and the entrance way completed. rt what could belie this (On the twenty-seventh he received from the Sakacya Theater Teahouse a printed shet listing the new com~ pany of actors (yokusha tke) fr the Kii Theater. And ‘on the same evening Nakaz9 1 sent two more copies of the same sheet, one for the lord’ wife, Ory. There is farther note in Lord Yanagisawa’ diary that these were Gelivered firs to the head of the acting toupe (22-¢ashin who was Nakazo 1), distributed (privately) that evening, puton (public) sale ce following morning refered to is almost certainly a kaomise bor and the sh =e (opening-of ¢he-season playbil (fg. 6). This single aresized shee, printed in black and white, simply lists the actors and musicians 10 will be working a partic the top (larger ") actors) and their piewres ar the bottom (leading actors in the center) crop centers the cra ofthe thet, being its pat ers for more promi Jem. As yet thee s no mention of the title ofthe forthcoming play. (On the fourth day ofthe eleventh month, another gift of Nake and onthe ninth Lord Yanagawa ered 3 Kiri bnsbe (yl fer th Kis Thee). Tis might have een oi uke, which matched the ators, iywe ofthe Kid These mange. 1, One three got word from Sana (fhe Waksroaya1 peformanc Thea Teous condocted with th cao Done (normally 2 box held seven peopl) 2 Kin Theatce was ised for the WERE igh ed which retainers He morning onthe En ‘Ory, Lord Van ight retainers and adi th additonal madservan a palanguin with ive etait ced a ey mente Wakarruya Tete Te tre Naa halen sedis Poe a ae they ha aie, Afr esti accompanied by 080 vey was gong to repeat a scene and skip anote scene eich Nakagd 1 didnot appeat. Then a messenger at= ‘ved to sy tha the “Shiba” scene ze below, P39) to begin, and so the party proceeded directly was ab ide of the to boxes ive, sx, and seven on thew Theater and Theater Teahouses “We have already sen Kiyonage’ large print ofthe theater stret during the yorizome (ist coming-together) cxe- Tn the early 17705 the igo artist Ur 1814) designed a view ofthe same monies fg, gaa Toyobara Serect onthe night befre th haps performances were to begin Fig. 7). This isthe kind of scene that would have greeted Lord Yanagisawa and bis retinue: the sky Iargely dark, but with glimmer of dawn on the horizon; the street thronged with thester-goers: lange ‘inte signboards by artists ofthe Tori school showing es fom the pay, it by laters above the entrance the theater frmt-door entertainer (ido geisa) seated on platforms by the eneance, dressed in hor jackets swith carves around their heads, waving fans and mit ing the actors while to onesie employes sold door Before their artval ding the third act, and between sts the party rete to the Wakaruruya Theater Te ment. An ills on by Kivonag vi gt Ok (Pictre Book: Hill With a Vice lt atone jzake), for the eleventh mont : z was New Year in the heater world and required the flower appropiate to New Year never n et mind that was actually midint by Uagave Toyhan eer yon 180% 3h nn hae i a petormance i8 POB (85 9 rend, which sal retains heeled a home eta, 2 sore behind t the backs ofthe actors, so are ranged (sanding) in ran imed because the spectators ks, ike statues of enlight- hed sages (aka) na Buddhist temple. The tang vege of flor between the hanes walkway and the ub, From the ceiling hang west side is known as the lanterns bearing te eess (mon) ofthe actors, and above ‘ach box hangs lantern with the name of the theater tex use that is renting it out. Daylight floods in to ill tate the tage from high windows along each side, for andes area fire hazard. The curtain, here shown drawn a al above the font of the to onesie, i pulled alon stage Music and sound effects emanate from the small room with ltice blinds (ge2a at the back right ofthe stage, The area backstage is described in the commentary to Shunsho's print of actors in their dressing rooms (Nos. 93-95) “The theater served asa meeting place for a wider cross sion of Edo society than pethaps any othe from feudal lords and high-ranking courtesans in the boxes to manwal laborers on the Hana (Flowers of Kabuki published in the spring of 1783, consists mainly of con a popular novelete (sha ‘ersations between members ofthe audience at a Kabuki theater and goes to great lengths to introduce a wide range of socal sypes and to describe theit ch dress and reproduce thee characteristic (and often comic) speech. An old man and his teenage daughter from out of town encounter the sharp-tongued