Background Information

This play was written by Kawatake Mokuami, and first performed in 1860. 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 names are Kichiza.

Story

Act-1

Scene-1; By Sumida River

Denkichi found a man who was going to jump into the river, and stopped him. Denkichi asked him what had happened to him. That man, Juzaburo is a clerk of a sword shop. After he received money from a customer, he bought a streetwalker last night. A fighting had happened between the other guests then, so that he got away immediately from there. After that, he noticed that he lost the money 100ryo (about 10thousand dollars). He searched for that streetwalker all day long today, but he couldn't find her. And he thought that he had no way except dying in the river.

Denkichi was surprised to hear Juzaburo's talking. Denkichi has a daughter, Otose and he heard that her stupid guest left behind a purse last night. That stupid guest must have been Juzaburo. Denkichi takes Juzaburo to his home.

Scene-2; Near Koshin shrine

Otose is looking for her guest of last night in order to hand a purse to him. A young girl accosted to Otose to ask her the way to home. She introduced herself as a greengrocer's daughter Oshichi, but she/he was a thief Ojo-Kichiza, and mugged Otose suddenly. Ojo-Kichiza robbed a purse, and kicked Otose into the river. There was 100ryo in the purse. A man who watched everything comes. He tried to rob the purse from Ojo-Kichiza, but Ojo-Kichiza robbed a short sword that the man was bringing. That man got away, and Ojo-Kichiza didn't know that the short sword was called Koshin-maru, a treasure sword that was stolen from Yasumori Genemon.

Meanwhile, a passing palanquin halts nearby. The newcomer who had been watching the crime scene spoke to Ojo-Kichiza to demand the money. The newcomer is known as Obo-Kichiza, and he knows the mugger is Ojo-Kichiza. Ojo-Kichiza refuses his demand and they begin to fight each other. Another newcomer stopped their fight. Both of Ojo-Kichiza and Obo-Kichiza know who he is. He is well known to thieves as Osho-Kichiza. And they all know that they have the same name, Kichiza. Osho-Kichiza said that the 100ryo should be divided equally between Ojo-Kichiza and Obo-Kichiza. But Ojo-Kichiza suggests to giving the money to Osho-Kichisa, because he made their fight finish before they kill each other. Obo-Kichiza agrees with him, and they presented the 100ryo to Osho-Kichiza.

They each cut their arm to take blood into a cup and they drink it. It means that they swore themselves as brothers.

Act-2

Scene-1:Denkichi's home in Warigesui, the following evening

Denkichi is worried about his daughter Otose because she hasn’t come home since the previous day. Kyubei, a greengrocer comes there with Otose. Kyubei had saved from drowning after Otose was mugged by Ojo-Kichisa. When Kyubei heard the story about the incident from Otose, he thought the stupid guest who had left behind the 100ryo might have been his son Juzaburo. Juzaburo is a clerk of a sword shop, and he has disappeared since the previous evening. He was on the way bringing the 100ryo that was the proceeds of the sword 'Koshinmaru' to his boss. Kyubei and Otose had been looking for Juzaburo and the 100ryo, before they came there.

Juzaburo has stayed in Denkichi's home since the previous night. He was saved by Denkichi, when he was going to commit suicide. Thus Kyubei and Denkichi each saved the life of the other's child. But the money hasn't been found yet. Kyubei says that Juzaburo isn't a legitimate child of him. Kyubei's son had been kidnapped when he was 5. When Kyubei was looking for his son, he found a baby at the shrine. Kyubei had brought up that baby who is Juzaburo instead of his own son.

As Denkichi hears this tale he realizes that Juzaburo is his own son who Denkichi abandoned before, twin brother of Otose. But he keeps it in his mind secretly, because Juzaburo and Otose are beginning to love each other. And Denkichi has realized one more fact. That 100ryo was the proceeds of the treasure sword Koshin-maru that he stole before. After that, Kyubei leaves there, and the twins retire to an adjoining room.

Osho-Kichiza visits to his father Denkichi’s home to give him the 100ryo that he got from the other two Kichiza. Denkichi refuses to receive it, because he thinks Osho-Kichiza got the money illegally. Osho-Kichiza protests, but Denkichi doesn’t listen to him. Finally he leaves there with the 100ryo. Denkichi is thinking about his twins and the 100ryo, telling to himself.

Denkichi's wife gave birth to twin, but twin were thought that persons who committed double suicide were born again at that time. And Denkichi abandoned a boy baby at the shrine, because he thought that a girl baby would make money for him later. Denkichi stole Koshin-maru from Yasumori Genemon who was a father of Obo-Kichiza. Genemon was ordered to keep Koshin-maru by shogun. After Denkichi stole Koshin-maru, Genemon committed ritual suicide, harakiri. Just after Denkichi stole Koshin-maru, he killed a pregnant dog. Denkichi lost Koshin-maru then. After that, Denkichi's wife gave birth to a baby who had many birthmarks on the body. She jumped into a river with that baby and died.

