TOKYO - One of Japan's most celebrated ghost stories will return to Tokyo's Kabuki-za theater in August, with Bando Minosuke and Onoe Ukon portraying a husband and wife whose greed unleashes consequences more terrifying than the spirits haunting their home.
"Kaidan Botan Doro," or "The Ghost Story of the Peony Lantern," will be presented as the first program of the August Summer Kabuki season from August 2 to August 26. The production marks the work's first appearance in the seasonal program in 23 years.
Minosuke will make his debut in the role of Banzo, a servant who accepts money from the dead in exchange for betraying his master. Ukon will play Banzo's wife, Omine, whose hunger for wealth persuades him to enter the fatal bargain.
The production is based on the celebrated rakugo story by Sanyutei Encho, one of the most influential storytellers of the late Edo and Meiji periods. Encho transformed an earlier supernatural tale into an expansive drama of forbidden love, murder, revenge, infidelity and greed, creating a work in which the actions of the living ultimately become more frightening than the ghosts.
The story has roots in a Chinese supernatural tale that was adapted in Japan during the 17th century before Encho developed the version that became widely known. His long-form oral narrative linked several apparently separate stories through hidden crimes, family grudges and the consequences of unchecked desire.
The kabuki adaptation was first staged at Kabuki-za in July 1892 after being dramatized by Kawatake Shinshichi III. Onoe Kikugoro V led the original production, which became a major success and helped establish "Botan Doro" as one of kabuki's representative ghost plays.
The new production uses a script by Nobuyuki Onishi and presents the story through three pairs of men and women whose relationships are gradually consumed by love, jealousy, money and violence.
At the center of the supernatural plot are Hagiwara Shinzaburo, a masterless samurai, and Otsuyu, the daughter of a samurai retainer. The two are immediately attracted to one another, but Otsuyu becomes ill from longing after they are separated and dies.
One night, Otsuyu unexpectedly appears before Shinzaburo with her nurse, Oyone. Otsuyu carries a lantern decorated with peonies, while the eerie clatter of wooden clogs echoes through the darkness.
Shinzaburo, unaware or unwilling to accept that the women are dead, invites Otsuyu into his home and begins receiving her on subsequent nights. Their ghostly visits are associated with the distinctive "karan-koron" sound of clogs, one of the story's most recognizable theatrical effects.
Banzo secretly witnesses the meetings and realizes that Shinzaburo is embracing a corpse. Protective paper charms are then placed around the house, preventing Otsuyu and Oyone from reaching him.
The ghosts turn to Banzo and beg him to remove the charms. Banzo initially hesitates, but Omine agrees to help them in exchange for 100 ryo, an enormous sum at the time.
Driven by the promise of wealth, the couple removes the protection and allows Otsuyu to return to Shinzaburo. The reunion fulfills the ghost's desire but leads to Shinzaburo's death.
The drama then shifts forward by one year. Banzo and Omine have used the ghosts' money to open a household-goods business and have become prosperous, but their sudden wealth has destroyed the stability of their marriage.
Banzo has begun spending his time and money on Okuni, a woman working at a restaurant, provoking Omine's anger and suspicion. Okuni is herself connected to another violent strand of the story: she and her lover, Miyanobe Genjiro, murdered Otsuyu's father, stole his valuables and fled Edo.
As Omine confronts Banzo over his infidelity and broken promises, their quarrel grows increasingly bitter. The couple who once worked together to betray Shinzaburo turn against each other, revealing the jealousy, resentment and brutality hidden beneath their new prosperity.
The peony lantern eventually appears once more, linking the couple's present conflict to the supernatural bargain that created their fortune.
Minosuke said the combination of ghosts and frightening human behavior gives the work its enduring appeal.
"'Botan Doro' is a ghost story with spirits, but it also contains the fear created by human beings," he said.
He added that the production's setting and stage effects make it particularly well suited to the hottest part of the year.
"The story takes place in summer, with scenes beside the water, the sounds of insects, fireflies flying and sudden evening showers," Minosuke said. "It is an ideal work to see during the summer."
Japanese theaters have traditionally presented ghost stories during summer, using darkness, water, eerie sounds and supernatural appearances to give audiences a psychological sense of coolness. The August Summer Kabuki program, launched in its modern form in 1990, has also become a venue for younger leading actors and ambitious productions.
The current staging places the rakugo performer Encho onstage as a narrator who guides the audience through the intertwined episodes. Matsumoto Koshiro will play both Encho and the horse driver Kyuzo.
Ichikawa Somegoro will portray Shinzaburo, while Onoe Tatsunosuke will appear as Otsuyu. Bando Shingo will play Okuni, Nakamura Hashinosuke will portray Genjiro, and Kawarasaki Gonjuro will appear as Otsuyu's father, Iijima Heizaemon.
The casting emphasizes three contrasting relationships: the doomed supernatural romance between Shinzaburo and Otsuyu, the criminal partnership of Genjiro and Okuni, and the deteriorating marriage of Banzo and Omine.
Although the image of Otsuyu carrying the glowing peony lantern remains the story's best-known symbol, modern productions often place greater emphasis on Banzo and Omine. Their scenes move between domestic comedy, marital affection, greed and violence, allowing audiences to laugh at the couple before witnessing the destructive consequences of their choices.
The roles have been associated with some of kabuki's most prominent performers. Kataoka Nizaemon and Bando Tamasaburo portrayed Banzo and Omine in a highly regarded 2007 Kabuki-za production, returning to the roles together for the first time in 18 years. That performance was filmed and released as Cinema Kabuki in July 2009, bringing the production to movie theaters across Japan.
Tamasaburo returned to the role of Omine at Kyoto's Minamiza theater in August 2023, opposite Kataoka Ainosuke as Banzo. That staging again highlighted the couple's comic exchanges as well as the increasingly dark world of desire and betrayal created by their acceptance of the ghosts' money.
For the August production, Minosuke and Ukon will play a married couple together for the first time. Their relationship forms the human center of a story that begins as a supernatural romance but develops into a wider examination of obsession, avarice and violence.
Minosuke said he hopes the production will provide the refreshing theatrical experience traditionally associated with summer kabuki.
"In keeping with the name Summer Kabuki, we hope to present a production that will make audiences feel cooler when they enter the theater," he said. "We hope everyone will come to Kabuki-za."
The first program begins at 11 a.m. and is scheduled to finish at about 2:15 p.m. Performances will run through August 26, with no shows on August 10 and August 18.
Source: 産経ニュース
