The Plain of the Courtesan Buddha - The Plain of the Courtesan Buddha

A kabuki play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. It was first performed in January 1699 (Genroku 12) by Sakata Tojuro I and others at the Miyako Mandayuza Theatre in Kyoto. It is a story of family feud set against the backdrop of a succession struggle between the Umenaga family, rulers of Echizen Province. The play no longer exists, but an illustrated kyogen book has been handed down, allowing us to understand the plot. It is made up of three consecutive acts, and tells the story of Umenaga Gyobu's eldest son Bunzo, who is banished to exile by his younger brother Tatewaki, who is trying to embezzle from the family fortune, and becomes a wanderer. Many ups and downs occur between the fallen Bunzo and his lovers, the two courtesans Imagawa and Oshu, and his fiancee Takehime, but when Imagawa's real father Sukedayu reforms and kills his villainous wife, Bunzo inherits the family headship, and the family is safe. The play is set to coincide with the opening of the Gesso-ji temple in Higashiyama at the time, and at the end, everyone gathers at the temple for a dance. Tojuro's Bunzo, whose highlight is a long speech about how he met Oshu, was very well received, and became one of his representative "yatsushigoto" plays. For the author Chikamatsu, it also served as the basis for many of his Keisei-kai Kyogen plays, such as "Keisei Mibu Dainembutsu."

[Toshiaki Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近松門左衛門の歌舞伎(かぶき)脚本。1699年（元禄12）1月、京都の都万太夫座(みやこまんだゆうざ)で初世坂田藤十郎らにより初演。越前(えちぜん)の国主梅永(うめなが)家の家督争いを背景にした御家騒動物で、脚本は残っていないが、絵入(えいり)狂言本が伝存、筋を知ることができる。三番続きの構成で、梅永刑部(ぎょうぶ)の長子文蔵(ぶんぞう)が家横領をねらう弟帯刀(たてわき)のため追放されて流浪する話。落ちぶれた文蔵をめぐり、恋人である2人の遊女今川、奥州、許嫁(いいなずけ)の竹姫たちとの間にさまざまな波瀾(はらん)が起こるが、今川の実父介太夫(すけだゆう)が悪人方から改心して帯刀を討つことにより、文蔵が家督を継ぎ、御家安泰となる。当時東山(ひがしやま)にあった月窓寺(げっそうじ)の開帳を当て込んだもので、最後は一同が月窓寺に落ち合って総踊りになる趣向。奥州とのなれそめを語る長台詞(ながぜりふ)を見せ場とした藤十郎の文蔵が大好評で、彼の「やつし事」の代表作となった。作者近松にとっても、『傾城壬生大念仏(みぶだいねんぶつ)』など多くの傾城買狂言の基盤になっている。

［松井俊諭］

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