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[[Ichikawa Danjuro VIII|Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII]] was quite idolized in his time, and when he performed this play, bottles of water from the vat he stepped in would later be sold to adoring fans.<ref name=blumner>Blumner, Holly and Naoko Maeshiba. "Sukeroku: A History." in ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. pp42-44.</ref>
[[Ichikawa Danjuro VIII|Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII]] was quite idolized in his time, and when he performed this play, bottles of water from the vat he stepped in would later be sold to adoring fans.<ref name=blumner>Blumner, Holly and Naoko Maeshiba. "Sukeroku: A History." in ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. pp42-44.</ref>
==History and Background==
==History and Style==
Though the plot of Sukeroku is largely fiction, some sources indicate that the characters, and plot, may have been inspired by reality. There may have been a [[Kyoto]]- or [[Osaka]]-based merchant named Sukeroku in the 1630s who was associated with a courtesan of the Kyoto [[Shimabara]] named Agemaki. Some accounts have it that Agemaki became a [[nun]] after her affair with Sukeroku, while others tell of a [[shinju|double suicide]].<ref name=blumner/>
Though the plot of Sukeroku is largely fiction, some sources indicate that the characters, and plot, may have been inspired by reality. There may have been a [[Kyoto]]- or [[Osaka]]-based merchant named Sukeroku in the 1630s who was associated with a courtesan of the Kyoto [[Shimabara]] named Agemaki. Some accounts have it that Agemaki became a [[nun]] after her affair with Sukeroku, while others tell of a [[shinju|double suicide]].<ref name=blumner/>
The Ichikawa family secured its control over the play in [[1832]]. As the play is extremely popular, other families have developed their own versions, such as ''Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa'' performed by the [[Onoe Kikugoro|Onoe Kikugorô]] line of actors. However, only the Ichikawa family uses the title ''Sukeroku Yukari Edo Zakura'', and various stylistic elements only appear in this version of the play.<ref name=blumner/>
The Ichikawa family secured its control over the play in [[1832]]. As the play is extremely popular, other families have developed their own versions, such as ''Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa'' performed by the [[Onoe Kikugoro|Onoe Kikugorô]] line of actors. However, only the Ichikawa family uses the title ''Sukeroku Yukari Edo Zakura'', and various stylistic elements only appear in this version of the play.<ref name=blumner/>
''Sukeroku'' is quite unique, as well, in its use of the ''[[katobushi|katôbushi]]'' style of musical accompaniment. While it is quite typical in kabuki for a combination of different styles of [[shamisen]] and chanting, such as ''[[kiyomoto]]'' and ''[[nagauta]]'', to be used within a single play (often switching between styles numerous times within a single scene), ''Sukeroku'' is the only play in the current repertoire to make use of ''katôbushi'' music. Due in large part to the unique traditions of the ''katôbushi'' style, which employs amateur performers alongside professionals, ''Sukeroku'' is the only play in which amateur performers appear on stage having been granted professional status just for the duration of the performance; it is also one of the only plays in which female musicians perform onstage, and the only play in which an actor onstage formally requests the musicians to play.<ref name=iezzi>Iezzi, Julie. "Sounding Out Kabuki: Music Behind the Scenes." in ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. pp45-48.</ref>
==References==
==References==
*Blumner, Holly, Julie Iezzi, Alice Luhrmann, and Kathy Welch (eds.) ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1994.
*Blumner, Holly, Julie Iezzi, Alice Luhrmann, and Kathy Welch (eds.) ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1994.
<references/>
<references/>
*Omoto, Lisa Ann M. and Kathy Welch. "Kabuki Spectacle." in ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. pp50-54.
*Omoto, Lisa Ann M. and Kathy Welch. "Kabuki Spectacle." in ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. pp50-54.
[[Category:Edo Period]]
[[Category:Edo Period]]
[[Category:Poetry and Theater]]
[[Category:Poetry and Theater]]
