TSURUYA NANBOKU
Little is known about Tsuruya Nanboku IV (1755–1829) except that he was born in Edo and was the son of a dyer. In 1776 he became an apprentice to Sakurada Jisuke I (d. 1806), one of the leading kabuki playwrights of the day, who specialized in drama depicting contemporary life. In the following year Nanboku began working at the Nakamura Theater under the pen name Sakurada Heizō. In 1780, at the age of twenty-five, he married Oyoshi, the daughter of Tsuruya Nanboku III, the third in a succession of kabuki comic actors. It took another twenty years, however, before he produced his first hit, Indian Tokubei, a Story of a Foreign Country (Tenjiku Tokubei Ikokubanashi, 1804), starring Onoe Matsusuke, an actor with a tremendous range of roles who specialized in the kind of ghost plays and stage tricks that Nanboku was to make his own. Then, after taking the name Tsuruya Nanboku IV in 1811, he wrote more than 120 plays, the most famous today being Scarlet Princess of Edo (Sakurahime azuma no bunshō, 1817)1 and Ghost Stories at Yotsuya (Yotsuya kaidan, 1825).
GHOST STORIES AT YOTSUYA (YOTSUYA KAIDAN, 1825)
In his Eastern Seaboard Highway Yotsuya Ghost Stories (Tōkaidō yotsuya kaidan), better known as Ghost Stories at Yotsuya, Nanboku, who was considered a master of innovation (shukō), weaves recent events in Edo—such as a samurai’s murder of his wife and a servant’s murder of his master—into the historical “world” of Chūshingura: The Storehouse of Loyal Retainers (Kanadehon Chūshingura, 1748). Accordingly, in Chūshingura, Lord Enya, provoked by Lord Kō no Moronao, injures him with a sword and is forced to commit suicide, leading to the destruction of Enya’s family and the dispersal of his retainers, who eventually take revenge on Moronao as their master’s enemy. On the first day of the debut performance, the first three acts of Ghost Stories at Yotsuya were preceded by the first six acts of Chūshingura, and on the second day the remaining acts of both plays were woven together. Act 3 became pivotal and was performed twice, once at the end of the first day and once at the beginning of the second day.
This woodblock triptych by Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825; signed “Ichiyōsai”) shows the interior of a kabuki theater during the Bunka-Bunsei era (1804–1829) depicted in the “perspective print” (uki-e) mode, with Western linear perspective. On stage is a scene from Confrontation with the Soga. The actors on center stage are Matsumoto Kōshirō V (1764–1838) playing Kudō, Bandō Mitsugorō III (1775–1831) playing Asahina, and Iwai Hanshirō V (1776–1847) playing Ōiso no Tora. The two actors on the runway (hanamichi), which functioned as another stage space, are Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (1791–1859) and Onoe Matsusuke II (1784–1849, later Kikugorō III), performing as the Soga brothers Gorō and Jūrō. The simultaneous appearance of the most popular kabuki actors of the time suggests an imaginary production. Light enters from two large windows (ryōmado) near the ceiling flanking the stage roof (hafu). The “full house” (ōiri) sign hangs next to the tricolor curtain (upper left). The square earthen-floor pit (doma) stands directly in front of the stage. On the two sides are the galleries (sajiki) for more affluent audiences. (Courtesy of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University)
If Chūshingura reflected the popular uplifting view of the famous vendetta, Ghost Stories at Yotsuya revealed the negative, dark, hidden side of the same world, of those at the bottom of society who wanted to participate in the vendetta but could not. Instead of rising up like the exemplary heroes of Chūshingura, these men fall down a hole of self-destruction. When we juxtapose the two plays, one from the mid-eighteenth century and the other from the early nineteenth century, we can see the immense difference in the attitudes toward and of the samurai, whose circumstances deteriorated precipitously during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The warrior values of loyalty, obligation, self-sacrifice, and patience, which are extolled and dramatized in Chūshingura, are replaced in Ghost Stories by acts of betrayal and murder for the sake of sex and money.
Nanboku originally wrote Ghost Stories at Yotsuya for two actors, Onoe Kikugorō III (the young son of his mentor Onoe Matsusuke), who simultaneously played three roles, Oiwa, Kohei, and Satō Yomoshichi; and Ichikawa Danjurō VII, who performed the role of Tamiya Iemon, the archetype of the “erotic evil character” (iroaku). When the bodies of Oiwa and Kohei are fished out of the river by Iemon at the end of act 3, Kikugorō played both Oiwa and Kohei in a “quick change” (hayagawari).
