It's a traditional performing art with a rich history.

It draws a million theater-goers per year...

it's kabuki!

Kabuki actor Kataoka Ainosuke explores it with us on "KABUKI KOOL."

This time we look at the love of married couples.

Sometimes there are laughs, sometimes there is tragedy.

But this is a bond that can overcome time and all kinds of circumstances.

Let's open the curtain to find out more.

Hello, I'm Sarah Àlainn.

We’ve come across all kinds of heroes and heroines so far.

But today our focus will be on married couples.

Our guide is kabuki actor Kataoka Ainosuke.

Hello! Our topic today is married love - the relationship between a married couple.

What's your ideal marriage?

A relationship where I have freedom.

You don't want to feel tied down.

Exactly! Well, I suppose having a romantic relationship even after marriage would be ideal.

Nice. There are all kinds of stories about married couples in kabuki.

Today we're going to look at two classic examples of this kind of play.

So let's start with one called "Jiisan, Baasan."

- Grandpa and Grandma?
- Yes.

- Doesn't sound like a kabuki play.
- You don't think so?

The play is based on a short story by the famous early twentieth century writer, Ōgai Mori.

Ogai Mori, of course! He's quite famous around the world.

As the title says, it's about an elderly couple,

but it is a very human drama presented in a way only possible in kabuki.

This is the home in Edo of a samurai named Minobe Iori.

Iori's wife Roon has a younger brother who has gotten hurt in a fight with a friend.

Iori, I will remember this favor all my life!

It’s nothing. Don’t make such a silly fuss.

Iori will have to go serve in Kyoto in place of his brother-in-law.

Iori and Roon are a close and loving couple and they've just had a son.

Just when they're at their happiest they're forced to part!

Yes.

Listen, tomorrow your father will have to go to Kyoto.

We won’t see him again for a whole year.

They planted a cherry tree when they were married three years ago and the buds are just beginning to open.

So the tree is just as young as they are.

My dear cherry tree, it’s goodbye to you too.

But I’ll be back next year to see you in full bloom!

Under the cherry tree they lament that they must part.

Promise you’ll wait for me!

Far away from Edo, in Kyoto, Iori gathers his companions for a party and shows them something special.

This year, I couldn’t see our
cherry tree blossom.

So my wife sent the flowers in a letter.

Inside the letter Roon has put petals from their cherry tree.

Beautiful! So Roon wanted Iori to see the cherry blossoms!

But another one of their companions, Jin'emon is drunk and bursts into the party.

So Iori, I see you’re having a party!

To buy a special sword he wanted, Iori had to borrow money from Jin'emon.

Iori is having this party to show off the sword, but didn't invite Jin'emon.

You’re really happy to get this sword, aren’t you?

Then why didn’t you invite me to your party?

I loaned you the money to buy it!

It was a terrible mistake not to invite you. Please forgive me.

But I know why you didn’t invite me.

You don’t like me, do you?

Don’t try to deny it! I’ve known it all along!

You know?

Well, in that case, I won’t hide it.

I’ve never liked you.

But you’ll borrow money, even if you don’t like me, eh?

I’ll leave if you want!

Jin'emon abuses Iori with a stream of insults.

Then, Jin'emon pushes him even further.

Iori, if you think this piece of junk can cut, just try it on me!

Stop it!

Can’t use a sword, can you?

Before he knows it, Iori has drawn the sword.

This incident changes the lives of Iori and Roon forever.

Iori was a bit too blunt, right?

Did he really have to say that?

I agree, he's too honest.

Iori is gifted with academic and military talent.

He's also handsome. But his fatal flaw is a terrible temper.

He can't control his anger.

Jin'emon is irritating as well.

He keeps needling Iori, who has never liked him.

Iori has tried not to show his dislike because they are colleagues.

So it got to him eventually.

Yes, I think so.

There's two ways to play the moment when Iori kills Jin'emon.

One is a sudden impulse, a spur of the moment act.

The other is to show Iori has reached the limits of his endurance and snaps.

Each actor makes his own choice.

And which version would you choose to play?

If I were to play Iori, I'd choose the latter.

He can't take Jin'emon anymore and deliberately chooses to cut him down.

That would be my choice.

- Mm, and then regret it straight after.
- Yes.

I thought this was a story about Iori and Roon, what happens to them?

Well, after the incident, Iori is arrested and is put under house arrest.

