Kabuki Plus
Tales of compassion: “Shirokoya Story”
The drama was based on a tale of compassion made famous by Shunkintei Ryuo, a contemporary of the playwright. The actual story took place in 1727. The shop owner’s wife, daughter and clerk encouraged a maid to kill Okuma’s husband Matashiro. The plot was discovered and the guilty parties all punished. Okuma, who was marched around Edo and thrown into prison, was an unrivaled beauty, so many dramas and novels used characters based on her. In the end, the case was settled by a brave ruling by Judge Ooka Echizen no Kami.
Traveling hairdresser
A hairdresser without a shop who carries his tools in a special box and visits customers at their homes. Shinza’s hairdressing scene with Chushichi, when he cuts and combs the character’s hair, is a highlight for the actor. He pulls up one sleeve when cutting in a dandy gesture and disparages the timid clerk as he works. The actor must create the aura of someone who a young girl could credibly fall for.
Full of umbrellas
notable!Shinza beats Chushichi with an umbrella on the riverbank while making numerous puns on words associated with umbrellas, a wit typical of Kabuki. The dialogue is in contemporary style, but is often enlivened by this type of punning in a rhythmical and musical style.
Double roles
Neither audiences nor actors liked when a popular actor was killed off in a play, so he is sometimes brought back in a different role in a dashing manner. Kikugoro V, the first to play Shinza, impressed the audience by coming back as Judge Ooka after Shinza is killed. The first Genshichi was played by Nakazo III, who also played the landlord Chobei – that is, he played both the man tricked by Shinza and the one who outwits him. In recent years, some also double up as Chushichi and Chobei.
First bonito of season
notable!A famous saying has it that “green leaves are for the eyes, cuckoo for the mountains, and the first bonito for the season”. It was said that Edo commoners would try to eat the first bonito even if they had to pawn off their wives. Shinza pays a large sum to buy the first bonito on his way back from a bath. He has not paid rent for two months but feels relaxed in anticipation of ransom money for Okuma. Chobei the landlord steals half the bonito from Shinza in the show’s climax. The energetic shout of the bonito seller is a sign of the season.
Hand-towel pajamas
Shinza returns from a bath wearing pajamas made of hand towels woven together. People were still wearing such pajamas through the mid 1920s. It was said to be typical to collect hand towels from various pleasure houses, but the hand towels used in this show since its premiere are from the restaurant Hirakiyo in Tokyo’s Fukugawa district, where the action takes place.
Gardening in back of nagaya
Shinza admires the stacked flowers along with his apprentice, who waters a lily. This shows commoners enjoying greenery even in their tiny living space. The garden will probably be filled with morning glories from Hachiman Shrine when summer comes.
Further developments
Mokuami’s piece is currently performed only to the point where Genshichi attacks Shinza, but the full-length version shows Genshichi killing Shinza and then being captured by authorities. It also has a happy ending as Judge Ooka rules in favor of Okuma and Chushichi, who had been wrongly arrested for murder.
Decorative tattoos and criminal tattoos
notable!Shinza’s arm has a two-lined tattoo indicated that he committed a crime in the past. He has a separate decorative tattoo on his back with a beautiful drawing. Criminals in Edo were branded thusly on their arms, while the shape and location on the body varied in other regions. The tattoo brandings began in Edo in 1720.