In Ghost Stories at Yotsuya, the life force exemplified in the “quick change” can be found in the seemingly inexhaustible energy of the two protagonists, the ghost Oiwa and the villain Iemon, who collide with stunning force in a world that seems to have been stripped of all moral sense and justice. Equally important is the delicate mixture of comedy and tragedy, humor and horror, bantering and gruesome murder, with the drama rapidly and constantly shifting from one to the other. An essential part of this ironic mixture is the “erotic evil character” of Iemon, who is both repulsive and attractive. Of particular interest is the transformation of Oiwa from a vulnerable young woman into a vengeful ghost.
Of the original five acts, acts 2 and 3, which are translated here, are the most frequently performed today.
MAIN CHARACTERS
TAMIYA IEMON, a masterless samurai (rōnin) and a former retainer of Lord Enya
OIWA, Iemon’s wife
KOHEI, Iemon’s servant, loyal to Lord Enya
From the frontispiece of the gōkan edition of Ghost Stories at Yotsuya, called Head Start on an Eastern Seaboard Journey: Ghost Stories at Yotsuya (Tōkaidōchū kadode no sakigake Yotsuya kaidan, 1826), “written” by Onoe Baikō (Onoe Kikugorō III, 1784–1849), who performed in the first production in 1825, but in fact written by the playwright Hanagasa Bunkyō (1785–1860) and illustrated by Ippitsuan Eisen (Keisai Eisen, 1791–1848). Oiwa’s ghastly face—swollen forehead and enlarged mouth—looms large above a wheel of fire. The character for “heart” (kokoro) is placed above Tamiya Iemon, and eerie images of gourds on the border echo Oiwa’s disfigured face. Text: “Autumn grasses also change in this way—a withered field” (aki no chigusa / kō mo kawaru ka / kare nohara). Ippitsuan.”
BANSUKE, Kanzō’s retainer
CHŌBEI, a rōnin, Iemon’s crony
ITŌ KIHEI, a rich samurai doctor in the service of Lord Kō no Moronao, father of Oyumi and grandfather of Oume
KANZŌ, a rōnin, Iemon’s crony
MAGOBEI, the father of Kohei
MOSUKE, a pawnbroker
OMAKI, a nurse in the Itō household
OUME, Oyumi’s daughter and Kihei’s granddaughter, wants to marry Iemon
OYUMI, widowed daughter of Itō Kihei and mother of Oume
TAKUETSU, a masseur, working for Iemon
Act 2, Tamiya Iemon’s House
Tamiya Iemon’s Residence
Tamiya Iemon, a rōnin, lives in a shabby tenement in Yotsuya, a neighborhood in Edo occupied by poor people and rōnin. Swallowing their pride, many must do craftwork at home to make ends meet. The set has gray walls with cracked and peeling plaster and a sliding, freestanding lattice door to the outside. There are a few sparse furnishings: a square paper floor lamp, a dirty white standing screen, and a small brazier with a teapot on it. Lively shamisen and percussion music suggests the bustle of commoner life. Iemon sits on the floor of the main room gluing triangles of paper onto the partially covered bamboo frame of an umbrella. His clothing is that of a commoner, but his bearing reveals that he once was a samurai. He listens coldly, not interrupting his work, as Magobei, the father of Iemon’s servant Kohei, and Takuetsu, a masseur, bow apologetically at his right. Magobei wears a plain cotton kimono, and his wig is flecked with gray. He crouches on all fours. Takuetsu has the shaved head of a masseur and sits between Iemon and Magobei, trying to mediate their dispute.
TAKUETSU: Master Iemon, please listen! You are quite right, but please try to be a bit more understanding. It’s all my fault. I made the mistake of introducing Kohei to you when you needed some help. I take full responsibility, so please give me a day or t
wo to try to settle the matter.
IEMON: No, no, this is a matter that can’t wait. Kohei is an embezzler and a thief. When he’s caught, my samurai spirit won’t be satisfied until I execute him. Ever since I lost my master, I’ve had to make umbrellas just to get by. Me, a samurai! Look at this! Do you think I do this for fun? (To Magobei) You there! You’re his father. Everything depends on what you have to say. Stop acting like a senile old fool. (He rises and threatens Magobei.)
