The very first version of "Narukami" was staged in March 1684 at the Nakamuraza, under the title "Kadomatsu Shitennô". It starred Ichikawa Danjûrô I (who wrote this bombastic drama) and Itô Kodayû II in the roles of the wicked priest Narukami and Princess Taema. It was staged several times by Ichikawa Danjûrô I or Ichikawa Danjûrô II. The current version of "Narukami" comes from a bigger drama, "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura", which integrated it and was staged in January 1742 in Ôsaka at the Ônishi no Shibai [casting]. This role was transmitted from generation to generation up to Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII, who performed it several times between 1836 and 1851. Then it went into oblivion because the Meiji star Ichikawa Danjûrô IX refused to perform it because he thought that the role was both immoral and disrespectful. "Narukami" was fortunately revived by Ichikawa Sadanji II, in May 1910 at the Meijiza [casting]. It is nowadays a very popular play, which is frequently staged.

"Narukami" is the fourth act of the 5-act drama "Narukami Fudô Kitayama Zakura".

Narukami lives in a hermitage near a waterfall in which he has has imprisoned the dragon god. As a result all rainfall has ceased and the land is suffering from drought. The Emperor sends the beautiful Princess Taema to try and break the curse and restore rainfall to the land. As she approaches the hermitage she meets some of Narukami's acolytes, Hakuunbô (the white cloud bonze) and Kokuunbô (the black cloud bonze), who immediately fall under the spell of her beauty. She claims to have come to pray for the soul of her late husband and to wash one of his garments since there is no water in the capital. The acolytes and Narukami listen entranced as she goes into intimate and sensuous detail about how she met her husband and how they made love. Narukami feels faint from listening to the story and falls off the veranda of his room. Princess Taema revives him by transferring water from her lips to his, but he becomes immediately suspicious as he knows of a hermit who lost his powers of sorcery in a similar fashion. She pleads her sincerity and asks to become his disciple. He agrees and sends the acolytes down the mountain for nun's garments and a razor.

While the acolytes are gone Princess Taema fains illness, and naïve Narukami offers to massage her pain. However, he has to put his hand inside her kimono and when his hand touches her breast he is overcome with desire. She has been waiting for this to happen and begins to ply him with wine-the first alcohol of his life. Very soon the wine loosens his tongue and he reveals that the dragon god remains imprisoned as long as the sacred rope across the waterfall is intact. When Narukami falls into a drunken stupor, Princess Taema creeps away and cuts the rope. She escapes as thunder and lightning fill the sky and rain pours down. When Narukami revives, his anger at being tricked transforms him into a thunder god and we see him in a final pose wearing a costume covered in orange-red flames and glaring in the direction his seductress has fled.

Courtesy of Jean Wilson (1999)

Was "Narukami" a cursed play during the Edo period? Ichikawa Ebizô II's adopted son fell ill and died while his father was performing the role of Narukami. Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII collapsed on stage when he performed the role of Narukami for the first time. Many incidents occured when "Narukami" was staged. Supersition might explain the reluctance of Ichikawa Danjûrô IX to stage "Narukami". So far, it seems that the old curse is no more here to plague nowadays actors.

The actors Ichikawa Danjûrô IV (right) and Segawa Kikujirô I (left) playing the roles of the wicked priest Narukami and Princess Taema in the drama "Narukami Jônin Kitayama Zakura", which was performed in March 1755 in Edo at the Nakamuraza (print made by Torii Kiyohiro)

Ichikawa Sadanji II playing the role of the wicked priest Narukami of the eponymous drama "Narukami" (print made by Natori Shunsen)