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@The Old Konpira Oshibai Kabuki Theater, which
is popularly called gKanamaruza,h has been designated as a
national important cultural asset. It is located in the town
of Kotohira, which is famous for gKonpira-san,h and is in
Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku District. Since 1985, the Shikoku
Konpira Oshibai has been performed at Kanamaruza, and the
revival of the Kabuki Performance has attracted a great deal
of interest from all over the country. April 2001 marked the
17th Anniversary. Today, it is a special attraction during
the spring in Kotohira. 
@In the middle of June 1980, when the Zouzu Mountain behind
the Kotohira-gu was covered with clouds this being the rainy
season, we had a telephone call from Tokyo. gWe would like
to produce a TV program of the Old Konpira Oshibai Kabuki
Theater, and we would like to visit your town to make arrangements.h
Although it was an attractive theater, it had never been in
the spotlight, nor was it a cultural resource for tourism
in Kotohira. We thought this offer would be a great opportunity
to receive wide recognition for the theater, through the media
including TV. A few days later, the director of the TV program
told us that they would produce a TV program called gSubarashiki
Nakamah (Great Fellows) and some famous Kabuki actors such
as Kichiemon Nakamura, Tojuro Sawamura, and Kankuro Nakamura
would appear in it. We greatly hoped that the performances
at the theater would become well known throughout Japan.
@On July 5th and July 6th, 1984, when the cicadas were singing
loudly, Kabuki performances were filmed on location. Popular
Edo-style Kabuki actors, such as Kichiemon Nakamura, Tojuro
Sawamura, and Kankuro Nakamura, as well as many others on
staff for filming, etc., worked very hard. Because of the
heat and spotlights, it was extremely hot, and all the actors
and staff were sweating immensely. Nowadays we remember it
as if it were yesterday!
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Reconstruction
of the Konpira Oshibai |
@Built in 1835, Konpira Oshibai is the oldest
existing Kabuki Theater in Japan. It used to be a temporary
playhouse, and every time a performance was held, the set was
rebuilt. Because a temporary playhouse proved to be expensive,
it was constructed as a permanent theater, as well as a place
to hold a public lottery. The theater was modeled after the
Onishi shibai in Osaka at that time, and it cost 1,000 ryo (currency
unit at that time) to complete the work.
@Since the Edo Period, our town Kotohira has been well known
as gKonpira-san in Sanuki Province,h and has acquired a great
number of devotees from all over the country. As well as the
Grand Shrine of Ise, Konpira Shrine was one of the key sites
for a pilgrimage in Japan. The pilgrims climbed a long approach
of stone steps and visited the Kotohira Shrine. They also stayed
at an inn to rest from their long journey. Although there were
not many places of amusement at that time, fairs were held in
the town of Kotohira three times a year, namely, in March, June
and October. These fairs provided much entertainment such as
performances, sumo wrestling, and puppet shows. Among such entertainment,
performances held at the Konpira Oshibai Theater were the biggest
event in Kotohira. After visitors passed through a low gate,
gOchako-sanh (a guide of the theater), led them to the gmasu-sekih(square
space for seats), where they enjoyed the performances by the
most popular actors in Japan. It must have been a delightful
moment for visitors more than we can imagine today.
@At that time, the Konpira Oshibai Theater was comparable in
size to those in big cities such as Edo, Osaka and Kyoto. It
is said that all the nationally famous actors were eager to
perform at Konpira in Shikoku, which proves that the theater
was considered as one of the greatest theaters nationwide, and
that Kotohira was prosperous as a gateway town.
@As time went by, the Konpira Oshibai Theater was changed into
a movie theater. After TV had come into wide use, the movie
theater was eventually closed. After the Kanamaru-za Theater
fell into ruin, it was forgotten for a long time. The building
of the theater remained abandoned, with the roofing tiles and
the walls falling into disrepair. It was close to collapse!
It was nothing less than miraculous that a 160-year old building
could survive until today without any fire disasters.
