The Golden Pavilion

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The Golden Pavilion

Bunraku: December 1757, Osaka
Kabuki: January 1758, Kyoto

The five-act puppet drama Faithful Chronicle of the Gion Festival was an instant hit, running for over three years and quickly spawning a Kabuki version. Playing off events from real history, an evil warlord nearly takes over the country after assassinating the shogun, but his ambition is thwarted by an astute general. Only the fourth act, “The Golden Pavilion”, is commonly performed today.
The highlight of the play is the scene called “Toe-Drawn Mouse”. Princess Yuki, tied to a large cherry tree, gathers cherry flower petals with her toes and places them in the shape of a mouse. The petals suddenly turn into a real mouse that bites through her rope and frees her. This is based on an anecdote involving the famed painter Sesshu. He joined a temple in his youth but spent his time painting rather than studying sutras. One day he was tied to a pillar as punishment. He drew a mouse with his toe using his tears as ink. The mouse looked so real that the monks were impressed and permitted Sesshu to continue painting.
Princess Yuki is considered one of Kabuki’s iconic “Three Princesses”, the most difficult of the many princess roles in the art. The play has a number of highlights, including the contrast of the evil Daizen with the heroic Tokichi and the spectacular staging when the entire Golden Pavilion is elevated to reveal an entirely new set.

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［from left］Sato Masakiyo（Nakamura Kinnosuke）、Matsunaga Daizen（Bando Mitsugoro）、Konoshita Tokichi（Nakamura Baigyoku）、Harukawa Sakon（Nakamura Kichigoro）　January 2012　Shimbashi Enbujo Theatre