![Danjuro Ichikawa IX as Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa in Shibaraku](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Danjuro_Ichikawa_IX_as_Kamakura_Gongoro_Kagemasa_in_Shibaraku.jpg)
''Shibaraku'' (暫, しばらく) is a play in the
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 ...
repertoire, and one of the celebrated ''
Kabuki Jūhachiban
The , or Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays, is a set of kabuki plays, strongly associated with the Ichikawa Danjūrō line of actors ever since their premieres. These works were chosen and assembled as "the eighteen" by actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (180 ...
'' ("Eighteen Great Plays"). The play is noted for its flamboyantly dramatic costumes and makeup (''
kumadori
is the stage makeup worn by 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 som ...
''). {{citation needed, date=May 2017 The English translation of the title is akin to "Stop a Moment!"
Originally staged by
Ichikawa Danjūrō I
was an early kabuki actor in Japan. He remains today one of the most famous of all kabuki actors and is considered one of the most influential. His many influences include the pioneering of the ''aragoto'' style of acting which came to be larg ...
in 1697 at the
Nakamura-za
was one of the three main ''kabuki'' theatres of Edo alongside the Morita-za and Ichimura-za.
History
It was founded in 1624 by Nakamura Kanzaburō 1st. The Nakamura-za relocated to the new capital Tokyo in 1868 and reopened under Nakamura ...
, it was very popular, and quickly began to be included at the annual ''
kaomise'' celebrations of each theatre in
Edo. For a time, the main role was frequently different, depending on the whims of the theatre and the troupe. The piece was standardized somewhat in the early 19th century by
Danjūrō VII, and reworked again by
Danjūrō IX at the end of that century. This version has been performed since then.
A scene of roughly 50 minutes, ''Shibaraku'' is not a play unto itself, but a short drama inserted during interludes or in between full plays to provide variety and maintain a certain level of energy and interest on the part of the audience. Today it is played mostly on special occasions, such as to celebrate an actor's name changing ceremony.
Plot
Like in many other Kabuki plays, the characters and locations changed their names several times across the centuries. The modern version of the drama centers around the figure of
Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa
Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa (鎌倉権五郎景政) (born 1069) was a samurai descended from the Taira clan, who fought for the Minamoto clan in the Gosannen War of Japan's Heian period. He is famous for having continued to fight after losing an ey ...
, who has become the stereotypical bombastic hero of the kabuki stage, with red-and-white striped makeup and strong, energetic movement; the historical Kamakura Kagemasa is famous for his bravery for having continued to fight after losing an eye in battle in the
Gosannen War
The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, ''gosannen kassen''), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū.
History
The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power wi ...
(1083–1087).
The story is set in front of the Tsuruoka Hachimangu shrine, where an evil aristocrat (his exact identity changed across the centuries, and in the modern version is the Heian era warlord
Kiyohara no Takehira) has usurped power and taken as prisoners several imperial royals, including the prince Kamo Yoshitsuna and the princess Katsura. One of Takehira's associates, Lady Teruha, tries to persuade him to not execute the prisoners in front of the shrine, else he will enrage the gods.
In response the evil lord summons, in addition to the four red-faced warriors he already has on his side, an even more powerful and fearless warrior called Narita Gorō. He and the four other warriors perform a ''Haradashi'', a dance used to show to both public and the royal prisoners how powerful they are (in a similar fashion to the
Haka
Haka (; plural ''haka'', in both Māori and English) are a variety of ceremonial performance art in Māori culture. It is often performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted or chanted accompani ...
). Kiyohara orders them to kill the royal family.
As they are about to draw their swords to cut their heads in the climactic moment, a tremendous shout "Shibaraku!" (Just a moment!) can be heard loudly from behind a curtain (''agemaku''). The hero appears and steps out onto the ''hanamichi'' (a raised platform extending through the audience to the stage) in magnificent costume (featuring the ''Sanshō'', the three squares symbol of the Naritaya,
Ichikawa Danjūrō
is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. It is a famous and important name, and receiving it is an honor. There are a number of r ...
's acting family) and red striped makeup. Arriving at the stage, he sits on a stool (''aibiki'') and, in a special kind of monologue called ''
tsurane'', explains his story. He announces that he is capable of superhuman strength, and demonstrates this by being able to drive off some of Kiyohara's henchmen only by shouting at them with his eyes.
He then walks onto the stage. He accuses the villain of power usurpation and, only by words and without using his strength, he persuades him to return his stolen items, the imperial sword ''Tomokirimaru'' and the imperial seal. Lady Teruha, who is revealed to be a relative of Gongorō, returns both to the prince. Showing the illegitimacy of the evil lord's actions he manages, again only with words, to allow the royal family and their retainers to escape with Teruha.
Gorō orders to Takehira's soldiers to strike a final attack at him. Surrounded, Gongorō draws his giant sword and cuts their heads with a single strike and then performs a stunning
Mie pose in an intentionally exaggerated scene which shows his superhuman strength. Takehira is definitively defeated and, as the hero leaves the stage and walks through the hanamichi, he can be seen alongside his five warriors raising his hands in sign of mutual respect for such an incredible warrior.
Now, with the curtain fallen, Gongorō performs a ''roppō'' ("flying in six directions", a technique which calls the actor to leave the hanamichi by exaggerating his movements), and leaves the stage, not as the Warrior, but as the actor.
History
The name of the work is derived from an actual occurrence involving Danjūrō I. On this particular occasion, when his fellow actors refused to give him his cue to make his entrance, Danjūrō dramatically shouted "Shibaraku!", and stepped onto the ''hanamichi'', making his entrance.
[''Shinbashi Enbujo: Hatsuharu Hanagata Kabuki: Narukami Fudō Kitayama-zakura.'' (Theatre Program) 2008: Shōchiku K.K., Tokyo. p57.]
In 1746 or so, a parody called ''Onna Shibaraku'' emerged, which follows the same plot, but with a female role in place of the hero. This piece, too, became standardized, and now follows the form established by
Nakamura Shikan V Nakamura may refer to:
Places
*Nakamura, Kōchi, a former city in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan
*Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, a ward in Nagoya city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
People
*Nakamura (surname), a list of people with the surname
Other uses
*Nakamura s ...
in 1901. The idea of parody is central to the origins, and the nature, of kabuki. This arrangement also allows ''
onnagata
(also ) are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre.
History
The modern all-male kabuki was originally known as ("male kabuki") to distinguish it from earlier forms. In the early 17th century, shortly after the emergence of the g ...
'', actors devoted to playing female roles, to take part in this most popular of dramatic archetypal stories.
References
Shibaraku at Kabuki21.com*Miyake, Shutarō (1971). "Kabuki Drama." Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau, Inc.
1697 plays
Plays set in the 11th century
Kabuki plays