Pt. I: Theater
Texts and Color Woodblock Prints
( Chûshingura On
Stage And In Print The single most crucial event in this process of embellishment occurred in the autumn of 1748, almost a half-century after the initial incident, when a puppet play entitled Kanadehon Chûshingura (translated into English by Donald Keene as “The Treasury of Loyal Retainers”) was staged in The books and prints displayed here are from the collections of the This
exhibition is made possible by a grant from the
Weatherhead Program Development Fund of the East Asian Institute, 2. The First
Jôruri Texts on the 47 Rônin The texts of the plays featured here―Goban Taiheiki (ca 1710, by Chikamatsu), Onikage Musashi abumi (1713, by his rival Ki no Kaion), and Chûshin kogane tanzaku (1732, by a team led by Namiki Sôsuke)―are all early works based directly on the story of the revenge of the 47 Rônin of Akô. Since it was forbidden to deal openly in print with such recent political events, the time was transposed to the 2-A 2-B 2-C
The play, of which a maruhon libretto is on display here (3-A), drew heavily on earlier plays about the Akô vendetta, but synthesized earlier storylines and characters while improvising new twists and themes in ways that strongly appealed to the merchant class of the Osaka-Kyoto region that was its primary original audience, particularly by introducing stories of money and love that were the staple of many other jôruri works. The libretto on display here is open to the famous opening lines of Kanadehon Chûshingura: “It is said that ‘The sweetest food, if left untasted, remains unknown, its savor wasted.’ The same holds true of a country at peace: the loyalty and courage of its fine soldiers remain hidden, but the stars, though invisible by day, at night reveal themselves.” 3-A 4. Kanadehon
Chûshingura on the These seminal early kabuki productions in In this very early pictorial rendition of the play, we can see two key details already in place, the zigzag pattern on the jackets of the rônin, and the use of labels in the kana syllabary to identify them (a connection reflected in the title word “Kanadehon” or “kana copybook,” from the coincidence that the number of avengers exactly matched the 47 letters of the syllabary). The leader Kuranosuke, identified by the kana for “i”, is seen about to strike Kira, cringing among the charcoal bales, with his dagger. It is unclear whether the kabuki stage enactment of the night attack at this time was quite so chaotic. Unsigned (‘Kanadehon Chûshingura ryôshibai kyôgen uki-e’) Thought to depict a performance of Act XI, Kanadehon Chûshingura, at the Nakamura Theater and/or Ichimura Theater, Edo, ca. 1749.05-06. Photographic reproduction of the original ôôban woodblock print with hand-coloring. Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0868 5. The Print
Culture of Edo
Theater: Bunraku and Kabuki Programs On exhibit here are several types of Edo theater banzuke, beginning with a single-sheet program for a 1763 jôruri puppet performance of Kanadehon Chûshingura (5-A) that lists the chanters for all eleven acts to the lower left, followed by the samisen players; above is a picture of the famous letter-reading scene from Act VII (see 17-A and 17-B). Item 5-B is the most straightforward type of kabuki program, known as a yakuwari-banzuke (“listing of the roles”) consisting of three sheets (six pages). The opening page of the 1787 example displayed here shows the crest and name of the Kiri Theater in the center, surrounded by the crests and names of the leading actors for this performance. (The mimasu crest of three nested squares of the 5-A Puppet theater program for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1763.01, Takeda Theater, Tsubouchi 5-B Kabuki actor program for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1787.08, Kiri Theater, Tsubouchi
6. Picture
Programs (e-banzuke)
The
most appealing theater publications were the e-banzuke
“picture-programs,” of which three examples are shown
here. The earliest one (6-A),
for the
Ichimura Theater, dates from the
memorable summer of 1749 when Kanadehon
Chûshingura made its first great sensation in Edo. The
program is
here open
to the pages showing scenes from Acts VII and IX, starting on the left
with the
celebrated letter-reading scene in the Ichiriki Teahouse. The script
gives
hints of the plot, while the actors are identified by crests that would
be
