This play belongs to the 18 grand kabuki plays of Ichhikawa family, and this was presented as a celebration performance to Ebizo 11th  succession this month. And this is one of the variations of the Soga brothers' revenge against their father's killer. However, this scene doesn't have a dramatic new turn especially. Audiences just enjoy actors' beauty for two hours.

Ebizo performed its hero Sukeroku this time, and Tamasaburo performed his lover Agemaki. Actually Tamasaburo and Nizaemon are the best couple, but I think that Ebizo now  progressed enough to say a man of Tamasaburo. I have no word to describe their stage except beautiful.

Although they say that Soga brothers' revenge was well known for Japanese, I think that there are few people who know it recently. Also I didn't know about the revenge that happened in 1193. People now can know Soga brothers' revenge to watch kabuki, and there are few people who go to a theater to watch kabuki.

Soga brothers, Juro and Goro, their father was killed in 1176, and after that their mother married again. This play isn't a exception as a kabuki play, because it has a treasure sword 'Tomokirimaru'. In this play, Soga brothers' step-father lost the sword 'Tomokirimaru', and they were searching for it..

In 1193, Soga brothers killed Kudo Suketsune who killed their father. They had done their father's revenge finally, and Juro was killed then. After that, a son of Kudo demanded to kill Goro, and he was killed. It was a terrible spiral killing. Revenge, vendetta or the other same situation means nothing as the result. I can't accept any way to justify killing. I found it again when I watched this play this time.

Anyway, actors were beautiful very much, and I felt very happy at the time. That's all. (2004,6,3)