An Analysis of Monzaemon-CHIKAMATSU's <i>Horikawa Nami no Tsuzumi</i>

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  • 『堀川波鼓』再考
  • 『 ホリカワハ コ 』 サイコウ

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Abstract

<p>CHIKAMATSU's Horikawa Nami no Tsuzumi is a play dramatizing the story of ÔKURA Hikohachirô, a feudal retainer of the Tottori Clan, who on June 7,1706 avenged himself in Kyôto Horikawa against the tsuzumi (hand drum in Nô plays) master who had committed adultery with his wife.</p><p>This paper reveals how CHIKAMATSU dramatized Otane, the heroine in the story, and what kind of message he put in his work.</p><p>At first I point out that he uses three Nô songs. In the beginning of the play, he projects the image of the heroine depicted in Matsukaze onto Otane. And he manipulates her by using the phrases and the plots of Rashômon and Ominaeshi that the tsuzumi master sang while beating his tsuzumi. In this way, he consigns her to a terrible fate and enhances the tragedy which happened to a couple bound by a strong love. In addition, this analysis reveals that the theme of this drama is “tsuzumi wo utsu” (slaying the tsuzumi master who beat the tsuzumi).</p><p>Secondly, CHIKAMATSU sets the actions “Otane ga utsu” (Otane taps Yukaemon's back, Otane beats her sister) in the important scenes of this drama and gives the audience an impression of the ignorance of these acts. Furthermore, CHIKAMATSU projects the “horses” onto Otane. Then he stimulates the image of those horses which was subconsciously given to audiences from pictures of hell, —and leads the audience to realize the retribution for the crimes of adultery and feticide that Otane committed.</p><p>Using such metaphorical techniques undoubtedly enabled CHIKAMATSU to stage this play dramatizing a scandal that actually happened in samurai society, soon after the scandal occurred.</p>

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