An unforgettable place revisited after nearly thirty years
Stepping out of the station gates, the sight of mountains immediately unfolding in the background is a uniquely Kobe experience. The area is lined with charming cobblestone alleyways, stylish cafes, and boutique shops. “It’s been nearly thirty years since I last came to this station, but I still remember there was a bakery here,” Oritayu said, as old memories resurfaced.
An Unexpected Stand-in Performance
After strolling through the cobbled alleys, we took a short break at a semi-underground cafe. “When I was still a junior performer, my master was scheduled to give a Bunraku lecture and performance at Konan (甲南) University, which is nearby. I was supposed to accompany him as an assistant. However, at 8 AM that morning, my master came down with a high fever and was unable to attend. I had neither the script (Yukahon, 床本)* for the performance nor any prior training or study of it, but my master asked me to take his place as a stand-in.”
It’s a story almost too incredible to believe, but in the world of Bunraku, the first choice for a stand-in is always someone from the same school. Above all, the stage must not be left empty. If a performer encounters an emergency, fellow members of the school step in to cover. If no one within the school is available, the role is taken on by someone who has recently performed that particular piece.
“When my master told me, ‘The script is at my house, and you can use my kataginu (肩衣, sleeveless ceremonial robe for samurai), hakama (袴, pleated skirt or loose-legged trousers worn over a kimono mainly on ceremonial occasions), and kendai (見台, bookrest). As for cues, ask Ton-chan when you get there,’ I could hardly believe what was happening,” Oritayu recalls, still reflecting on the moment that came like a bolt from the blue. The performance that Master Toyotake Sakitayu (豊竹咲太夫) had planned to explain and then perform was Shoutsushi Asagao Banashi (生写朝顔話) ’s Shimada-juku Warai-gusuri no Dan (嶋田宿笑い薬の段). The piece is full of intricate cues, but his master had advised him to seek guidance from ‘Ton-chan’—the puppeteer then known as Yoshida Minotaro (吉田簔太郎), now the second-generation Kiritake Kanjuro (桐竹勘十郎). The shamisen (三味線) accompaniment was performed by the sixth-generation Tsuruzawa Enza (鶴澤燕三), who was then known as Tsuruzawa Enjiro (鶴澤燕二郎). Looking back on this moment, it is easy to imagine the immense pressure Oritayu must have felt, having only just started his Bunraku career under the name Toyotake Sakihodayu (豊竹咲甫太夫), facing such esteemed senior performers.
With a midday performance ahead, he threw himself desperately into the script, managing to make it through the show. “Later, the mistress of the house told me that my master had said, ‘He’ll manage somehow.’” Years later, Oritayu would go on to stand in for his master at the National Bunraku Theatre and the National Theatre, but his very first time stepping in as a substitute was here in Kobe.
Forged through standing in for my master
Master Sakitayu, who passed away in January 2024, spent the last decade or so battling illness. “He always tried to make it onto the stage, but time and again, illness would prevent him from doing so.” Whenever this happened, his master would always say, “If anything happens, let Hideo (英雄, Oritayu’s real name) do it.” “I owe who I am today to the years I spent standing in for my master. I wasn’t always fully prepared, but it became routine to handle two or three roles, covering both my own part and my master’s. I was never the most meticulous planner, but perhaps the gods of joruri (浄瑠璃) thought, ‘This one won’t study unless we push him into a corner.’”
During a performance of Imoseyama Onna Teikin (妹背山婦女庭訓)*, Oritayu found himself on stage continuously for three hours. Among the many times he had stood in for his master, one moment stood out as the most nerve-wracking. “Two years ago, we were performing Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (義経千本桜)* at the Bunraku Theatre as a commemorative event celebrating my master’s recognition as a Person of Cultural Merit. He had been performing as planned, but towards the end of the run, he fell ill, and the role was suddenly handed over to me.”
After finishing his own part in Michiyuki Hatsune no Tabi (道行初音旅), Oritayu returned backstage, only to be informed that in twenty minutes, he would have to stand in for his master in Kawatsura Hogen Yakata no Dan (河連法眼館の段). The substitution was so last-minute that there was no time for the usual audience announcement in the theatre lobby. To make matters even more intense, the performance was being recorded for an NHK broadcast. “It was my master’s commemorative performance, and with a live recording on top of that, the pressure was overwhelming.”
