a

Nanbu-zaka Yuki-no Wakare

In March 14, 1701, the feudal lord Asano Takuminokami tried to slash to Kira Kozukenosuke at the Edo Castle. Tokugawa shogunate government ordered Lord Asano doing the ritual suicide, hara-kiri, and he died at the same day. There are many theories why Lord Asano has done such a thing. However, he had to kill himself immediately, so the government didn't investigate of the incident enough. Thus nobody knows the real motive of Lord Asano. Nevertheless, people at that time expected the ex-retainers of Lord Asano to do the vendetta of him. It happened at the Genroku era, people were bored of peace then.

So-called 'Chushingura' is a drama that is based to that incident, and it is made into many movies, stage plays, and TV-dramas still now. Also this drama 'Genroku Chushingura' is one of them. 'Nanbu-zaka Yuki-no Wakare' is one of the parts of this drama. Its playwright Mayama Seika is well known by the double selling of the writing. And also his drama is well known as a speaking drama. Every his drama has a persistent conversation. In this part, Hagura Itsuki does it.

Hagura Itsuki was a priest of Shintoism and was a scholar of the national literature. (His another name is Kadano Azumamaro.) It is also well known that he helped the vendetta of Lord Asano indirectly. He couldn't do any reasonable helping in this drama, though.

As I mentioned before, people were bored of the peaceful Genroku era, and that incident of Lord Asano was a big incident for people. And they expected the vendetta as a bigger event. So it was a likely matter that Itsuki longed for knowing the plan of the vendetta, because he wasn't an exception of the people who expected a big event. However, Itsuki could know nothing, because the plan of the vendetta should go secretly. Itsuki has no way except just blaming Oishi Kuranosuke who is a ex-chief retainer of Ako. The general public also blame the ex-retainers of Ako, and they are cornered as a result.

Itsuki says that he just would like to see a manifestation of the real Japanese spirit. It meant that he expected the ex-retainers of Ako to show the his own Japanese spirit. Itsuki was a priest of Shintoism, and was a scholar of the national literature. Although he has been thought as a great scholar, his study wasn't creative.

The Japanese spirit that Itsuki thought was not beyond a moral. He wasn't a staff officer, a battle commander, or even a politician. Although he has known that the ex-retainers have to die if they did the vendetta, he didn't consider what it meant. I think that Itsuki could have wanted to participate to the vendetta. Kuranosuke must have refused it, though. Anyway, he could do nothing. I don't know how he felt about it after the vendetta, but I think that I would like to know it.

Tokugawa shogunate government forbade to show any stage play that based to a real incident. So playwrights needed to change the concerned persons' name and the locations in order to show their plays. But this play was written after Meiji Restoration in 1868. Mayama Seika didn't need to care of it, so every person appeared on the stage with his real name.

Finally, the 47 ex-retainers of Ako killed themselves. The ex-retainers didn't have any method to live except thinking how to die. The recent suicide terrorism at Palestine makes me think about them. However, I think Palestinians have other method to live. I hope that nobody thinks to do suicide anymore. (2002,4,6)