Sannin Kichisa Tomoe no Shiranami
The Three Kichisas (Sannin Kichisa Tomoe no Shiranami)
Japanese title: 三人吉三巴白浪(さんにんきちさともえのしらなみ)
Also written as: Sannin Kichisa Tomoe no Shiranami / Sannin Kichisa
The Story in Three Lines
Kabuki loses nothing when you know the story in advance. Start with just three lines.
- 01
Ojō Kichisa in a young woman's robes, Obō Kichisa the masterless samurai, Oshō Kichisa the former priest: three thieves who share a name meet on the bank of the Sumida.
- 02
Oshō stops their quarrel, and the three swear themselves brothers.
- 03
But a hundred ryō of gold and a famous blade pass from hand to hand among the three and their families, until an inescapable chain of cause and consequence closes on them.
Three Things to Watch For
These three points are all the preparation you need. On the day, simply give yourself to the stage.
“The moon hazy, the whitebait...”
Ojō Kichisa's speech at the riverbank, in flowing 7-5 meter, closing with “Well now—a lucky omen, and the spring just begun.” One of the best-known passages in all of kabuki.
A thief in a girl's robes
A girl in a long-sleeved kimono turns and threatens in a low voice. The pleasure of the role is that sweetness and menace come out of the same body.
Mokuami's music
Dialogue built in 7-5 meter rides the offstage music. Before you follow the sense of it, the language is simply good to hear.
Characters
- Ojō Kichisa
- A thief who robs in the guise of a young woman, turning in an instant from onnagata grace to the menace of a male role.
- Obō Kichisa
- A rōnin of samurai birth, the proudest of the three, carrying the play's dashing male elegance.
- Oshō Kichisa
- The former priest and elder brother of the three, who takes the whole chain of consequence upon himself and settles matters at the end.
Stagecraft and Highlights
By Kawatake Shinshichi II—later known as Kawatake Mokuami—said to have premiered at the Ichimura-za in Edo in 1860 under the title Sannin Kichisa Kuruwa no Hatsugai. It is a leading example of shiranami-mono, the plays that put thieves at their centre.
The riverbank scene sets only a stone marker and an embankment on stage; the rest of the landscape is made by speech and offstage music—a spare, musical scene that marks one summit of the domestic play.
Related terms
Sources
This page is compiled by the D-13 editorial team from established, widely shared knowledge of kabuki. Where details such as premiere dates are debated, we avoid definitive statements.
- Author
- D-13 Editorial
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026