doorman; a teacher of amateur Kabuki arives with his pupils dressed like actors presumably in her’ bearing actos’ mon); maids from a feodal mansion fx their makeup in the toilet; a samurai in the already crowded floor area hasan argument with squeeze their way i conoisseus entertain young male prostitutes and smiddlleranking actors in a downstairs box five upper boxes onthe east side ate occupied by Yoshiwara courte sans and clients, withthe samutai inthe adjoining boxes a conversation (Shunshs depicts simifarsene in ahutha Nasu no Fuji, 8.10) thrcedi : far from hushed or reverential ‘they chatte ‘hed during the performance, with hawkers peddling oe th ‘walkway through the audi Tet a receiving gifts of food as continvally sending and formance on the twesty-ighth day bows next tohis were sand ‘leventh month, 1784, t taken bythe retired Lord of Akiz, his daught ertor eight women who were wsted bya steal rina cots the end af he perfor sence, He ecorded also that “someone droppeda chi oor whch landed amongst the samursi atthe front ofthe for (rats, There vasa bt ofan alteration, and the play was briefly ‘wooden sandal from the interrupted The Play: ‘Ji (Twelve-Layered Robes: Komachi Cherry Tree) {Lord Yanagisava began vatching the play at che "Shi- tara” scene ce p. 39 below), the third ac (antstene) ‘ofthe fist part(hibamme), which by castom asthe point where the plo ally got going. Before thi, Tevever, since the fr light of dawn, varios pre Timinary ceremonies and shor skits would have been presented, as requied by the tric traditions governing, ofa kiomise production, By the day of Lord the structure ‘Yanagisavia’s vst the play had been onthe hoards for several weeks, but at east during te ise three days of the nun the auspicious dances desribed below would have been performed Since this was che frst performance inthe new Kiri heater as vel asthe opening ofthe season, the day began witha speech and performance bythe new manager, Kiri Chakri, He ent Serer eee erereel with polished boards and hung with curtain painted ae cin imitation of No theater ada he knelt to address the andi nce, a illustrated onthe printed sheet sold or dst ured vo mark the ocason (fg 1), T text of his sheet cates the genealogy ofthe Kit family sot d something oftheir long association withthe theater, th f heater, this was prob- ably abo the substance of Chokirs speech. Then the musician Tanaka Sataro it brought alge drum (Biko) stage, ad to its accompaniment Kiri Chokie danced and chanted in No style batt piece, which was the forte of the Kir family and a cher din rhs done the hos i "3 Ol so one NO cating a,c aves 2nd POP sa perceconting os othe se at aymbolize long life. Okina (center) » ichimuta Uraemon 1X, former actor-manager of Ichimura Theater, and SaribasO (eft) by his son, Ichi thura Kamezd tt, with Senza (right) played ‘Toxb tt Clearly, even though the Ichimura 7 ly was sil taking Azuma closed in mame, the Ichimura fail ‘major role in the proceedings. Now the play proper coud begin. Jnisite Koma Hara was, as custom demanded, ahistorical picce (Gino), se inthe ninth century (the courtly Hei Derod) and mingling events ofa failed attempt to depose En emperor (the Jowa Incident) withthe characters of three of the so-called Six Immortal Pocts (Rokkasen ‘Yoshimine no Munesada (Bishop Henj0), Ono n0 Komach, and Otomo no Kuronushi. Prominent in the lot were two paalel love affairs, between the courtier Yoshimine no Munesada and Ono no Komachi and be- tween Munesadi’s younger brother Yasusada and the courtesan Sumizome, The villi, Oromo no Kuronushi was ofthe well-stablshed “evil courtier (aku kuge) who seeks to seize power” type. Kaomise plays were, a rule not intended gether from previously writen material. Jni-h ‘many elements fom an earlier play, Kimi no Hana C (Flower of Japan: Ono no Komachi’s Five Char acters), performed atthe Nakamura Theatr in the elev be repeated and were often strung to~ took ‘nth month of 171, and its antecedents go back even farther. Ths patchwork approach to play writing is re- flected inthe number of “authors”: Ji-hitoe was created by Segawa Jk (elder brother ofthe onnagats actor aK five other writers oj Il), Takarada Jura, and no fewer than The play culminated inthe dance sequence Tsumoru Ko Yuki no Sek no To (Love upon Love: Snow Pile atthe Mountain Ba The Mountain Burier), Seki no To, a dance sequence to Toki er) known simply a Seki 9 To wazu school chanting, was the ‘2 ; ne new element added to older material in 