Narukami (play)

Narukami
鳴神
a scene from Narukami, print by Utagawa Kunisada ca. 1864
Written byTsuuchi Hanjuro
Yasuda Abun
Nakata Mansuke
CharactersNarukami, Princess Taema
Date premiered1742
Place premieredOnishi no Shibai, Osaka
Original languageJapanese
Genrejidaimono

Narukami (鳴神) is a kabuki play written by Tsuuchi Hanjūrō, Yasuda Abun and Nakata Mansuke and first performed in 1742.[1]

The original version of Narukami dates from 1684, and it was one of the Kabuki Jūhachiban, a set of plays associated with the Ichikawa Danjūrō line of actors and the aragoto style of acting.[2] This version was written by Ichikawa Danjūrō I, but it has been replaced by the 1742 play and is no longer performed in its original form.[3][1] Narukami's original version was staged in 1684's 3rd lunar month at the Nakamura-za theatre and under the title Kadomatsu Shitennô.[1]

In its current form, Narukami is act IV of the five-part play Narukami Fudo Kitayama Zakura. Nowadays Narukami is staged alone, and the whole play is only revived from time to time (once in 1967 and once in 2008).[4]

Narukami is now a popular play frequently performed.[1] It has been translated into English.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference kabuki21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference kabuki21c was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "History of the Text". Narukami - The Thunder God. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference kabuki21b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "History of the Text". Narukami - The Thunder God. Retrieved 2018-01-08.