familiar to kabuki fans. Illustrated kabuki program (e-banzuke) for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1749.05, Ichimura Theater, Tsubouchi 6-B Illustrated kabuki program (e-banzuke) for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1795, Miyako Theater, Tsubouchi 6-C Illustrated kabuki program (e-banzuke) for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1787.08, Kiri Theater, Tsubouchi 7. “Parrot Books” for Mimicking Famous Lines One particularly interesting type of kabuki-related publication was known as “ômuseki,” which took advantage of the improvisational nature of kabuki, where the lines in key scenes were varied from performance to performance. Even with a jôruri-derived play like Kanadehon Chûshingura, in which efforts were made to be roughly faithful to the original text, lines were constantly changed and elaborated on by different actors, particularly for moments of high drama. The word ômuseki (“parrot rock”) refers to rock faces that echo back the voice, and was extended to these printed works that enabled fans to “parrot” their idols. The fad for imitating the distinctive “voice color” (kowairo) of individual actors began in The ômuseki, as seen here, consisted simply of a series of separate passages from the current play, with the name of the role in smaller script above, and the actor’s name written larger below―an appropriate indication of which was more important. 7-A (COVER) (TEXT) Ômuseki (“parrot book”) for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1851, Ichimura Theater, 2 vols; covers by Utagawa Toyokuni III [Kunisada] (1786-1864) Tsubouchi 7-B (COVER) (TEXT) Ômuseki (“parrot book”) for Kanadehon Chûshingura Performed 1862, 3 vols; covers by Utagawa Kunihisa (1832-91) Tsubouchi 8. Kokon iroha
hyôrin: Chronicling Kanadehon
Chûshingura
One
revealing indication of this body of connoisseurship is the book
displayed here
(8-A),
published in
To the
left is the beginning of several pages of a table providing detailed
information about each performance, much of which is not available
anywhere
else. This page begins with Kokon iroha hyôrin Printed book, 1785 Tsubouchi
The
Daijo is performed in a grand setting in front of the steps leading up
to the
vermillion halls of Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in At Hachiman Shrine in Act I, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Nakamura Fukusuke VIII as Enya Hangan (M) Onoe Tatsunosuke I as Wakasanosuke (L) Shin Kabukiza, Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 9-B Utagawa Toyokuni II (1802-35) Moronao Taunts Wakasanosuke at Hachiman Shrine Act I, Kanadehon Chûshingura Bandô Minosuke II (1802-63) as Wakasanosuke (R) Kataoka Ichizô I (1792-1862) as Moronao (M) Iwai Kumezaburô II (1799-1836) as Kaoyo (L) Performed 1830.04, Ichimura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. Yamamotoya Heikichi Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0010-12
10. Kanadehon
Chûshingura in Color
Woodblock Prints
Many
kabuki prints, particularly those of the nineteenth century that
account for
most of the ones on display here, were issued in multiples of two
(diptychs)
and three (triptychs). This was a general tendency in late
The
majority of kabuki prints depicting Kanadehon
Chûshingura were intended for a specific performance, which
can be
identified by the crests of the actors playing particular roles. They
served in
this way as both advertisements and documents of one-time performances,
and
were rarely reprinted, so that the total number of any one print
probably ran
from one hundred to several hundred copies.
The
total variety of different Chûshingura
prints, however, was very large, particularly if we include the many
plays that
were derivative of Kanadehon Chûshingura,
a category known as kakikae, or
“re-writes.” In addition, some prints depicted not a particular
performance,
but a generic Chûshingura scene,
sometimes with specific actors, sometimes not even related to the
kabuki stage
but rather illustrating the jôruri narrative. Of a total of some
800
Chûshingura-related prints in the
The
total number of different Chûshingura prints ever issued was long
thought to be
in the range of 1500-2000, but in the preparation of a complete catalog
of such
prints that is soon to be published by Akô City, it has been
discovered
that
the actual number is closer to 5000, constituting a huge body of visual
material on this single play and its many spin-offs.
