Female Swordplay

Swordplays performed by women. They were different from the female plays that had existed before. Swordplays became popular nationwide from the end of the Taisho period to the Showa period, and Kyushu impresario Hora Asanosuke noticed this trend and had Oe Michiko, a film actress at the time, take up a sword and perform at the Minatoza theater in Kobe in 1932 (Showa 7). This was the first time that Fuji Yoko (1912-1980) formed a troupe in 1934, and then Fushimi Sumiko made her debut, and they were called the "three musketeers of female swordplay." After that, the second generation Oe Michiko gained popularity with her predecessor's quick costume changes, but many other actresses such as Nakajo Kiyoko, Tamamizu Masako, and Tsukuba Sumiko competed for supremacy from before World War II to during the war. After the war, Asaka Mitsuyo (1928-2020) and Nakano Hiroko (1922-1996) rose to prominence again, joining Fuji and Oe in their activities mainly in Asakusa, Tokyo. Their female swordplay, which was initially viewed as bizarre, gradually became more substantial, and they also produced works dealing with social issues and literary works. They also participated in art festivals and won awards, improving their status. However, with the decline of the Asakusa entertainment district, they went into decline, and both Oe and Asaka disbanded their troupes in 1970 (Showa 45).

[Soya Mukai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

女性が演じる剣劇。それ以前にあった女芝居とは異質のものである。大正末期から昭和へかけて全国的に剣劇が流行したが、これに目をつけた九州の興行師保良(ほら)浅之助が、当時映画女優の大江美智子(みちこ)に剣を握らせ、1932年（昭和7）神戸の湊(みなと)座に出演させたのが最初である。続いて不二(ふじ)洋子（1912―1980）が1934年に一座を結成、さらに伏見澄子(すみこ)がデビュー、女剣劇三羽烏(がらす)といわれた。その後、2代目大江美智子が先代譲りの早替りで人気を得たが、このほか第二次世界大戦前から戦中にかけては中条喜代子、玉水昌子、筑波(つくば)澄子ら多くの女優が覇を競った。戦後はまた浅香光代(あさかみつよ)（1928―2020）、中野弘子（1922―1996）らが台頭、不二や大江に伍(ご)して東京・浅草を中心に活躍した。当初猟奇的な目でみられていた女剣劇もしだいに内容が充実し、社会問題を扱ったものや文芸作品も手がけ、芸術祭にも参加し受賞するなど地位も向上したが、浅草興行街の衰退とともに退潮、大江、浅香とも1970年（昭和45）に一座を解散した。

［向井爽也］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例