An abridged version of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's 1809 play "Okuni Gozen Kesho no Sugatami" is being presented at the National Theater in Tokyo until Tuesday under the title "Imayo Kasane Kesho no Sugatami (Kasane Putting on Her Makeup)."
The original work is unbelievably confusing in plot -- a combination of "Tenjiku Tokubei," which Nanboku adapted for the kabuki stage in 1804, and the legend of Kasane, which was popular in Edo during the 17th and 18th centuries.
It has been reworked by 37-year-old scriptwriter Toyoshi- ge Imai into an appealing play in three acts and eight scenes, moving the focus away from the tragic story of Okuni Gozen (here treated as a prologue) to the drama of Kasane and her husband, Yoemon.