1784 and, significantly, isthe only part ofthe pay sil performed today, As already stated, cigh~ teenth-century Edo Kabuki was increasingly influenced tic dramas” (sewamonc : : i that were the forte of Osaka and Kyoto actors. By the ltr eighteenth century it was cus tomar foe fe pat eum) fan Edo mie to be ahistorical drama (jidaimono) and the second part1 of Okina Watashi dace, Matcum of Fine Arts, Hoston uty plays, a complet. ter historians have been plot ofthe entire we New Year ended a small, pocket mainly atthe New Year iomally later in the year as well, which com= mn plays and performances and ranked the son's actors (according roa system first devised in the ‘mid-seventcenth century). The comments took the form of lively, often humorous, conversations between stock characters such as “Mr, Fan” (ii) and “Mr, Detractor™ sm, Hird (waruguc This means, however, that plots have to be her from a conversation which lis from act Kabuki plots tend in the main to be wildly convoluted and fantastical, not to say pe} serous, and none more so than those of kaomise productions. Lacking the grand spectacle, a bald plot synopsis can be ludicrous, or numb- ing. But something of the lavor of Jin-hitae Komachi =ahura may be conveyed by flicking through the pages of the illustrated program (chon banzuke), drawn by oung Katsukawa Shun’ei (1763-1819), and briefly bing some of the scenes depicced.*! These stall ed booklets, which contain snippets of plot and an po ‘occasional line of dialogue scattered around pictures of the principal scenes, went on sale in the theaters and tea- houses once the play opened.‘® When Lord Yanagisawa ‘rites in his diary that he sent a “catalogue” (mokuroki) to this or chat acquaintance in the audience, presumably.Figure 1. Ketvkava San. ‘fst-hoe Kemahisoare a the Mytin Shrine) Sit From the ilistted prose Aiba Bunko, Tokyo Univesity Library he refers to an illustrated program ofthis kind (se fig. 14). These small booklets seem to have been issued in attractive color-printed envelopes. No such envelo survive from the eighteenth century, but a calendar print (egoyami) of 1785 seems to imitate the envelope for an illustrated program of a ksomise production at the Kirt Theater: the design comprises the Kiri Theater curtain, « ed “full house” (Gr), anda branch Ds lantern marke cial plom (f Figure 1s, right: The Myojin Shrine, Seto, The dis arch-villsin Otomo no Kuronushi (played by Nakam Nakaz6 1) contemptuous refuses a bribe from lesser villains to join their plot against the emperor. He kicks ‘over the stand bearing their proffered bolts of silk vised Figure 15, top left; A Burial Mound on Saga Plan. The corpse of Tachibana no Hayanar (played by Onoe Matsu~ sttke 1) i resurrected by the evil monk Jakumakw (played by Nakamura Konozo) to lead the lesser villains. Figure 16 (the “Shibaraku" s Ruined Temple (the The villains 3 ‘Shibarakl” ( ne): The Worship Hall right there), onto thes and wielding an enormous sword (fig. 16 nee). He shines a magie mi Tachibana no Fly nati (stinding on th and with agonized cries Haya nari withers again into a skeleton. The heto then swings his mighty sword, cutting a great swath in Number 44 Figure 17, right: herry Blossoms at Kiyomizu sera, The courtier layed by Ichikawa Monno- suuke It) and the courtesan Sumizome (played by Segawa Kikunojo 11) meet while flower viewing and fill in love 9ies to recapture it, a ‘courtesan Sui lacquer cup Figure 19: T riptych by Shunsho presents Yasusada, Sumizome, and the servant on separate sheets Here the f secure on Yasusada’s wrist no Yoshizane’s Mansion. Villains by Nakamura ous plots. They also ate man Yoshizane (pla ab clad a servant of the smpaniment and allowe dancing skill: The Garden Behind Yoshizane’s Mansior Bu in which the historical char- nued the plot in new, contempor- nphasizes that this style amigata (Osaka-Kyoto region) theaters: almost no domestic pieces were set in of acting had originated in the Akiba Banks Library Figure, Katrukaya Shunsh, The tors Scgens Kikmjs 1nd Otani HiriFigure 23 Jni-hitoe Komach-sls ment of « Dict f Move Trment and Anne: From the ilusated ‘iba Bunko, Tokyo University Library ‘Edo until the nineteenth century." Also conventionally, part wo opened with a snow scene, Unfortunately litle ‘of the plot is shown in the illustrated program, which rust be supplemented considerably from other sources. Figure p right: Es Treatment. Oyome (pla lishment of a Doctor of Moxa { by Segawa Tomisaburo 1 beautifiel daughter