Oshimodoshi
Oshimodoshi — Pushing Back the Spirit
Japanese title: 押戻(おしもどし)
Also written as: 押戻 / 押戻し / Oshimodoshi
The Story in Three Lines
Kabuki loses nothing when you know the story in advance. Start with just three lines.
- 01
A hero armed with a stout green bamboo meets a rampaging spirit on the hanamichi and forces it back to the main stage—Oshimodoshi is at once a play, a role, and a piece of staging.
- 02
It has no independent plot; the point is the form itself—raw aragoto strength subduing a vengeful spirit.
- 03
Today the figure may appear at the close of Kyōganoko Musume Dōjōji and similar pieces, snapping the finale into focus.
Three Things to Watch For
These three points are all the preparation you need. On the day, simply give yourself to the stage.
Battle on the hanamichi
Emerging through the agemaku curtain, the hero faces down the spirit in the midst of the audience—a confrontation only kabuki's runway stage makes possible.
The bamboo and the look
Bold kumadori, a warrior's costume, a thick green bamboo in hand—woodblock prints also show him with straw raincoat and bamboo-shoot hat, preserving the old form.
Strength that calms
The hero does not cut the spirit down; he pushes it back and stills its anger. Aragoto strength working as purification—that is the essence of the form.
Characters
- The oshimodoshi hero (role names vary by play)
- A superhuman strongman with a green bamboo staff who confronts spirits and demons and drives them back.
Stagecraft and Highlights
Though counted among the eighteen, Oshimodoshi is the name of a role and a staging rather than a scripted play: a figure in full aragoto dress meets the spirit on the hanamichi and pushes it back, stilling its rage—hence the name.
In current practice the figure is best known at the end of Kyōganoko Musume Dōjōji: appearing after the onnagata's dance has reached its peak, the sudden eruption of aragoto strength magnifies the whole stage by force of contrast.
The Ichikawa Connection
One of the Kabuki Jūhachiban—the Ichikawa Sōke's founding idea, that aragoto strength pacifies vengeful spirits, distilled to its purest form.
Sources
- Author
- KABUKI Universe Editorial Team
- Supervision
- Ichikawa Danjūrō
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 9, 2026
Supervision means Ichikawa Danjūrō has reviewed this page's intent and key points. The text is the editorial team's writing, not Ichikawa Danjūrō's own statements. Editorial responsibility rests with the team, which corrects any error. Read the editorial policy