Ishikawa Goemon is a legendary thief from the late 16th century who appears in several kabuki plays. Actor Kataoka Ainosuke explores what makes this figure so popular.
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.
Our topic this time is the world of the legendary thief Ishikawa Goemon
from after the end the last days of the Warring States period.
Discover why this villain is such a popular kabuki figure.
Let's open the curtain!
Hi, I'm Sara Àlainn.
Kabuki has many attractive villains.
Today we will be looking at the thief Ishikawa Goemon.
Goemon has been a popular character since the Edo period to the present.
Our guide, kabuki actor Kataoka Ainosuke, has played the role of Ishikawa Goemon several times
and today he'll be telling us all about it.
Hello!
Hello!
I think that in reality, a thief or an outlaw would be pretty scary.
But the thought of them, they can be quite exciting.
Yes, they can.
Ainosuke-san, are you a fan of Goemon?
Oh, I love him!
He's featured in many plays, but "Kinmon Gosan no Kiri" is the ultimate Goemon play.
This play is famous for one short scene that continues to be performed frequently today.
And here's that scene.
Yes, here he is.
The character in black is Goemon.
Did Ishikawa Goemon really exist?
He is said to have been active in the late 1500s,
which is when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was in power.
His name appears in the records of Jesuit missionaries and the diaries of court nobles,
so there is no doubt that he actually existed.
And who's the other man?
Mashiba Hisayoshi.
That's the kabuki name for Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Hideyoshi was the ruler of Japan at the time, wasn't he?
That's right.
So what's the connection between the two?
Well, in a word, they're enemies.
And in this particular play,
Goemon is supposed to actually be the son of Chinese Ming general So Sokei.
Wait, so in this play, Ishikawa Goemon is the son of a Chinese general?
That's right.
Goemon and Hisayoshi fight over who will rule Japan.
Mm, sounds like an epic story!
It is! It's a powerful story fitting for a legendary thief with lots of twists and turns.
And, I play Goemon in this production.
Ainosuke-san, is that you as the Buddhist priest?
Yes.
This very high-ranking priest from Nanzenji temple has come to scold Hisayoshi's second son Hisaaki
for spending all his time in the pleasure quarters.
At the same time, Hisayoshi's oldest son, Hisatsugu comes to the pleasure quarters.
Is this the older brother?
Yes.
Hisatsugu is older but his character is bad, so his younger brother has been made Hisayoshi's successor.
Oh!
Hisatsugu has come to make sure that his brother has the family's official seal.
I always carry the seal.
But it's disappeared!
Hisaaki has been entrusted with the official seal of his clan, but it's missing.
Without it, neither of the brothers can succeed their father.
I must go search for it!
You lying scoundrel!
Ha, ha, ha, ha...
I am the famous Ishikawa Goemon!
I will be happy to take the seal with me!
- It was a thief!
- Show yourself, villain!
Wait, that's the priest that we just saw.
Yes.
That priest was actually Goemon in disguise.
He came to steal the treasured seal.
Ah, so it was all part of Goemon's plan!
With this seal, I will steal away
all of Japan! What good fortune!
Mission accomplished, Goemon leaves the scene.
Ha, ha. He looks great even just by with running away.
He exits with the jump step called a "roppō."
Just one look at him and you can say that Goemon isn't your ordinary type of guy.
Really?
But Goemon's real goal is to take control of all of Japan.
To rule Japan?
Yes, a huge goal, right?
In fact, this was the aim of his father, So Sokei, who was originally a Ming general.
So his father also wanted to take over Japan?
That's right.
And, So Sokei has managed to get very close to Hisayoshi.
Really!
Disguised as a Japanese, he is a chief retainer of for Hisayoshi's oldest son, Hisatsugu.
That's the nasty brother, right?
That's right.
Hisatsugu is under house arrest in the mansion of his chief retainer.
That chief retainer is actually Goemon's father, So Sokei.
For his failure to control Hisatsugu, he is about to commit suicide...
But instead, he stabs Hisatsugu.
So the retainer that stabs Hisatsugu is Goemon's father!
Yes, that's his father - So Sokei.
He takes the banner of the clan and reveals his true identity.
I became your chief retainer,
all to get this banner.
Listen as I tell my story!
Ainosuke-san, you're playing both characters!
That's right, the father and the son.
'Truly he is a powerful villain
on the grandest scale!'
But actually, So Sokei fell into Hisatsugu's trap.
What do you mean?
Hisatsugu realized that his retainer was So Sokei and pretended to be disobedient.
He drives So Sokei to kill himself.
So, the deceiver has been deceived himself!
So Sokei knows that he is about to die.
What a bitter defeat!
On the point of death, So Sokei wants to convey his last wishes to his son.