MAGOBEI: Oh, no, no, you are quite right. There is nothing I could possibly say to defend what my son has done. You said that Kohei stole something. If I may, I would like to ask what he took.
IEMON: It’s nothing someone like you would know anything about. He stole a packet of rare Chinese medicine called sōkisei that has been passed down in the Tamiya house for generations. It’s priceless; you won’t find it anywhere else. The medicine is so potent that if someone lost the use of his legs, this drug will enable him to walk right before your eyes. My stipend was cut off when my master’s household was disbanded, and I haven’t received a cent since then. Even so, I have never let that medicine out of my hands. That’s what Kohei stole. Look at this thing. (Picks up a short, badly made sword) This is all that Kohei left behind. He took my family’s greatest treasure and left me with a rusty penknife. My friends are furious at what happened and left early this morning to try to track down Kohei. I’d be out there too, but I can’t leave my wife, since she just had a baby and is still weak. That’s why I needed help around here and took Kohei into my service. He’s certainly been more trouble than he’s worth! Just thinking about it makes me furious. When I get my hands on him, I’ll take care of him once and for all. Takuetsu, you’re his guarantor. You’re responsible for what he’s done. Do you understand what I’m going to do?
At his residence, Iemon, in a black kimono with a tobacco set before him and tools and materials for making umbrellas, reprimands Magobei (left) and Takuetsu (center) with his tobacco pipe. Oiwa, wearing a headband and looking ill, looks on from the next room as she reclines on the bedding. A mosquito net hangs behind her. Omaki, a maid from the Itō household, reaches into her robe to give the special medicine to Oiwa.
TAKUETSU: You are only right to feel that way. You accepted the introduction of this humble masseur and took Kohei into your service, only to have him steal from you and flee. And what a time to run off, just when poor Oiwa has given birth and has not yet recovered her health. How could Kohei abandon you at such a time? I can find nothing to say to apologize. Magobei, Magobei! What do you think?
MAGOBEI: I don’t quite know what to say. Kohei has never amounted to much, but I always thought he was honest. I’m shocked that he stole something. A family heirloom? A priceless packet of medicine?
TAKUETSU: That is strange, isn’t it? Stealing cash is normal, but who steals medicine?
MAGOBEI (to himself): Hmm, now that his real master is so sick, maybe he thought this was his only hope.2
IEMON: What?
MAGOBEI: I mean, what Kohei did was unforgivable.
IEMON: Listen, old man. That medicine may not look like much, but it’s very rare. A druggist would pay at least a dozen gold pieces on the spot. My medicine is even more valuable because it has a certificate guaranteeing its authenticity. The medicine and the certificate have been handed down through my family for generations. There’s nothing like it anywhere else. However, I’ll give you a chance. You can have a couple of days to try to find Kohei yourself. If you don’t find him by then, you can give me what the medicine is really worth—fifteen gold pieces. Got it? That’s fifteen gold pieces. Find him or you owe me a fortune.
MAGOBEI: Thank you. I’ll find him, and I’m sorry for what my son has done. (To Takuetsu) Forgive me for having caused you so much trouble.
TAKUETSU: It’s not your fault. It’s troublesome, but I got us into this situation in the first place. This is just one of those things that happens when you try to help someone. No wonder more people aren’t helpful. (Magobei puts on his straw sandals and gets ready to leave.)
IEMON: Remember, two days. Come here the instant you hear anything about Kohei. I can make things difficult for you if you try to hide anything.
MAGOBEI: I understand. (To Takuetsu) Doctor, thank you for everything. Good-bye. (Magobei departs down the runway, muttering as he goes. Takuetsu prepares medicine for Oiwa and takes it into an enclosed room.)
IEMON: No cash, not even enough to keep up appearances, yet she’s dumb enough to go and have a kid. If you want sweet innocence, that’s what you’ll get. (Lively lion dance music is played by the shamisen and percussion in the music room to the side of the stage. Chōbei, dressed in tattered clothing but wearing the two swords that indicate his samurai status, comes racing down the runway to the front door.)
CHŌBEI: Iemon, are you there? We found Kohei!
IEMON: Chōbei! You saw him?
CHŌBEI: Yes. I knew he lived somewhere across town, maybe on the other side of the river. I captured him just before he reached the bridge. Here’s the packet of drugs he stole.
IEMON: Thank you. Where is that damn Kohei?
