Changes

==History and Style==

==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 (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/>

In any case, though the kabuki play as it is known today did not debut until 1713, the characters of Sukeroku and Agemaki appeared on the [[ningyo joruri|bunraku]] stage as early as [[1678]]. [[Kamigata]] (Kansai) kabuki theatres soon afterward began to stage productions featuring the couple in love suicide stories, including ''Sennichi-dera Shinjû'' ("Love Suicide at Sennichi Temple") and ''Kyô Sukeroku Shinjû'' ("Kyoto Sukeroku Love Suicide").<ref name=blumner/>

In any case, though the kabuki play as it is known today did not debut until 1713, the characters of Sukeroku and Agemaki appeared on the [[ningyo joruri|bunraku]] stage as early as [[1678]]. [[Kamigata]] (Kansai) kabuki theatres soon afterward began to stage productions featuring the couple in love suicide stories, including ''Sennichi-dera Shinjû'' ("Love Suicide at Sennichi Temple") and ''Kyô Sukeroku Shinjû'' ("Kyoto Sukeroku Love Suicide").<ref name=blumner/>