February 2009.<\/strong> The performance covered the story from the michiyuki<\/em> (the travel scene) to the moment the bell is entered. There was no oshimodoshi<\/em> scene, and the performance came to a close with the bell itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Is \u201cOshimodoshi\u201d?<\/strong> This scene, known as oshimodoshi<\/em> (\u201cthe pushing back\u201d), is a theatrical device used to pacify lingering resentment. In D\u014dj\u014dji-themed dance pieces, it is often employed as the finale, creating a brilliant and forceful ending filled with energy and spectacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At D\u014dj\u014dji Temple in Kii Province, a memorial service is being held for a newly cast temple bell. Long ago, this very bell was destroyed by Kiyohime, who, in her desperate pursuit of her lover Anchin, transformed into a great serpent and burned it in the flames of her passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the ceremony, a shiraby\u014dshi<\/em> dancer named Hanako (performed by Band\u014d Tamasabur\u014d and Onoe Kikunosuke) appears and asks to be allowed to view the bell. Granted permission on the condition that she perform a dance, Hanako presents a series of graceful and splendid dances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Hanako\u2019s true identity is the vengeful spirit of Kiyohime, who harbors deep resentment toward the bell that once hid Anchin and stood in the way of their love. As the dance progresses, her expression gradually changes, and she ultimately reveals her true nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Musume D\u014dj\u014dji<\/em> as its foundation, a number of derivative works have been created, developing its structure and music in various ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notable examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these works follow the music and basic structure of Musume D\u014dj\u014dji<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stage is set at D\u014dj\u014dji Temple in Kii Province (present-day Wakayama), with cherry blossoms in full bloom. Young novice monks (shoke<\/em>) enter, calling out to one another:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you hear?\u201d Today is the day a new temple bell has been restored and a memorial service will be held for the old one that once burned down. What weighs on the monks\u2019 minds, however, is not the solemnity of the ceremony but the long, tedious sutra chanting they must endure. They begin to whisper among themselves, searching for some way to pass the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One monk says, Another replies, In fact, both hannyat\u014d<\/em> and tengai<\/em> are coded words: hannyat\u014d<\/em> means sake, and tengai<\/em> refers to octopus. In other words, the monks are really saying, \u201cSince we\u2019ll be bored during the service, let\u2019s drink some sake and have a snack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This comical and worldly exchange, so far removed from the purity of a temple ritual, is deliberately drawn to contrast sharply with the bewitching elegance of the shiraby\u014dshi<\/em> dancer Hanako who will soon appear. It serves as an important and playful introduction to Ky\u014dganoko Musume D\u014dj\u014dji<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the hanamichi<\/em> runway enters Hanako (Onoe Kikunosuke), a shiraby\u014dshi<\/em>\u2014a female dancer who makes her living through song and dance. She appears as a modest young woman, wearing her hair in a Shimada style and dressed in long-sleeved furisode<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon after, another Hanako (Band\u014d Tamasabur\u014d) emerges from the suppon<\/em> trap at the front of the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young Hanako walks as if her heart is in a hurry. She suddenly notices her sleeves and hem in disarray and blushes with embarrassment, her gestures hinting that she has just parted from a lover. She recalls their farewell and the sound of the morning bell that announced dawn\u2014the very sound that tore them apart. A note of resentment creeps into her expression as she suggests her growing hatred toward the bell itself, and she continues on toward D\u014dj\u014dji Temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt last, I have arrived at D\u014dj\u014dji\u2014 As Hanako (Kikunosuke) finishes her movements on the hanamichi<\/em> and steps onto the stage, she stops before the tightly closed temple gate. At the same moment, the other Hanako (Tamasabur\u014d) disappears back down through the suppon<\/em> into the understage.<\/p>\n\n\n
The \u201cFarewell to the Kabuki-za\u201d performances marked the final days of the old Kabuki-za theater before its reconstruction.
I watched on DVD Ky\u014dganoko Musume Ninin D\u014dj\u014dji<\/em>, performed by Band\u014d Tamasabur\u014d and Onoe Kikunosuke, which was staged during this special run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Appearing in bold kumadori<\/em> makeup and dressed in the wig and costume of the aragoto<\/em> style, \u014cdate Samagor\u014d makes a powerful entrance, stomping in on tall wooden clogs. Wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a thick green bamboo staff, his figure is the very image of strength and valor. He advances from the hanamichi<\/em> (runway) onto the stage, driving back raging vengeful spirits and monsters one after another, until he finally forces them to retreat to the rear of the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSynopsis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
About Related and Derivative Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nA Detailed Synopsis of Ky\u014dganoko Musume Ninin D\u014dj\u014dji<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid You Hear, Monk?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI heard, I heard!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell then, for a bell memorial, I\u2019ve brought some hannyat\u014d<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen I\u2019ve brought a tengai<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Journey (Michiyuki<\/em>)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Yes, at last, I have arrived at D\u014dj\u014dji.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n