The Summer Festival

 （ ）

夏祭浪花鑑

Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami

Overview

by Hashimoto Hiroki
Title

The Summer Festival
Writer Namiki Senryû, Miyoshi Shôraku, Takeda Koizumo
Premiere

Bunraku: July 1745, Osaka
Kabuki: August 1745, Kyoto
Overview

A nine-act play derived from a puppet drama involving gang rivalry in Osaka. Three acts are commonly performed today: Act III (At Sumiyoshi Shrine), Act VI (Sabu and the Fishing Boat) and Act VII (In the Alleyway).
The great success of a show about the gambler Danshichi in 1698 spurred many derivative works with this character, effectively establishing a new category of play. There is even a female version called The Female Danshichi, which was revived in Tokyo after a long break by Ennosuke IV in November 2014. The Summer Festival is the most popular version, mixing in actual events of its day to create a complex story.

 

●main graphic　
［from left］Issun Tokubei（Kataoka Nizaemon）、Okaji（Nakamura Shibajaku）、Danshichi Kurobe（Nakamura Kichiemon）　June 2011　Shimbashi Enbujo Theatre

 

●publish on the web　Februaly20 2015