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The Ghastly Apparition

A Courtesan Yatsuhashi

Kabukiza Theater of last year 1999 was ended by procession of a courtesans of Yatsuhashi. Every audience was lost oneself by Yatsuhashi’s seductive smile. It wasn’t Jirozaemon only.

Prostitution and thief are the oldest jobs of human. And there is nothing as miserable as the life of a woman who sells her body. “Kago Tsurube” is one of the simple stories, like after a courtesan Yatduhashi turns down Jirozaemon terribly he kills her. It isn’t wrong to say it is a stereotype drama, because it has been being shown for a long time. The scene of carnage of love affair is impressing to audiences as a current issue, that has enough appeal for audiences to be moved.

Someone falls in love deeply and thinks at the same time his love isn’t fulfilled. And he believes without any grounds that his lover must not be unfaithful. If he said it is love, I couldn’t say anything, but I think it isn’t necessary to be annoyed paying much money.

Yatsuhashi’s walking, talking, luxurious clothes and making her face up like a mask, they all give an impression that she is a courtesan of Yoshiwara to audiences. Stupid rules to play in Yoshiwara and a lot of useless procedure destroy her human feelings gradually. Audiences forget she is a human, because her beauty dazzles them. Courtesans of Yoshiwara are symbolized into Yatsuhashi, all of them are courtesans beyond one of the human. They give a feeling that they couldn’t have been alive, unless they are courtesans.

A procession of courtesans in the first act dazzles audiences with luxurious things they have never seen. Yatsuhashi who is performed by Tamasaburo is not longer a human. She is a ghastly apparition whose name is a courtesan. When the ghastly apparition gives smile, someone has to die.

The Japanese sword “Kago Tsurube” kills Yatsuhashi as the result, but Jirozaemon already had lost himself at the first act. Moreover when Yatsuhashi turns down him, he dies once more. When Jirozaemon visits to Yoshiwara again four months later, he is living as like a ghost. Jirozaemon who died twice might have thought there wasn’t any place he could have gone.

Yatsuhashi changes her impression from a ghastly apparition into an ordinary woman, when she meets her pimp, Einojo. After the meeting, Yatsuhashi does everything for her pimp as a woman as hard as possible. So it becomes an unreasonable request for her to turn down Jirozaemon as a courtesan, because Yatsuhashi persists her stance as a woman. Then they hurt each other too much.

Revenge means nothing, even if it was at good case or bad case. It is a common awareness that revenge makes a drama to be interesting. But when I see a revenge drama I think it is too painful for me.

Nobody suspects that everyone has fundamental human rights. But everyone has different character, talent and ability, and should live his own life with them. It is the fact that isn’t always equal. So it is the most important precondition of fundamental happiness to estimate oneself correctly.

Yatsuhashi and Jirozaemon made a mistake when they estimated themselves. Lover and family might not be a person who has enough confidence. If someone didn't have a friend he could trust, it should mean a terrible suffering. I could see the worst result in the case of Yatsuhashi and Jirozaemon.