In this
exhibition, the artist who appears with by far the greatest frequency
is Utagawa
Kunisada (1786-1864), who used the name
“Toyokuni III” after 1844. He accounts
for one-third of the prints shown here, followed by his fellow Utagawa
school
contemporary Kuniyoshi (1797-1861),
with half as many. All the rest are
by scattered different artists. 11. Act III: The
Palace
Attack In the diptych to the left (11-A), we see Moranao making an insulting harangue against Enya Hangan after he has read a letter (in the form of the rolled-up scroll in his left hand) from Hangan’s wife Kaoyo that subtly spurned Moronao’s advances. The triptych (11-C) shows the next instant, as Enya Hangan reaches for his sword to strike Kira, after which he would be restrained from completing his goal by Kakogawa Honzô, who listens in from the right. 11-A
Utagawa Toyokuni III [Kunisada] (1786-1864) Moronao and Enya Hangan Confront Each Other Act III, Kanadehon Chûshingura: Ichikawa Sawamura Tosshô II (1838-86) as Enya Hangan (L) Performed 1859.09, Ichimura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ. Ebiya Rinnosuke Tsubouchi 11-B Enya Hangan Attacks Kô no Moronao Act III, Kanadehon Chûshingura Bandô Mitsugorô VIII as Moronao (R) Onoe Baikô VII as Enya Hangan (L) Kabukiza, Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Enya Hangan Attacks Moronao as Honzô Watches Act III, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Bandô Mitsugorô IV (1802-63) as Moronao (M) Sawamura Tosshô I (1802-63) as Enya Hangan (L) Performed 1835.08, Morita Theater, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ.Yamamotoya Heikichi Tsubouchi
12. Michiyuki:
The Dance
Interlude In the puppet play Kanadehon Chûshingura, Act VIII is the michiyuki, but in As seen in the diptych 12-A, the michiyuki is often performed with the chanters and musicians in full view on the stage rather than in a box above to the side. The other diptych (12-B) shows the stylish lovers Kanpei and Okaru confronting the clown-like Bannai and his servant Bekunai in a stylized fight scene. 12-A Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Michiyuki Journey of Kanpei and Okaru with Kiyomoto Chorus Michiyuki, Kanadehon Chushingura Onoe Baikô III (1784-1849) as Okaru (R) Ichikawa Performed 1833.03, Kawarazaki Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ.Yamamotoya Heikichi Tsubouchi 12-B Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Kanpei and Okaru Encounter Sagisaka Bannai and Yakko Bekunai Michiyuki, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Bandô Shûka I (1813-55) as Okaru (R) Ichikawa Nakayama Bungorô II (?-1862) as Yakko Bekunai (L) Performed 1851, Ichimura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ. Tsujiokaya Bunsuke Tsubouchi
13. Act IV:
The Seppuku Of Enya Hangan This timing is overlooked in the diptych by Kunisada (13-A), which focuses rather on the mental attitude of each of the men, Hangan gripping his dagger in his resolve to die as his hand reaches to pull back his outer garment and reveal the pale blue death robes beneath (as seen in the stage photograph). Yuranosuke bends low in deference to his lord, his face filled with concern and affection. This is a good example of a diptych in which each half works better alone than the two together, and presumably each could have been purchased separately
The
