Namu Shohachiman Nekokaburi Onikage Arauma Jigoku Rasetsu

Inspired by Ki Kaion, Oyama Ningyo: Tatsumatsu Hachirobei's "Onikage Musashi Abumi" (1713)

Namu Sho-Hachiman: Cat Crown, Onikage, Wild Horse, Hellish Rakshasa

In December of the third year of the Shōtoku era, marking the 17th anniversary of the death of Asano Takumi-no-kami, Ki Kaion's puppet play "Onikage Musashi Abumi" was performed at the Toyotakeza Theater in Osaka. This work owes much to Azuma Sanpachi's "Onikage Musashi Abumi," which was performed at the Shinozuka Shōmatsuza Theater in Osaka in the seventh year of the Hōei era. Kuranosuke's name, like that of "Onikage Musashi Abumi," is Miyauchi Ogishi. While this work references the Akō incident in the "Taiheiki," it also deviates from that and takes up the story of Hangan Oguri and Princess Terute, an incident that occurred during the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimasa. While this work lacks structure and is not considered a masterpiece, it occupies an important position in the lineage of samurai dramas, influencing the seventh act of "Kanadehon Chushingura." This work is about Ki Kaito, a rival of Chikamatsu Monzaemon, and its content is also influenced by Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Goban Taiheiki." Along with Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Goban Taiheiki," "Okikage Musashi Abumi" (and its predecessor, "Okikage Musashi Abumi") is one of the sources of "Kanadehon Chushingura," and names such as Oguri Miyauchi and Oguri Hangan, which appear in this work, frequently appear in later works.