May is the month of the Dankikusai (Danjuro-Kikugoro Festival) at the Kabukiza in Tokyo's Ginza, commemorating the outstanding achievements of Danjuro Ichikawa IX and Kikugoro Onoe V, the two giants of kabuki theater in the Meiji Era.
The highlight of this year's program is a new dramatization of "The Tale of Genji,"featuring Shinnosuke Ichikawa, 22, Tatsunosuke Onoe, 25, and Kikunosuke Onoe, 22, in the lead roles, with Shinnosuke's father Danjuro, Kikunosuke's father Kikugoro and veteran actors Tokizo Nakamura and Tamasaburo Bando supporting.
The evening program is comprised of a selection of plays, separated by the dance drama "Mochizuki," which is dedicated to the late Mitsugoro Bando. In "Burning Incense," Shinnosuke and Kikunosuke show the result of their training in classical jidaimono. "Miyakodori Nagare no Shiranami," an old popular story of Edo Period lowlife, features Danjuro, Kikugoro and veteran onnagata Jakuemon Nakamura.