Kabuki Plus
Masakado’s daughter Takiyasha
Masakado’s son and daughter are featured in numerous plays and literary works. The son is always General Taro Yoshikado, but the daughter’s name varied. A popular novel by the famed Santo Kyoden called her Takiyasha, which fixed the name as the standard.
The original novel Uto Yasukata Chugiden
Uto Yasukata Chugiden, the novel upon which this play is based, portrays Takiyasha as a 14-year old at the time the palace fell. She is saved by her nanny and escapes to the countryside, where she becomes a nun at age 16. Her religious name was Nyogetsuni. Her stepbrother Heitaro wants to usurp the government and teams up with Nikushisen, the spirit of a giant frog, and casts a spell on his stepsister. As a result, the nun turns evil and leaves the religious life. Having gained magic powers, she becomes the leader of the rebels. She hides in Soma Palace and gathers supporting warriors. The handsome warrior Oya Taro Mitsukuni, known for his intelligence and martial skills, appears and pretends to be an ally. The princess quickly sees that he is lying, but the palace is already surrounded by the enemy and catches fire. The princess’s ambition is crushed. When she bravely commits suicide, her magic disappears, and she regains her Buddhist faith as she dies.
Rebel princess’s costume
notable!Takiyasha is a princess but also a sorceress, and her costume is appropriately eye-catching. She looks at first glance like a courtesan, but details make her unique, such as her wig with the crest of an intimidating woman, the overcoat with the unusual pattern of a spider’s web and broken bamboo curtains, and her netted under-kimono. These are quite different from normal female characters and represent the princess of a rebellion, making her beautiful and erotic.
Building collapse
notable!A major staging trick in Kabuki. A large building crumbles on the stage. In this piece, a pillar supporting the roof of a dilapidated palace is removed, and the princess appears atop the ruins. This traditional technique has influenced modern female revues and television variety shows.
