{"id":484,"date":"2026-07-20T00:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T15:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/?p=484"},"modified":"2026-07-20T02:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T17:10:23","slug":"uiro-uri-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/uiro-uri-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Uir\u014d-uri Explained: The Tongue-Twister Play That&#8217;s Secretly a Revenge Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Uir\u014d-uri<\/em> (&#8220;The Medicine Peddler&#8221;) is famous in Japan primarily as a tongue-twister exercise used in actor and announcer training \u2014 but relatively few people realize it&#8217;s actually a kabuki play about a revenge plot. One of the Kabuki J\u016bhachiban, it&#8217;s a signature piece of the Ichikawa acting family, combining a dazzling feat of pure verbal performance with a sudden turn into bold aragoto drama.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is Uir\u014d-uri?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Uir\u014d-uri<\/em> is part of the &#8220;Soga-mono&#8221; tradition \u2014 plays centered on the Soga brothers&#8217; quest to avenge their father \u2014 though it&#8217;s often performed today as a standalone piece. Its reputation as &#8220;the tongue-twister play&#8221; undersells what it really is: a fusion of pure verbal artistry and classic aragoto drama.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The version performed today is based on a staging by the twelfth Ichikawa Danj\u016br\u014d in 1980.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p-adBox -normal -border-off\" data-id=\"175\" data-ad=\"normal\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__body\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__img\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9605472874778813\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9605472874778813\" data-ad-slot=\"9431907817\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is &#8220;Uir\u014d&#8221;?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Uir\u014d&#8221; here doesn&#8217;t refer to the sweet rice-flour confection of the same name \u2014 it refers to a real medicinal product historically associated with Odawara. According to tradition, the second Ichikawa Danj\u016br\u014d once lost his voice, recovered it after taking this medicine, and was so grateful that he wanted to build a play around it. In other words, <em>Uir\u014d-uri<\/em> grew out of a real historical anecdote about an actual medicine.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Synopsis<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scene is a banquet held by Kud\u014d Suketsune \u2014 the man responsible for the death of the Soga brothers&#8217; father \u2014 ahead of Minamoto no Yoritomo&#8217;s great hunt at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Suketsune, flanked by retainers including Kobayashi no Asahina and Kajiwara Kagetoki, is entertaining himself with courtesans when a traveling medicine peddler appears, calling out his wares.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Intrigued, Suketsune summons the peddler over. Rather than giving his name directly, the peddler launches into a famously elaborate, dazzling speech about the medicine&#8217;s origin and effects \u2014 a performance so impressive it draws admiration from everyone present. A comic moment follows when another character tries the medicine himself and attempts (with mixed success) to recite a tongue-twister of his own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mood shifts abruptly: the peddler suddenly lunges at Suketsune. His true identity is revealed \u2014 he&#8217;s Soga Gor\u014d Tokimune, disguised as a medicine seller specifically to get close enough to avenge his father. His older brother, Soga J\u016br\u014d Sukenari, rushes in to join him, and the two brothers make their move against their sworn enemy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Suketsune is too well protected by his retainers, and the brothers can&#8217;t complete their revenge on the spot. As Asahina works to calm the hot-headed Gor\u014d, Suketsune himself, moved by the brothers&#8217; resolve, makes them a promise: once the hunt at Mt. Fuji concludes, he will accept his fate and let them strike him down. He even hands over a map of the hunting grounds. The revenge is deliberately postponed, and the scene ends there \u2014 the dazzling wordplay of the opening giving way to real tension by the close.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p-adBox -normal -border-off\" data-id=\"175\" data-ad=\"normal\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__body\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__img\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9605472874778813\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9605472874778813\" data-ad-slot=\"9431907817\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Part of the Soga Revenge Cycle<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you know the peddler is secretly Soga Gor\u014d, the entire opening monologue reads differently \u2014 not just a virtuoso verbal performance, but a disguise, and a means of getting close to his target. That context turns what looks like pure comic showmanship into something genuinely tense. (Soga Gor\u014d also appears in the related plays <em>Yanone<\/em> and <em>Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura<\/em>, making him one of kabuki&#8217;s most recurring heroes.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"p-adBox -normal -border-off\" data-id=\"175\" data-ad=\"normal\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__body\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__img\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9605472874778813\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9605472874778813\" data-ad-slot=\"9431907817\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Signature Highlight: The Great Monologue<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The play&#8217;s most famous element by far is its extended opening speech, beginning with the now-iconic line &#8220;Sessha oyakata to m\u014dsu wa&#8230;&#8221; (&#8220;As for this humble peddler&#8217;s master&#8230;&#8221;). Far from a simple recitation exercise, it&#8217;s written as a piece of theatrical logic: the medicine is said to make the tongue move more smoothly, and the speech itself becomes a live demonstration of that very claim.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The monologue builds through several distinct sections \u2014 the medicine&#8217;s origin story, its supposed effects, a famous string of tongue-twisters, and a rapid-fire recitation of T\u014dkaid\u014d post-town names \u2014 accelerating in speed and complexity as it goes. Delivering it well demands complete control of articulation, breath, rhythm, and volume, making it one of the most technically demanding set pieces an actor can perform.