Kabuki Plus
Revenge of Soga brothers
notable!The historical Soga brothers, who saw their father killed by Kudo, achieved their revenge on 28 May 1193 at the Ide residence at the foot of Mt Fuji. Juro, the elder brother, died on the scene, while Goro was captured and, after meeting Shogun Yoritomo, was beheaded. Their hardship over 18 years and public sympathy for their cause made this a popular story in songs, puppet plays, Kabuki theater and other art forms.
New Year’s play
The Soga brother revenge drama became a popular New Year’s piece with the performance of Danjuro I in his famous exaggerated aragoto style. It is believed that by the time Danjuro II was active from 1704-1711, the Soga drama was already the opening act of New Year’s performances at various troupes. For the following 160 years to the end of the Edo Period, every year saw new Soga dramas, resulting in over 1,000 versions. The brothers’ long hardship and ultimate accomplishment of their goal was popular as an auspicious piece for the new year.
Soga plays
Other Soga dramas include Sukeroku, Yanone and Uirouri, all in the Eighteen Select Plays of the Danjuro family, and the dance pieces Kongen Kusazuribiki and Ame no Goro. There is also a dance drama starring Saburo, the father of the Soga brothers. Some dramas like Soga Moyo Tateshino Goshozome have Soga in the title to evoke an image as New Year’s pieces but have no direct relation to the Soga brothers.
Eastern Japan vs. Western Japan styles
The staging uses a two-tier structure, featuring a hanging scroll with a blue and white checkerboard pattern and hanging plum branches. When the scroll is rolled up, there is a sliding fusuma screen with a pattern using the Kudo family crest. In Kansai, Kudo then recites a line, “I recall…”, and a fusuma screen slides open to reveal a picture of Mt Fuji. This increases the auspicious New Year’s atmosphere.
Representative role types
notable!Modern-day Kabuki often has a single actor playing both male and female roles or both good and evil roles. However, actors during the Edo Period were more specialized. The conflict scene helped delineate the positions of actors within the same troupe. Kudo is a male-specialist role; it was originally a villainous role, but as it was played the troupe’s lead actor, it gradually became a good-guy role. Goro is aragoto, Juro wagoto, Asahina comic, Omi villainous, Yawata male-specialist actor, Kajiwara Kagetoki evil uncle, Kajiwara Kagetaka peripheral villain, Onio Shinzaemon wise man, Oiso no Tora leading female-specialist actor, and Kewaizaka no Shosho rising female-specialist actor. They line up on the stage in wigs and costumes embodying the stylized beauty expressing their roles.
Keshogoe (shouts by actors)
notable!In tandem with the movements of Goro and Juro on the hanamichi, the lords shout “Arya, arya”, a greeting specific to this show. When the brothers stop, they cry, “Deke~”, meaning huge or imposing in Kanto dialect as a compliment to the actors. The shouts from fellow actors on the stage make the atmosphere relaxed and playful.
Picturesque mie poses
The actors make a variety of auspicious mie poses at the show’s close, so that the whole stage becomes a picture. Kudo, seated up high, does a crane mie with a sword in hand; Goro, Juro and Asahina together do a Mt Fuji mie; and Onio, on his belly, presents a turtle mie. The combination of crane, turtle and Mt Fuji is often compared to an auspicious triptych painting.
