Welcome to Kabukiza

KABUKU ON DEMAND

2025｜Japan｜1h26m

【Title】['Welcome to Kabukiza']*With English subtitlesThis program at the Kabukiza Theatre is especially designed for people from abroad and beginners. First, you will enjoy deepening your knowledge about kabuki and the Kabukiza Theatre as you are guided by a kabuki actor with videos. Then you can enjoy a famous play featuring three thieves, and a dance in which ‘shishi’ lion-like beasts wildly shake their manes.〈Welcome to Kabukiza〉【Cast】Guided by ・・・Nakamura Toranosuke―――――――――――――――――――――――――――〈SANNIN KICHISA TOMOE NO SHIRANAMI〉['Three Thieves Named Kichisa']【Cast】Ojō Kichisa・・・Onoe SakonObō Kichisa・・・Nakamura KashōOshō Kichisa・・・Bandō Kamezō【Story】A woman comes after a streetwalker and robs her of money.The woman is actually a man in disguise. A masterless samurai also appears and they begin to fight over the money. Soon, a priest arrives and mediates between them. This priest is actually the disreputable head of a rundown temple. The three eventually realize that they are all thieves who happen to share the same name 'Kichisa', and so they become sworn brothers. Today we can still savor the somewhat decadent atmosphere in the piece that is typical of the late 19th century, and with its famous poetic speeches that sound so melodic, the play is all the more beautiful.―――――――――――――――――――――――――――〈SHAKKYŌ〉['The Stone Bridge']Spirit of the Shishi lion・・・Onoe ShōrokuSpirit of the Shishi lion・・・Nakamura MantarōSpirit of the Shishi lion・・・Nakamura TanenosukeSpirit of the Shishi lion・・・Nakamura FukunosukeSpirit of the Shishi lion・・・Nakamura Toranosuke【Story】In Asian tradition, the shishi is not really a lion, but a kind of mythical creature. This version of the dance closely follows the classical Nō play of the same name. A high ranking Buddhist priest travels to China to try to cross the stone bridge into paradise and encounters a woodcutter and a boy. In the second half, the woodcutter and boy reveal themselves and the shishi shows his power by shaking his mane vigorously.November, 2024／Kabukiza theatre

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