Stage
December Grand Kabuki at the Kabukiza
- Dates:
- Dec 2, 2026 – Dec 25
- Venue:
- Kabukiza Theatre(Tokyo)
- Tickets:
- See official site
Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi
Scarred Yosaburō (Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi)
Japanese title: 與話情浮名横櫛(よわなさけうきなのよこぐし)
Also written as: 与話情浮名横櫛 / 切られ与三 / お富与三郎 / Kirare Yosa
Now on the schedule
01SYNOPSIS
The Story in Three Lines
Kabuki loses nothing when you know the story in advance. Start with just three lines.
- 01
Yosaburō, the pampered heir of a great Edo merchant house, meets the beautiful Otomi on the beach at Kisarazu and falls in love at first sight.
- 02
But Otomi is a local gang boss's mistress. Their affair is discovered; Yosaburō is slashed from head to foot, and Otomi throws herself into the sea.
- 03
Years later, Yosaburō—now a small-time extortionist—shakes down a villa and comes face to face with Otomi, alive after all: the famous "Genyadana" scene.
02WHAT TO WATCH
Three Things to Watch For
These three points are all the preparation you need. On the day, simply give yourself to the stage.
01
The famous speech
Yosaburō's reunion speech, opening "Shiganee koi no nasake ga ada..." ("That wretched love's kindness became my ruin"), flows in musical 7-5 meter—one of the most celebrated passages of spoken kabuki.
02
Everyday Edo on stage
In contrast to the grandeur of aragoto, this is sewamono—a drama of ordinary Edo lives, love, and ill fortune.
03
An antihero to remember
Scarred yet still seductive, "Kirare Yosa" remains one of kabuki's most beloved antiheroes.
03CHARACTERS
Characters
- Yosaburō
- From pampered heir to scarred extortionist—yet never losing his Edo style.
- Otomi
- The woman bound to Yosaburō by fate, who survives even the sea—a great role of resilience and allure.
- Kōmori Yasu
- Yosaburō's partner in extortion, a petty rogue known for the bat tattoo on his cheek.
04STAGECRAFT
Stagecraft and Highlights
A sewamono play by Segawa Jokō III, said to have premiered in Edo in the Kaei era (early 1850s). From the sunlit beach at Kisarazu to the villa at Genyadana, it renders the textures of everyday Edo life in loving detail.
Its greatest pleasure is the music of its language: the offstage geza music, the lilt of Yosaburō's verse-like speech, and Otomi's timing in response create the intimate, stylish rhythm unique to sewamono.
05NARITAYA
The Ichikawa Connection
Though a sewamono rather than an aragoto piece, the role of Yosaburō is said to have been created by Danjūrō VIII, giving the play deep ties to the Ichikawa Sōke. In December 2026, Danjūrō XIII takes the role at the Kabukiza.
06IN HIS WORDS
In Danjūrō's Words
In preparation
Danjūrō's own words on this play will appear here once they have been recorded and verified with him. We never invent or paraphrase his remarks.
07NOW SHOWING
See It on Stage
08JOURNAL
Read Before and After
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