of Choemon the doctor, is being pes tered with the unwelcome attentions of Yamai Yosen played by Otani Tokuj, kneeling). Yosen is plotting with Naraku Baba (played by Nakamura Nakazo standing by the shi), to turn in the young couple rent= ing the annex, believing them to be Yasusada’s elder brother Munesada and his beloved Komachi, for whose atresta reward has been offered re 22, eft: The Annex. The young couple are in fact ‘Yasusada himself ([chikawa Monnosuke n), still incapaci- ated by the wound in his ankle, and Sumizome (played by Segawa Kikunojo 11, upper left), who pulls her seloved about in a cat. They resolve to die in place of his elder brother and Komachi, but Sumizome, who is the sprit ofthe ancient Komachi Cherry Tree, which is about to be chopped down, leaves to defend her tree. Yasusada, besieg: by officers of the law, commits sui cide, but not before the emperor’s escaped falcon reap= ‘pears, enabling Yasusada to write in his own blood the ressage “Two brothers in one boat.” tie it to the bird's 2 Figure 23, Katukaua Shunk. The actors Seas Kika ond [kava Minor Inpatte of Jnichitoe Komachiakura Wirnabe Tae coleton, Tokyo leg, and bid it ly to his brother. Figure 22, left, also shows Naraku Baba about to decapitate Choemon, but other sources omit this episode, Figure 23: A hosoban diptych by Shunk, showing the wounded Yasusada being pul led along in the invalid cart by Sumizome (asin fig. 22, upper left) Popularly known as Seki no To (The Mountain Barrier), the gorgeous danced finale (Sir) with onstage chanting, and shamisen accompaniment (jBrurishosagos) isthe only put ofthe ply still performed, and it preserves much of the original action and movement ofthe 1784 production.” Figure 24, right, shows chanters and shamisen players seated on 3 dais behind the ators, che lead chanter being ‘Tokiwazu Kanedaya (second from right). Seki no To nous piece of Tokiwazu School chanting. The words were by the playwright Takarada Jurai, and combine a kaleidoscope of gorgeous poetic images drawn from classical poems aid No plays (partic~ larly those eating to Ono no Komachi) with lines of often collouial dialogue. The music was probably com- posed by Kishizawa Shikisa, here seen playing the shar ‘misen. Jour chanting is dificul co describe: a mixture of high, floating song, sung with great emotion, and exag gerately decamatory dialogue. is pethaps the most £fe ihseatedprogract. Aiba Bunk, Tokyo Univetty Uibary ns ut: Auta Moan Chet Pree es From the lusrated program. Akiba Banko, Tokyo University Library Figure 24, let: Ausaka Mountain Checkpoint, including Figure 27: An aban print by Torii Kiyonaga, showing the ancient Komachi cherry tree and the villain bran Komachi and Munesada at the climactic moment of a dishing a huge axe with which to cut it down. dance miming thet love, the watchman knecling be Figure 25: A hosohan triptych by Shunsho showing Ono ualized portraits ofthe chanters and shamisen player on no Komachi (played by Segawa Kikunoj6 1), her lover the dais (Fig. 29). Munesada (played by Ichikawa Monnosuke 1) disguised Pee rea ef ontea (GE P27) pesents a momen asthe checkpoint official ae the ach-vilain Otomo _—_ffom the acrul produexion, cornplcte with individual Kuronushi (played by Nakamura Nakaz6 1) disguised as See eerste getaraicire ts print Shun nnonsly and conspicuotsly through his bel Thelovers are ofthe cherry ce extending into the picture. As in Figure certainly beautiful, but iis Nakiz6 1 who dominates the 26, Kuronush has his axe, Komach her stra raincoat print as indeed he dominated the whole final act, Plays Bee bes ce \ooune, and Mncsada ce (of this kind from the 1780s are sometimes referred to as ete ee tenes iksatiae oats thick-padded pieces" (aswwatariono), afer the thickly etteea padded costumes like the jacket worn by the supposed MER icici ns Oc uw as “rounded, expansive... with the shoulders lifted pee ee ean high." This, combined with the padded costumes, pro Bee a orate eaten duced a grand, ample, essentially nontealsic style of acting that characterized Temmei-era (1782-1785) Kabuki ve eee gael aaa asa whole performed today n profile raced, grimacing as he checks the keenness oft Figure 26: The same three figures asin Figure 25, in a hosobon triptych designed by Shunsho's pupil Shunko. The brushwood fence of Figure 25 is seen again here, but the snow has disappeared. Figures 30, 31, 32: As if from out ofthe trunk ofthe cherry tree the beautiful courtesan Sumizome (played by Segawa