Kenuki, "The Whisker Tweezers," is the Eighteen Favourite Kabuki Play.
1742年に初演され、400年の歌舞伎の歴史の中で最も古い演目の一つである。明治時代に再演され、歌舞伎の代表的な演目となった。昔の芝居は、のびのびとしたおおらかさが特徴である。【あらすじ】1：小野春道家の姫君・錦の御前は、結婚を目前にして髪が逆立つ奇病にかかる。2：縁談の相手方の家臣である久米寺弾正が来ると、家臣の八軒玄蕃が "縁談を打ち切ってくれ "と頼む。3：久米寺弾正は毛抜きで髭を抜き、どうしようかと悩む。ふと、毛抜きの道具が勝手に動いていることに気づき、ひらめく。4: 粂寺弾正が槍で天井を突き刺すと、天井に磁石を持った男が潜んでいた。姫の奇病は、この磁石にかんざしと笄(こうがい、髪飾りのこと)が反応したことが原因だった。すべては一族の乗っ取りを企む八軒玄蕃の仕業と見破った弾正は、彼を倒し、万事解決となった。(English) It was first performed in 1742 and is one of the oldest plays in the 400-year history of Kabuki. It was revived in the Meiji period (1868-1912) and has become a popular form of Kabuki. The plays of the olden times are characterized by their spontaneity and generosity. (Synopsis) 1: Nishiki no Mae, a princess of the Ono Harumichi family, is about to be married and suffers from a strange disease that causes her hair to stand on end. 2: When Danjo Kumedera, a vassal of the other party to the marriage proposal, comes, the retainer, Yatsurugi Genba, asks him to "break up the marriage." 3: Danjo pulls out his beard with a hair pluck and wonders what to do. Suddenly, he notices that the hair-plucking tool is moving by itself, and he gets inspiration. 4: When Danjo pierces the ceiling with his spear, he finds a man with a magnet lurking in the ceiling. The reaction of Kanzashi and hair ornaments to this magnet caused the princess's strange illness. When Danjo realized this was all an evil scheme by Yatsurugi Genba, who was planning to take over the house where he worked, he defeated him.
Kenuki, "The Whisker Tweezers," is the Eighteen Favourite Kabuki Play.
//Summary//
i)
Kenuki, "The Whisker Tweezers," is one act from the play Narukami Fudo Kitayama Zakura, "Saint Narukami and the Deity Fudo," first performed in 1742, KENUKI is included in the Kabuki Juhachiban collection, "The Eighteen Favourite Kabuki Plays" that are associated with the Danjuro line of actors.
The work is set in the late 9th century. A great drought is causing misery in the land, and as a means to end it, the Imperial House demanded that Lord Ono no Komachi successfully pray for rain. That poem, however, written on a poetry slip called Tanzaku, has disappeared.
ii)
-Story and Highlights
Lord Ono's daughter, Nishiki no mae, is betrothed to Lord Toyohide.
However, the girl has developed a strange illness that causes her hair to stand up on end.
Toyohide's messenger arrives to ascertain the particulars of her condition.
He is Kumedera Danjo, the hero of the play.
iii)
After inspecting the lady, he is unable to explain the strange phenomenon.
As he ponders the situation, he is entertained by two of Lord Ono's household, both of whom Danjo finds most attractive, although they refuse his advances.
Left alone, Danjo decides to pluck some stray hairs from his chin but is astonished to see his metal tweezers (the kenuki of the play's title) suddenly float up into the air. The mansion is a haunted house.
iv)
Just then, a rustic young man who calls himself Manbe arrives, demanding compensation for the death of his sister.
She was in service here but was dismissed when she became pregnant with the child of Lord Ono's son.
Danjo, however, soon sees through this ruse and kills the man.
v)
He was, in fact, a villain in disguise since the real Manbe is in Lord Toyohide's care, having reported to the authorities that some men had murdered and stolen precious objects from his sister.
Inspecting the villain's body, Danjo retrieves the precious poetry slip.
It had previously been given to the girl as a keepsake by Lord Ono's son, and Danjo now hands it back to its rightful owners.
vi)
Turning his attention to the mystery of the daughter's illness, he drives a spear through the room's ceiling and brings down an enemy spy.
The spy had been ordered to hold a giant magnet that would attract all metal objects, including the lady's metal hair ornaments and Danjo's tweezers.
That is the reason they seemed to float up into the air.
vii)
Now that the lady's illness is cured, her wedding to Danjo's master can go as planned.
Prenuptial gifts are exchanged, but Danjo's gift is to expose and execute the arch-villain responsible for the wicked plan.
***
Synopsis.
A)
1)
The Disaster of the Ono Family
The house of Ono Harumichi, a descendant of the famous poet Ono no Komachi.