seppuku of Enya Hangan is always a Yuranosuke at the Seppuku of Enya Hangan Act IV, Kanadehon Chûshingura Onoe Kikugorô VII as Enya Hangan Nakamura Kichiemon II as Ôboshi Yuranosuke Kabukiza, Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 13-B Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Yuranosuke Arrives Late for the Seppuku of Enya Hangan Act IV, Kanadehon Chûshingura: Seki Sanjûrô II (1786-1839) as Enya Hangan (R) Bandô Mitsugorô III (1775-1832) as Ôboshi Yuranosuke (L) Performed 1830.04, Ichimura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ. Ômiya Heihachi Tsubouchi The most unusual feature of this print, however, is that it is a type of “trick picture” (shikake-e), devised to reflect the unusual casting of this particular performance at the Shintomi Theater, with the leading roles being rotated each day among different actors. The device seems to have been very popular, and this print was probably a way to advertise it, using the technique known as komochi-e (“prints with children”). The face of each actor is in fact a stack of separate faces that can be flipped up like a calendar, each showing a different actor, for a total of five for each role. The stack of four mini-prints is attached to the main print with thread. The names of the actors who performed each role (of which four played both) are listed on the image of a handscroll in the top center. In studying the details of the separate portraits for the different actors, there seems at first glance little to distinguish one from the other. Looking more closely, however, you can observe many subtle differences, particularly in the shape of the mouth, the position of the eyes, and the contours of the eyebrows. Like all ukiyo-e actor prints, these works bring us to contemplate the differences and the overlap between an actor and his role.Toyohara Chikayoshi (fl. 1870s-80s) Yuranosuke Arrives Late for the Seppuku of Enya Hangan Act IV, Kanadehon Chûshingura As Enya Hangan (R), in layers from top: Onoe Kikugorô V (1844-1903), Ichimura Kakitsu V (1847-1893), Ichikawa Sadanji I (1842-1904),Nakamura Sôjurô I (1835-1889), Ichikawa Danjurô IX (1838-1903) As Ôboshi Yuranosuke (L), in layers from top: Ichikawa Danjurô IX (1838-1903), Onoe Kikugorô V (1844-1903), Ichikawa Sadanji I (1842-1904), Nakamura Nakazô III (1809-1886), Nakamura Sôjurô I (1835-1889) Performed November, 1878, Shintomi Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ. Fukuda Kumajirô Tsubouchi 15. Act V:
Robbery and Murder on the Kanpei has
returned to his wife Okaru’s home in Yamazaki, eking out a meager
existence in
hiding, hoping to muster the money and credibility to become a samurai
again
and join the would-be avengers. At the same time, Ono Sadakurô,
an Enya
retainer who has betrayed his calling to become a highwayman, robs and
kills an
old man―who turns out to be Kanpei’s father-in-law Yoichibei. Unable to
see
much of anything in the dark, Kanpei fires his hunting musket at what
he thinks
is a wild boar, and kills the thief Sadakurô. He takes the purse
from
the dead
man, which will lead him to believe he killed his father-in-law, and to
take
his own life in the following act. The four
different prints here range over a period of more than five decades,
and reveal
an evolution from the plain but stylish Shun’ei print of Bandô
Mitsugorô II as
Kanpei in 1795 (15-A),
with minimal
background and primary concern for
the
presence of the actor, to the increasingly busy and dramatic works of
1805
(15-B)
and 1819 (15-D),
on to the positively baroque composition of
Kuniyoshi in
1849 (15-E). The role of
Sadakurô, as seen here in both a print (15-B)
and recent stage photo
(15-A),
was
made famous by Nakamura Nakazô I in 1766, by eliminating all the
spoken
lines
and acting purely in mime―wonderfully epitomized by placing the stolen
purse in
his mouth. Another sort of performance tour de force is seen in 6-D,
where
Ichikawa Danjurô plays two different roles in one scene with the
“quick-change”
(hayagawari) technique that audiences
love. 15-A
