Short play - Koshibai

A simple, small-scale theater. It mainly performs kabuki. It began in the Edo period when theaters approved by the government in cities such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo were called o-shibai (large theaters), while other theaters were called ko-shibai (small theaters). Among ko-shibai, those located within the grounds of shrines and temples were called miyachi-shibai (also called miya-shibai). Furthermore, odedeko-shibai (plays performed by performers) and goumune (beggars) were also a type of ko-shibai, and even plays in regional cities and festivals could be considered ko-shibai in the broad sense based on the performance practices. At the time, there were many disparities between the two, not only in terms of size, but also in terms of systems and customs. For example, o-shibai were permanent theaters that were allowed to hold regular performances, while ko-shibai were originally based on the principle of having a tent (later permanent theaters were also allowed), had limited days for performances, and required an application to be submitted each time. Furthermore, small theaters were not allowed to use pull curtains like large theaters, and instead used drop curtains. For this reason, small theaters are sometimes called drop curtains. This discrimination stemmed from the shogunate's intention to make it easier to control the entertainment world by protecting large theaters, and small theaters were subject to complete bans when the shogunate carried out purges of the entertainment world, such as during the Ejima-Ikushima Incident in 1714 (Shotoku 4) and the Tenpo Reforms (1841-43). However, small theaters, which were cheaper and more convenient to watch than large theaters, supported the popular culture of the Edo period, and each time they were banned, they saw a revival soon after.

In Kyoto, the theaters of Kitano in Kamigyo and Inabado in Shimogyo have been famous since ancient times, and eventually temples and shrines in Teramachi began to offer their grounds for theaters, forming the basis of what would later become Shinkyogoku. In Osaka, theaters were located within the grounds of the newly emerging pleasure districts of Sonezaki and Horie (known as Shinchi), as well as Inari, Zama, and Goryo. In Edo, theaters could be heard in Asakusa, Shiba Shinmei, Yushima Tenjin, Ichigaya Hachiman, and other places.

In Kyoto during the Genroku period (1688-1704), there were already 14 small theaters in the city, but in Edo in the early 19th century, there were more than 20 small theaters, and by the latter half of the Edo period, they were considered to have become a threat to the business of the large theaters. This was a similar phenomenon to the situation in the 18th century, when the official pleasure quarters of Shimabara and Yoshiwara did not do well, and instead Shinchi and okabasho flourished. The distinction between large and small theaters seen in the Edo period continued into the Meiji period as the distinction between large and small theaters, and these small theaters continued to perform old-fashioned plays that were no longer seen in the large theaters that had undergone theatrical reforms, and enjoyed enduring popularity, but their popularity rapidly decreased after World War II, and only traces of their popularity can be seen in traveling song shows and swordplay.

[Takeshi Moriya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

簡略で小規模な劇場。主として歌舞伎(かぶき)を上演する。江戸時代、京・大坂・江戸などの都市において官許の劇場を大芝居と称したのに対して、それ以外の劇場を小芝居といったのに始まる。小芝居のうち神社や寺院の境内にあったものは宮地(みやち)芝居（宮芝居ともいう）の称がある。さらに香具師(やし)や乞胸(ごうむね)などの手になるオデデコ芝居も小芝居の一種であり、ひいては地方の都市や祭礼などの芝居もその興行の慣行からして広義の小芝居とみなしうるものであった。当時、両者の間には規模の大小だけでなく、制度的、慣習的に多くの格差があった。たとえば、大芝居は常設劇場で恒常的な興行が認められていたのに対して、小芝居は本来小屋掛けを原則とし（のちには常設も許可された）、興行の日数が限られ、しかもそのつど申請を出す必要があった。また小芝居は、大芝居のような引幕(ひきまく)の使用が許されず緞帳(どんちょう)を用いていた。このため小芝居を緞帳芝居という場合もある。これらの差別は、大芝居を保護することで興行界の支配を容易にしようとする幕府の意図に発しており、1714年（正徳4）の絵島・生島事件の際や天保(てんぽう)の改革（1841～43）など幕府が興行界の粛正を行ったときには、小芝居は全面的な禁止の対象にされた。しかし、大芝居に比べて安価で簡便に見物できる小芝居は、江戸時代の大衆文化を支える存在であり、禁止のつど、いずれも年月を経ずに復興をみている。

　京都では上京の北野、下京の因幡堂(いなばどう)の芝居が古来名高く、やがて寺町の寺社が進んでその境内を芝居に提供して、後の新京極の基礎をつくった。大坂は曽根崎(そねざき)、堀江などの新興遊里（いわゆる新地）に付属するもののほか、稲荷(いなり)、座摩(ざま)、御霊(ごりょう)などの境内に位置した。江戸でも浅草をはじめ、芝神明、湯島天神、市谷八幡(いちがやはちまん)などの芝居が聞こえた。

　すでに元禄(げんろく)期（1688～1704）の京都では市中14か所に小芝居を数えることができたが、19世紀初頭の江戸では20余りの小芝居の分布が確認され、江戸時代の後半には、事実上、大芝居の営業を脅かす勢力になっていたと考えられる。それは、あたかも、18世紀以降、島原、吉原などの官許の遊里が振るわず、かわって新地や岡場所が繁栄したのと同様の現象であった。江戸時代にみられた大芝居・小芝居の差別は明治時代にも大劇場・小劇場という区別となって受け継がれ、その小劇場では、演劇改良を経た大劇場ではすでにみられなくなった古風な芝居が演じ続けられ、根強い人気があったが、第二次世界大戦を境に急速に減少し、旅回りの歌謡ショーや剣劇などにかろうじてそのおもかげをみるにとどまっている。

［守屋　毅］

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