He finds a magical way to do this.
Now watch closely.
Well, he's playing the koto...
There is a legend that burning precious incense and playing the koto masterfully called down an angel.
He uses this to bring the falcon in the picture to life.
Whoa! Something just came out of the picture!
Yes, this is the spirit of the falcon.
It really did come to life!
What is he doing now?
He's using his own blood to write on the wings of the falcon.
Wow! So it's his dying message!
He writes on both wings.
Oh no! He's surrounded!
Finally, So Sokei is ready to die.
He will kill himself, rather than be captured by the enemy.
With the picture coming to life and people deceiving others and being deceived,
there are so many twists and turns!
Yes, there are.
And Ainosuke-san, you played both Goemon and his father.
Yes.
Both of them are men who aim at taking over Japan and
they are also linked by the strong emotional bond between father and son.
With Goemon, I emphasize his large scale and his strength,
while with So Sokei, I emphasize his craftiness and his ability to endure patiently.
Mm, and both Goemon and Hisayoshi have so much on their agenda.
And then there's that falcon.
Does it make its way it to Goemon?
Well, let's find out.
Goemon hides out on top of the gate to Nanzenji temple and gazes calmly at the view below.
What a stupendous sight!
The gorgeous set and these famous lines epitomize kabuki.
It's so colorful and really beautiful!
And look at that bird!
It's much smaller, but is that the falcon from before?
Yes, that's right! It's flown right to Goemon.
When Goemon learns that his father is dead, he's furious at Hisayoshi.
My father's handwriting!
I will not rest until I get my vengeance
on my mortal enemy, Hisayoshi!
The set is set's moving up.
And there's someone below, who is he?
That is Hisayoshi himself disguised as a humble pilgrim.
But he's Goemon's mortal enemy, isn't he?
Yes.
In this crucial scene, we first see them together.
Take this!
Thank you for your holy donation!
Hisayoshi catches Goemon's dagger with his pilgrim's ladle.
It's wonderful! Just like a picture come to life!
That scene was gorgeous and very kabuki-ish!
Thank you.
And, I just realized that this is the scene in the ukiyo-e we saw at the beginning.
Ah, yes that's right.
It's one of the most popular and famous scenes in kabuki and it's also very enjoyable to perform.
Goemon's first line is particularly crucial.
With that one line, you have to express Goemon's scale and character.
So, I worked very hard thinking about how to deliver the line and how to use my the breath.
Sarah-san, I'm sure that this first moment is important for you too,
when you sing or play the violin.
Do you get nervous?
Absolutely! That's when I'm most nervous!
I mean, it's that initial that moment that determines everything, so it's quite scary!
And Ainosuke-san, what happens next?
Now we meet Goemon's brother!
What?! Another new character?
- Yes.
- He has brothers too?
Yes, indeed.
Hisayoshi's second son, Hisaaki, has a retainer named Segawa Uneme.
To search for the precious seal that Goemon stole,
Uneme has become a clerk in a rice cake shop.
Goemon appears at the shop.
Goemon is followed by the falcon.
A miracle will occur
right before your eyes!
Goemon burns some precious incense called Ranjaboku
that he got from his father and the bird returns to the painting.
If you have this precious Ranjaboku...
Then you are my older brother!
Uneme is carrying Ranjaboku as well and from this,
Goemon and Uneme realize that they are brothers.
Because they both have Ranjaboku from their father?
Yes. Uneme is actually Goemon's younger brother.
Well that's a surprise! But Uneme is on Hisayoshi's side!
Yes. They know they are brothers, but they remain enemies.
But that's so sad!
Uneme, we may be brothers,
but you still serve my enemy!
Then, Hisayoshi's men come to the shop to capture Goemon.
I am Ishikawa Goemon, no ordinary thief,
and here are my fire-spitting tubes!
Ah! Fireworks!
How spectacular!
Goemon prepared things in advance so that he could escape.
Fools!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...
Hmm, so the brothers finally meet, only to find out they're on opposing sides.
Yes.
It's quite dramatic.
Yes, and the story is reaching its conclusion.
Here we discover Goemon's true humanity.
What happens in the climax?
The focus is the confrontation of Goemon and Hisayoshi,
but there is a flight through the air and a spectacular fight scene to enjoy as well.
Finally, Goemon gets into Hisayoshi's palace disguised as an emissary from the imperial court,
but Hisayoshi's retainers realize who he is.
I am the great Ishikawa Goemon!
Come and bow before me!
Now that they know it's Goemon, what does he do?
He uses magic and disappears.
Magic?! He's like a ninja!
But Goemon returns to finally confront Hisayoshi.
Now that you've recognized me,
prepare to die, Hisayoshi!
Take that!