Meanwhile Roon loses their child to smallpox, and is left alone.

So she must take a position serving as lady-in-waiting to a samurai lord.

What a heartbreaking turn of events!

Yes, It is. But they actually meet again 37 years later.

So, let's see how this young couple has changed with the years.

Thirty-seven years have passed since the incident.

An old woman appears at the house in Edo where Iori and Roon lived.

- Is that Roon? She's totally unrecognizable!
- Yes.

Today Iori has been released so they will finally be reunited.

- And the cherry tree is so big now!
- Yes.

- Could that old man be Iori?
- Yes.

They've both changed so much that at first they don't recognize each other.

But Roon recognizes Iori by his habit of grabbing his nose.

Husband?

Roon, is that you?

Iori!

Roon!

Forgive me! I beg you!

Iori apologizes for causing so many years of hardship for her due to one thoughtless moment.

Today, we will start our lives together again afresh, just the two of us.

Yes, but we will not be just an old couple living our last years together.

We will be reborn to a new life!

As they gaze at the cherry tree in full bloom, Iori and Roon reaffirm their love for one another.

- Mm, how lovely!
- Isn't it?

This is what I'm talking about, an unwavering love between two people!

- I agree.
- I hope I'll find someone I'd want to wait 37 years for.

You do? I see.

And I can't believe that the same actors played the elderly couple.

Their transformation was so amazing!

Have you ever played an elderly person?

I have, actually.

There was once a kabuki play where I performed the role of a young samurai,

and the same man 20 years later.

- 20 years later!
- Yes.

- Uwaa!
- Oh!

Here's a photo.

You're surprised!

Excuse me. This is you?

Yes, it is. Bending forward like an older person is really hard on your back.

When you straighten up you can hear your spine.

Ah, it cracks!

- Yes!
- Wow. And do you do your own make-up here yourself as well?

Of course, yes.

What?! That's incredible! I'd thought you'd have a whole special effects team.

- I can't believe it's all done by yourself.
- Yes it is.

So what's the secret to moving like an elderly person?

Well, you make sure you stay hunched over, ideally with a cane to support you.

And never make any fast movements.

For example, an ordinary stride is like this.

But every step takes effort, like this.

And always hunched over.

For the make-up, when you smile, lines appear on your face.

You draw lines where your wrinkles naturally appear and then shade the lines.

Ah, blurred, OK.

You want it to look as natural as possible.

After all, it would be funny if you draw wrinkles where there aren't any.

Mm, I see.

That's what I was taught.

So, Ainosuke-san, what's the story of our next married couple about?

The next play is called "Tsubosaka Reigenki."

Tsubosaka Temple is a real place in the city of Nara.

Many people with sight problems, or diseases of the eye go there to pray for their sight to return.

I see a lot of the character "me."

Yes, that's right.

"Me" means "eye" and these wooden tablets have prayers asking to cure eye problems.

In this play I portrayed the husband, Sawaichi. He's blind.

Beside him is his wife, Osato.

It's so exciting to see the actual temple which the play is based on!

It is, right?

Wow, I wonder what's it's about!

A loving couple lives close to Tsubosaka Temple, Sawaichi and his beautiful wife Osato.

But Sawaichi has started to have suspicions about Osato.

For the three years we have been married, you have never been in bed after 4 am.

Sawaichi is afraid that she has gotten tired of being married to a blind man and has found a lover.

Hearing this, Osato is heartbroken.

In fact, for the three years they have been married,

every night she has gone to pray to the Buddhist deity Kannon that Sawaichi's blindness will be cured.

After my parents died, I went to live with my uncle.

I grew up together with you, my cousin.

You were like my brother, three years older than me.

Osato grew up together with Sawaichi like brother and sister and now she loves him as her husband.

After hearing how Osato feels, Sawaichi says he wants to go pray together at Tsubosaka Temple.

I will fast and pray here for three days.

Osato, go home and get prepared.

Everything will be decided in these three days.

Sawaichi says he will pray at the temple and sends Osato home for the time being.

As soon as Osato is gone, Sawaichi starts crying.

Oh, but why though?

When he knows how deeply devoted she is, he thinks he can't be a burden to her any longer.

He came here intending to die.

Why does he have to think like that! It's too sad!

Sawaichi gropes his way to the cliff.

Acting blind like this is really scary because you have to keep your eyes closed and you actually can't see anything.

Sometimes you end up in the wrong place on stage.

