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Background Information This play "Yotsuya Kaidan" is the most famous ghost story in Japan. It was performed first in 1825. Tsuruya Nanboku wrote it that based to a real incident. There is a tomb of Oiwa in Tokyo till now. Actors and actresses performing the role of "Yotsuya Kaidan" generally go to the tomb in order to avoid any possible trouble with the ghost later. This drama is one of the episodes of "Chushingura". Cast Story Act-1 Scene：Near Kannongaku-do at Asakusa Yotsuya Samon, who had formerly been in service of Lord Enya, is living in poverty after the lord's downfall and death. He has two daughters, Oiwa and Osode. Elder daughter Oiwa had a husband, Tamiya Iemon. Samon made Oiwa divorce Iemon because he found that Iemon had embezzled wrongfully the funds that belonged to the Enya household. One day, when Samon is attacked by homeless persons, and Iemon manages to help Samon. Then Iemon asks Samon to give him Oiwa as his wife again. Samon refuses his wish, and says that he knows Iemon's embezzlement of the fund. After Samon leaves there, Iemon tails to him secretly. Scene：Brothel of Takuetsu Samon's younger daughter Osode sells toothpicks at a shop near the temple at Asakusa. The salary is not enough, and Osode works as a prostitute of Takuetsu's brothel at night. A man had been waiting for her when Osode came to the brothel that night. The man, Naosuke who wanted to marry with her, came there because he heard that Osode works there as a prostitute. Osode is surprised so much. She has thought nobody knows that she works there, because her name is Omon at the brothel. And she doesn't like Naosuke. Osode has a fiance whose name is Yomoshichi. Yomoshichi disappeared, but she has been searching where he is. She has asked customers not to touch her. But of course Naosuke doesn't think not to do nothing to her. Naosuke gives Osode his money in order to help her living. And they goes to next room together. After that, a man comes to the brothel to meet Omon who has a good reputation there. Osode is called from the next room, and meets to the man. He was Yomoshichi who is a fiance of Osode. Yomoshichi has been searching to Osode like her. They managed to meet each other. Yomoshichi pays some money to buy his fiancee. When Yomoshichi touches Osode's breast, he finds the purse that Naosuke gave to Osode. Naosuke comes there from the next room he waited for Osode. He gets angry so much because he listened to their talking. He thinks Yomoshichi intends to rob his woman and money. Yomoshichi returns the purse to Naosuke. Yomoshichi rents a lantern, and two lovers leave from the brothel. Naosuke tails to the lantern secretly. Scene：By the wayside beyond Asakusa Shozaburo comes near Jizo that is the stone idol on the wayside beyond Asakusa. He intends to meet Yomoshichi there. Yomoshichi and Shozaburo were lord-less retainers of Enya like Samon. Lord-less retainers of Enya are planning the revenge of their lord's downfall and death. As soon as Shozaburo meets to Yomoshichi, Shozaburo asks Yomoshichi to carry the secret vendetta letter to another lord-less retainers. Shozaburo has disguised himself into homeless. Yomoshichi changes his clothes to Shozaburo's ones and leaves there. Shozaburo leaves there with the lantern Yomoshichi rented from the brothel. Naosuke tails to the lantern that Yomoshichi carried, but it has been carried by Shozaburo then. Naosuke doesn't notice it, and he attacks Shozaburo. Shozaburo is killed. Naosuke cuts a face of Shozaburo, because he doesn't want to be known about the dead body's identity. Everything has been done in the darkness. Naosuke doesn't know that he killed Shozaburo instead of Yomoshichi. After that, Samon comes there to run away from Iemon. Iemon attacks him because Samon said that he intended to accuse Iemon. Samon is killed. Oiwa comes there, because Samon was later. Osode comes there, because she lost Yomoshichi again. Two sisters find each other and two dead bodies. There is the lantern near one of the dead bodies. So Osode thinks it is Yomoshichi. Iemon and Naosuke were friends before. After the two criminals talk about their murder, they appear on the stage again. There are unfortunate sisters crying there, because their father and fiance were killed. Iemon says that he would do vendetta of sisters' father, if Oiwa married with him again. Naosuke says that he would do vendetta of Osode's fiance, if Osode lived with him as husband and wife. The sisters accept two criminals' suggestion, because they have no idea. Everybody doesn't know that Yomoshichi didn't die. Act-2 Scene：Iemon's house at Yotsuya Oiwa married with Iemon again. After she had a baby, Oiwa got illness. They are living in poverty. Iemon is getting to hate Oiwa gradually. A special medicine, Soukisei that Tamiya clan has was stolen by Kohei who served to Iemon recently. He was introduced by Takuetsu who was a master of the brothel. Takuetsu came there to apologize about Kohei's crime. Iemon's bad friends catch Kohei, and take him to Iemon's house. After Iemon gets back Soukisei, they hit and kick Kohei. Meanwhile a visitor comes to Iemon's house. Kohei's hands, legs and mouth are tied, and they put him into closet. The visitor was Omaki who was a wet nurse of a grand-daughter of the next door. Omaki brought a dinner for the celebration of a baby from Ito Kihei who is the master of the next door. And she brought a special medicine for Oiwa. While Iemon and his bad friends have a dinner, money-lender Mosuke comes there. Iemon borrowed some money from Mosuke before, but Iemon has no money to refund. Omaki pays enough money to Mosuke, and