Kabuki and Kanjincho – Kota Shibui

Introduction to Kabuki

In presenting Kabuki theatre at Carleton College in 1974, late Andrew T. Tsubaki, professor of theatre in the University of Kansas, aptly communicated what Kabuki is, which I would like to reproduce:

The art of Kabuki dates back to the beginning of the seventeenth century. Its colorful and bigger-than-life style of expression has been known to the West for some time as an eloquent example of « total theatre. » Ka-bu-ki means song-dance-acting which reminds us of the American musical. The best of Kabuki plays such as “Kanjincho” have succeeded in integrating those three essential elements of theatre in the most exquisite manner.
The stylized theatricalism is obsessed in movement, line delivery, scenery, sound effects, etc., in all aspects of theatre. The actor speaks with rich inflation, and he « cuts » a frozen posture knows as a mie at a climactic moment. A Kabuki play consists of several of these frozen moments linked by a plot. The Kabuki audiences in Japan are more interested in how the actors perform roles than in the development of a highly structured plot embellished with deep characterization and complex conflict as in the Western drama. The Japanese audience is more kinetically orientated. The Kabuki style may be somewhat distant from realism, nonetheless less it strives to capture and express a certain kind of reality which may be at a level elevated from sheer versimilitude.
Andrew T. Tsubaki. Pamplet for the performance of Kanjincho at Carleton College, May 24-26, 1974. Carleton College Archives.

Another characteristics of Kabuki theater is that it employs a kind of “star system” where the same name is passed down from the father to a son, traditionally. For example, Ichikawa Danjuro is a stage name that the patriarch in Ichikawa family takes on. Ichikawa Danjuro XII passed away on February 3rd, 2013, and his son, then Ichikawa Ebizo XI, succeed the name of Ichikawa Danjuro XIII in 2020. Traditionally, Ichikawa Danjuro plays Benkei in Kanjincho, while it is not limited to him when played by other families or outside the professional Kabuki world.

I want to end this introduction to Kabuki with this well-known proverb: The first comes voice, the second face, and the third figure (ichi koe, ni kao, san sugata. 一声二顔三姿). Voice is the most important aspect of Kabuki play, then the facial expressions and the comeliness of the face, and lastly the figure and the body motion. This is why I felt the need to include audio recordings of productions in my edition.

History of Kanjincho

Kanjincho premiered in 1840 (March, 11th year of tennpo period). Its lines were written by Namiki Gohei III; its nagauta songs were composed by Kineya Rokusaburo IV; and its moves were choreographed by Nishikawa Senzo IV. The cast was Ichikawa Ebizo or Ichikawa Danjuro VII (Benkei), Ichikawa Kyuzo III or Danzo VI (Togashi), and Ichikawa Danjuro VIII (Yoshitsune).

Adapted from the Nō play Ataka, Kanjincho is a play that excels both in choreography and music. While Danjuro VII played it in his house’s style of Aragoto, a performing style that expresses superhuman powers of deities or warriors by powerful and rough motions, Danjuro IX produced it in a more subtle and noble way and polished the work. He played Benekei 19 times in his life time.

(Translated from Kanjincho, Britannica International Encyclopedia Japan, short entry electronic dictionary ed., 2011.)

Synopsis

Kanjincho is set in the 12^th century. There are two travelers in the play, the young General Yoshitsune and his subordinate Benkei, who have to flee their land in disguise. They get stopped at a border by a guard Togashi, who suspects their real identities. Benkei starts beating Yoshitsune to deceive Togashi. The border guard notices Yoshitsune’s real identity, but lets them pass anyways, because he was moved by Benkei’s loyalty to his master. Togashi knows how hard it was for Benkei to beat his master, since it is so shameful for a samurai to be beaten with a stick. Togashi and Benkei exchance cups of liquor and dance, and the travelers take off.

Kanjincho literally means a subscription list and it was a list of names who donated to the construction or repairment of temples. Benkei pretends to be a traveling monk raising money for the reconstruction of the burned Todaiji temple, and Togashi asks him to read the kanjincho aloud. Benkei produces a blank scroll from his backpack and improvises on the spot and gets away with it. It shows sharpness of his mind and composedness of his demeanor.