Kabuki Plus
Intellect
Tokichi’s sharp intellect is depicted in the scene of the Go match against Daizen, when both met for the first time. Daizen loses and angrily throws a Go-stone container into a well, challenging Tokichi to pick it up without wetting his hands. Tokichi’s solution proves ingenious.
Daizen
notable!Daizen imprisons the shogun’s mother and now lives in the Golden Pavilion. Evil characters generally have faces painted red, but Daizen has a white-painted face with loose and disheveled hair. He unusually wears a gold-brocade “omigoro” robe suitable to a noblemen. He also kills his former master and threatens to torture the captive Princess Yuki until she responds favorably to his advances.
Three princesses
Princess Yuki is one of Kabuki’s top three princess roles alongside Princess Yaegaki in Honcho Nijushiko and Princess Toki in Kamakura Sandaiki. Unlike the other two, who are called “Red Princesses” due to the color of their robes, Princess Yuki’s furisode (long hanging) kimono is in pink. Typically her wig is a round pompadour, with hair pins of special grandeur. Daizen’s line, “Look at her, like an apple or peach flower in the rain”, depicts her graceful beauty. The highlight is her toe-painting scene while tied to a tree. Another showcase is when she fixes her hair with the jeweled sword upon her entry onto the hanamichi.
Puppet-like acting
notable!In some performances, the toe-painting scene is performed in the style of puppets, reflecting the origins of the show as a puppet play. This represents the heightened state of the princess’s mind. The actor must keep his eyes still while moving his arms and feet in somewhat unnatural ways, considered highly difficult. Other puppet-like acting can be found in the roles of Oshichi in Yagura no Oshichi and Princess Kiyo of Hidakagawa.
Blood stream of painters
Princess Yuki is supposed to be a granddaughter of the famed ink-painter Sesshu, who was active in the medieval Muromachi Period. Legend says that Sesshu was tied to a pillar by fellow monks at his foster temple, but used his toe and teardrops to drew a mouse that was impressively real. This play reverses the roles, turning the trainee monk into a beautiful woman and the tears to cherry blossom petals.
Stage lifts
The Golden Pavilion, as today, was already among the top places to visit in Kyoto when this drama was created. The theater created a spectacular three-tier tower than was raised and lowered with a lift, creating a sensation that sustained a long run of over three years. When one characters climbs a tree in a rescue attempt, the Pavilion is lowered, bringing him face to face with the captive. The lift later boosts the top of the Pavilion out of sight.
