Aotozoshihana no shikie - Aotozoshihana no shikie

A Kabuki play. A domestic drama. Five acts. Written by Kawatake Mokuami. Commonly known as "Five Men of the White Waves" or "Benten Kozo". It premiered in March 1862 (Bunkyu 2) at the Ichimuraza Theatre in Edo, with Benten Kozo played by Onoe Kikugoro 5 (then Ichimura Uzaemon 13), Nippon Daemon played by Seki Sanjuro 3, and Nangou Rikimaru played by Nakamura Shikan 4. It was inspired by the nishikie (colored woodblock print) "Five Men of the White Waves" by Utagawa Toyokuni 3, which depicts actors. Another title is "Benten Daughter, Woman, Man, White Waves".

Prologue (Shinkiyomizu Hase-dera Temple), Act 2 (Mikoshigatake) - The thief Benten Kozo Kikunosuke teams up with his elder brother Nangou Rikimaru, disguises himself as Shida Kotaro, and seduces Kotaro's fiancée Senjuhime. The great thief Nihon Dayemon sees his courage and makes him his subordinate, and together with Akaboshi Juzaburo and Tadanobu Burihei, they are known as the Five White Wave Men. Act 3 (In front of Hamamatsuya and in front of the store) - Benten disguises herself as a samurai girl and, together with Nangou, who is disguised as a samurai attendant, blackmails the kimono store Hamamatsuya by pretending to shoplift. Dayemon purposely discovers Benten's true identity and gains the trust of Kobei, the owner of Hamamatsuya, and attempts to rob him of a large sum of money that night, but he accidentally discovers that Benten is Kobei's real son, and Kobei's son is Dayemon's real son, and everyone is shocked at the outcome. Act 4 (Inase River) - All five men gather together. Finale (Gokurakuji roof, mountain gate) - Surrounded by police, Benten commits seppuku on the roof, and Dayemon is taken into custody by Aoto Saemon.

As the title suggests, the play is full of beautiful nishiki-e (traditional Japanese woodblock prints), with scenes such as the cherry blossom viewing at Hatsuse-dera Temple, the "Danmari" at Mikoshi-ga-take, the fight scene on the roof of Gokuraku-ji Temple, and the mountain gate with its large zelkova ornaments. In particular, "Front of Hamamatsuya Store" is known for its sensual beauty, in which Benten, dressed as a beautiful young woman, sits cross-legged and strips naked to reveal her cherry blossom tattoo, and for her long line, "If you don't know, I'll tell you." The five men's trajectories in "Inasegawa" are also famous, and these two scenes alone are particularly common. Benten was the breakthrough role for Kikugoro V, who was 19 years old at the time, and has since become the family play of the Onoe family, and in recent years has been a hit role for Kikugoro VII. It has also been performed by many others.

[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。通称「白浪五人男(しらなみごにんおとこ)」「弁天小僧(べんてんこぞう)」。1862年（文久2）3月江戸・市村座で、5世尾上(おのえ)菊五郎（当時13世市村羽左衛門）の弁天小僧、3世関三十郎の日本駄右衛門(にっぽんだえもん)、4世中村芝翫(しかん)の南郷力丸(なんごうりきまる)らにより初演。3世歌川豊国(とよくに)筆の役者見立ての錦絵(にしきえ)「白浪五人男」に着想した作である。別名題『弁天娘女男白浪(べんてんむすめめおのしらなみ)』。

　序幕（新清水初瀬寺(しんきよみずはせでら)）、二幕（神輿ヶ嶽(みこしがたけ)）―盗賊弁天小僧菊之助は兄貴分の南郷力丸と組んで、信田(しだ)小太郎になりすまし、小太郎の許嫁(いいなずけ)千寿姫を誘惑、大盗日本駄右衛門に度胸を見込まれて輩下になり、赤星十三郎(あかぼしじゅうざぶろう)、忠信利平(ただのぶりへい)らとともに白浪五人男とよばれる。三幕（浜松屋店先、同蔵前）―弁天は武家娘に変装し、供侍に化けた南郷とともに、呉服商浜松屋で万引きしたとみせかけて強請(ゆすり)を働く。駄右衛門はわざと弁天の正体を見破り、浜松屋の主人幸兵衛の信用を得て、その夜大金を強奪しようとするが、はからずも、弁天は幸兵衛の実子、幸兵衛の息子は駄右衛門の実子とわかり、一同は因果に驚く。四幕（稲瀬川）―五人男の勢揃(せいぞろ)い。大詰（極楽寺(ごくらくじ)屋根、山門）―捕り手に囲まれた弁天は屋根の上で切腹し、駄右衛門は青砥左衛門(あおとさえもん)の手で縄にかかる。

　初瀬寺の花見、神輿ヶ嶽の「だんまり」、極楽寺屋根上の立回り、大ゼリを使った山門など、題名どおりの錦絵美で一貫しているが、ことに「浜松屋店先」は、美しい娘姿の弁天があぐらをかき、肌を脱いで桜のいれずみを見せる官能美と、「知らざあ言って聞かせやしょう」の長台詞(ながぜりふ)で知られ、また「稲瀬川」の五人男のツラネも有名で、この2場だけの上演がとくに多い。弁天は、当時19歳だった5世菊五郎の出世芸で、以後尾上(おのえ)家の家の芸になり、近年では7世菊五郎の当り役。そのほか多くの人によって上演されている。

［松井俊諭］

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