The Kabukiza theater in Ginza is offering its summer program in three parts this month, starring Kankuro Nakamura and his brothers-in-law Fukusuke and Hashinosuke. Participating also in this program are Yasosuke Bando, Kasho Nakamura and Somegoro Ichikawa.

Part I of the program, starting at 11 a.m., comprises a two-hour play "The Diary of Asagao" and dance numbers "Yasuma," performed by Hashinosuke to Kiyomoto accompaniment, and "Yakko (Servants)," danced by Yasosuke and Kasho to nagauta accompaniment. Part II, 2:45-5:20 p.m., consists of a 40-minute comedy, "The Blind Masseur and the Burglar," the final act from the classical "Yoshitsune Senbonzakura" and a seasonal dance number, "Sanja Matsuri," performed by Kankuro's teenage sons Kantaro and Shichinosuke.

Part III, from 6 p.m., begins with "Kanjincho," the most popular kabuki number ever since it was created by Danjuro Ichikawa VII in 1840, and "The Revolving Lantern" in two acts.

"The Diary of Asagao," adapted from an 1832 bunraku play, focuses on a passionate young woman called Miyuki (Fukusuke), the daughter of Akizuki Yuminosuke, chief retainer serving the lord of Hiroshima.

Miyuki falls in love with the handsome samurai Miyagi Asojiro (Somegoro), who has been attracted to the sound of her playing the koto. When he joins her boating party on the Uji River one summer evening, Miyuki draws a picture of morning glories on her fan and asks Asajiro to write a poem on it.

Fired by her love for Asajiro, Miyuki leaves home and goes in search of Asajiro. Suffering many hardships, she loses her sight and becomes a blind entertainer with her koto under the name Asagao (Morning Glory).

At last Asajiro re-encounters her at an inn, but, unable to see, she does not realize he is there. She is told after he leaves, and desperately sets out in pursuit. She reaches the ferry at the Ooi River only to find that Asajiro has already crossed the river and that the ferry has been stopped because of heavy rain.

Miyuki is about to jump into the raging water when she is caught by her former servant Sekisuke (Hashinosuke), who has been following her around the country. The play ends as Miyuki miraculously regains her eyesight and sees a glimmer of hope in her search for Asajiro.

"A Blind Masseur and a Burglar" by Genzo Murakami was broadcast by NHK TV in 1951 and '66. Kasho gives an outstanding performance as the shrewd blind man who outwits the burglar (Hashinosuke).

The script for "The Revolving Lantern" was written in 1995 by Kinji Obata for Kankuro. Under the direction of the playwright Obata, Kankuro plays two parts as two policemen in 19th-century Edo: the rookie Jingoro and the hardened veteran Hanshichi.

Jingoro has just succeeded to the position of constable in the area of Shiba, formerly held by his late father. Good-natured and timid, Jingoro is not actually well suited to his job, though his pretty fiancee Ohama (Fukusuke) is very anxious for him to succeed. With her help, Jingoro succeeds in arresting Kinzo (Hashinosuke), a man wanted by the police for extortion and kidnapping.

As he is led away, Kinzo curses Jingoro and swears he will kill him if he should ever be released. Half a year later, Kinzo manages to escape from the prison in Nihonbashi, and Jingoro is soon living in terror of Kinzo's return. Ohama's mother enlists Hanshichi to come to Jingoro's aid, and Kinzo is finally caught by Jingoro, again with the help of Ohama.

Kankuro delights his fans with his skillful renditions of both the cowardly Jingoro and the dashing Hanshichi, doing quick changes onstage. His virtuosity is on display in other demanding roles throughout the day: Sato Tadanobu and the were-fox in the final scene from "Yoshitsune Senbonzakura"; and Togashi guarding the barrier at Ataka in "Kanjincho."

In "Senbonzakura," Yoshitsune (Yasosuke) is hiding out in the house of Abbot Kawatsura in Yoshino. Tadanobu, to whom Yoshitsune had entrusted his mistress Shizuka, appears, but he seems to know nothing about Shizuka. At this moment, Shizuka (Fukusuke) herself arrives, followed by another Tadanobu. Upon hearing the sound of the kotsuzumi (shoulder drum) beaten by Shizuka, the second Tadanobu discloses his identity as a were-fox and explains his sad attachment to the drum, which was made with the skins of his fox parents.

Moved by fox-Tadanobu's profound love for his parents, Yoshitsune gives him the drum, and Tadanobu, transformed into a white fox with long fur, romps about on the stage ecstatically. As a token of his gratitude, the fox warns Yoshitsune about the imminent attack on him by a gang of wicked monks, then disappears over the hanamichi, carrying the precious drum.

"Kanjincho," based on the noh play "Ataka," also centers on Minamoto no Yoshitsune's persecution by his older brother, Shogun Yoritomo in Kamakura. Fleeing from Kyoto with several retainers disguised as mountain ascetics (yamabushi), Yoshitsune (Fukusuke) reaches the checkpoint of Ataka, guarded by Togashi.

In order to convince Togashi that they are traveling around the country to raise money for the reconstruction of the Todaiji temple in Nara, Benkei (Yasosuke) pretends to read aloud from a kanjincho, a handscroll in which the names of donators are recorded. Togashi permits them to pass the barrier, but stops Yoshitsune who is dressed like a servant, hiding his face under a hat. To prove to Togashi that the man suspected is truly a servant, Benkei scolds Yoshitsune fiercely and beats him with a cane.

Togashi realizes that the man is ideed Yoshitsune, but moved by Benkei's desperate act, releases them and sends them on their way with a gift of sake. Benkei drinks heartily and dances "Ennen no Mai" as an expression of his gratitude, then departs with his party.