That little sister - That little sister

A play by Mushanokoji Saneatsu. Five acts. Published in the March 1915 (Taisho 4) issue of Shirakaba. It premiered in March 1917 at the Royal Hall in Akasaka by the Stage Association, directed by Yamamoto Yuzo and starring Kato Seiichi and others. Promising painter Nomura Hiroji becomes blind in the war, and with the help of his sister Shizuko, he tries to make a living as a novelist. Having lost both parents, the two stay as guests at their uncle's house, but the son of the uncle's superior falls for the beautiful Shizuko and proposes marriage. Determined not to marry someone they don't want to marry, the two try to support themselves with the help of their senior, Nishijima, but they are driven to the point where Shizuko finally decides to marry him. This is one of Mushanokoji's masterpieces, depicting the love between siblings who care for their brother and sister, and the troubles of a young artist, and the anti-war ideology in the play also attracted attention when it was first released.

[Yoshio Ozasa]

"That Sister" (Iwanami Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

武者小路実篤(むしゃのこうじさねあつ)の戯曲。五幕。『白樺(しらかば)』1915年（大正4）3月号に発表。17年3月舞台協会が赤坂のローヤル館で山本有三の演出、加藤精一らの出演により初演。将来を嘱望されていた画家野村広次は戦争で失明したため、妹静子の助けを得て小説家として生きていこうとする。両親を亡くした2人は叔父の家に食客でいるが、叔父の上役の息子が美人の静子を見そめ、結婚を申し出る。嫌な結婚をすることはないと2人は先輩の西島の助力で自活しようとするが追い詰められ、ついに静子は結婚に踏み切る。兄を思い妹を思う兄妹の愛と、若い芸術家の悩みをぐいぐいと描いた武者小路の戯曲の代表作で、発表当時は作中の反戦思想も話題をよんだ。

［大笹吉雄］

『『その妹』（岩波文庫）』

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