| 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> | | 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> |