Chihayaburu Kami no Kuni

[ekusudei]

The Land of All-Powerful God
Haiyuza Theater, June 5th 14:30

Starring: Osawa Mikio, Fuuta, Azuma Takeshi, ARCHE, Hinata San, etc.

Official Site

Summary:

Oda Nobunaga was a major daimyo during the Warring States Period of Japanese history, and by conquering a third of Japanese daimyo through battle was also the initiator of the unification of Japan under the rule of the Shogun.

This play was based on the historical story, with some interesting additions. It begins some few years before Nobunaga's death, introducing us to the main players: Nobunaga, his page Mori Ranmaru, his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide, the tea ceremony master Sen Rikyuu, and the Portuguese missionary Luís Fróis.

It follows the events and battles and plotting of the late 1570s, as Oda fights his enemies and deals with treachery within his own vassals. He is introduced to Fróis by Rikyuu, and his eyes are opened to how large the world really is, and how small Japan. He first conceives the purpose of uniting Japan. Shortly thereafter, in 1578, His beloved page Senchiyo ("My treasure"), is killed during war resulting from the treachery of his vassal Araki.

More politics and battles. Meanwhile, his favorite page Ranmaru is poisoned by another, jealous page, but recovers. Nobunaga himself has been hit with several spells of vertigo and horrible headaches, sometimes hallucinations. His doctor tells him that it is very likely that he shall die soon.

After talking more with Fróis, Nobunaga decides that he shall become an omnipotent God. As God, he shall be able to look after his country. His wife, Nou-hime, urges him to rethink such a crazy thing, as no living man can be God. He calls his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide in for a secret conference.

Some time later, Nobunaga and Mitsuhide are having a dinner at which Mitsuhide is the host, but the food Mitsuhide serves is judged rotten by Nobunaga, and offense is taken. He orders Ranmaru to beat Mitsuhide, publicly. Weeping, Ranmaru at last complies. Mitsuhide leaves without a word.

Later, while Nobunaga is staying at Honnou-ji, while most of his army is off battling enemy. It is then that Mitsuhide's forces turn on Nobunaga and attack. Nobunaga's pages all die defending him, until only Nobunaga and Ranmaru are left. It is than that Mitsuhide himself confronts them. .... And Nobunaga thanks him, who was always the best actor out of all his vassals. Ranmaru learns that it has all been done at Nobunaga's bequest, as he needed a Judas so that he can truly die and rise again.

Ranmaru and Nobunaga die, and the narrator asks us if, perhaps, we believe that Nobunaga might still be watching over Japan.....


What I Thought:

Incredible. Really, really incredible show which I didn't do enough justice to with that thin plot summary. Lots of poetry being quoted and interesting bits and pieces of real history mixed in with the rest. A really cool dance by Nobunaga's wives (go, Mame, go!). Really touching scenes of all types between Nobunaga and Nou-hime, which just left me kind of blinking in shock, because that was Mame, there, being all strong and loving and elegant and incredible.

There was also a random awesome testosterone-thumping dance by the main vassals at one point where, sitting in the second row I got rained on with perspiration and thought they might take out my eye accidentally. It was pretty intense. And the battle scenes were just.... Suddenly I realized how much I missed men on stage. But I don't think I drooled too publicly. ;)

The acting was intense and amazing. I have no nationalistic pride to connect me to Japanese history, but all the rousing bits nearly carried me away, so I can imagine the effect they would have on the Japanese audience. Men, being men, and dying for their country and for honor, still manages to get us on some primal level, doesn't it? And when all the pages were dying I was working very hard not to cry buckets. Osawa Mikio was Nobunaga, there was simply no doubt in my mind. And despite having a bit of a prejudice against pretty boys, Fuuta impressed me quite a lot and by the end I couldn't deny it.

I pretty much guessed what Nobunaga had up his sleeve, although they left that conference private and we as the audience also weren't in on it until Ranmaru learned the truth. It was interesting, and well done.

Altogether I left the theater wanting to turn right back around and see it again, but the last three shows were all sold out by that point. Oh, I wish I had been less sensible and gotten a second ticket when I had the chance..... So hard to call it, but this was possibly the best show that I saw this year.

(Also, I spent a lot of the play gazing at Matsushima Kenichiro (Shibata Katsuie), who is so ruggedly attractive and scowls so well♥)