His master’s health did not recover, and Oritayu carried the role through to the final performance. “The show ended with a chunori (宙乗り, mid-air stunt) scene, so the applause for the puppeteers was particularly loud. But what struck me most was the incredible ovation from the audience directed at the tau and shamisen section at the end. I will never forget that moment.”
*Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (義経千本桜): Set against the backdrop of the Genpei (源平) War, this story follows the wandering Yoshitsune and the remnants of the defeated Heike (平家) clan. As the tale unfolds, supernatural elements emerge, including the appearance of a fox spirit.
Fond memories of a legendary performer at the Konan University campus
With permission, I visited the Konan (甲南) university campus, the site where I first stood in as an understudy. “At the time, I was so desperate that I had no mental capacity to take in my surroundings.” Though faint memories of the venue remain, they are not entirely clear. The performance itself is difficult to recall—it must have been an incredibly intense and urgent time.
When stepping in as an understudy at a theatre, it is customary to greet the other performers in their dressing rooms. “Master Sumitayu (住太夫) said to me, ‘Well done,’” Oritayu recalls. The late seventh-generation Takemoto Sumitayu (竹本住太夫), the first Bunraku performer to receive the Order of Culture and a renowned master, was also known for his strict artistic standards. “Perhaps because I was quite relaxed around him, he took a liking to me. Once, after a performance, I went to greet him in the dressing room, and he said, ‘I was all set to scold you when you came to greet me, Sakiho (咲甫) ! But you walked in grinning, and now I’ve lost the will to be angry! (laughs)’”
Revisiting ‘Warai-gusuri no Dan’ at the National Bunraku Theatre
In July and August 2024, Oritayu will perform Shimada-juku Warai-gusuri no Dan (嶋田宿笑い薬の段) from Shoutsushi Asagao Banashi (生写朝顔話) at the National Bunraku Theatre—the very piece in which he first stood in as an understudy. “In fact, this was also the last piece my master performed before he passed away. I can’t help but feel a deep connection with him.” After performing in September 2022 at the National Theatre in Tokyo, Master Sakitayu narrated Warai-gusuri no Dan (笑い薬の段) at the Kanze Noh Theatre as part of a symposium on the tea ceremony and its related performing arts.
Comedic scenes in Bunraku are known as chari-ba (チャリ場), and Warai-gusuri no Dan is one of the most representative examples. As the last remaining active kiriba-gatari (切場語り, a performer skilled in narrating the climactic scenes of a play)*, Master Sakitayu led the ranks of Bunraku narrators for many years. While he was renowned for his powerful delivery of dramatic peaks, he also excelled in comedic storytelling, endearing himself to Bunraku fans with his light and witty narration.
Love, Fate, and Laughter in Shoutsushi Asagao Banashi
Shoutsushi Asagao Banashi is a historical Bunraku drama inspired by the naga-uta (長唄) song Asagao and adapted for puppet theatre by playwright Yamada no Kakashi (山田案山子). At its heart lies a poignant love story between two young lovers, whose paths are repeatedly thwarted by fate. The heroine, Miyuki (深雪), endlessly pursues her beloved Asojiro (阿曾次郎), only to be cruelly separated time and again. Eventually, she falls into despair, losing both her sight and her place in society.
Amidst this heart-rending tale, Warai-gusuri no Dan provides a lighthearted interlude, featuring a comical battle of wits between the doctor Hagi no Yusen (萩の佑仙) and the innkeeper. With scenes of firefly hunting, farewells by boat, and riverside settings like the Oigawa (大井川), this play is frequently staged in the summer. Why not immerse yourself in the lovers’ fated journey while enjoying the charm of Bunraku’s chari-ba?
Interview and text/Kawatani Tokiko
Interview supported by Organic Cafe & Bar MASTERPIECE, Konan Gakuen Educational Foundation, National Bunraku Theatre
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This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/culture/247971/