@In the middle of the 1950s, people who had a keen interest
in their local history and those who loved the Konpira Oshibai
started a campaign for the restoration and conservation of the
oldest existing theater in Japan. On June 17th, 1970, it became
the first theater to be designated as a national important cultural
asset. The designation encouraged the campaign for its restoration
and conservation. After the four-year major renovation project,
and with the construction costing more than two hundred million
yen, the theater was finally restored and moved to where it
is today. Finally, on April 27th, 1976, the moving and reconstruction
works were completed. The theater shows us today exactly what
it used to be like in the Tempo Period. |
Revival
of the Kabuki Performance in Konpira |
@The three kabuki actors, who came to the
Old Konpira Oshibai, Kanamaruza Theater for the first time
for on-location shooting of the TV program, were completely
fascinated by the theater, and talked continuously about it.
gThis is the starting point of kabuki.h gI would love to play
performances on this stage.h gThe greatest point is the distance
between the stage and the seats, which makes audiences and
actors feel a sense of unity.h That was the first opportunity
for the theater, which had been seen as a cultural heritage,
to revive as a true theater for the gKonpira Kabukih after
35 years.
@On our side, however, we could not help feeling considerable
anxiety. gShould the theater, which is a cultural heritage,
be allowed to be used for kabuki performances?h gWill audiences
really come?h gWithout any experience, would it be possible
for us to accomplish the whole event?h It was a long and hard
way to make it a reality, but all of us wished for the revival
of the Konpira Kabuki. We also asked SHOCHIKU Co., Ltd. for
the full support for the kabuki performances at the Kanamaruza
Theater. Thus, all the arrangements were made under the cooperation
between the public and private sectors. The following year,
June 27th of 1986 marked the gFirst Shikoku Konpira Kabuki
Performance,h and five plays in total were performed in three
days.
@It is worth noting that the mainstream media greatly contributed
to the promotion of the Konpira Kabuki. One TV station, for
example, earmarked about 10 million yen for production of
the documentary program, using helicopters, crane trucks,
and special equipment. The station had been shooting on location
for half a year before the first performance. In July of 1985,
the TV station nationally broadcasted the documentary program
under the title of gReconstruction of the scenes from Konpira
Oshibai.h Thus, gKonpira Kabukih was reported by the media
such as TV, newspapers, magazines, and so on, and it was able
to get a nationwide response from the public.
@For the gFirst Shikoku Konpira Kabuki Performance,h the kabuki
actor, Kichiemon Nakamura adopted a story for the stage in
person, under the pen name of gMatsukanshi.h He wrote the
play gSaikaizakura-misome-no-Kiyomizuh to make best use of
the theater and its facilities. As a result, the performance
was able to obtain a high reputation, and many enthusiastic
fans from all over the country visited Kotohira. In cooperation
with actors and local supporters, the theater was able to
achieve great success. The audience was filled to capacity
for three days. The day before the opening, gonerih (a big
parade) was held, and actors were carried by jinrikisha. The
town of Kotohira was filled with more than 1,000 banners and
visitors who wanted to see oneri. Around the jinrikisha, there
was a dense crowd of people, who were eager to shake hands
with the actors. It looked as if the actors were crushed by
the crowd of people. |
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 @The
performances at the Old Konpira Oshibai are supported by a number
of volunteers. The theater has been equipped as it was in the
Edo Period, in short, without electricity and machines. Therefore,
the revolving stage, seri, and suppon are all manually operated.
Stage lighting depends solely on natural light, and adjustment
of the three-level lighting system is operated by opening and
closing of windows. These operations are all supported by the
Kotohira-cho Youth Group, with twenty volunteers coming from
them every day.
@The gOchako-sanh (a guide of the theater) are in charge of
leading people to their seats, selling pamphlets, and cleaning
the inside of the theater. Between 20 and 30 women who put on
splash-patterned kimono, join as volunteers every day. Recently,
the ochako-san come from various prefectures throughout Japan,
such as Fukushima, Ibaragi, Saitama, Tokyo, Mie, Kyoto and Osaka,
and they work and stay in Kotohira for a few days. Thus, Konpira
Kabuki is supported by many volunteers from all over the country,
as well as from local people.
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