The Tale of the Chrysanthemums

A Shinpa play. Iwaya Shinichi adapted the novel published by Muramatsu Shofu in a special edition of the Sunday Mainichi magazine in September 1937 (Showa 12). It premiered in October of the same year at the Meijiza Theater in Tokyo, starring Hanayagi Shotaro (Kikunosuke), Mizutani Yaeko (Otoku), Kitamura Rokuro (5th Kikugoro), and others. Kikunosuke, the adopted son of Onoe Kikugoro 5th, falls in love with Otoku, the wet nurse of his younger brother-in-law (later the 6th Kikugoro), but is disowned by his adoptive father and flees to Osaka. Five years later, after much hardship, he is called back by his adoptive father, but Otoku, who has lung disease, withdraws, and two years later, she dies in the arms of Kikunosuke, who has come to Osaka with his adoptive father in a spectacular fashion. A typical story of pure love from the Showa period of Shinpa. The 1939 film adaptation directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and starring Hanayagi and Mori Kakuko is considered one of the great works in Japanese film history. In recent years, the play has been adapted into a new adaptation and is often performed.

[Toki Michiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

新派戯曲。村松梢風(しょうふう)が1937年（昭和12）9月『サンデー毎日』増刊に発表した小説を巌谷(いわや)三一（慎一）が脚色。同年10月東京・明治座で、花柳(はなやぎ)章太郎（菊之助）、水谷八重子（お徳）、喜多村緑郎(きたむらろくろう)（5世菊五郎）らで初演。5世尾上(おのえ)菊五郎の養子菊之助は義弟（後の6世菊五郎）の乳母(うば)お徳と恋に落ち、養父に勘当されて大阪へ落ちる。5年後、辛苦のかいあって養父に呼び戻されるが、肺を病むお徳は身を引き、さらに2年後、養父とともに華々しく大阪に乗り込んできた菊之助に抱かれて息を引き取る。新派昭和期の代表的な純愛物。39年の溝口健二監督、花柳・森赫子(かくこ)主演の映画化は、日本映画史上の名作の一つに数えられている。近年では新脚色による上演も多い。

［土岐迪子］

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