Island thrush, white waves in the moonlight - Shimachidoritsuki no shiranami

Kabuki script. Sewamono. Five acts. Written by Kawatake Mokuami. First performed in November 1881 (Meiji 14) at Shintomiza in Tokyo, with Onoe Kikugoro 5 as Akashi no Shimazo, Ichikawa Sadanji 1 as Matsushima Senta, Ichikawa Danjūrō ​​9 as Mochizuki Akira, and Iwai Hanshiro 8 as Benten Oteru. Commonly known as "Shima Chidori." The duo of thieves Shimazo and Senta break into a pawnshop in Asakusa, Tokyo and steal a large sum of money, but Shimazo realizes the horror of karma and reforms, opening a sake shop in Kagurazaka. Senta finds out that Oteru, a geisha he is in love with, has become the mistress of the lawyer Mochizuki Teru, and goes to blackmail her, but is overwhelmed by Teru's dignity as a former master thief and backs down. He asks Shimazo to help him get revenge. Shimazo calls Senta to the Shokonsha in Kudan, where he finally reforms her with his heartfelt advice. The playwright, who had been writing plays for many years under the name Kawatake Shinshichi II and was known as the "White Wave Playwright" for his speciality in writing about thieves, decided to retire and wrote this play for a performance under the name Mokuami. All the main characters are thieves, and yet they all reform at the end. This is a representative work of "zangirimono" (a type of play that depicts the new times in the Meiji era), and the final scene at the Shokonsha (Yasukuni Shrine) was particularly well received due to its novelty. In recent years, it is often performed with only two scenes, "Akashiya" before it. The Kiyomoto piece "Karigane," used for the color patterns of Teru and Oteru in the third act, "Mochizuki Residence," is also famous.

[Toshiaki Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

歌舞伎(かぶき)脚本。世話物。5幕。河竹黙阿弥(もくあみ)作。1881年（明治14）11月、東京・新富座で、5世尾上(おのえ)菊五郎の明石(あかし)の島蔵(しまぞう)、初世市川左団次の松島千太(まつしませんた)、9世市川団十郎の望月輝(もちづきあきら)、8世岩井半四郎の弁天お照(べんてんおてる)らにより初演。通称「島ちどり」。2人組の盗賊島蔵と千太は東京浅草の質屋に押し入り大金を盗んだが、島蔵は因果の恐ろしさを感じて改心し、神楽(かぐら)坂で酒屋を営む。千太はほれた芸者のお照が代言人望月輝の妾(めかけ)になっていることを知りゆすりに行くが、以前大泥棒であった輝の貫禄(かんろく)に負けて引き下がり、その仕返しの加勢を島蔵に頼む。島蔵は千太を九段の招魂社に呼び出し、心を込めた意見でついに改心させる。2世河竹新七として長く劇作を続け、ことに盗賊を書くのを得意として「白浪作者」といわれた作者が引退を決意、黙阿弥と名のった披露のために書いた作で、主要登場人物がすべて盗賊、しかも最後には全員改心するという構成。明治の新世相を描いた「散切物(ざんぎりもの)」の代表作で、とくに大詰の招魂社（靖国(やすくに)神社）は場面の斬新(ざんしん)さもあって大好評を得た。近年は、その前の「明石屋」と2場だけを上演することが多い。三幕目「望月邸」で輝とお照の色模様に使った清元(きよもと)『雁金(かりがね)』も有名。

［松井俊諭］

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