Ono Sadakurô with Yoichibei’s Purse in His Mouth Act V, Kanadehon Chûshingura Onoe Tatsunosuke I as Ono Sadakurô Kabukiza, Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 15-B Katsukawa Shun’ei (1762-1819) Kanpei on the Act V, Kanadehon Chûshingura Bandô Mitsugorô II (1741-1828) as Kanpei Performed 1795.04, Miyako Theater, Hosoban nishiki-e Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0440 15-C Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) Sadakurô Steals Yoichibei’s Purse Act V, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Performed 1805.06.10, Kawarazaki Theater, Ôban nishiki-e, publ. Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0390 15-D Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Ichikawa Act V, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Danjûrô VII (1791-1859) as both Ono Sadakurô (R) and Hayano Kanpei (L) (two of seven quick-change roles) Performed 1819.04i, Tamagawa Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ. Uemura Yohei Tsubouchi 15-E Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Kanpei Shoots Sadakurô Act V, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Sawamura Chôjûrô V (1802-53) as Hayano Kanpei (L) Performed 1849.07, Nakamura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych, publ. Enshûya Hikobei Tsubouchi 16. Act VI: The
Tragedy of
Kanpei
Kanpei
first appears in Act VI on his return home from his nighttime adventure
in Act
V, filled with hope that the money in the purse taken from
Sadakurô’s
body will
gain him entry to the league. In this triptych (16-A),
he discovers as
he enters
the gate that Okaru is being taken off to the Gion pleasure quarter in 16-A
Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Kanpei Stops Ichimonjiya from Taking Okaru Away Act VI, Kanadehon Chûshingura Bandô Mitsugorô IV (1802-63) as Ichimonjiya (R) Onoe Eizaburô III (1808-61) as Okaru (M) Onoe Kikugorô III (1784-1849) as Kanpei (L) Performed 1833.08, Ichimura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. Yamamotoya Heikichi Tsubouchi Utagawa Toyokuni III [Kunisada] (1786-1864) Kanpei Commits Harakiri Only to Learn of His Error Act VI, Kanadehon Chushingura Nakamura Fukusuke (1830-99) as Kanpei Performed 1860.04, Nakamura Theater, Photographic reproduction of ôban nishiki-e, publ. Tsujiya Yasubei Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0495 16-C The Seppuku of Kanpei Act VI, Kanadehon Chûshingura Nakamura Kankurô as Senzaki Yagorô Nakamura Kichiemon II as Hayano Kanpei Kabukiza, Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 17. Act VII:
Reading the
Letter and Descending the Ladder
Shown
here are two of the best-known such moments. Particularly geared to
pictorial
depiction is the scene in which Yuranosuke tries furtively to read a
letter
that has been delivered from his wife Kaoyo, reporting on the enemy’s
situation.
Unknown to him, Kanpei’s wife Okaru, who is now in service at the
teahouse,
looks down from a room above and thinks that it must be a love letter.
Lonely,
she wishes to read it and uses a mirror for illumination (optically
implausible
but very effective on the stage). Meanwhile, Moronaro’s spy
Kudayû
reads the
same letter from his hiding place beneath the veranda, as Yuranosuke
slowly
unrolls it. This famous scene is shown here by Yoshitoshi (17-A)
and in
a
parodic version by Sadatora (17-B)
where the characters are replaced by
three of
the Gods of Fortune. 17-A Utagawa Sadatora (fl. 1820s) Parody of Chûshingura with the Gods of Good Fortune: Act VII (‘Mitate fukujin Chûshingura: Shichi-danme’) Ôban nishiki-e, ca. 1820s, publ. Ezakiya Kichibei Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-1648 17-C Yuranosuke Helps Okaru Down the Ladder Act VII, Kanadehon Chûshingura Nakamura Senjaku II as Okaru Nakamura Ganjirô II as Ôboshi Yuranosuke Shin Kabukiza, February 1969 Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 17-D Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Yuranosuke Helps Okaru Down the Ladder Act VII, Kanadehon Chûshingura Iwai Shijaku I (1804-45) as Okaru Onoe Kikugorô III (1784-1849) as Yuranosuke Performed 1837.08, Nakamura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e diptych (vert.), publ.Yamaguchiya Tôbei Tsubouchi
This
particular print, which was published in 1897, is a wonderful example
of the bright
and even garish colors that were in favor in woodblock prints of the
Meiji era.