Face to face with Hisayoshi,
now Goemon insists that Hisayoshi is the real thief trying to steal Japan.
Even the more than 60 countries
of Japan are not enough for this thief.
Now you invade a foreign land!
Compared to a thief like Hisayoshi,
I, the king of thieves, am as nothing.
What's that all about?
Hisayoshi began as a lowly foot soldier, but has risen to be the ruler of Japan.
So Goemon says that he is like a thief that has stolen Japan away.
Make a move and the hostage is dead!
That's a cowardly move for a samurai!
Hisayoshi has taken the imperial prince of the Ming dynasty as hostage,
but Goemon rescues him using magic.
The Ming prince is supposed to be in that traveling case.
Goemon gets into the traveling case too.
Ah! It's floating in the air!
And now Goemon's come out of the case! How did do you do that?
Well, that is a trade secret!
Ohhh!
But it's difficult, since you have to get out of the traveling case while it's suspended in midair.
The audience loves it when you're so close!
The whole thing revolves, and I have to control that too.
What!
So, while suspended in midair, I have to make it revolve too.
I'm really very busy up there.
Now, Goemon returns to Hisayoshi's palace and there is a big fight scene with his retainers.
Wow! That's by the second-floor seats, right?
Yes.
This fight scene has all kinds of things we usually don't do.
Finally, Goemon is surrounded by Hisayoshi's men,
but he does something very surprising.
To reinstate my brother Uneme, I return
the seal and the Chidori incense burner.
Goemon gives all the treasures he has stolen from Hisayoshi to his brother Uneme.
But why?
Goemon does this so his brother can be reinstated as retainer of Hisayoshi's clan.
He really cares for his brother!
To all of you...
Farewell!
Finally, Goemon promises to fight Hisayoshi another day and the play ends.
You know, the story is pretty so complicated, so I got confused.
But it was so visually stunning that you didn't have to understand all of it.
It was just fun to watch and to see all those gorgeous costumes that Goemon wears!
It really captured the air of kabuki and was so entertaining.
I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
In this play, Goemon has the strength and scale to resist authority and
he also has the cleverness to come up with all kinds of strategies.
And he's also kind to his family and companions.
You've played Goemon in other plays as well, haven't you?
Well, you know very well! Yes, I have.
In a new kabuki play, Goemon is half-Spanish.
So, my wig had reddish hair.
Half-Spanish?
That's right.
And he dances flamenco.
Flamenco?!
Yes.
Wow, you're dancing flamenco!
Yes, that's very different, isn't it?
In this play, after all kinds of adventures in Japan, Goemon escapes to Spain.
I must say, you dance pretty well!
Ya... no, it was very difficult because you have to count the rhythm, unlike Japanese dance.
This is a very modern stage set too!
Yes.
What's happening here?
This is that famous scene at the temple gate, using on a modern set.
What a stupendous sight!
Now Goemon's actually riding flying the falcon, how spectacular!
Thank you.
This is how he escapes to Spain.
Riding a falcon?
Yes.
It's a wild idea, isn't it?
Crazy!
Flamenco and kabuki - what a unique combination!
Thank you.
Kabuki is really an unusual form of theater that can take in anything!
And Goemon is such an appealing character in any setting.
By making Ishikawa Goemon into a kabuki character,
he became a hero of the common people that everyone knew.
But we know almost nothing about the real historical person.
But it's that very element of mystery that allows people to broaden their imagination
and that's how all kinds of stories about him emerged.
Yes, that's true.
I think that's Goemon's appeal.
Indeed!
Ainosuke-san, I'd love to see you playing all kinds of Goemon.
Really? Well then, that will be a challenge.
Now, we receive lots of messages from our viewers.
Thank you!
Here's one from Trevor Skingle in London, England.
Loved the programme about Kyoto and Kabuki.
Thought you might like this photo I took on one of my visits to the Sanmon Gate at Nanzenji Temple...
...another connection between Kabuki and Kyoto!
I see!
Here it is.
Alright!
Oh, Wow!
There's Sanmon.
Yes, of Nanzenji Temple from the play!
I've been to that the gate many times before but each time I always take a picture.
Oh really?
- Posing like Goemon.
- Ha, ha.
- I do!
- Very nice.
You should try it yourself - and repeat his lines!
Let's give it a go.
Using this as a pipe.
Like this?
Exactly, excellent.
What a stupendous sight!
Ahh, how was that?
Mm, that was great!
Really?
Perfect!
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Send us your questions and comments.
OK, it's time for our ending.
So it is.
Shall we?
Let's use Goemon today.
Sounds fun!
You be Goemon, I'll be Hisayoshi.
Got it!
- You Ready?
- Ready!
Hear ye!
That's all for today!