The Kabuki play “Tsumoru Koi Yuki no Sekinoto”<\/strong> (The Barrier Gate) is impressively depicted in the movie “KOKUHO.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, the scene where Sekibei and Kikuo (acting as Sumizome) meet\u2014 “Aitasa-ni”<\/em> (Out of longing…) “Iro ni natte kudasanse”<\/em> (Please, become my lover…)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the Kabuki actor Hanjiro was captivated by this scene. A quiet, snowy barrier gate. A mysterious woman and a gatekeeper. Though it is only a few lines of dialogue, why is it so glamorous and filled with tension?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we provide the full text of the lines from “Sekinoto” used in the movie “KOKUHO”<\/strong> and explain their meanings and background in a way that is easy for Kabuki beginners to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sekibei:<\/strong> “Ya, izuku tomo naku minarenu onna. Kono yamakage no sekinoto e, itsu no ma ni, doko kara kita no da.” (Who are you, stranger? Appearing from nowhere at this mountain barrier… When and how did you get here?)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sumizome:<\/strong> “Ai, watasha ano Shumoku-machi kara kiyanshita.” (Well, I have come all the way from Shumoku-machi [the pleasure quarters].)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sekibei:<\/strong> “Muu. Nanishi ni kita.” (Hmm. And what brings you here?)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sumizome:<\/strong> “Aitasa-ni.” (Out of longing to see you.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sekibei:<\/strong> “Sorya dare ni.” (To see whom?)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sumizome:<\/strong> “Konasan-ni.” (To see you, sir.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sekibei:<\/strong> “Nani, ore ni. Sorya naze.” (What, me? And why is that?)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sumizome:<\/strong> “Iro ni natte kudasanse.” (Please, become my lover.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The setting is a barrier gate deep in the snow-covered mountains. A barrier (Sekisho<\/em>) is a place where people’s passage is strictly controlled. Sekibei<\/strong> is the guard protecting this gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly, the courtesan (Keisei<\/strong>) Sumizome<\/strong> appears. As Sekibei says, she is a “stranger appearing from nowhere.” A lone woman in the middle of a snowy mountain is unnatural and carries an air of mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When questioned, Sumizome casually replies: “I’ve come from Shumoku-machi.”<\/em> Shumoku-machi was a famous red-light district in Kyoto. By saying this, she hints that she is a courtesan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She continues with a bold confession: “Out of longing to see you.”<\/em> Her purpose is simple\u2014she has come to see him. Then she adds: “Iro ni natte kudasanse.”<\/em> In modern Japanese, this means “Please enter into a romantic relationship with me.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\nFull Dialogue from the Movie KOKUHO<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Context of the Scene: Sekibei and Sumizome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n