The brightest of these were chemical aniline dyes from Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) Okaru Scatters Paper to Fend Off Heiemon’s Attack Act VII, Kanadehon Chushingura Ichikawa Nakamura Fukusuke IV (1866-1940) as Okaru (M) Onoe Kikugorô V (1844-1903) as Heiemon (L) Performed June 1897, Kabukiza, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. Akiyama Buemon Tsubouchi 19. Act IX: The Yamashina Retreat Act IX is perhaps the most unfairly neglected of the eleven acts of Kanadehon Chûshingura, since it is often dropped in all-day performances (tôshi-kyôgen) of the entire play, simply because the current kabuki schedules do not allow the time for it, even though it is recognized as an important and effective part of the play. It takes place in Ôboshi Yuranosuke’s residence in Yamashina, on the outskirts of
In the
dramatic scene shown in this Kunisada triptych of 1837 (19-B),
we see
Tonase
preparing to take the life of her daughter Konami after her offer of
marriage
has been spurned by Yuranosuke’s wife O-Ishi, who stands to the right
holding a
wooden stand for which she will later demand the head of Honzô.
As
Konami
raises her sword to strike off Konami’s head, however, she hears the
flute of a
mendicant priest outside the gate (who is really Honzô in
disguise, as
clearly
labeled on the print) and a sudden voice “Stop!” She hesitates and
moves to
strike again, but the fluter and voice repeat. As she raises her sword
a third
time, she is stopped by O-Ishi, who has been observing from the side
and was moved
by the resolve of both mother and daughter. Tonase Prepares to Kill Her Daughter Konami Act IX, Kanadehon Chûshingura Nakamura Utaemon VI as Tonase Nakamura Matsue V as Konami National Theatre, Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 19-B Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Tonase Prepares to Kill Konami as O-Ishi Looks on and Honzô Appears at the Gate as a Wandering Monk with Flute Act IX, Kanadehon Chûshingura Onoe Kikujurô II (d. 1875) as O-Ishi (R) Onoe Baikô III (1784-1859) as Tonase (M) Iwai Matsunosuke II (dates unknown) as Konami (M) Seki Sanjûrô II (1786-1839) as Performed 1837.08, Nakamura Theater, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. Kagaya Kichiemon Tsubouchi 20. Act X: The
Faithful
Merchant Gihei
The
other item on display here (20-B)
also shows the defiant Gihei as he is
threatened by the “police,” but it is mostly notable as a very rare
example of
a preliminary sketch for a color woodblock print that was never
actually produced.
It is signed at the end by Kunisada, and mounted as a handscroll
together with
designs for nine other acts of the play. It provides a rare opportunity
to see
the direct hand of the leading artist of Chûshingura theater
prints Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Gihei Defends the Chest of Armor Act X, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Performed 1833.03, Kawarazaki Theater, Ôban nishiki-e, publ.Yamamotoya Heikichi Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0834 20-B Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) Act X, Kanadehon Chûshingura One of ten preliminary sketches for series of ôban triptychs depicting Acts I-X of Kanadehon Chûshingura. Signed at end “Kôchôrô Kunisada hitsu” Handscroll, ca. 1830s, 37 cm H x 777 cm W Tsubouchi 21. Act XI:
The Night Attack on Kira’s Mansion The final act of Kanadehon Chûshingura is much like the “grand prelude” that begins it, colorful and spectacular―although now the atmosphere has changed completely from ominous foreboding to rousing celebration. It presents the culmination of the revenge, the attack on Moranao’s mansion and the taking of his head, mostly as a sequence of swordfight dances. It is on the whole brief, with minimal dialogue and no plot to speak of. This triptych of
1817 (21-B)
is a wonderful example of the work of Toyokuni I, the
progenitor of
most of the Utagawa school artists who dominated late Ôboshi Yuranosuke and Rikiya at the Night Attack Act XI, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Nakamura Senjaku II as Ôboshi Rikiya Shinbashi Enbujô, March 1972 Monochrome photograph Tsubouchi 21-B Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) Yuranosuke and Kazuemon Discover Moronao in the Charcoal Shed Act XI, Kanadehon Chûshingura Ichikawa Matsumoto Kôshirô V (1768-1838) as Kô no Moronao (M) Bandô Mitsugorô III (1775-1831) as Fuwa Kazuemon (L) Performed 1817.07.17, Nakamura Theater Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. Matsumura Tatsuemon Tsubouchi 22. Imagining