It's really terrifying!

Hail to the Amida Buddha!

And finally, Sawaichi throws himself off the cliff.

What? Poor Osato! She prayed for her husband every single night!

- Yes.
- And this? It was all for nothing.

Yes, but I think Sawaichi feels that his wife would be much happier without him.

So he blames himself for the situation and that's why he decided to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I do understand his feelings as well.

And I see that you have your eyes closed the whole time.

It must be difficult to play the role of a blind person.

Oh, definitely.

I had to practice at home, since it was too dangerous to try outside.

Because you can't see any obstacles it's terrifying.

I found that I was using my feet to check what lay ahead.

Not my arms. Like this.

I see.

Sawaichi throws himself from the cliff, leaving Osato behind.

What happens next? Let's find out.

For some reason, Osato felt very anxious and comes back.

"♪ Desperately, Osato stumbles up the mountain road."

She searches for Sawaichi.

But all she finds is his cane.

"♪ Then, she goes to the edge of the cliff."

"♪ In the moonlight, she sees her husband’s dead body."

Sawaichi, what have you done!

Osato finds Sawaichi's body at the bottom of the mountain.

Sawaichi!

Overcome with grief, Osato decides to follow Sawaichi in death.

In the valley are Sawaichi and Osato's bodies.

But the Buddhist deity Kannon appears.

Through the power of Osato’s faithfulness and prayers, your lives will be restored.

"♪ They sit up, alive once more."

When they come back to life, Sawaichi can see.

- Osato's prayers were answered at last!
- Yes.

I can see!

I can see!

Who are you?

Don’t be silly! I’m your wife!

My wife?

Osato!

Yes!

How nice to finally see you!

Sawaichi and Osato are overjoyed and they join hands and give deep thanks to the merciful Kannon.

Oh thank goodness!

- It went from a tragedy to an even humorous ending.
- Yes.

You know, I was so worried for a second that when Sawaichi saw Osato for the first time he'd be like, ehh, no thanks, or something.

- That would be a tragedy!
- I'm glad there wasn't an extra plot twist like that!

So happy it was a happy ending in the end.

Mm, indeed.

Ainosuke-san, what did you think?

Well, what can I say? It's a really heart-warming story about a married couple.

And because it's a play that we actors know very well,

I can't imagine it ending in any other way.

But if there was some kind of plot twist and it ended in a different way,

that would, that wouldn't be good, would it?

No, it definitely wouldn't!

We've seen two married couples this time.

Any thoughts, Sarah?

- Personally, I've really loved the way the wives are portrayed in these stories.
- Really?

I mean I think people who weren't too familiar with kabuki might assume that it's a male dominated, even misogynistic world.

I mean, after all, all the actors are men.

But the plays we saw today showed the tremendous amount of respect for the wives.

Mm, very true.

These women are always there for their husbands.

I mean, what would these men do without them?

I was really surprised by how the wives were portrayed.

And it was a nice surprise.

Mm, I see.

Come to think about it, these plays were written about a feudal society.

There is an image that this world only respected men and looked down on woman.

Of course that was true to some extent, but what these stories show with very,

very careful detail is that the loving support of these women is what made this world work.

That's why these plays show women this way.

Now we have lots of messages from our viewers.

- Thank you.
- Thank you!

Here is a letter from Jane who lives in Washington State in the US.

"There are movements of feet and ankles underneath costumes that move the actor across the stage."

"Can you show us exactly what movements are made since it looks almost like floating on the stage."

"Love the show, a true convert."

Thank you.

Well, of course, we're not actually floating, we walk using our legs!

Kabuki uses a very particular technique for walking.

It's similar to Japanese dancing, actually.

We use our hips low as we move.

You see what I mean? Like this, you drop your hips.

Then you slide your feet, like this. In this motion.

Wow, that's hard!

Slide, slide.

Slide, slide.

Now don't lift your feet.

This is a very particular style of movement and it's unique to kabuki.

Don’t forget to visit our website.

You can find lots of information on kabuki and now you can also view video digests of our show.

So please do send us your comments and questions.

Now, are you ready for our ending?

Already? OK, let's do it.

Well, our topic was married love - so shall we take a leaf out of Osato and Sawaichi's book?

The thank-you scene at the temple.

Oh, that scene.

- Let's recreate that moment where they thank the Kannon.
- Of course.

- Ready?
- Here we go.

Hear ye! That’s all for today!