Kiyomoto Kasane
The 72nd Nishikawa-kai
National Theatre Grand Theatre
April 23, 2023
On a summer night after the rain had stopped, Kasane, a maid, hurried along a dark path. She had grown close to Yoemon, another member of the same household, but he had left behind a written message saying he was going to die and disappeared. Finally, they encountered each other on the embankment of the Kinegawa River. Kasane clung to him, saying they had promised to die together, but Yoemon had a reason and said they couldn't die together. At that time, love within the same household was forbidden, but Kasane was pregnant with Yoemon's child.
Kasane continued to plead her case, expressing the joy of their love and her determination. She spoke of how they had met during last year's Bon Festival event, how they had exchanged feelings and spent dazzling moments together. She mentioned how Yoemon resembled a popular actor of that time, and how she cherished a print of that actor. Finally, she shyly revealed her pregnancy. Yoemon, moved by her words, showed signs of accepting their double suicide pact. They apologized for committing filial impiety by passing away before their distant parents, and they wept together.
A skull with a sharp sickle stuck in its eye socket drifted down the river on top of a memorial tablet, accompanied by an eerie sound of wind. Yoemon picked up the skull and saw the name "Suke" written on the memorial tablet. Startled, Yoemon split the memorial tablet in two. Suddenly, Kasane fell to the ground, clutching her leg in pain. Surprised, Yoemon pulled out the sickle from the skull and split it open, revealing Kasane's face, who had fallen into the bushes, clutching her face.
In the darkness, a catcher (an official who arrests criminals) appeared and tried to capture Yoemon. As the scene unfolded with a glamorous and beautiful melody of a play and memorable lines, Yoemon showcased his impressive stance and gallantry. Amidst the struggle, the catcher dropped a letter, which turned out to be an arrest warrant for Yoemon. In the faint moonlight peeking through the clouds, Yoemon read the letter with a sense of urgency. Fearing capture, Yoemon tried to leave, but Kasane stopped him, pleading with him to stay.
Kasane, suspecting that the letter in Yoemon's hand is from another woman, confronts him and accuses him of deceiving her. Yoemon is shocked by Kasane's changed and distorted appearance, but Kasane is unaware of her own transformation, dragging her injured right leg as she expresses her feelings of love. She laments how they had imagined a future together, where she would quit her job as a serving maid and they would live as a married couple in town, and how happy that would have been. Kasane's once beautiful face is now twisted with ugliness.
Yoemon couldn't contain himself and swung his sickle at Kasane from behind. He then forced a mirror in front of Kasane, showing her her disfigured face. Yoemon confessed that he had an affair with Kasane's mother and killed her husband, Kasane's husband, without her knowing. He spoke of the karmic consequences of Kasane unknowingly becoming involved with her own family's enemy. Yoemon claimed that he saw Kasane's husband's dying visage overlaid on her, and that her transformation was the retribution of karma.
Kasane, torn between her vengeful love and inner turmoil, chased after Yoemon, bloodied and battered, in a fierce pursuit. After a dramatic showdown, she was finally killed on a bridge made of earth. Yoemon tried to flee, but was pulled back by the vengeful spirit of Kasane. The portrayal of Yoemon, struggling against the unseen force of "renri-biki" (the power of connection), is a highlight of the actor's performance.
◆Kan Nishikawa
Nihon Buyo professional dancer and Grand Master from Nishikawa-ryu school.
Kan Nishikawa was born on January 14, 1982 in Yokohama Japan. Raised by his Grand Master Senzaburo Nishikawa (Father) and Grand Master Sentoyo Nishikawa(Grand mother). He started to learn Nihon Buyo at the age of four and became Grand Master Kan Nishikawa at the age of 18. He is now performing at nationwide venues such as Kabukiza Theatre and National Theatre under the guidance of Grand Master Senzo Nishikawa(Living National Treasure)
Kan Nishikawa is teaching Nihon Buyo to many people including Geisha group at Shinjuku(Tokyo),Kashiwa(Chiba),Moriya(Ibaraki) and Aizu Wakamatsu(Fukushima).
He also instruct how to move or dance with kimono like Edo-era for TV/Movie shooting.