the Retreat
to Sengakuji
Here we
are rather offered an imagined view of the rônin arriving at the
temple
gate,
with a view out over Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) “Having Achieved Their Goal, the Loyal Retainers Retreat to Sengokuji [sic]” (Gishi honmô o tasshite Sengokuji e hikitori-katame no zu) Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. 1847-52 by Yorozuya Kichibei Tsubouchi
23. Combining
the Acts:
Perspective Prints of Chûshingura
In
Masayoshi’s depiction of Act III (23-A),
for example, we start to the
lower
right as a bowing Honzô offers gifts to appease Moronao at the
gate of
the
Ashikaga mansion, while above inside the mansion appears the subsequent
scene
of Hangan attacking Moronao, while finally to the lower left is the
concluding
scene of Honzô (now appearing for the second time) fighting off
Bannai
and his
minions. Similarly, in Hokusai’s view of Act X of the same era (23-B),
the
“faithful merchant” Gihei appears twice, first talking with his wife
Osono at
the gate in the center, and then at the entrance to his store, the
Amakawaya,
defending an oddly small armor chest from the attacking “police.” The
stylized
clouds at the top of both these prints suggests a link to the older
tradition of
narrative handscrolls, as does the integration of temporal sequence
into a
single space. Prints like these may
well have been based on the jôruri rather than kabuki form of the
play. Kitao Masayoshi (1764-1824) “Perspective Views of Kanadehon Chûshingura: Act III” (‘Uki-e Kanadehon Chûshingura: San-danme’) Generic view (mitate-e), no specific actors or performance. Ôban nishiki-e, publ. ca. 1790s by Tsuruya Kiemon Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-0285 23-B Kakô [Katsushika Hokusai] (1760-1849) “New Perspective Views of Chûshingura: Act VIII” (‘Shinpan uki-e Chûshingura: Dai hachi-danme’) Generic view (mitate-e), no specific actors or performance. Aiban nishiki-e, publ. ca. 1801 by Iseya Rihei Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-1463
24. All Eleven
Acts in a
“Single View” Utagawa Yoshitora (fl. ca. 1850s-1870s) “A Single View of All Eleven Acts of Kanadehon Chûshingura” (‘Kanadehon Chûshingura jûichi-dan tsuzuki ichiran no zu’) Right sheet (from top): Act I (Kaoyo chooses the helmet), Act II (Honzô cuts the pine branch), Act III (Enya Hangan attacks Moronao). Middle sheet (from bottom): Act IV (Gôemon and Rikiya at Enya Hangan’s mansion), Act. V (Sadakuro kills Yoichibei), Act. VI (Okaru and Kanpei), Act. VII (Okaru and Kudayû read Yuranosuke’s letter), Act VIII (Bridal journey of Konami and Tonase). Left sheet (from top): Act IX (Honzô tramples the wooden stand), Act X (Gihei defends the armor chest), Act XI (The rônin find Kira in the charcoal shed) Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. 1847-52 by Yamadaya Shôbei Tsubouchi 24-B Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) “A Comic Parody of Chûshingura” (‘Mitate kokkei Chûshingura’) Ôban nishiki-e pentaptych, publ. ca. 1830s by Yamamotoya Heikichi Tsubouchi
Kuniyoshi’s
version (25-A, 25-B)
dates from 1847-48, when it was still forbidden to
use the
real names of the Akô rônin, who appear rather under thinly
disguised
alternate
names―but not necessarily those used in Kanadehon
Chûshingura except for the leading half-dozen or so. The
apparent
historicity of the portraits is reinforced by the detailed text that
closely
reflects kôdan legends. In the
examples here, one is shown defending himself from kindling thrown when
Kira
was discovered, the other carefully putting out the fire in a brazier
after the
attack.
By
the time of Kunisada’s series of 1864 (25-C, 25-D),
however, the real
historical
names of the Gishi could be used with impunity―but they are shown as if
they
were being played by leading actors of the day! These were not real
performances, but imaginary ones that would cater to the interests of
both
Gishi fans and kabuki buffs. It is a curious reversal of Kuniyoshi’s
earlier
series, suggesting how deeply intertwined history and theater continued
to be
in the survival of the Chûshingura story.
