Kasane - Kasane

A common name for a legendary woman and a play that dramatized the story. The legend is a tale of fate handed down at Hozoji Temple in Hanyu Village, Shimousa Province (Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture), and tells the story of how, around the time of the Jo-o to Kanbun era (1652-1673), an ugly woman named Rui was killed by her husband Yoemon out of jealousy, and her grudge came upon her family, but they were freed by the prayers of the monk Yuten. Many Kabuki plays and Joruri plays were written based on this story, and it became a genre known as "Kasanemono." The first work is said to be "Ozumo Fujito Genji" (1731) by Tsuuchi Jihee. Later, many of these plays were adapted to the Date clan's uprising, such as "Datekurabe Okuni Kabuki" (1778, written by Sakurada Jisuke I), known as "The Selling of Myself," and in the late Edo period, ghost story elements also became more prominent. Representative works include Tsuruya Namboku IV's "Okuni Gozen Kesho no Sugatami" (1813, commonly known as "The Bathing Rui") and "Kesakake Matsu Narita Noriken" (1823), the latter of which's prologue, "Iromoyo Chotto Karimame," became very popular as the Kiyomoto dance "Kasane."

[Toshiaki Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

伝説上の女性、およびこれを脚色した戯曲の通称。伝説は下総(しもうさ)国羽生(はにゅう)村（茨城県常総(じょうそう)市）法蔵寺に伝わる因縁話で、承応(じょうおう)～寛文(かんぶん)（1652～73）ごろ、醜婦の累が嫉妬(しっと)深さのため夫与右衛門(よえもん)に殺され、その怨念(おんねん)が一族にたたったが、祐天上人(ゆうてんしょうにん)の祈りで解脱(げだつ)したというもの。これを素材に多くの歌舞伎(かぶき)脚本、浄瑠璃(じょうるり)がつくられ、「累物(かさねもの)」とよばれる一系統になった。最初の作といわれるのは津打治兵衛(つうちじへえ)の『大角力藤戸源氏(おおずもうふじとげんじ)』（1731）。その後、「身売りの累」とよばれる『伊達競阿国戯場(だてくらべおくにかぶき)』（1778・初世桜田治助(じすけ)作）をはじめ多くは伊達騒動に織り込まれて脚色、江戸後期には怪談劇の要素も強くなった。その代表作は4世鶴屋南北(なんぼく)の『阿国御前化粧鏡(おくにごぜんけしょうのすがたみ)』（1813。通称「湯上りの累」）および『法懸松成田利剣(けさかけまつなりたのりけん)』（1823）などで、後者の序幕道行(みちゆき)『色彩間苅豆(いろもようちょっとかりまめ)』は清元の舞踊「かさね」として大いに流行している。

［松井俊諭］

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