Chikamatsu Monzaemon (è¿'æ ¾ 門左衛門, real name Sugimori
Nobumori, æ ‰æ£® ä¿¡ç››, 1653 â€" 6 January 1725) was a Japanese
dramatist of jÅ ruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be
known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The Encyclopædia
Britannica has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest
Japanese dramatist".[1] His most famous plays deal with
double-suicides of honor bound lovers. Of his puppet plays, around 70
are jidaimono (historical romances) and 24 are sewamono (domestic
tragedies). The domestic plays are today considered the core of his
artistic achievement, particularly works such as The Courier for Hell
(1711) and The Love Suicides at Amijima (1721). His histories are
viewed less positively, though The Battles of Coxinga (1715) remains
praised.Chikamatsu was born Sugimori Nobumori[2] to a samurai family.
There is disagreement about his birthplace. The most popular theory[3]
suggests he was born in Echizen Province, but there are other
plausible locations, including Hagi, Nagato Province. His father,
Sugimori Nobuyoshi, served the daimyÅ Matsudaira in Echizen as a
medical doctor. Chikamatsu's younger brother became a medical doctor,
and Chikamatsu himself wrote a book on health care.In those days,
doctors who served the daimyÅ s held samurai status. But Chikamatsu's
father lost his office and became a rÅ nin, a masterless samurai. At
some point in his teens, between 1664 and 1670, Chikamatsu moved to
Kyoto with his father[4] where he served for a few years as an obscure
page for a noble family, but other than that, little is known about
this period of Chikamatsu's life. He published his first known
literary work in this period, a haiku that appeared in 1671.[4] After
serving as a page, he next appears in records of the GonshÅ -ji
(è¿'æ ¾å¯º) temple (long suggested as the origin of his pen name
"Chikamatsu", which is kun reading of è¿'æ ¾) in ÅŒmi Province, in
present-day Shiga Prefecture.With the production in 1683 of his puppet
play in Kyoto about the Soga brothers (The Soga Successors or "The
Soga Heir"; Yotsugi Soga), Chikamatsu became known as a playwright.
The Soga Successors is believed to have been Chikamatsu's first play
although sometimes 15 earlier anonymous plays are contended to have
been by Chikamatsu as well. Chikamatsu also wrote plays for the kabuki
theatre between 1684 and 1695, most of which were intended to be
performed by a famous actor of the day, Sakata TÅ jÅ«rÅ
(1647â€"1709).[2] After 1695, and until 1705, Chikamatsu wrote almost
exclusively Kabuki plays, and then he abruptly almost completely
abandoned that genre. The exact reason is unknown, although
speculation is rife: perhaps the puppets were more biddable and
controllable than the ambitious kabuki actors, or perhaps Chikamatsu
did not feel kabuki worth writing for since TŠjūrŠwas about to
retire, or perhaps the growing popularity of the puppet theater was
economically irresistible.
Nobumori, æ ‰æ£® ä¿¡ç››, 1653 â€" 6 January 1725) was a Japanese
dramatist of jÅ ruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be
known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The Encyclopædia
Britannica has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest
Japanese dramatist".[1] His most famous plays deal with
double-suicides of honor bound lovers. Of his puppet plays, around 70
are jidaimono (historical romances) and 24 are sewamono (domestic
tragedies). The domestic plays are today considered the core of his
artistic achievement, particularly works such as The Courier for Hell
(1711) and The Love Suicides at Amijima (1721). His histories are
viewed less positively, though The Battles of Coxinga (1715) remains
praised.Chikamatsu was born Sugimori Nobumori[2] to a samurai family.
There is disagreement about his birthplace. The most popular theory[3]
suggests he was born in Echizen Province, but there are other
plausible locations, including Hagi, Nagato Province. His father,
Sugimori Nobuyoshi, served the daimyÅ Matsudaira in Echizen as a
medical doctor. Chikamatsu's younger brother became a medical doctor,
and Chikamatsu himself wrote a book on health care.In those days,
doctors who served the daimyÅ s held samurai status. But Chikamatsu's
father lost his office and became a rÅ nin, a masterless samurai. At
some point in his teens, between 1664 and 1670, Chikamatsu moved to
Kyoto with his father[4] where he served for a few years as an obscure
page for a noble family, but other than that, little is known about
this period of Chikamatsu's life. He published his first known
literary work in this period, a haiku that appeared in 1671.[4] After
serving as a page, he next appears in records of the GonshÅ -ji
(è¿'æ ¾å¯º) temple (long suggested as the origin of his pen name
"Chikamatsu", which is kun reading of è¿'æ ¾) in ÅŒmi Province, in
present-day Shiga Prefecture.With the production in 1683 of his puppet
play in Kyoto about the Soga brothers (The Soga Successors or "The
Soga Heir"; Yotsugi Soga), Chikamatsu became known as a playwright.
The Soga Successors is believed to have been Chikamatsu's first play
although sometimes 15 earlier anonymous plays are contended to have
been by Chikamatsu as well. Chikamatsu also wrote plays for the kabuki
theatre between 1684 and 1695, most of which were intended to be
performed by a famous actor of the day, Sakata TÅ jÅ«rÅ
(1647â€"1709).[2] After 1695, and until 1705, Chikamatsu wrote almost
exclusively Kabuki plays, and then he abruptly almost completely
abandoned that genre. The exact reason is unknown, although
speculation is rife: perhaps the puppets were more biddable and
controllable than the ambitious kabuki actors, or perhaps Chikamatsu
did not feel kabuki worth writing for since TŠjūrŠwas about to
retire, or perhaps the growing popularity of the puppet theater was
economically irresistible.
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