Front row for Koi Tsukami. Every time Ainosuke Kataoka, ever the crowd-pleaser, sent real water pattering down onto my plastic sheet, I couldn’t help laughing. As always, today was the best.
More from this production → October Program at the Kabukiza Theatre: Part 2 (October 2026)
More from this production → October Program at the Kabukiza Theatre: Part 3 (October 2026)
What’s on in Part 1?
This October, the Kabukiza is running its October Program in three parts. Part 1 is a double bill: Koi Tsukami (“Grappling with a Carp”), followed by Kawatsura Hōgen Yakata (“The Mansion of Kawatsura Hōgen”) from Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura.
Koi Tsukami is the story of a princess who falls for a young man named Shiganosuke at first sight, only for him to turn out to be the spirit of a carp in disguise. When the real Shiganosuke takes on the carp spirit in Lake Biwa, the scene uses honmizu (real water on stage). With hayagawari (lightning-fast costume changes) too, it is a play packed with highlights.
Kawatsura Hōgen Yakata is a scene from Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, one of the three great classics of kabuki, better known as Shi no Kiri. It is the story of Satō Tadanobu, Yoshitsune’s retainer, who turns out to be a young fox longing for his parents.
Koi Tsukami runs about 50 minutes. After a 35-minute interval, Kawatsura Hōgen Yakata runs about 70 minutes.
Part 1 from the front row
In honmizu mode before curtain-up
Lovely weather at the Kabukiza. My seat was in the front row, with Koi Tsukami, the real-water play, on the bill. Looking up at the big carp on the painted signboard, I felt a little nervous: “The front row… will I be okay? 🥺”
As usual, I rented the earphone guide (an audio guide that explains what is happening on stage). Thanks for your help again today.
Waiting at my seat was the honmizu kit. “Yes, this is it,” I thought, laughing 😂 Inside: a rain poncho, a towel, a clear plastic sheet, plus a white plastic bag for your belongings. It even came with detailed instructions: put the poncho on before the show, wipe off the water with the towel before taking it off, etc.
Before the show, a staff member stood at the front of the stage, calling out again with every chance: “Please put on your ponchos before the curtain goes up!” Even that was fun. Everything we needed was there. Perfect. Mind you, I came a bit over-prepared (lol). I even practised whipping the plastic sheet over my head before the show. Way too much fun (lol).
Koi Tsukami: real water pattering down
Koi Tsukami was so much fun, thanks to Ainosuke (?).
First, before his true identity is revealed. Kazutarō Nakamura’s Princess Kozakura comes on strong, leaving Shiganosuke (Ainosuke) completely flustered. She whisks him off to her room. Then he comes back out, cool as you like, in his underwear. “Hey now, what was all that flustered fidgeting about a minute ago?!” I couldn’t help laughing.
After the quick change, he reappears in a gorgeous fish costume 🐟 So cool. The chūnori (an aerial flight, with the actor suspended on wires) surprised me too: instead of flying over the audience to the toya (the small room on the third floor where the flight usually ends), he travelled sideways across the stage. I had rarely seen that, so it felt really fresh.
Then came the big real-water fight scene. You don’t watch the whole thing through plastic. You only pull the sheet over your head when you sense “Here it comes!” So the view didn’t bother me at all.
When the water comes flying, it patters down onto the plastic with a rat-a-tat-tat. So immersive, so much fun. Ainosuke was almost too generous a showman, splashing us again at every chance he got. I couldn’t stop laughing 😂 The real-water staging was amazing, too. Ainosuke, you were the best.
Kawatsura Hōgen Yakata: adorable once he becomes the fox
The fox Tadanobu was played by Kikugorō Onoe VIII. When the real Tadanobu gives way to the fox, his hand movements subtly change, which is so endearing. The voice in the kitsune kotoba (the distinctive “fox speech”), the gestures… once he becomes the fox, it’s all so sweet. I love it. The way he moves is adorable, too.
Yoshitsune was played by Kikugorō Onoe VII, a father-son pairing. But what crossed my mind while watching was simply: “Has it been a while since I saw the two of them on stage together?” When was the last time, I wonder…?
Steak jū at Hanakago
This time I had the steak jū (sliced steak over rice in a lacquered box) at Hanakago, the restaurant on the third floor of the Kabukiza. Aubergine, peppers, shishito, mushrooms, plus a carrot cut into a maple leaf: even the colours felt autumnal 🍁
The meat was thinly sliced, in a good way, which made it easy to eat with the rice. Delicious. That said, like any rice box, it came with a generous amount of rice. A little too much for me. Overeating makes me sleepy, so I’d rather keep it light…
Final thoughts
Real water in the front row meant hearing it patter down on the plastic while seeing Ainosuke’s showmanship up close. Such a fun experience. The poncho, the towel, the bags: everything is provided, so even the front seats are nothing to worry about. I think the kits went up to about the third row ⭕️
Real water was so much fun that from now on, I’m aiming for the front row (lol).
