I came for the three young stars — Danko most of all. That was the plan, anyway. But the moment Tatsunosuke appears in a female role, my eyes just get pulled his way 🥺 From my usual seat right beside the hanamichi, and yes — today was wonderful, as always!
Read about the Evening Show → September Program at the Kabukiza Theatre: Evening Show (September 2026)
What Is the Shuzan Festival?
Every September, the Kabukiza holds the Shuzan Festival (Shuzan-sai), honouring the great actor Kichiemon Nakamura I, who was active from the Meiji to the Showa era. “Shuzan” was his haimyo (the pen name he used when writing haiku). The festival began in 2006, making this its 20th year — and a milestone, too, marking 140 years since Kichiemon I was born.
The Matinee opened with two dances, Haru no Shirabe Musume Nanakusa (‘The Soga Brothers and the Seven Spring Herbs’) and Sanja Matsuri (‘Sanja Festival’), followed by Hiragana Seisuiki: ‘The Inn at Otsu’, ‘Bamboo Cutting’ and ‘Reverse Rowing’ (Otsu Yadoya, Sasabiki and Sakaro). Apparently ‘The Inn at Otsu’ and ‘Bamboo Cutting’ had not been staged at the Kabukiza for 58 years.
Two Dances to Open the Show
Haru no Shirabe Musume Nanakusa: Some-Dan-Tatsu, Almost Too Perfect
Somegoro Ichikawa as Soga no Goro, Danko Ichikawa as Soga no Juro, and Tatsunosuke Onoe as Shizuka Gozen. The earphone guide introduced them as “the valiant Goro, the fresh and breezy Juro, and the lovely Shizuka” (something along those lines), and that was spot on. Some-Dan-Tatsu (a nickname made from the first character of each of their names) — all three look absolutely perfect. Too cool, and too cute (laughs)
Danko is lovely too, but the moment Tatsunosuke appears in his female role, my eyes get drawn awaaaaay no matter what. He was so cute it was a problem. Somegoro, meanwhile, was as reliably handsome as ever.
Each of the three had a kōken (a stage assistant who helps the actors on stage) from his own family’s circle, and Danko’s was Enshi Ichikawa. Partway through, Danko — who does tend to perspire — had his sweat wiped away so carefully, and I thought, “I knew it!” (laughs) The way Enshi dabbed at him was so gentle and flawless, it was almost precious 🥺 All three are clearly well looked after, and that warmed my heart.
Sanja Matsuri
Kasho Nakamura as the spirit of ‘evil’ and Tanenosuke Nakamura as the spirit of ‘good’. Perhaps because they’re brothers, their builds are almost identical, and their lower bodies are so grounded — such stability. Isn’t dancing in a mask exhausting… and doesn’t it narrow your vision… I found myself worrying about all sorts of unnecessary things.
The Inn at Otsu, Back After 58 Years — and a Wonderful Kikugoro
Lady Yamabuki, the widow of Kiso Yoshinaka, and her young son Komawakamaru arrive at an inn in Otsu, protected by the maid-in-waiting Ofude (Kikugoro Onoe VIII) and others. The Kamakura forces catch up with them, and in the chaos, Komawakamaru gets mixed up with Tsuchimatsu, the grandson of the boatman Gonshiro, who is staying at the same inn — and Tsuchimatsu is killed, mistaken for Komawakamaru.
Kikugoro — wonderful, as always. I love him. Ofude’s fight scene wasn’t so much “cool” as… well, it was cool too, of course, but “wonderful” feels like the right word. A woman who grew up with martial skills of her own… seen from today, she’s strong, cool and wonderful. I wonder what her position was like back then, and whether she had struggles of her own.
As for the dance performance in Sendai this December (featuring Kikugoro and Kikunosuke) — I want to smack the me who was still dithering over whether to go. Obviously I’m going, no second thought needed! Are there even tickets left?!
Sakaro, and the Root of It All
Some years later. Gonshiro (Matagoro Nakamura) and his daughter Oyoshi (Jakuemon Nakamura) are raising Komawakamaru, the boy taken home in the mix-up, in place of their own Tsuchimatsu — hoping that one day someone will bring Tsuchimatsu back to them… And then Ofude arrives and begins to reveal the truth of that day.
When Ofude arrives, they think she has finally brought Tsuchimatsu back, and wait for him to come in — but he doesn’t. Gonshiro and Oyoshi grow more and more restless. Knowing, as the audience does, that he is no longer alive, just watching them is heartbreaking… ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurts, ouch (tears)
When I think of how Gonshiro and Oyoshi must feel — Tsuchimatsu, grandson to one and son to the other, died because he was mistaken for Komawakamaru. It’s just too much to bear. And for Ofude, too, telling them the truth must be agonising. On top of that, she lets slip her honest wish to have Komawakamaru returned — but that is her true feeling, after all.
It is a tragedy born of a mix-up, but if you go back to the root of it all, “the person who actually did the killing is the one most to blame”, right? Right? Even so, painful is painful.
In the second half, the boatmen who appear for the reverse-rowing practice on the beach are Somegoro, Tatsunosuke and Danko. “The three from the first dance are back!” — they looked just like a trio, and I couldn’t help laughing (laughs) They had a bit of a comedy-trio vibe 🤣
Interval Lunch Refugee
I had booked lunch online, but with the typhoon coming, I’d cancelled it in advance. So on the day, I became an interval lunch refugee 😭
In the 20-minute interval, I went all the way down to the Yagura area in the basement, but couldn’t find anything I fancied… I gave up, went back into the theatre, and found pocket sandwiches at the shop on the ground floor. “This is perfect!” — so I ate one in my seat during the 35-minute interval. A Maisen fillet-katsu-and-egg sandwich in a round bun, branded with a kumadori make-up design. I wasn’t very hungry anyway, so the size was just right. I love these.
Final Thoughts
Comparing the three young stars, the sheer wonderfulness of Kikugoro, and the root-of-it-all logic of Sakaro — the Shuzan Festival Matinee was packed with good things.
I came for Danko, and yet Tatsunosuke stole my eyes in the end. I suspect this phenomenon will carry on for a while… Some-Dan-Tatsu are all in New Year Asakusa Kabuki (January 2027, Asakusa Public Hall), too! And in Yoshinoyama, Tatsunosuke plays Shizuka Gozen yet again. A “who-am-I-actually-here-for” refugee (laughs)
