This month, following the lead of the Kabukiza, the National Theater in Tokyo also presents "Kanadehon Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Retainers)" to mark the upcoming 300th anniversary of the famous act of revenge carried out by the 47 ronin (masterless samurai) on the night of Dec. 14, 1702 (on the old calendar). As at the Kabukiza staging (featured in The Japan Times, Oct. 16), this program is presented in two parts.
So why go to see "Chushingura" all over again? As it happens, there are a number of good reasons to do so.
The 11-act bunraku play "Chushingura," written by Takeda Izumo and collaborators in 1748, was immediately adapted for the kabuki stage in Osaka, though it didn't reach Edo's three major kabuki theaters until the following year -- which gave rise to two separate staging traditions. Last month's "Chushingura" at the Kabukiza was in the stylized Edo tradition, while the National Theater's offering is in the more natural, realistic Kansai style of acting unique to the Kamigata (Kyoto and Osaka) region.