ENOMOTO Torahiko (1866-1916) held the highest position as a playwright of the Kabuki-za in between the late Meiji period and the early Taisho period. This paper examines the dramaturgy of Torahiko's Kyogashima Musume no Ikenie (The sacrifice of a daughter of Taira no Kiyomori), especially investigates its style and its idea. It is worth noting that the play was adapted from Jean Racine's Iphigénie.
On the basis of Iphigénie's plot. Torahiko invent a new character of Taira no Kiyomori in his play. Kiyomori was represented as a cruel man in Kabuki plays; in contrast, Torahiko characterized him as a father who grieved over his daughter's death. The part of Kiyomori deviated from the “type”, therefore, had little appeal for the audience. They regarded him as a westernized person. Consequently, the audience did not receive the adaptations easily, what was need for writing Kabuki plays was not a unique character but a conventional dramaturgy. However, Torahiko was discontented with this matter because he sought fresh ideas for his original Kabuki plays. In conclusion, the adaptation was an effective means for gaining his ends.
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