Osho-Kichiza hears all of it because he didn’t leave there. He knows everything about his siblings and Koshin-maru now. Osho-Kichiza puts his 100ryo on the family altar silently and disappears. As soon as Denkichi finds the money, he throws it to Osho-Kichisa. But there is Buhei there instead of Osho-Kichiza. He came there to propose getting married with Otose. When Buhei was thrown the 100ryo, he forgot why he was there. Denkichi notices it, but Buhei gets away. Then Denkichi chases Buhei to get back the 100ryo.

Scene-2:At Otakegura, Honjo sector

Obo-Kichiza accosted to Buhei, and the 100ryo was handed to Obo-Kichisa by force. Denkichi appears on the scene, and begs Obo-Kichisa to lend him the 100ryo, but Obo-Kichisa refuses. They fight, finally Obo-Kichisa has killed Denkichi. When Obo-Kichisa is going to get away, Juzaburo and Otose come there to look for Denkichi. They discover Denkichi's dead body and a knife that Obo-Kichisa left behind.

Act-3

Scene-1:At Kisshoin Temple in Sugamo

Some time has passed, police is coming close to the three Kichiza gradually. One night, when Osho-Kichisa comes to Kisshoin temple that is his hiding place, he was ambushed by cops, and arrested. Cops say if Osho-Kichiza helped to arrest the other two Kichiza, he would be free. Osho-Kichiza accepts the suggestion. When Osho-Kichiza comes into the temple, Obo-Kichiza has been there. He intended to leave from Edo, so that he came there to see Osho-Kichiza. Obo-Kichiza says to take him to police, because he listened to the suggestion of the cops. Osho-Kichiza refuses it of course, and says that he tricked the cops to help the other two Kichiza. And Osho-Kichiza has known that Obo-Kichiza was an heir of Yasumori family, so that he thought he should help Obo-Kichiza because of his father Denkichi's crime. Osho-Kichiza says Obo-Kichisa to hide himself until night has come.

Juzaburo and Otose come to the temple to notify Osho-Kichiza that Denkichi was killed. They ask Osho-Kichiza to find the murderer, and to help making 100ryo. When Juzaburo shows the knife of the murderer, Osho-Kichisa realizes that it was Obo-Kichiza's possession. And when Otose tells that she was mugged, he realizes the mugger was Ojo-Kichiza. Osho-Kichiza says to wait him at cemetery behind the temple.

Meanwhile Obo-Kichiza comes out from hiding place. Ojo-Kichiza comes out from his hiding place, too. Ojo-Kichiza had been hiding himself at the temple for a few days. Both of them listened to everything that Juzaburo and Otose told about. So now they know their crime, and they know that Osho-Kichiza also knows it. When Juzaburo told about himself, Ojo-Kichiza realized that he was Kyubei’s son who was kidnapped. Obo-Kichiza and Ojo-Kichiza decide to kill themselves to apologize for Osho-Kichiza's family.

Scene-2:Cemetery behind Kisshoin Temple

Osho-Kichiza knows why Obo-Kichiza and Ojo-Kichiza fell into the unfortunate circumstances. His father Denkichi was responsible for all of them because Denkichi stole the treasure sword Koshin-maru. He can’t accept to betray his sworn brothers. And he also can’t accept to the incest of his siblings. Osho-Kichiza kills Juzaburo and Otose at cemetery. However, Osho-Kichiza couldn’t tell them that they were twins finally.

Scene-3:Inside the Temple

When Osho-Kichiza comes into the temple, Obo-Kichisa and Ojo-Kichisa are going to kill each other. Osho-Kichisa stops them and shows two fresh severed heads of Juzaburo and Otose. He says it was the revenge that Obo-Kichiza killed Denkichi, because Denkichi was responsible for the ritual suicide of Obo-Kichiza's father. And he says unless Denkichi stole the sword Koshin-maru from Obo-Kichiza’s home, Otose wouldn’t have been mugged by Ojo-Kichiza. There are two fresh severed heads already, he tells that he intends to take them to police as Obo-Kichisa and Ojo-Kichiza.

Then Obo-Kichiza hands to Osho-Kichiza the 100ryo he has. And Ojo-Kichiza hands to Osho-Kichiza a sword that he robbed before. When Obo-Kichiza looked at the sword, he realizes that it was Koshin-maru. They decided that Obo-Kichiza took Koshin-maru to his home to revive his house. And Ojo-Kichiza takes the 100ryo to Kyubei who is his real father to prove that Juzaburo was innocent. Then the three Kichiza have disappeared.

Act-4

Scene:Under the fire watching tower at Hongo

Police found that the two fresh severed heads were fakes, and Osho-Kichiza has been arrested. Obo-Kichiza and Ojo-Kichiza are being chased. The gate of the town is closed, and it hasn’t been opened unless the drum of the fire watching tower is beaten. Two Kichiza can’t help Osho-Kichiza or get away, because the gate has been closed. Ojo-Kichisa beats the drum. When the gate has been opened, Kyubei comes to the fire-lookout tower. Ojo-Kichiza hands to Kyubei the 100ryo. Obo-Kichiza hands to him the sword Koshin-maru because he is a greengrocer of Yasumori family. After Kyubei goes away, three Kichiza fight with cops, and this play has finished. But it suggested that they all would kill each other finally.

The End (2004,2,1)