Chushingura characters

Background to Kabuki

Historical background

1701/3/14 Kira Kōzukenosuke Yoshinaka is attacked by Asano Takuminokami in Edo castle
Kira had been assigned to tutor Asano in etiquette as preparation for the reception of an imperial envoy
Asano failed to give Kira appropriate gifts, Kira taunts Asano, Asano strikes him
Injuries are minor but the shogun Tsunayoshi is outraged
Asano is ordered to commit seppuku and his holdings dissolved
1702/12/14 retainers of lord Asano kill Kira in his Edo compound -- then go to temple to await capture

Kabuki theater

Kabuki has its origins in skits performed by geisha and prostitutes to attract customers
the skits gradually became more elaborate and emerged as true theatre, but the link with prostitution remained

1629 the shogunate banned women kabuki actors
1652 it banned young male kabuki actors

Kabuki and kabuki actors were restricted to a licensed part of Edo. Fomrally, actors were considered almost like eta or hinin, ritually unclear
In actuality, kabuki actors were arbiters of style and fashion
Some were wealthy, but homes needed to be held in name of non-actors, e.g. theater owner
Kabuki has its origins in skits performed by geisha and prostitutes to attract customers

Main characters in Chūshingura

Character	Historical figure	Comments
Enya Hangan	Asano Naganori of Akō	good lord
Kō no Moronao	Kira Yoshinaka	bad lord
Ōboshi Yuranosuke	Ōboshi Kuranosuke	Enya Hangan's loyal aide
Momonoi Wakasanosuke	none	a lord tormented by Kō no Moronao
Kakogawa Honzō	none	Wakasanosuke's loyal aide
Ono Kudayū	none	Kōno Moronao's loyal (but evil) aide
Sagisaka Bannai	none	Kō no Moronao's loyal (but evil) aide
Hayano Kampei	none	retainer of Hangan, tragic lover
Okaru	none	partner to Kampei, tragic lover
Konami	none	Honzō's daughter Rikiya's fiancee
Tonase	none	Honzō's wife Konami's step-mother
Rikiya	none	Ōboshi Yuranosuke's son Tonase's fiancee
Oishi	none	Ōboshi Yuranosuke's wife Rikiya's mother
Gihei	none	loyal merchant
Osono	none	Gihei's wife

For further reading on interesting discussion of Chūshingura see

Smith, Henry D. "Rethinking the Story of the 47 Rōnin: Chūshingura in the 1980s." New York: Columbia University, Modern Japan Seminar, April 13, 1990.

(Analysis of the reception of the play since its first performance.)

http://www.columbia.edu/~hds2/47ronin.htm

For more images see:

Kanadehon Chūshingura

http://www.ultra-k.com/bunraku/english/scenes/oka_e.html

(Okaru in the Ichiriki Teahouse Scene)

Chūshingura

http://www.fix.co.jp/kabuki/theater/cyushin.html

(Photographic sequence from the Ichiriki Teahouse Scene.)

Spencer Museum of Art

http://www.ukans.edu/~sma/chushin/chushin.htm

Collection of ukiyo-e (prints) illustrating the eleven acts of the play.

Waseda University Theatre Museum

http://www.waseda.ac.jp/enpaku/gallery/chuushin/chuushin.html

Collection of ukiyo-e. Although the English subtitles are still in process, the prints are arranged from Acts 1 to 11 down the page and easy to recognize. Click on each ukiyo-e to enlarge.