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Created page with "*''Japanese'': 山村座 ''(Yamamura-za)'' The Yamamura-za was one of the three licensed Kabuki theaters in Edo from the time of its establishment in 1642 until i..."
*''Japanese'': 山村座 ''(Yamamura-za)''

The Yamamura-za was one of the three licensed [[Kabuki]] theaters in [[Edo]] from the time of its establishment in [[1642]] until its dissolution in [[1714]] as a result of the [[Ejima-Ikushima Affair]].

The theatre was originally established in 1642 as the Chôdayû-za in Kobiki-chô 5-chôme. In [[1670]], the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] officially limited the licensed theatres in the city to four: the Yamamura-za, [[Ichimura-za]], [[Nakamura-za]], and [[Morita-za]].

The Yamamura-za was the site of a number of significant events in kabuki history. [[Ichikawa Danjuro II|Ichikawa Danjûrô II]] took that name in a ceremony at the Yamamura-za in [[1704]]/7, establishing for the first time that name as a hereditary name held by the top actor in the community. ''[[Sukeroku|Sukeroku Yukari no Edo zakura]]'', one of the most popular and famous kabuki plays today, premiered at the Yamamura-za in [[1713]], the year before the theatre's dissolution.<ref>Blumner, Holly and Naoko Maeshiba. "Sukeroku: A History." in ''101 Years of Kabuki in Hawai'i''. pp42-44.</ref>

Though details are unclear, on a date in the first month of [[1714]], Ejima, a lady in the service of [[Shogun]] [[Tokugawa Ietsugu|Tokugawa Ietsugu's]] mother by the name of Ejima, led a number of her fellow court ladies (members of the [[Ooku|Ôoku]], i.e. the shogun's harem) to the Yamamura-za to watch a play, drink tea, eat food, and otherwise hang out with a number of kabuki actors. These actors included [[Ikushima Shingoro|Ikushima Shingorô]], with whom, according to some versions of events, Ejima had already been having a secret relationship for quite some time. Discovered by shogunate authorities, many of the court ladies and actors were exiled or otherwise punished, and the Yamamura-za was forced to close. The shogunate seized its assets and had the building torn down.<ref>Donald Shively, "Bakufu Versus Kabuki," ''Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies'' 18, no. 3/4 (1955), 348-350.</ref>
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