<\/p>\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\n<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\"><span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\"><a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/sukeroku%EF%BC%88%E5%8A%A9%E5%85%AD%E7%94%B1%E7%B8%81%E6%B1%9F%E6%88%B8%E6%A1%9C%EF%BC%89-a-stylish-kabuki-hero-of-edo-japan\/\">Sukeroku\uff08\u52a9\u516d\u7531\u7e01\u6c5f\u6238\u685c\uff09: A Stylish Kabuki Hero of Edo Japan<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\n<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\"><span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\"><a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/what-is-kabuki-juhachiban-explained\/\">What Is the Kabuki J\u016bhachiban? The Ichikawa Family&#8217;s 18 Signature Plays Explained<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<dl class=\"swell-block-faq\" data-q=\"col-text\" data-a=\"col-text\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-faq__item\"><dt class=\"faq_q\">Is the medicine peddler&#8217;s speech just a tongue-twister exercise?<\/dt><dd class=\"faq_a\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s often used that way in actor and announcer training, but within the play itself it&#8217;s a dramatic device \u2014 a demonstration of the medicine&#8217;s claimed effects, and a disguise for the character&#8217;s true identity.<\/p>\n<\/dd><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-faq__item\"><dt class=\"faq_q\">Who is the medicine peddler really?<\/dt><dd class=\"faq_a\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He&#8217;s Soga Gor\u014d Tokimune in disguise, using the peddler act to get close enough to Kud\u014d Suketsune, his father&#8217;s killer, to attempt revenge.<\/p>\n<\/dd><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-faq__item\"><dt class=\"faq_q\">Is &#8220;uir\u014d&#8221; the same as the sweet Japanese confection?<\/dt><dd class=\"faq_a\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No \u2014 in this play, it refers to a real historical medicine associated with Odawara, not the rice-flour sweet that shares the same name today.<\/p>\n<\/dd><\/div>\n<\/dl>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@id\":\"#FAQContents\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is the medicine peddler's speech just a tongue-twister exercise?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"<p>It's often used that way in actor and announcer training, but within the play itself it's a dramatic device \u2014 a demonstration of the medicine's claimed effects, and a disguise for the character's true identity.<\\\/p>\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who is the medicine peddler really?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"<p>He's Soga Gor\u014d Tokimune in disguise, using the peddler act to get close enough to Kud\u014d Suketsune, his father's killer, to attempt revenge.<\\\/p>\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is \\\"uir\u014d\\\" the same as the sweet Japanese confection?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"<p>No \u2014 in this play, it refers to a real historical medicine associated with Odawara, not the rice-flour sweet that shares the same name today.<\\\/p>\"}}]}<\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"p-adBox -normal -border-off\" data-id=\"175\" data-ad=\"normal\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__body\">\n<div class=\"p-adBox__img\"><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9605472874778813\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9605472874778813\" data-ad-slot=\"9431907817\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br>\n<script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Uir\u014d-uri<\/em> turns a dazzling feat of pure vocal performance into a disguise for one of kabuki&#8217;s most recurring revenge heroes, Soga Gor\u014d. Its famous monologue is far more than a tongue-twister \u2014 it&#8217;s a piece of dramatic misdirection, building to a sudden, tense confrontation that rewards knowing exactly who&#8217;s really speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__thumb c-postThumb\"><figure class=\"c-postThumb__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/toukakumadori-234x300.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-postThumb__img u-obf-cover\" width=\"320\" height=\"180\"><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/what-is-kumadori-kabuki-face-makeup-explained\/\">What Is Kumadori? Kabuki Face Makeup Meaning, Types, and Colors Explained<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__excerpt\">Kumadori is kabuki&#8217;s bold stage makeup, where color and line reveal a character&#8217;s nature instantly. Learn the meaning behind each color and major type.<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-postLink\">\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard -internal\" data-type=\"type1\" data-onclick=\"clickLink\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__caption\">\u3042\u308f\u305b\u3066\u8aad\u307f\u305f\u3044<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__thumb c-postThumb\"><figure class=\"c-postThumb__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/39c6e9a5334786d01aca63aa4490ba51-300x158.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"c-postThumb__img u-obf-cover\" width=\"320\" height=\"180\"><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"p-blogCard__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"p-blogCard__title\" href=\"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/what-is-kabuki-juhachiban-explained\/\">What Is the Kabuki J\u016bhachiban? The Ichikawa Family&#8217;s 18 Signature Plays Explained<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"p-blogCard__excerpt\">The Kabuki Juhachiban is the Ichikawa family&#8217;s signature repertoire of 18 plays. Here&#8217;s which ones are still performed today, and which have been lost.<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"p-blogParts post_content\" data-partsID=\"597\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfad Want to See Kabuki Live?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re planning a trip to Tokyo, Kabuki-za is one of the most memorable ways to experience Japanese culture firsthand. 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Enjoy a performance of this traditional and dynamic Japanese art form, complete with English or simpli&#8230;<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This section may contain affiliate links. Booking through them costs you nothing extra and helps support this site.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Famous as a tongue-twister exercise, Uiro-uri is actually a Kabuki Juhachiban revenge play in disguise, starring Soga Goro as a traveling medicine peddler.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plays-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":624,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions\/624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabukiguide.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}