Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami
Encyclopedia
Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami is a 1954 comedic Kabuki
play by Yukio Mishima
(三島 由紀夫) . It was first performed in November 1954 at the Kabukiza theatre in Tokyo, and was praised for its "refreshing originality"
known as "Hotarubi". However, due to his lowly social position it seems as if he has no hope of ever encountering her. Due to a fortunate meeting of chance with his father, Ebina Namidabutsu, and his horse-seller friend, Bakurourokurouzaemon, Sarugenji is able to devise a plan to pose as the samurai
"Utsunomiya" in order to enter the pleasure quarter and woo Hotarubi. The trio then encounter difficulty getting Sarugenji to mount Bakurourokurouzaemon's three-legged horse.
Meanwhile, the courtesans of the pleasure house, including Hotarubi, are occupied playing a game involving matching poetry on shells, as they notice a strange-looking gardener. They are interrupted by the arrival of Ebina from the Hanamichi
. He informs the owner of the premises, Teishu, of the impending arrival of "Lord Utsunomiya". Upon Sarugenji's arrival in his samurai guise, he encounters difficulty from the courtesans, each teasing him by pretending to be Hotarubi. After the entrance of the true Hotarubi, the courtesans demand a story of bravery from "Lord Utsunomiya". Sarugenji tells them a story dominated by fish puns and then passes out upon Hotarubi's lap from too much sake as the rest of the courtesans leave the stage.
Sarugenji proceeds to sleep-talk about sardines. Upon his waking, he is questioned by Hotarubi, and claims his sardine seller's cry is actually a poem. Hotarubi then confesses that she is truly a princess who ran away from home to chase the cry of a sardine seller that she had fallen in love with. Just as she is about to attempt suicide, Sarugenji (with the aid of Ebina and Bakurourokurouzaemon) manages to convince her that he is actually the sardine seller she has been looking for. Just as Sarugenji declares that he will marry her, Teishu reminds them that he is owed two-hundred Ryō
as Hotarubi's ransom.
Suddenly, the strange gardener from earlier arrives on stage, holding captive Sarugenji's "retainers". It seems that he is actually Jirota, a samurai in the service of Hotarubi's parents, come to pay her ransom. Hotarubi orders that he give two-hundred Ryō to Teishu for her ransom, fifty Ryō to Bakurourokurouzaemon for the horse, and that he delivers a message to her parents. Failing in his duty to rescue her, Jirota attempts seppuku
, but his sword is seemingly too rusty for it to work. The play ends happily as Sarugenji and Hotarubi exit via the Hanamichi to get married.
in Hayabusa performed "Iwashiuri" as part of a double bill in September 2010 .
The Australian National University's Za Kabuki
performed the play in 2002, 2006 and 2011. The 2006 performance was accompanied by an original orchestral score .
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
play by Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
(三島 由紀夫) . It was first performed in November 1954 at the Kabukiza theatre in Tokyo, and was praised for its "refreshing originality"
Plot
The sardine-seller, Sarugenji (猿源氏) has fallen in love with an upper-class courtesanCourtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
known as "Hotarubi". However, due to his lowly social position it seems as if he has no hope of ever encountering her. Due to a fortunate meeting of chance with his father, Ebina Namidabutsu, and his horse-seller friend, Bakurourokurouzaemon, Sarugenji is able to devise a plan to pose as the samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
"Utsunomiya" in order to enter the pleasure quarter and woo Hotarubi. The trio then encounter difficulty getting Sarugenji to mount Bakurourokurouzaemon's three-legged horse.
Meanwhile, the courtesans of the pleasure house, including Hotarubi, are occupied playing a game involving matching poetry on shells, as they notice a strange-looking gardener. They are interrupted by the arrival of Ebina from the Hanamichi
Hanamichi
The is an extra stage section used in Japanese kabuki theater. It is a long, raised platform that runs, left of center, from the back of the theater, through the audience, to connect with the main stage. Generally it is used for characters' entrances and exits, though it can also be used for...
. He informs the owner of the premises, Teishu, of the impending arrival of "Lord Utsunomiya". Upon Sarugenji's arrival in his samurai guise, he encounters difficulty from the courtesans, each teasing him by pretending to be Hotarubi. After the entrance of the true Hotarubi, the courtesans demand a story of bravery from "Lord Utsunomiya". Sarugenji tells them a story dominated by fish puns and then passes out upon Hotarubi's lap from too much sake as the rest of the courtesans leave the stage.
Sarugenji proceeds to sleep-talk about sardines. Upon his waking, he is questioned by Hotarubi, and claims his sardine seller's cry is actually a poem. Hotarubi then confesses that she is truly a princess who ran away from home to chase the cry of a sardine seller that she had fallen in love with. Just as she is about to attempt suicide, Sarugenji (with the aid of Ebina and Bakurourokurouzaemon) manages to convince her that he is actually the sardine seller she has been looking for. Just as Sarugenji declares that he will marry her, Teishu reminds them that he is owed two-hundred Ryō
Ryo
Ryo may refer to:* The Japanese kana digraph ryo, ryō, or ryoh * Ryō , a gold piece in pre-Meiji era Japan worth about sixty monme or four kan...
as Hotarubi's ransom.
Suddenly, the strange gardener from earlier arrives on stage, holding captive Sarugenji's "retainers". It seems that he is actually Jirota, a samurai in the service of Hotarubi's parents, come to pay her ransom. Hotarubi orders that he give two-hundred Ryō to Teishu for her ransom, fifty Ryō to Bakurourokurouzaemon for the horse, and that he delivers a message to her parents. Failing in his duty to rescue her, Jirota attempts seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
, but his sword is seemingly too rusty for it to work. The play ends happily as Sarugenji and Hotarubi exit via the Hanamichi to get married.
Performances
The National Theatre of JapanNational Theatre of Japan
The is a complex consisting of three halls in two buildings in Hayabusa-chō, a neighborhood in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Japan Arts Council, an Independent Administrative Institution of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, operates the National Theatre...
in Hayabusa performed "Iwashiuri" as part of a double bill in September 2010 .
The Australian National University's Za Kabuki
Za Kabuki
Za Kabuki , founded in 1976 at the Australian National University, is the longest running Kabuki troupe outside of Japan. Directed by Mr. Shun Ikeda of the ANU Japan Centre, with a cast and crew consisting mainly of ANU Japanese students, the troupe performs traditional Kabuki plays almost entirely...
performed the play in 2002, 2006 and 2011. The 2006 performance was accompanied by an original orchestral score .