he goes away. After that, Omaki leaves from Iemon's house. Oiwa asks Iemon to visit to Kihei in order to thank him. Iemon goes to Kihei's house with his bad friends. There are Oiwa and Takuetsu at Iemon's house, and Kohei is in the closet still now. Oiwa feels a faint, and she takes the medicine that Omaki brought a short time ago. Suddenly Oiwa feels a pain on her face. She is suffering so much, and Takuetsu takes care of her and her crying baby. Scene：Ito Kihei's home Iemon visits to Ito Kihei's house. It is so big and beautiful house. Kihei is wealthy very much. There are Kihei's daughter Oyumi who is a widow, Oyumi's daughter Oume and Oume's wet nurse Omaki there. Kihei says that his granddaughter Oume loves Iemon. He wants Iemon to marry with Oume although he has a wife Oiwa. Kihei gives him money. Kihei made Omaki carry a special medicine to Oiwa a short time ago. The medicine makes one's face be ugly. If Oiwa took the medicine, she would become ugly very much. If Oiwa became ugly, Kihei thought that Iemon might marry with Oume. Kihei told his mind like that. Iemon refuses Kihei's suggestion. When Oume hears Iemon's answer, she tries to commit a suicide. Iemon stops her, and he says that he marries with Oume. Kihei and others are delighted so much, and he suggests marriage tonight to Iemon. Iemon accepts it. Scene：At Iemon's home Oiwa asks Takuetsu to buy some oil of a lamp with a paper shade. Iemon comes back. He is surprised very much when he looks at Oiwa. Because Oiwa became ugly so much. Iemon takes down a mosquito net, and takes his baby's clothes and Oiwa's clothes. Oiwa asks Iemon to allow everything of her. Iemon says that he wants another new wife, and that he doesn't intend to do vendetta of her father any more. Iemon ignores her and goes to a pawnshop to get some money instead of a mosquito net. Oiwa is disappointed so much. When Takuetsu comes back after he bought some oil, he meets Iemon. Iemon asks Takuetsu to do Oiwa a temptation. Iemon has been heading to a pawnshop. After Takuetsu comes back to Iemon's house, he tries to speak to Oiwa first. And he tried to hold her by force, but she refuses. Takuetsu says that Oiwa became ugly very much, and he gives her a mirror to look at her face. Oiwa looks at her own face, and she is surprised so much. Takuetsu talks about the medicine that Omaki carried. Oiwa is furious, and she puts on makeup to go to Kihei's house. She wants to complain. When Oiwa brushes her hair, she has lost a lot of hair. Oiwa takes her lost hair up, and her blood is dropped down from her hair. Oiwa feels a pain and she is suffering very much. Then she cuts her throat with Kohei's knife. Oiwa has died, but it was an accident. Takuetsu runs away from the house. Iemon and his bad friends come back again. They find a dead body of Oiwa. There is Kohei's knife, so Iemon thinks to pin the guilt on Kohei. Kohei is in the closet still now. Iemon and his friends take Kohei out and kill him. They pin Oiwa and Kohei, on both sides of a door panel. Iemon's bad friends carry the door panel away, they throw it into a river. A bride parade has come. Oume is wearing a white wedding dress to marry with Iemon. When Iemon tries to have the first sex, he looks at Oiwa instead of Oume. Oiwa is beheaded by Iemon, but Oume's severed head is there. Iemon is surprised, and he speaks to Kihei who is sleeping the next room. Then he finds Kohei there. Kohei is beheaded by Iemon, but Kihei's severed head is there. Both of Oiwa and Kohei are ghosts. At the result, Iemon killed Oume and Kihei. Iemon is confused so much. Act-3 Scene：By Onbobori Canal Okuma who is Iemon's mother comes to Onbobori Canal. She made a wooden stupa of Iemon. Okuma wishes everyone thinks that Iemon died, because she heard Iemon killed two persons. If police thought that Iemon died, he wouldn't be arrested. Iemon goes fishing to the river side. He is surprised, when he meets his mother there. Okuma and Iemon set up the stupa on the river bank. After Okuma goes her way, Iemon starts fishing. Iemon notices Naosuke who has been fishing near there, and both of them recognize each other. When a fish is hooked on Iemon's line, Naosuke helps to catch it by the stupa that Okuma carried there. Then Naosuke throws the stupa into the river. There were Oyumi and Omaki near the river side as homeless. After Oyumi's father Kihei and Oume who was her daughter had been killed by Iemon, Ito clan was cornered to downfall. Omaki helped Oyumi's living, but she fell into the river and died. Oyumi is alone now. Oyumi finds the stupa that was written Iemon's name. Iemon notices that Oyumi gets the stupa of him. He kicks Oyumi into the river, and she died. Naosuke says how bad Iemon is. Naosuke leaves there, with laughing. It is getting dark. Iemon is about to leave there, when he hears a voice calling his name. A door panel comes floating down the river toward him. There is Oiwa pinned on it. And it turns over, there is Kohei pinned on the other side. Iemon strikes wildly at apparition, and the door panel floats away. Act-4 Scene：Hermitage at Hebiyama Iemon is confined to a hermitage at Hebiyama, driven mad by Oiwa's ghost. He awakens from a nightmare in fright every night. Neighbors who are assembled at the house to offer incantations to drive away the ghost try to calm him. But Oiwa's ghost appears here and there, everywhere. He can't run away from Oiwa's deep grudge any more. Then Yomoshichi and Ohana who was Kohei's wife come there to revenge. They attacks Iemon, and Iemon is cornered. The stage of Kabuki is ended by this scene. Do you think if Iemon has died? The End. |
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