''Iwashi Uri Koi No Hikiami'' (鰯賣戀引網 ''The Sardine Seller's Net of Love'') is a 1954 comedic

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

play by

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was ...

(三島由紀夫). It was first performed in November 1954 at the

Kabukiza in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional ''kabuki'' drama form. History The Kabuki-za was originally opened by a Meiji era journalist, Fukuchi Gen'ichirō. Fukuchi wrote kabuki dramas in which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and ot ...

theatre in Tokyo, and was praised for its "refreshing originality".

Plot

The sardine-seller, Sarugenji (猿源氏) has fallen in love with an upper-class

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

known as "Hotarubi". However, due to his lowly social position it seems as if he has no hope of ever encountering her. Due to a fortunate meeting of chance with his father, Ebina Namidabutsu, and his horse-seller friend, Bakurourokurouzaemon, Sarugenji is able to devise a plan to pose as the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

"Utsunomiya" in order to enter the pleasure quarter and woo Hotarubi. The trio then encounter difficulty getting Sarugenji to mount Bakurourokurouzaemon's three-legged horse. Meanwhile, the courtesans of the pleasure house, including Hotarubi, are occupied playing a game involving matching poetry on shells, as they notice a strange-looking gardener. They are interrupted by the arrival of Ebina from the

Hanamichi The is an extra stage section used in Japanese kabuki theater. It is a long, raised platform, running left of centre to the stage through the audience, connecting to the main stage. The is typically used for character entrances and exits, ...

. He informs the owner of the premises, Teishu, of the impending arrival of "Lord Utsunomiya". Upon Sarugenji's arrival in his samurai guise, he encounters difficulty from the courtesans, each teasing him by pretending to be Hotarubi. After the entrance of the true Hotarubi, the courtesans demand a story of bravery from "Lord Utsunomiya". Sarugenji tells them a story dominated by fish puns and then passes out upon Hotarubi's lap from too much

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

as the rest of the courtesans leave the stage. Sarugenji proceeds to sleep-talk about sardines. Upon his waking, he is questioned by Hotarubi, and claims his sardine seller's cry is actually a poem. Hotarubi then confesses that she is truly a princess who ran away from home to chase the cry of a sardine seller that she had fallen in love with. Just as she is about to attempt suicide, Sarugenji (with the aid of Ebina and Bakurourokurouzaemon) manages to convince her that he is actually the sardine seller she has been looking for. Just as Sarugenji declares that he will marry her, Teishu reminds them that he is owed 200

ryō The was a gold currency unit in the shakkanhō system in pre- Meiji Japan. It was eventually replaced with a system based on the ''yen''. Origins The ''ryō'' was originally a unit of weight from China, the ''tael.'' It came into use in Japan ...

as Hotarubi's ransom. Suddenly, the strange gardener from earlier arrives on stage, holding captive Sarugenji's "

retainers Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...

". It seems that he is actually Jirota, a samurai in the service of Hotarubi's parents, come to pay her ransom. Hotarubi orders that he give 200 Ryō to Teishu for her ransom, fifty ryō to Bakurourokurouzaemon for the horse, and that he delivers a message to her parents. Failing in his duty to rescue her, Jirota attempts

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

, but his sword is seemingly too rusty for it to work. The play ends happily as Sarugenji and Hotarubi exit via the Hanamichi to get married.

Performances

The

National Theatre of Japan The is a complex consisting of three halls in two buildings in Hayabusachō, a district in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Japan Arts Council, an Independent Administrative Institution of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Tec ...

in Hayabusa performed ''Iwashiuri'' as part of a double bill in September 2010. The Australian National University's

Za Kabuki Za Kabuki ( ja, ザ歌舞伎), founded in 1976 at the Australian National University, is the longest running Kabuki troupe outside Japan. Directed by Shun Ikeda of the ANU Japan Centre, with a cast and crew consisting mainly of ANU Japanese stud ...

performed the play in 2002, 2006, and 2011. The 2006 performance was accompanied by an original orchestral score. Ginza's

Kabuki-za in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional ''kabuki'' drama form. History The Kabuki-za was originally opened by a Meiji era journalist, Fukuchi Gen'ichirō. Fukuchi wrote kabuki dramas in which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and ot ...

performed it in October 2014.
http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/entertainment/tradition/CK2014092602000205.html]

References

{{Yukio Mishima 1954 plays Kabuki plays Plays by Yukio Mishima