Kagekiyo
【景清】
【KAGEKIYO】
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Kagekiyo, having broken the jail, in “Kagekiyo”. Ichikawa Danjuro 12th as Kagekiyo. January, 1994 at the National Theatre（Y_E0100184000074）
This is one of the Kabuki-Juhachiban plays.
Taira no Kagekiyo is one of the characters in “Heike Monogatari”. Though he is not a leading character in “Heike Monogatari”, he has many legendary tales about him and is often taken up in Noh and other type of plays. He often appears in Kabuki plays, since Kagekiyo was as much known among the ordinary people in the Edo period for standing against Genji, as the Soga brothers in “Soga Monogatari”. Ichikawa Danjuro 2nd performed the role in Kabuki for the first time in 1732. Kagekiyo appears in other Kabuki-Juhachiban plays such as “Kan’u”, “Gedatsu”, and “Kamahige”.
After being captured by the Genji, Kagekiyo was taken to a jailhouse in a cave and refused even water as he “did not want to eat anything offered by an enemy”. The general of Genji tries to get information about the Heike’s treasure but Kagekiyo never answers. So, the general brings Kagekiyo’s wife and daughter before the jailhouse and abuses them. Triggered by this, Kagekiyo explodes with anger as he is no longer able to control his temper, and rampages by breaking the jail. A scene of the breaking “Rouyaburi” is performed in the Aragoto style.
Today’s “Kagekiyo” is based on a script used in the performance by Danjuro 12th in 1984.
Taira no Kagekiyo is one of the characters in “Heike Monogatari”. Though he is not a leading character in “Heike Monogatari”, he has many legendary tales about him and is often taken up in Noh and other type of plays. He often appears in Kabuki plays, since Kagekiyo was as much known among the ordinary people in the Edo period for standing against Genji, as the Soga brothers in “Soga Monogatari”. Ichikawa Danjuro 2nd performed the role in Kabuki for the first time in 1732. Kagekiyo appears in other Kabuki-Juhachiban plays such as “Kan’u”, “Gedatsu”, and “Kamahige”.
After being captured by the Genji, Kagekiyo was taken to a jailhouse in a cave and refused even water as he “did not want to eat anything offered by an enemy”. The general of Genji tries to get information about the Heike’s treasure but Kagekiyo never answers. So, the general brings Kagekiyo’s wife and daughter before the jailhouse and abuses them. Triggered by this, Kagekiyo explodes with anger as he is no longer able to control his temper, and rampages by breaking the jail. A scene of the breaking “Rouyaburi” is performed in the Aragoto style.
Today’s “Kagekiyo” is based on a script used in the performance by Danjuro 12th in 1984.
