Akutaro

The play

The play "Akutaro" was premiered in 1924 in Tokyo. It is a dance play in one act.

Main characters

• Akutaro: Nephew of the lord, a bad boy

• Yasuji Matsunojo : Lord and Akutaro's uncle

• Chirenbo: A priest

• Tarokaja: A servant

The plot

Akutaro (literally bad boy in Japanese), the nephew of Lord Yasuki Matsunojo is a heavy drinker who misbehave when drunk. One day, the drunk Akutaro threatens his uncle with an halberd to get some sake to drink. Akutaro is very inebriated and decides to go home, walking with the priest Chirenbo. He dances part of the famous dance-drame “Funa Benkei” and falls asleep. His uncle takes advantage of the moment to play a trick on Akutaro with the help of his servant Tarokata, removing the halberd, shaving his head and dressing him in bonze clothes. When Akutara wakes up, he believes he has reached heaven. Comical dances follow!

The actor

Ichikawa Ennosuke II (1888-1963) was an actor specialized in dancing plays who created many choreographies

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