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Soga no Taimen (The Soga Brothers' Audience with their Enemy or Confrontation), from an anonymous playwriter, was first performed in 1676, and is the most popular of the several Kabuki plays based in the Tale of the Soga Brothers (Soga Monogatari), and is customarily staged in the New Year.
|
Yoshitoshi, 1893 |
The
play revolves around the Soga brothers' quest
to
avenge the death of their father, who was killed by Suketsune, a man who
has risen to become a powerful daimyo and councilor to the shogun,
Minamoto Yoritomo. Helped by a friend, Kobayashi Asahina, who is a
retainer of Suketsune, they arrange to attend the daimyo's New Year
party.
During the party Goro, who as the younger is hot-blooded, tries to kill Suketsune, but the older and more thoughtful Juro restrains him and reproves him for his bad manners. Defying the brothers, Suketsune throws at them two admission cards to a hawking event that is coming up soon. The hawking party will be held at Suketsune's private preserve at the foot of Mt. Fuji. Suketsune thereby gives the brothers a chance to avenge their father. Realizing Suketsune's intention by the cards, Juro and Goro part from him. Though
Suketsune is depicted as an evil man, he is, in reality, so outstanding
a figure as to give the two brothers a chance to kill him. Oiso no Tora
and Kewaizaka no Shosho appear as the beautiful courtesans of
Suketsune's mansion. They are the mistresses of Juro and Goro. |
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