"The price of Ume no Yoshibei's life"

...The incident is said to have occurred in 1689 (Genroku 2), and in January of the following year, it was performed in a kabuki play at the Iwai Hanshiro-za in Osaka. Later, in "Ume Yoshibei Kawasekin" (December 1728, Osaka Seki Sanjuro-za), Yoshibei, who was desperate for money to buy a sword to save his master, killed his wife Oyoshi's younger brother Nagayoshi, and in "Yujin Yoroi Soga" (January 1736, Edo Nakamura-za), Yoshibei, a gangster played by the first Sawamura Sojuro, was a big hit, and his costume was later inherited. After this, it became associated with Soga Kyogen in Edo, and various plays such as "Otoko Date Hatsukai Soga" (January 1753, Nakamura-za) were created....

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Umeyoshibei's Life Payment" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…事件は1689年(元禄2)のことといわれ，翌90年1月には大坂岩井半四郎座の歌舞伎で演じられている。その後《梅由兵衛命代金（かわせきん）》(1728年12月大坂関三十郎座)で，主を救う刀代に窮した由兵衛が，女房お吉の弟長吉を殺す設定が作られ，《遊君鎧曾我》(1736年1月江戸中村座)は，初世沢村宗十郎の俠客の由兵衛が大当りを取り，その扮装が後に継承される。これ以後江戸では曾我狂言と結びついて，《男伊達初買曾我》(1753年1月中村座)等の諸作が生まれた。…

※「《梅由兵衛命代金》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報