CHŌBEI: He’s with Kanzō. Ah, it sounds like they’re here. (The lion dance music begins again. Kanzō, his retainer Bansuke, and Kohei enter down the runway. Kohei’s hands are tied with a coarse rope, his hair is disheveled, and his clothing is torn. He apologizes profusely, but Kanzō and Bansuke tell him that he won’t get away with it.)
IEMON: Kanzō, thank you for all your trouble. I heard the details from Chōbei. I greatly appreciated your work. Ah, Bansuke, is it? Thank you for your efforts.
BANSUKE: Thank you, sir. You should be feeling better now. (He removes the rope from Kohei.)
TAKUETSU (to Kohei, who sits, his head hanging in shame): Here, here. For your sake I’ve also gone to a lot of trouble, too. Even your old father had to be called in. What got into you?
KOHEI: I owe everything to your kindness in finding me this position. Instead of showing the proper gratitude, I’ve made things difficult for you, all because I was seized by a sudden impulse. And now my father has been drawn in, too. I guess he must have gone home already. I’m sorry to hear that. He must be worried sick about me. Master, since Chōbei took back the medicine, and I didn’t touch anything else, please have mercy and forgive me. I beg you.
IEMON: That’s ridiculous. When a servant disobeys his master, it can’t be overlooked. A dishonest and insubordinate servant has to be punished properly. We’ll have to find just the right treatment for you.
KANZŌ: Iemon, I’ve been thinking about some of the things he said. I hear that his old master was a samurai in Lord Enya’s house, where you also served. Remember Oshioda Matanojo, the most loyal samurai in the whole house? Kohei’s entire family was in his service. You’d never guess that someone who used to work for such an honest person would go so bad, would you?
IEMON: Do you mean the same Matanojo I knew in Lord Enya’s mansion? Kohei used to serve him? Is that true?
KOHEI: Yes, everything you say is true. My father’s family has served Matanojo’s family for generations. When Lord Enya’s house was disbanded, Matanojo became a rōnin. Then recently he became very ill. I entered your service to help support him. My wife, my father, and even my little boy have gone to work also. We all want to do whatever we can to help him now that he’s facing hard times, but we’re so poor that we can’t do very much. I wanted desperately to cure him, so I attempted to steal the medicine. I did it for the best possible reason: I stole out of loyalty to my master. I thought there could be no higher cause. Even so, the fact that you found me out must be heaven’s punishment. Please forgive me.
IEMON: You mean you stole my family heirloom for your master’s sake? Did Matanojo order you to do that?
KOHEI: No, no. He knows nothing about it. I did it myself, thinking that it was the only loyal thing to do.
IEMON: It doesn’t matter whether loyalty or insanity made you do it. If you steal, you’re a thief
. Is there some law saying thieves can get off if they’re properly loyal? What a ridiculous idea! At least I have the medicine back now. I might have spared you if you had paid me something for it. But you didn’t give me a cent. For the theft of the medicine, I will break all your fingers, one by one.
CHŌBEI: That sounds like fun. Can we start right now?
KANZŌ: Ten fingers instead of taking his life? That’s letting him off too easy.
BANSUKE: Since I’m an apprentice, let me try breaking one too—for the practice.
IEMON: Come on, help me.
Kohei (left) is restrained by Kanzō and others. The medicine is placed in front of Iemon (right), in a black robe, next to the tobacco tray. The pawnbroker (far right) happily holds the paper-wrapped bundle containing the cash given to him by Omaki.
KOHEI: Stop it! I have to take care of my parents. What can I do if my hands are useless?
ALL THREE (KANZŌ, BANSUKE, AND CHŌBEI):3 What do we care?
KOHEI: Mercy! Show some kindness. Please, I returned the medicine.
IEMON: Shut up! Gag him!
ALL THREE: OK, OK. (The three surround him, and Bansuke takes a handkerchief and ties it over Kohei s mouth.)
BANSUKE: That should keep him quiet.
KANZŌ: After we finish with the fingers, how about pulling his hair out?
CHŌBEI: That’s a good idea. (They mime kicking and beating him. Music announces the appearance on the runway of Omaki, a wet nurse serving in the neighboring household of the rich Dr. Itō Kihei. She is accompanied by a servant bearing a red lacquered ceremonial barrel of saké and a stack of lacquered boxes filled with food—expensive ceremonial gifts celebrating the birth of a child. She carries a gray cloth bundle that we later learn contains a baby’s yellow- and black-checked kimono. She comes to the front door.)
Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600–1900 Page 118