Kikunoj6 lt) appears» After a dance interlude roo xanuxr | 43Katskawa Sunk. The Sega Kikinj an cies Mom “in-htoe Komach-nakur, Wats ; ‘and Tha Mon inthe "Sek no To portion of Jo The Arstnte of Chi als her true identity as the spirit ofthe tree (a revelation indi= cated in fig. 2 by leting down her hair) and challenges the watchman to declare himself likewise. With an aston: ishing series of movements Nakaz6 1 lets down his hair and flips back the top of his costume (a quick-change technique known as bukser), revealing the black robes of the evil courtier Otomo no Kuronushi and proclaim= his ambition to seize power in the realm. Figures and 1, both hosobenteiptychs by Shunsho, give principals Figure 33: In the present-day version of Sek no To Kuto- nushi purstes Sumizome with his axetil she subdues him by magic powers, as shown in this dipeych by Katsu- awa Shunka (1743-1812). In modern productions ‘Munesada does not figure inthis scene, but since he ap~ ‘pears in both hosoban tiptychs by Shunsh6 (figs. 30, 31) and in the oban print by Kiyonaga (fig. 32), we can as~ sume that he did appear in the 1784 version, probably to help vanguish Kuronushi with the aid ofthe magic ‘mirror that he holds and to reveal his own true identity. and sharin player Figure 34: In this alban print by Katsukawa Shunko the courtier Munesada and the courtesan Sumizome are shown together without Kuronushi— probably an imag native grouping by the artist ra tion of the final scene as staged in 1784 ther than a faithful rendi- So pethaps Kiyonaga’s grand print of the three principal ers (fig. 32) depicts the final tableau of the play as performed in 1784. Sumizome, her hai loosed as the spirit of the cherey tree, brandishes the cherry branch in triumph as petals cascade around them, The gorgeous costumes, the monumental, self-contained poise of each and the pervading atmosphere of fantasy—all these elements epitomize Temmei-era Kabuki at its most ‘magnificent. characEpilogue: The Prints Tehas been possible to assemble no fewer than ewelve color woodblock prints by leading ukiyor artists of the 1780s— Shunsha, Shunko, and Kiyonaga— which depict scenes from this one play (nine ofthese showing the final act, Sek Aso awa school prints come to be catalogued, more collections of Kats relating to Jni-hitoe Komachi-zakura ae likely to be dis covered. Many actor prints from the eighteenth century have survived only in single impressions; in general they seem to have been less regarded in their own day than prints of beautiful women (obviously because they were souvenirs of particular Kabuki performance and had lasting meaning only toa fervent aficionado of the play Like cotton kimono, towels, and scarves printed with an actor's crest (mon), of samples ofan actor’ calligraphy ‘on fans or poem papers (in effect, autographs), actor prints must have been regarded, even by Kabuki fans, as ‘ephemeral souvenirs ofan enjoyable day in the theater. Iehas been suggested that full-color prints of actors from this period may have been specially commissioned by Baksh Museum, Fre 24. Ketuiawa Shunk. Theat: Kein Monmora 1, Scene Kio Mend Nekamara Nokssé 1 inthe "Seine Jai : theater patrons or theater teahouses to give as they so rarely bear the mark of a commercial But pethaps the publi actor or role (found on prints of a earlier pe omitted simply because it would have cluttered the d sign. On present evidence we cannot determine whether ‘0rnot full-color actor prints by artist ofthe Katsukawa school were published for comm blic sale in print shops. To cut the dozen or so cherry wood printing blocks re- aquired to make one fall-color prin seems economically Unfeasible for an edition of less than several hundred prints. IFonty a single example of an edition ofthat size has survived, then clearly the number destroy . very considerable, An illustration from a comic novel hi) of the day suggests the fate that must ha awaited many prints: two hosohan prints of ators have beeen stuck onto a low screen placed close to an ol lamp fig. 35)22 The colors wil steadily fade inthe ight as the paper browns in the smoke from the lamp. Buc then of course they can easily be replaced with prints of next plays44 maa iste Ly ay F ae OPC Va VV rezeThe Actors Image Print Makers of the Katsukawa School TIMOTHY T. CLARK and OSAMU UEDA with DONALD JENKINS NAOMI NOBLE RICHARD, Editor THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO RINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS