2 shows in Tôkyô (Shinbashi Enbujô), 3 in Ôsaka (Shôchikuza, National Bunraku Theatre), 2 in Nagoya (Misonoza) and 2 in Fukuoka (Hakataza)!

Nakamura Kanzaburô, Nakamura Kichiemon, Kataoka Nizaemon, Bandô Mitsugorô, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Shibajaku, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Gatô, Kataoka Hidetarô, Nakamura Kankurô and Nakamura Shichinosuke at the Shinbashi Enbujô !

Nakamura Kanjaku, Kataoka Ainosuke, Nakamura Shidô, Ichikawa Somegorô, Bandô Takesaburô, Ôtani Tomoemon and Nakamura Karoku perform at the Shôchikuza!

Nakamura Tokizô, Onoe Kikunosuke and Onoe Shôroku, Ichikawa Danzô and Sawamura Tanosuke perform at the Misonoza!

Ichikawa Kamejirô and the Omodakaya young actors perform at the Hakataza

Nakamura Kanzaburô, Nakamura Kichiemon, Kataoka Nizaemon, Bandô Mitsugorô, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Shibajaku, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Gatô, Kataoka Hidetarô, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Nakamura Kinnosuke, Bandô Yajûrô, Nakamura Tôzô, Ichimura Kakitsu, Kataoka Kamezô, Bandô Shûchô, Ichikawa Omezô, Sawamura Yoshijirô, Ôtani Keizô, Nakamura Matsue, Bandô Shingo, Bandô Minosuke, Nakamura Kotarô, Nakamura Tamatarô, Nakamura Hayato, Nakamura Muneo, Nakamura Kunio

Nakamura Kantarô II takes the name of Nakamura Kankurô VI at the Shinbashi Enbujô!

Narukami: one of the most popular and universally appealing plays in the Kabuki Jûhachiban collection of plays featuring the bombastic aragoto style of acting. The holy man Narukami (Nakamura Hashinosuke) is angry at the Imperial Court and has taken refuge in the mountains where he has imprisoned inside a waterfall the dragon that brings rain, bringing a severe drought to the country. Princess Taema (Nakamura Shichinosuke) is sent by the Imperial Court to try to seduce Narukami, destroying his magical powers and release the rain. When he finds that he has been betrayed, anger transforms Narukami into a Thunder God.

Tsuchi-gumo: a dance play adapted from the classical Nô theatre. The samurai Lord Minamoto Raikô is famous in legend for ridding Kyôto of demons. While Raikô is confined to bed with illness, a priest (the new Nakamura Kankurô) from a prominent temple comes to pray for his health. In fact, the priest is actually the spirit of the earth spider which has caused Raikô's illness in the first place and hopes to destroy him. The spider's plan to kill Raikô is defeated by his retainers (the famous shitennô) in an exciting fight. Featuring Bandô Mitsugorô as Raikô. Featuring also Nakamura Kanzaburô, Kataoka Nizaemon, Nakamura Kichiemon, Nakamura Shibajaku, Nakamura Hashinosuke and Nakamura Fukusuke.

Kôchiyama: the tea priest Kôchiyama (Kataoka Nizaemon) is a skilled thief and extortionist, but cannot turn down a request to help those in need. He disguises himself as a high-ranking priest to try to gain the freedom of a girl held by a powerful samurai lord (the new Nakamura Kankurô) because she will not become his mistress. Using the famous poetic cadences of the late 19th century playwright Mokuami, Kôchiyama not only succeeds in his mission to rescue the girl, but he manages to extort a fair amount for himself. Featuring also Kataoka Hidetarô.

Gozonji Suzu-ga-Mori: The young samurai Shirai Gonpachi (Nakamura Kanzaburô) is ambushed near the execution grounds of Edo on a dark night, but he manages to escape after a gruesome but humorous fight scene. He is watched by Banzuiin Chôbê (Nakamura Kichiemon), an Edo boss, who is impressed with his fighting skills and agrees to give him shelter in the city. This meeting between the handsome young Gonpachi and the heroic Chôbê is one of the most famous meetings in Kabuki.

Kôjô: the close relationship between the actors and the audience is shown by these stage announcements, lavish ceremonies to commemorate various important events. In this case, all the stars of the cast assemble to celebrate the shûmei of Nakamura Kankurô.

Kagami Jishi: one of the most important dances for onnagata female role specialists and is an audience favorite. The maidservant Yayoi performs an auspicious lion dance for the Shôgun in his opulent palace, but she gradually finds herself under the control of the lion spirit. In the second half of the dance, the lion spirit itself appears and performs its crazed dance among peonies and fluttering butterflies. Starring the new Nakamura Kankurô as both Yayoi and the spirit of the lion.

Jiisan Baasan: based on a short story by Mori Ôgai, this modern play by Uno Nobuo shows a loving young couple. The samurai Iori travels to Kyôto with his lord, leaving Run, his beloved wife, behind. While there, he attacks another man in a fight over a sword and is forced into house arrest, separating him from his wife. Many years later, he returns to his home as an old man. There he meets an elderly woman and they do not recognize each other until she sees the one thing that has not changed with age, Iori's peculiar habit of putting his hand to his nose. Starring Bandô Mitsugorô and Nakamura Fukusuke as Iori and Run. Featuring also Nakamura Senjaku and Nakamura Hashinosuke.

Source: Earphone Guide website

Nakamura Kanjaku, Kataoka Ainosuke, Nakamura Shidô, Ichikawa Somegorô, Bandô Takesaburô, Ôtani Tomoemon, Nakamura Karoku, Matsumoto Kingo, Ichikawa Komazô, Kamimura Kichiya, Sawamura Sônosuke, Nakamura Kikaku, Bandô Shinsha, Onoe Matsuya, Nakamura Kazutarô, Nakamura Yonekichi

Keian no Ôkami:
(The Wolf of the Keian Period)
In the time of the third Tokugawa Shôgun Iemitsu, many samurai lords had their domains confiscated and clans disbanded. This resulted in many samurai losing their positions and created an atmosphere of social unrest. The rebellions of the samurai Marubashi Chûya and Yui Shôsetsu are particularly famous. There are many Kabuki plays about Marubashi Chûya, but this 20th century play by Obata Kinji was written for the Shin Kokugeki Troupe and shows Marubashi Chûya as a man living in difficult times and torn between his loyalty to his clan and old friends and his desire to fight for justice and a better life. Featuring Nakamura Shidô (Marubashi Chûya), Ichikawa Somegorô (Yui Shôsetsu) and Kataoka Ainosuke (Nonaka Koyata).

Ôatari Fushimi no Tomikuji:
(The Winning Lottery of Fushimi)
Written in 1881 for Nakamura Ganjirô I, the biggest star in Kansai Kabuki, this is a light comedy showing Kôjirô (Ichikawa Somegorô), the waste paper man who was originally a clerk in a large business that went bankrupt and dreams of restoring the shop of his old master. He also is lost in dreams of love for the courtesan Nioteru. It looks like his dreams will come true when he buys a winning lottery ticket, but it looks like the ticket might be lost among his wastepaper. This performance is a new revival of this play, giving new life to old-fashioned Ôsaka comedy. Featuring also Nakamura Shidô (Kurozumi Heima) and Kataoka Ainosuke (Shinanoya Denshichi).

Sushiya: this is one act of an epic originally written for the Bunraku puppet theatre. The full-length play shows the fate of various Taira generals in hiding after the victory of their enemy, the Genji. In this act, Koremori (Ichikawa Somegorô), the heir to the Taira clan is hiding in a sushi shop disguised as a humble apprentice, and Osato (Nakamura Kazutarô), the daughter of the house, falls in love with him. However, Gonta (Kataoka Ainosuke), the evil son of the house plots to gain a reward by turning in Koremori to the top Genji general Kajiwara (Nakamura Shidô), but in the end, he has a surprising change of heart in one of the most heart-rending scenes in Kabuki. Also featuring Nakamura Karoku as Yazaemon, the proprietor of the sushi shop.

Togitatsu no Utare:
(Togitatsu's Revenge)
This is a 20th century comedy originally written as one of many plays questioning the tradition of revenge plays. A skilled sword polisher (Ichikawa Somegorô) gets promoted to a high position in a samurai clan, but cannot stand the constant criticism of the chief retainer and he finally kills him. The man's sons, a pair of brothers are forced by the samurai ethic to pursue their father's murderer, but as the murderer constantly flees, the brothers must continue their quest endlessly, putting their own lives on hold. Featuring Kataoka Ainosuke and Nakamura Shidô as the brothers Hirai Kuichirô and Hirai Saijirô.

Source: Earphone Guide website

Nakamura Tokizô, Onoe Kikunosuke, Onoe Shôroku, Ichikawa Danzô, Sawamura Tanosuke, Ichimura Manjirô, Kawarasaki Gonjûrô, Bandô Kamesaburô, Bandô Kametoshi, Nakamura Baishi, Onoe Ukon, Nakamura Mantarô

Tokaiya/Daimotsu no Ura: these are two scenes from one of the greatest classics of the puppet theatre, which has also become a classic of Kabuki. After the wars between the Genji and Heike clans, the Genji are victorious and their leader Yoritomo is now Shôgun. But there is a falling out between Yoritomo and his brother Yoshitsune, the brilliant general responsible for the victory. Now Yoshitsune is fleeing through the country and this play fancifully has him encounter several famous warriors from the Heike clan, who are not dead, as history has it. Yoshitsune (Nakamura Baishi) books passage on a boat to Kyûshû, but the captain is actually Taira no Tomomori (Onoe Shôroku), a general of the Heike clan that Yoshitsune helped to defeat. Tomomori was supposedly killed by Yoshitsune in the final battle of the war, but in this play, Tomomori is shown as surviving, living in disguise with the child emperor Antoku and his nursemaid (Onoe Kikunosuke). At one moment the captain is a gallant commoner, but in the next, he is Tomomori, a high ranking general close to the emperor. His wife as well is a cheerful commoner who shows her true identity as a high-ranking lady-in-waiting in the magnificent robes of the imperial court. Tomomori uses the opportunity to try to get his revenge on Yoshitsune but is defeated again. Finally Tomomori holds a giant anchor and plunges into the sea.

Onna Date: Nakamura Tokizô stars as a woman in the pleasure quarters who swaggers and fights in the finest gallant style but who has a delicate sense of femininity as well.

Naozamurai: the thief Naozamurai has been betrayed and is on the run. He risks one last meeting with his lover, the courtesan Michitose, but he has never revealed his true identity to her and as far as she knows, he is a wealthy merchant. On a freezing, snow-bound night, in a romantic scene accompanied by the lush and erotic singing of Kiyomoto narrative music, the two lovers Naozamurai and Michitose meet and part forever. Starring Onoe Kikunosuke as Naozamurai and Nakamura Tokizô as Michitose.

Aoto Zôshi Hana no Nishikie:
(A Brocade Print of the Age of Magistrate Aoto)
Written by Kawatake Mokuami in 1862, this play focuses on the thief Benten Kozô and was inspired by a woodblock print of a sexy young man with tattoos covering his body with a woman's hairstyle and kimono. Benten Kozô is a swindler and thief who makes use of his beauty, both as a handsome young man and disguised as a beautiful woman. The sections about Benten Kozô are played frequently, but this marks a rare full-length performance that shows the stories of all five thieves in the gang who are tied together by bonds of fate and obligation. In the opening at a magnificent temple surrounded by cherry blossoms, Benten Kozô poses as a samurai youth and seduces a princess setting off events that will eventually destroy Benten and all around him. A beautiful young woman comes to a clothing store with her servant, but is discovered shoplifting and beaten. When she proves that she was not stealing, her servant demands compensation. However, a samurai who happens to be in the store reveals that the young woman is actually a man, and he proudly announces his name as Benten, the thief. The servant is his fellow gang member Nangô Rikimaru and the samurai is actually the head of the gang Nippon Daemon. However, they learn that the man they have defrauded is actually Benten Kozô’s father and the five thieves realize they cannot escape and decide to wear magnificent matching kimonos as they meet their fate. The act ends with a kind of spectacle showing the five members of the gang in their finest kimonos under the cherry blossoms in full bloom. In elaborate speeches, they each announce their name in the poetic diction for which the playwright Mokuami is famous. Finally Benten Kozô fights off his pursuers in a spectacular fight on the roof of a temple. Starring Onoe Kikunosuke as Benten Kozô, Ichikawa Danzô as Nippon Daemon, Onoe Shôroku as Nangô Rikimaru, Nakamura Baishi as Akaboshi Jûzaburô and Bandô Kamesaburô as Tadanobu Rihei. Also featuring Bandô Kametoshi and Onoe Ukon as the magistrate Aoto Saemon Fujitsuna and Princess Senju.

Source: Earphone Guide website

Ichikawa Kamejirô, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichikawa Ukon, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa Shun'en, Ichikawa En'ya, Ichikawa Juen, Ichikawa Kôtarô

Tenjiku Tokubê: written in 1804, it was one of the first hit plays by the playwright Tsuruya Nanboku IV, who is famous for his ghost plays. The play features Tokubê, a villain who has magical skills. He escapes from pursuers by transforming himself into a giant toad and the star reveals himself as the actor inside the suit in an exciting fight scene. A mysterious blind monk arrives at the mansion of a samurai lord and entertains with the music of a strange xylophone-like instrument and stories of foreign countries, only to be unmasked as Tokubê. He jumps into the pond in the garden, with a spray of real water, only to appear instantly in a new guise at the end of the hanamichi runway. In the Edo period, rumors that these tricks were performed with illegal Christian magic led to an investigation by officials of the Shogunate. (These rumors may have been started deliberately as a publicity stunt). Instead of closing down the show, it made it wildly popular and gave it a sensational three-month run - unprecedented for a play that started as a stopgap, summer production. The play begins with a mysterious old man (Ichikawa En'ya) who reveals to Tokubê (Ichikawa Kamejirô) that he is his son, and that he is actually Chinese and aims to take control of Japan. The old man commits suicide to pass on his secrets of magic. The mansion collapses and soon, Tokubê can be seen on the roof, standing on a giant toad holding the cut-off head of the old man. This production features all the spectacular scenes of the original play, using all the modern technical resources of the stage at the Hakataza for a play that is guaranteed to be an enjoyable treat. Featuring Ichikawa Ukon, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa Shun'en and Ichikawa Juen.

Kaka Saiyûki:
(Journey to the West)
One of the most popular Chinese classics is the story of the Journey to the West, about a Buddhist priest that traveled along the Silk Road from China to India to collect Buddhist scriptures. He is accompanied by a magical monkey spirit and some other creatures who protect him as they encounter all sorts of hazards on their journey. This play shows the group as they meet a beautiful princess, who is actually the spirit of spider. This play was originally written for Ichikawa Ennosuke’s great grandfather and was a sensation with all kinds of stage tricks. Featuring Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichikawa Ukon, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa Shun'en, Ichikawa En'ya, Ichikawa Juen and Ichikawa Kôtarô.

Onizoroi Momijigari:
(The Autumn Leaves and the Demon of Mt. Togakushi)
This dance is a modern adaptation of a colorful Kabuki play based on an austere Nô classic. The aristocrat Koremochi (Ichikawa Monnosuke) has travelled to view the autumn leaves and encounters a beautiful princess (Ichikawa Kamejirô) and her entourage. The entire party of beautiful women turns out to be vicious demons and attack Koremochi after lulling him to sleep with a beautiful dream-like dance.

Source: Earphone Guide website

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