Kino Kaion

A Joruri (Japanese puppet theatre) composer and haiku poet. Born as the second son of Taiya, a long-established confectionery shop in Osaka, he was commonly known as Kiemon. His father, Teiin, was a haiku poet of the Teimon school, and his older brother was a kyoka poet known as Yuensai Teiryu, both of whom were well-known. He became a monk at a young age, but after his father's death he returned to secular life and became a doctor, also active as a haiku poet. He was eventually recruited by the Toyotake-za theatre and wrote Joruri under the name Ki Kaion, rivalling Chikamatsu Monzaemon of the Takemoto-za theatre and dividing the puppet world in two. His first work was the domestic drama "Wankyusue no Matsuyama" in 1708 (5th year of the Hoei era), and over the next 20 years he wrote over 50 stories, including historical dramas such as "Kamakura Sandai-ki," "Onikage Musashi Abumi," and "Keisei Muken no Kane," and domestic dramas such as "Keisei Sandogasa," "Shinju Futatsu Harabimi," "Osome Hisamatsu Tamoto no Shirashibori," and "Yaoya Oshichi." Compared to Chikamatsu's works, which valued human love and were literary excellent, Kaito's works were disliked for being intellectual in style and lacking emotion, which was dominated by obligation. However, he excelled in the technique of play composition, and had a greater influence on later figures such as Namiki Sōsuke and Chikamatsu Hanji than Chikamatsu himself.

[Jiro Yamamoto]

"Japanese Classical Literature Series 51: Joruri Collection, Vol. 1" (1960, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Japanese Classical Literature Collection 45: Joruri Collection" (1971, Shogakukan) ▽ "Kikai Study Group, ed.: Kikaikai Complete Works, 8 volumes (1977-80, Seibundo Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

浄瑠璃(じょうるり)作者、俳諧師(はいかいし)。大坂の老舗(しにせ)の菓子屋鯛屋(たいや)の次男に生まれる。通称喜右衛門。父は貞因(ていいん)と号し貞門の俳人、兄は狂歌師油煙斎貞柳として、ともに名を知られた。若いころ出家したが、父の死後還俗(げんぞく)して医者となり、また俳諧師として活躍。やがて豊竹(とよたけ)座から迎えられて紀海音の名で浄瑠璃を書き、竹本座の近松門左衛門と対抗、操(あやつり)界を二分する働きをみせた。その最初の作は1708年（宝永5）の世話物『椀久末松山(わんきゅうすえのまつやま)』で、その後の20年間に、時代物に『鎌倉三代記』『鬼鹿毛無佐志鐙(おにかげむさしあぶみ)』『傾城無間鐘(けいせいむけんのかね)』、世話物に『傾城三度笠(さんどがさ)』『心中二つ腹帯』『お染久松袂(たもと)の白(しら)しぼり』『八百屋お七』など50編余りを書いた。海音の作は、近松のそれが人間愛を重んじ、文学的にも優れているのに比べ、義理をもっぱらとする理知的な作風で、情味に乏しいという嫌いがあった。しかし戯曲構成の技巧に優れ、後世の並木宗輔(そうすけ)、近松半二(はんじ)らに近松以上に大きい影響を与えた。

［山本二郎］

『『日本古典文学大系51　浄瑠璃集　上』（1960・岩波書店）』▽『『日本古典文学全集45　浄瑠璃集』（1971・小学館）』▽『海音研究会編『紀海音全集』全8巻（1977～80・清文堂出版）』

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