Tachimawari(fighting scene)
Tachimawari in “Nanso Satomi Hakkenden”. Onoe Kikugoro 7th as Inuzuka Shino. April, 1991 at the National Theatre.
It refers to an acting and stage direction of the scene in which several people are slashing or fighting each other. The actual scene of this kind is graphic, but in Kabuki it is expressed by the characters’ movement to the music in a stylized manner. There are different types of this scene, as the number of people involved varies according to a play in question. As shown in the video, Tsuke (clappers) may be struck during Tachimawari, a Mie pose may be made by the actor, or the actor may do loops called Tombo.
