The Black Mound

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The Black Mound

November 1939, Tokyo

A dance piece based on the myth of a demon woman in Adachi-ga-hara in Fukushima Prefecture. It consists of three acts. The first and last are adaptations from the Noh drama Adachi-ga-hara, while the middle is an original work. The highlight of the act is a moonlit dance of a woman relieved temporarily from her sorrow. The Kabuki version deviates from Noh in showing a woman, guilty about her evil past, receiving the key to salvation from a high-ranked monk. When betrayed by the monk, she becomes furious and returns to her demon state, abandoning the path to Buddhism. The focus on the old woman’s side is a very modern approach.
Ennosuke II (later En’o I, 1888-1963) debuted the piece to great acclaim, and it became a signature role. In 1963, his successor Ennosuke III (current En’o II) took over at age 23. He included this piece in the En’o Ten Selected Plays. He developed it further, taking it to new heights. In 2012, his nephew danced this piece in celebration of receiving the name Ennosuke IV, again winning great popularity. It is now firmly established as the family dance.

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［from left］Old woman Iwate, actually Demon Woman of Adachi-ga-hara（Ichikawa Ennosuke）、Abbot Yukei（Nakamura Kankuro）　January 2015　Kabukiza Theatre

●publication date　July 2015