About This Print

The three greatest actors of the time (from right to left) Onoe Kikugorō V in the role of Kashiwabara Koheita (柏原小平太), Ichikawa Danjūrō IX in the role of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家泰公) and Ichikawa Sadanji I in the role of Kakuya Shichirōji (角屋七郎次) in the play Matsu no sakae Chiyoda no shintoku, written by Kawatake Mokuami (1816-1892), staged at the Shintomi-za in June 1878. The play, which portrayed the life of first Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was the first commercial production in the Shintomi-za and ran for forty-two days, attracting a total of 49,000 theater goers.¹ 

The Play - Matsu no sakae Chiyoda no shintoku

The play, an historical drama (katsurekigeki or "living history play"), is variously translated as "The Luxuriance of Pine Trees Symbolizing the Divine Virtue of the Emperor", "Pine’s Glory and Sacred Virtue in Chiyoda", "The Thriving Pines and the Divine Virtues of Chiyoda" and "The Glorious Pine".

The play was praised for its "factual authenticity"² and Danjūrō would have his hawking costume, an exact replica of the one actually worn by Ieyasu, made for him by the formal wear tailors to the Imperial court.³

By the attendance figures, the play was very popular, but also somewhat controversial in the eyes of the audience. In the "dramatic final scene when a phalanx of retainers receive their swords from Hideyoshi, they were directed to advance on their knees in the historically accurate manner. The ensuing frivolity erupting in the house, including shouts of 'Caterpillars!,' was discussed with gravity in the press."⁴