歌舞伎『壺坂霊験記』における早替り

—悪者雁九郎のゆくえ

抄録

The play Tsubosaka Reigenki is the story of married couple, a blind man named Sawaichi and his beautiful wife Osato. It was originally written for Bunraku and first performed in Osaka in 1887. The following year it was staged as Kabuki in Kyoto.

While the plot of the current Kabuki version of Tsubosaka Reigenki is the same as that of Bunraku, when the story was adapted for Kabuki for the first time in 1888, a character named Gankuro, who courts Osato was added. In this version, a style called Hayagawari is often performed. In this style, one actor plays both Sawaichi and Gankuro, changing roles quickly. This version was very popular with the public.

However, from the end of 1890's, Kabuki critics began to criticize Hayagawari as being “only clumsy conjuring tricks.” They were of the opinion that Kabuki Tsubosaka Reigenki should be “a serious drama” and that Hayagawari was no longer necessary. As a result, from this time Gankuro gradually disappeared from the stage of the Kabuki theatre.