I am a spirit soaring through the sky!
A legendary production returns to Hakataza Theater for the first time in 11 years!
Super Kabuki Yamato Takeru: Making a Further Leap Forward
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<Background>
Written by philosopher Umehara Takeshi based on the Kojiki, Japan’s oldest surviving chronicle, this original drama depicts the checkered life and legends of Yamato Takeru, a folk hero who appears in Japanese mythology, in a bold conception. First performed at the Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre on February 4, 1986, to great acclaim, this groundbreaking work established Super Kabuki as a new genre in the theater world. A roaring success when performed at Hakataza Theater in April 2008 and again in June 2013, this legendary production will return to Fukuoka for the first time in 11 years. The play has been through numerous reruns and new incarnations over the years.
However, this time around, it returns to its original production, and much care has been taken to faithfully depict the essence of this epic story. There is also a fresh cast, with Nakamura Hayato and Ichikawa Danko playing Yamato Takeru, originally Prince Ousu, and Prince Ōusu, respectively, and Nakamura Kazutaro and Nakamura Yonekichi alternating between the two sisters, Princess Etachibana and Princess Ototachibana. We hope you will look forward to seeing Super Kabuki Yamato Takeru as it takes flight to a new stage.
<Synopsis>
Prince Ousu accidentally kills his elder twin brother, Prince Ōusu, who had actually been planning an act of betrayal. His father, the emperor, unaware of the circumstances, is furious and orders him to go and subjugate the Kumaso tribe, who refuse to obey the Yamato. Prince Ōusu’s wife, Princess Etachibana, attacks Prince Ousu after he leaves Yamato in an attempt to avenge her husband’s death. However, she learns of his pure and gentle heart and falls in love with him. Upon arriving in the land of the Kumaso, Prince Ousu vanquishes the Takeru brothers, the tribe’s chieftains, and is given the name Yamato Takeru by Kumaso Takeru, who praises his bravery.
Takeru returns to Yamato with great joy, but he still cannot placate the emperor, who sends him again to conquer the Ezo people. Accompanied by Takehiko, lord of the Kibi clan, Takeru faces a series of hardships along the way, and even the beloved Princess Ototachibana becomes the victim of a violent storm at Hashirimizu. Later, Takeru, having pacified the Ezo, is then ordered to exterminate the god of Mount Ibuki, but this battle results in Takeru being seriously wounded...