Sankatsu Hanshichi Ukina Renri no Hate no Amidagaike - Shinteramachi

Inspired by Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Akaneya Hanshichi Ukinamikushi" or "Amidagaike Shinteramachi" or "A Beautiful Woman's Dance" (1699)

1. Background and Synopsis
"A Beautiful Woman's Dance"

Also known as: Sankatsu Hanshichi

Era: Genroku to mid-Edo period (a time when Osaka's merchant culture flourished and a decadent aesthetic of death became popular)

Location: Around Amidaike Pond and Shinteramachi, Osaka.

Hanshichi, the son of the sake shop "Akaneya," falls in love with the dancer Sankatsu and even gives birth to a daughter, Otome. However, he is already engaged to a wife named Osono, arranged by his parents. Hanshichi has been disowned for his excessive debauchery and is unable to return home, leaving him and Mikatsu in a desperate situation. Meanwhile, his wife, Osono, shows her sad devotion by saying, "I will step aside for the woman (Mikatsu) my husband loves." Upon learning her sincerity, Hanshichi and Mikatsu, torn between duty and compassion, realize that "there is no other way but to die," and set out on a journey from the shores of Amida Pond to Sennichimae and Shinteramachi. Amida Pond, Shinteramachi, where the three winners of the 19th century Ukina Renri-ka (the fruit of the Amida Buddha) are born

Excerpts from the actual script

"Upside down..."
"Upside down..."
"Upside down..."
"The birds with two wings..."
"The branches of the Renri tree..."
"The dirt of the floating world..."
"Wash...and wash..."
"Amida Pond..."
"Shin...Teramachi..."