I made it to Osaka Shochikuza’s farewell run, just before the theater closes at the end of the month. I’d come for Nizaemon, but every scene was packed with star power, every piece quietly connected to the next, and by the final curtain, the bittersweetness had settled in. Today, too, was a wonderful day.
What is the “Onagori” Farewell Performance?
Osaka Shochikuza opened in 1923 as the so-called “Arc de Triomphe of Dotonbori.” Now, due to aging facilities, the theater is wrapping up its run with the May 2026 program. This farewell production – the “Onagori Gogatsu Ohkabuki” – marks the closing of more than a century of kamigata (Osaka-Kyoto) entertainment history.
The theater itself is taking a pause, but Osaka kabuki performances will continue at other venues. Even so, knowing this would be the last time I’d feel the air of this particular building, just looking up at the entrance banner made my chest tighten 😢
The evening program featured three pieces: Omi Genji Senjin Yakata: Moritsuna Jin’ya, Shinju Tsukiyo no Hoshinoya, and Tsunagu Wazaogi Nishi no Sugatae – a piece supervised by Nizaemon, designed as a grand finale celebration.
Moritsuna Jin’ya, and the boy I couldn’t stop watching
I’d come ready to soak in Nizaemon as Sasaki Moritsuna, and from the opening scenes, he was a feast for the eyes.
Then mid-performance, Hidenosuke – son of Nakamura Kasho – came on. He dashed down the hanamichi (runway) and I forgot the plot entirely, just charmed by him. Later he sat cross-legged on stage… and that’s when his curled-over back, his slowly unraveling posture, his “any moment now he’s going to nod off” vibe started pulling all my attention.
“Wait, did he just doze off?” “Oh, he caught himself!” – I was doing internal play-by-play, completely losing track of Nizaemon (lol). And of course, today of all days, I’d forgotten my opera glasses, so I couldn’t actually confirm whether he was falling asleep or not. Which made it so much worse.
Thankfully, the earphone guide narrator chimed in with “watch Nizaemon’s expression in this next scene” and snapped me out of it. Without that, I’d have spent the whole act just chaperoning Hidenosuke from afar. Kankuro’s appearance was brief, but in that brief moment he was so cool it nearly stole the whole act.
Shichinosuke × Ganjiro = nonstop laughs at Hoshinoya
The second piece, Shinju Tsukiyo no Hoshinoya, was pure comedy. Honestly, it felt like the Namba Grand Kagetsu (Osaka’s famous comedy theater).
Last month at Kabukiza, Shichinosuke had already turned a love-suicide piece into something light and funny, but pair him with Ganjiro and the impact doubles. The play is about a love suicide, Ganjiro was right there, so naturally Sonezaki Shinju references were sprinkled throughout. The line “I want to hear your resolve to die” – I’ve never heard that line and laughed before. (Back in March at the Hanagata Kabuki I was completely moved by that same line, but here it got flipped into a punchline and I just lost it. Lol.)
The highlight: Shichinosuke practices the “shrimp jump” – a survival technique Ganjiro’s character teaches him to escape the love-suicide attempt. When the moment comes, the shrimp jump actually works and he escapes unharmed. Then, like recounting a war story, he demonstrates the jump again, and delivers the line: “Practice never lets you down.” Such a casual line, but coming from a kabuki actor – a profession built on relentless practice – it landed with a thud. “Right?!” I thought. The biggest hit of the night for me (lol).
Act Three, the grand sweep, and “the worries of this floating world”
The closing piece, Tsunagu Wazaogi Nishi no Sugatae, was Nizaemon’s newly supervised work – a luxurious sweep through highlight scenes from a range of beloved kabuki plays. As actor after actor appeared, the entire audience leaned in.
Somewhere in the middle, a line came through – something like: “the time we spend watching theater is also time we can briefly forget the worries of this floating world.” It hit me. Yes. Exactly that. All the hours I’d spent in this theater had been exactly that.
Past performances, and the ones still ahead too. Even on hard days, this is when my heart really moves, honestly and openly.
It should have been a celebration, but knowing this chapter was closing, the back half had my chest quietly aching the whole way through.
Intermission bento from Harijyu
For the intermission meal, I went with Harijyu, a local Dotonbori favorite. The Western-style box was tempting, but my stomach isn’t the strongest, so – Japanese-style it was.
The beef shigure-ni (simmered in sweet soy) was excellent, of course – but the quiet MVP was the narazuke (sake-lees pickle). “Wait, was narazuke always this good?” I kept nodding to myself, alone with my bento. There were only two slices though (which should be plenty, but it was so good I really could have gone three more). So much for choosing the gentle option for my stomach – I cleaned the whole thing (lol).
Closing thoughts
A luxurious lineup, comedy that knocked me sideways, and a goodbye to the theater itself. So much packed into one night that after the curtain, I just stayed in my seat taking photos for a while. Normally I’m one of the first to leave – but tonight, I wanted to soak in the inside of the theater one more time.
I picked up an Osaka Shochikuza ticket holder as a souvenir. A keepsake from a night I’ll remember. You can never have too many ticket holders, really.
The theater is taking its rest, but Osaka kabuki continues – just at other venues. I’ll be waiting to see in which, and what, comes next.
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