Hata Hidetaro, a peasant, and his brother, Minbu, a retainer, and Yatsurugi Genba, a retainer, and his son, Azuma, are in dispute.
The reason is that Minbu has refused to commit seppuku, taking responsibility for the loss of the "Kotowariya no Tanzaku," a treasure of the Ono family.
Ono Harumichi, the owner of the pavilion, and his son Harukaze stop him, saying that even if Tamibu dies, the Tanzaku will not come out.
Amidst the disquiet, word comes that a messenger from Bunya-no-Yohide has arrived.
B)
2)
The appearance of the messenger
Danjo Kumedera, a retainer of the Bunya family, appears quickly as a messenger from the Bunya family.
Toyohide Bunnaya was engaged to marry Nishikinomae, a princess of the Ono family.
Danjo asked his lord to find out what was going on.
3)
When Gemba tried to get him to leave, saying that the princess's illness made it impossible to arrange a marriage, Danjo asked to see the princess in person.
When Nishiki showed up, she was wearing a thin robe.
When Gemba took off the light robe, the princess's black hair stood up suspiciously.
Danjo was startled and speechless.
4)
However, he was told that if she wore a thin robe with an amulet sewn into it, the illness would not occur.
Danjo waits for Lord Harumichi, who asks to meet and talk with him anyway.
C)
5)
Failed attempts at seduction, dancing hairpins
While Danjo was waiting alone, Hidetaro came with a tray of cigarettes and was so handsome that Danjo took his hand and said, "I will practice horsemanship on you," and tried to ride on his back as a joke, but he was easily escaped.
Bored, Danjo removed his hair pliers and began to pull out his beard.
6)
Next, when Makinuki, a beautiful woman, brought the tea the princess had prepared, Danjo again asked to taste her tea but was rejected.
The hair pluckers, which he had casually placed on the floor, stood up and moved of their own accord and would not stop even when he tried to hold them down.
Danjo was surprised and asked, "Is this a haunted house?"
7)
Danjo also tries to smoke a cigarette but notices that the silver smoking pipe does not move at all, but the small sword attached to the sword (kozuka) and the hair pliers move. The kozuka (small sword attached to the sword) and the hair tip are both made of iron.
D)
8)
Obara Manbei's Complaint
Then a man comes barging in.
The man claims to be Ohara Manbei, a peasant farmer and says his sister Koiso, serving as a servant to the Ono family, was killed.
Manbei asks for the return of his dead sister.
Gemba, however, seemed to stir up the complaint.
Danjo, who was listening, wrote a letter and handed it to him, saying, "I will return your sister."
9)
It was addressed to King Enma, asking him to return Manbei's sister.
Danjo told him, "When you see King Enma, tell him I am fine, and hurry up and go to hell," and slashed Manbei to death.
10)
Confronted by Gemba's accusations, Danjo said, "The real Manbei is in the Bunya family's territory. I have just heard his complaint that someone has killed his sister and that a letter from Harukaze and some precious goods entrusted to him has been taken away.
11)
When Danjo searches the closet of the fake Manbei, he finds the "Kotowariya" Tanzaku strip he has been searching for.
This makes it clear that the fake Manbei killed Koiso and took the letter and the Tanzaku.
E)
12)
Solving the Mystery
Harumichi Harukaze, the owner of the house, and Nishiki no Mae appear, and Harumichi thanks Danjo for retrieving the Tanzaku.
When Danjo takes off Nishiki's headdress, illness strikes again.
13)
Nishiki no Mae replies, "It is a silver hair ornament I had made for myself because I heard it was popular at court.
However, when Danjo pulls it out, her hair stops standing back up, and her illness is cured.
The hair ornament was the cause of the princess's illness.
14)
Danjo said, "I will destroy the root of the disease," With all his might, he held his spear and struck the ceiling.
Then, a ninja with a large magnet falls.
Danjo reveals to the astonished people in the pavilion that his hair ornament, made of iron, was attracted by the magnet, causing his hair to stand on end.
He deduced this from the fact that the iron hairpiece stood up.
F)
15)
The defeat of the Evil One, Return of Danjo
When Danjo presses the ninja to tell him who asked him to do it, Gemba slays him.
Gemba gives the bitter excuse that he killed the ninja because he did not know what he would say if tortured, to which Danjo sarcastically replies, "The Tanzaku will come out, the princess's illness will be cured, the house will be settled, and you will be safe."
16)Harumichi asks Gemba to give the Ono family's precious sword as a gift for the consummation of the engagement.
When Gemba tries to give it to Harumichi, Danjo cuts him down with a single sword "as a congratulatory gift."
Danjo relieved that his role is complete, bows to his audience and returns to the Bunya household with great enthusiasm.
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