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Scenes from the Kabuki
play Chūshingura (The Treasury of
Loyal Retainers)
Dr Gary Hickey, University of Melbourne 2008
1.
There are about 300 plays in the conventional Kabuki repertoire.
There is a group of plays in this repertoire designated as
jidai-mono, or historical drama. These plays depict
historical facts or present dramatised accounts of warriors or
nobles. Many of the texts come from the puppet plays (Bunraku) and
they often call upon the hero to make the greatest possible
sacrifices. For example, based on historical events
Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), one of the
most celebrated in the Kabuki repertoire, tells the famous story of
the forty-seven lordless samurai (rōnin). After years of
patient waiting and plotting these men avenged the enforced ritual
suicide by disembowelment(seppuku) of their master Enya
Hangan, and for this act they were also compelled to commit
seppuku.
2.
In this scene the forty-seven rōnin, being urged on by
their leader Yuranosuke who stands in the center of this image
beating a drum, have, during winter, stormed Kō no Moronō’s
residence in Edo. An incident with Moronō had resulted in Hangan
being required to commit seppuku and the rōnin
depicted here are about to set out to revenge their master’s
suicide. Dressed in white Moronō can be seen cowering in the
foreground as he is about to meet his end.
3 - 4.
Further scenes from the Chūshingura show the attack on
Moronō’s residence. In one scene Moronō’s forces are preparing to
defend their lord’s residence with what is possibly Moronō’s son
crouching whilst holding a spear at the ready.
In the other scene two of the rōnin are shown set to
fight whilst another figure, probably one of Moronō’s followers, is
standing ready to ward off this attach.
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