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　　　Sogamoyou Tateshi-no Goshozome

This play was written by Kawatake Mokuami, and was first performed in 1864. Mokuami made novels into this play. It became a very good performance this time, because Nizaemon and Tamasaburo played very beautiful on the stage.

At the beginning, a poor young woman pilgrim had been almost raped by bad palanquin bearers, but a wealthy handsome young man, Lord Asama Tomoenojo helped her. After that, she was given Hototogisu, a little cuckoo, as her name, and she accepted to live in his mansion as a mistress. In this case, we know that Tomoenojo has a wife already. It wasn't an acceptable matter that she had a sexual relationship with him at the result, because it could have been the same thing as bad palanquin bearers tried to do. However, Hototogisu didn't have even home then. Thus it would be wrong to say that she gave her body to him in order to have a wealthy life easily. Nobody can reproach Hototogisu, because it has no possibility that there would be a good palanquin bearer who loves her.

I think that Hototogisu wasn't so happy in Tomoenojo's mansion, because he has a wife, Nadeshiko and even Nadeshiko's mother, Yuri-no-kata lived together. Yuri-no-kata hated Hototogisu, and she killed Hototogisu finally. I think that such a deep hatred of Yuri-no-kata was not only emotion as Nadeshiko's mother. There is a woman who thinks that being a woman has priority more than being a human. She should be loved unconditionally, and it is natural that someone who bothered her is killed. Yuri-no-kata is the one.

Yuri-no-kata must have been very sorry that her lord didn't choose herself as his wife. Unfortunately she couldn't hate her daughter. Thus all of her hatred increased exponentially and went toward to Hototogisu. The scene that Yuri-no-kata killed Hototogisu was shocking very much. Yuri-no-kata's strong deep hatred made the scene very bizarre, but beautiful.

The other unhappy woman Satsuki became a courtesan for her husband Gorozo. Satsuki accepted Doemon unwillingly in order to make money that Gorozo needed for his ex-lord, Tomoenojo. And she killed herself finally. It isn't wrong to say that Satsuki was killed by Gorozo. I have no idea how Satsuki felt as she became a courtesan for her husband. A prostitute doesn't sell only her body. A prostitute sells self-respect, so that prostitution is tragedy.

Tamasaburo performed Hototogisu and Satsuki, and Nizaemon performed Yuri and Gorozo. So Nizaekon killed Tamasaburo twice this time. They both were beautiful. But I think that the murder scene of Hototogisu was excellent more than Satsuki, because of hatred. Yuri-no-kata showed Kabuki's aesthetics enough to audiences. I enjoyed it very much. However, this play made me think about prostitution. (2003,6,7)