Primary-source writings and related research materials by and about Nureki Chimuo.
This archive brings together primary-source writings by and about Nureki Chimuo preserved through the Kinbaku Research Platform. Translations retain their original translator and editor credits.
220 writings · 4 sources
Archive writings
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On the Body Heat of Rope— A Reply to H-san
To H-san. I had started writing the seventy-ninth installment of “Talking Theater,” but since I received your earnest letter, I’ll set that aside for now and write my reply to you first. The seventy-ninth installment of “Talking Theater” continues the story of “The Beginning of the Fukujiro Era,” so…
Read translationA Bit-part Actor
I would like to write a little more about the career of my mentor, Ichikawa Fukunosuke. In December 1985 (Showa 60), Fukunosuke was introduced in the “Kabuki Actor Directory,” also published as a special issue by “The Theater World,” alongside a black-and-white portrait, as follows: When it comes to…
Read translationTo K-san and L-san
Feeling quite content, I ramble on about memories from my youth, or rather, my boyhood days, when suddenly, right before my eyes, another exciting new event appears in various forms. Among these events are some I must record now, forcing me to interrupt the nostalgic stories I’m happily immersed in.…
Read translationHandwritten Flyer
The conversation stalled when we reached the Tsurukame Theater, and after that, it just wouldn’t move forward. While repeatedly writing about this era, some parts have overlapped, making things a bit confusing. I’ve lost track of how far I’ve written myself. I’ll take the plunge and move the story f…
Read translationAbout Shirahige Theater
「島千鳥月白浪」is correctly written as “Shima Chidori Tsuki Shiranami.” It is a Meiji period play by Kawatake Mokuami, a “zangiri” play. “Torii-mae” refers to the area in front of the torii gate of Kudan’s Shokonsha, the present-day Yasukuni Shrine. It is unusual to perform only this scene from the long ta…
Read translationIshii Tsuneemon
Tsurukame Theater is located about a three-minute walk from Kameari Station on the Joban Line, meaning it’s easily accessible by train. Even visitors from far away can take the train to come see a play. To reach Shirahige Theater, tucked away on the back side of Mejii-dori across Shirihige Bridge ov…
Read translationRemaking Goro’s Play
The second at the Mukojima Shirahige Theater is, 1. Mikazuki Hanji: Origin of the Black Ships, Act Four 2. Love Courier: The Yamato Road / The Seal-Breaking Scene Following that, the third performance is, 3. Comedy: The Mountain Maiden (One Act) Sakuhei………Onoe Takenosuke Daughter Otoyo………Onoe Otojo …
Read translationThe Appearance of Saburo Kawabe
The sections of my diary about the Tsurukame Theater and the Shirahige Theater contain nothing of importance. Namely, the daily performance times during this period, how many days each play ran, and how much my salary was. (I clearly remember only that I received my salary regularly every month. I’v…
Read translationOde to Small Theater
Last time, I wrote that the title “寿の門松” is read as “Nebiki no Kadomatsu.” I intended to skip a detailed explanation of this kabuki play since it would take too long, but it’s been on my mind, so I’ll write a little about it. Writing about it also helps me learn. “Nebiki” refers to root pulling” (根引…
Read translationDrooling Old Man
Next, the second act of the kyogen at the Tsurukame Theater. 1. Light Play: Tatsuan’s Game of Life… Three Scenes Tatsuan………Kawabe Saburo Wife O-Tetsu………Kawabe Harue Iwataya………Yamamoto Jun Wife O-Matsu………Bando Yoko 2. The Teacher’s Lesson: The Terakoya Scene Takebe Genzo………Onoe Takenosuke Wife Tonami…
Read translationTerakoya Freak
The brilliance of Tsurukame Theater’s “Terakoya,” featuring Takejaku as Matsumaru, Fukunosuke as Chiyo, Takenosuke as Takabe Genzo, and Otome as Tonami, has kept me a “Terakoya maniac” or “Terakoya freak” for the subsequent fifty years, right up to the present day. Even after the Katabami-za, the la…
Read translationIn the Red Light District
The drooling boy played by Kataoka Tobei, perched on my back. “Take me to where all the pretty girls in fancy dresses line up under the red lights!” he shouted loudly, throwing a tantrum. Summoning my courage, I set out alone for that red-light district. Past the Joban Electric Railway crossing and …
Read translationKyainou
The Takejaku Troupe closed the Tsurukame Theater and relocated to the Shirahige Theater in Mukojima, Sumida Ward. In turn, the Tsuruzou Troupe, which had previously performed at the Shiragige Theater, would now perform at the Tsurukame Theater. I am very curious now about what kind of plays the Tsur…
Read translationRiverbank Beggar
The second act of the kyogen performed by the Takejaku Troupe at the Shirahige Theater in Mukojima is as follows. 1. Light Theater. Tatsuan’s Game of Life. Three Scenes Tatsuan………Kataoka Tobei Wife O-Tetsu………Bando Sakiko Iwataya………Sawamura Tetsuzaburo Wife O-Matsu……Fushimi Yoko 2. Shinrei Yaguchi Cr…
Read translationI Love Touring!
The performance records of the Takejaku Troupe at the Tsurukame Theater and the Shirahige Theater, from around October 1945 (Showa 20) to around March 1946, were notes I jotted down in the blank pages of a “student diary” (printed with the year Showa 15/2600 of the Imperial Era). This cloth-bound di…
Read translationManju, a Dog, and a Pipe
As I’ve written several times before, my notes contain only the names of kyogen plays performed at the Tsurukame Theater and the Shirahige Theater, along with the cast members. It states, “Tsurukame Theater: December 20, 1945 (Showa 20) opening night, December 27 closing night.” And the plays and ca…
Read translationThe Art of Staying Silent
The New Year’s Performance at Tsurukame Theater in Showa 21 (1946) opened on December 31. Was it a week-long run starting on New Year’s Eve the previous year, or did it continue for two weeks because it was a New Year’s performance? My diary doesn’t record that. But, following the precious time, my …
Read translationKibakan’s Victory
If I keep writing only about the 1940s, I start feeling like some old geezer reminiscing about the good old days, so I’ll come back to reality once in a while. Namely, my theater-going situation in the autumn of 2009. As always, I love plays and see them often. “The sparrow never forgets to dance.” …
Read translationFukai Toshihiko and Tako Hachiro
My dear reader, who has read every installment of this “Talking Theater” of mine, who has also read both “Secret Bondage Stories,” written for Fuji Planning, and “Nureki Chimou’s Obscene Testament of Pleasure,” which I began writing for Web Sniper, and who has promptly purchased and read all six of …
Read translationThe Takobeya
Tako Hachiro called me “Sensei.” That was because he had heard Minomura Ko, editor-in-chief of Uramado, call me “Sensei,” since I was a regular contributor to the magazine. Minomura Ko also called Fukai Toshihiko “Sensei.” Though I hadn’t written about it in Uramado at the time, Fukai Toshihiko publ…
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