In November 2004, Kabukiza Theater presented 'Greengrocer's Daughter Oshichi'. The greengrocer's daughter, Oshichi set fire to her house in 1683. She was arrested and was executed by burning. Oshichi is the most famous arsonist in Japan. People were familiar with Oshichi's incident at that time, so there were many plays about her. And this play 'Sannin Kichiza Tomoe-no Shiranami' is one of the variations of Oshichi's drama.

'Sannin Kichiza' means that three men whose name are Kichiza. Osho-Kichiza is a training monk before, Obo-Kichiza is a son of a retainer of shogun, and Ojo-Kichiza is an ex-actor who played as a woman on the stage. All of them are thieves now. In the play 'Oshichi', Oshichi's lover is called Kichisaburo that has similar pronunciation to Kichiza. Obo-Kichiza's father loses the treasure sword Koshinmaru, and Kichisaburo also loses the treasure sword Amakuni. There is a character, Beniya Chobei called Bencho in 'Oshichi', and Osho-Kichiza called Bencho when he was a training monk. And Ojo-Kichiza disguises himself as a greengrocer's daughter Oshichi. There are many common points in these two plays.

Tamasaburo, a leading actor who plays female roles usually, performed as Ojo-Kichiza this time, and he walked wildly on the stage, because Ojo-Kichiza was a young man. Nizaemon performed as Obo-Kichiza this time, and Tamasaburo and Nizaemon are called the best couple on the Kabuki plays. So there was an atmosphere of homosexuality on the stage. An earphone guide explained their relationship as homosexuality often. When I watched this play in February 2000, I wondered if kabuki fans accepted the homosexuality relationship really. And I found its answer this time. Most kabuki fans don't accept the homosexuality relationship, ever.

'Tamasaburo didn't need to be a man like that.'

I heard those words that a woman audience said in a theater lobby. It meant that Ojo-Kichiza imitated Oshichi in 'Sannin Kichiza', and it wasn't wrong to say that Ojo-Kichiza was a woman on the stage. And earphone guide said their homosexuality relationship in order to suggest their love as Oshichi and Kichisaburo, a woman and a man. Although Ojo-Kichiza is a man, audiences watch him as a woman when Ojo-Kichiza and Obo-Kichiza are together on the stage.

I was surprised very much to notice it. Three men whose names are Kichiza, they each cut their arm to take blood in a cup, and they each drink it. It means that they swore themselves as brothers. The blood means spermatozoon. When spermatozoon is taken into someone's body it means to become pregnant. They all are males, so it means stricter and stronger relationship than to become pregnant. Of course to have sex doesn’t mean everything. So the relationship that is without having actual sex is stronger than sexual relationship.

There is sexual relationship clearly between Obo-Kichiza and Ojo-Kichiza. Thus their relationship is stronger than another swore brothers. Obo-Kichiza loves Ojo-Kichiza, but it's not the reason that Ojo-Kichiza looks like a woman. Ojo-Kichiza wears a woman kimono, but it isn't transvestism. And it isn't even a way to steal. He just knows that he is good looking when he wears a woman kimono. Ojo-Kichiza loves Obo-Kichisa, but Ojo-Kichiza hasn’t thought to want to become a woman for Obo-Kichiza. They both love each other, because they are manly enough to love. And kabuki fans accept their relationship as a wrong way, love between a man and a woman. It's silly, isn't it?

And kabuki fans aren't tolerant enough to recognize incest. Juzaburo and Otose are twins, and they both are Osho-Kchiza's younger siblings. They love each other because they don't know they are twins. Their father Denkichi knew it, but he has died. Osho-Kichiza is the only one who knew they were twins. Then he kills the twins. But finally Osho-Kichiza couldn’t say to them that Juzaburo and Otose were twins. He might have been able to have forgotten about it, if he couldn’t say it actually. Of course incest is one of the biggest taboo for human. If I thought there was no problem because they didn’t know it, would I be indiscretion?

Incest is a different problem from homosexuality. Homosexuality shouldn't be discriminated. I’m not interested in who love each other. So it is fortunate to find a lover with irrelevant to one's sex. I hope that everyone thinks so. (2004,2,1)