Most know Asakusa in Tokyo for Sensoji Temple and its surrounding souvenir arcades, but during the late Edo Period it was also the show business district of downtown Edo. Three kabuki theaters authorized by the shogunate competed in Saruwaka-cho, not far from Asakusa's Kokaido (public hall), and they offered special New Year kabuki performances, a ritual that was revived 30 years ago.
These New Year performances, which now take place at the Kokaido, give opportunities to young actors to hone their skills as lead roles in a program of classic or new kabuki plays. This year's program of two sets of shows star Nakamura Shichinosuke, Ichikawa Kamejiro, Kataoka Ainosuke and Nakamura Kikaku, all of whom are in their 20s or 30s.
Part 1, the morning show, consists of three acts from "Sannin Kichisa Tomoe no Shiranami" ("The Three Thieves Named Kichisa"), playwright Kawatake Mokuami's 1860 masterpiece, and a dance number titled "Koma" ("A top").