25-A
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Nakamura Kansuke Tadatoki From the series Seichû gishi den (Lives of the Loyal Retainers) Ôban nishiki-e, publ. 1847-48 by Ebiya Rinnosuke Tsubouchi Memorial Museum 100-1535 25-B Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Teraoka Heiemon Nobuyuki From the series Seichû gishi den (Lives of the Loyal Retainers) Ôban nishiki-e, publ. 1847-48 by Ebiya Rinnosuke Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 100-1537 25-C Utagawa Toyokuni III [Kunisada] (1786-1864) Ichikawa From the series Seichû gishi den (Lives of the Loyal Retainers) Ôban nishiki-e, publ. 1864.10 by Ôyama Toyojirô Tsubouchi Memorial Museum 006-5171 25-D Utagawa Toyokuni III [Kunisada] (1786-1864) Ichikawa From the series Seichû gishi den (Lives of the Loyal Retainers) Ôban nishiki-e, publ. 1864.08 by Ôyama Toyojirô Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 006-5184 26. Kanadehon
Chûshingura in the
The
regular commercial production of multcolor
woodblock prints emerged
later in Shigefusa (dates unknown) Ichikawa Act VII, Kanadehon Chûshingura Inscribed poem by Ichikawa Hakuen: “O-nimotsu o katsuide nari to hanami ya” Performed 1830.03, Kado Theater, Ôban nishiki-e, publ. Wataya Kihei Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 016-0883 26-B Kô no Moronao and Lady Kaoyo Act 1, Kanadehon Chûshingura Utagawa Hirosada (fl. 1820s-1860s, d. ca. 1865) Nakamura Daikichi III as Kaoyo (R) Mimasu Daigorô IV (1782-1824) as Kô no Moronao (L) Performed 1849.09, Chikugo Theater, Chûban nishiki-e; two from a set of four, publ. Kawaoto Tsubouchi
27. Meiji Style
and Meiji
Variations
The
triptychs displayed her advertise two such kakikae
versions, plays that are never performed today but had their own time
in the
limelight. Both feature Ichikawa Danjûrô IX, often known
simple as “The
Ninth”
(Kudaime), a legendary actor who
introduced numerous new techniques to kabuki in general and to Kanadehon Chûshingura in particular. In a
Kunichika triptych of 1897 (27-A),
he is shown as Yuranosuke in a kakikae that features
him in a striking
pose next to a stage curtain (a Meiji innovation) covered with
advertisements
for various medicinal products that seem particular oriented to women:
two
cleansers for whiter skin, two eye medicines, one talcum power to deal
with
perspiration, one anti-ague cure, and a vaginal treatment that “need
not be
taken orally.” Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) “ Act II, Ura-omote Chûshingura (variation on Kanadehon Chûshingura) Ichikawa Performed June 1897, Kabukiza, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. Fukuda Hatsujirô Tsubouchi 27-B Utagawa Kunimasa IV (1848-1920) Shioyama Yozaemon and Akagaki Genzô Scene from Tenka-ichi chûshin kagami (variation on Kanadehon Chûshingura) Ichikawa Onoe Kikugorô V (1844-1903) as Akagaki Genzô (L) Performed September 1884, Shintomi-za, Ôban nishiki-e triptych, publ. August 1884, by Hasegawa Sonokichi Tsubouchi
Very
different is the English-language poster (28-B)
for a November 1951
performance
at the Kabuki-za in Kabuki poster for Kanadehon Chûshingura Hongô-za, 1929 Tsubouchi 28-B Kabuki poster for Kanadehon Chûshingura Kabukiza, Tsubouchi
Poster for film Chûshingura Directed by Kinugasa Teinosuke; 1932 29-B Movie poster for Genroku Chûshingura, Part II Directed by Mizoguchi Kenji; February, 1942 Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum S1 |