I. Basic Plot of Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy

A. The triplets Umeômaru (Plum); Sakuramaru (Cherry) and Matsuômaru (Pine) are sons of Shiradayû, Michizane's senior retainer

1. Umeômaru is a retainer of Michizane

2. Sakuramaru is a retainer of Prince Tokiyo (the younger brother of Emperor Daigo)

3. Matsuômaru is the retainer of Fujiwara Shihei (Shihei is the Sino-Japanese reading of Tokihira, Michizane's historical enemy)

B. In the play, Sakuramaru promotes an illicit romance between Prince Tokiyo and Michizane's daughter Kariya (image)

1. How does the villain Shihei (Fujiwara Tokihira) use this against Michizane?

C. What was the situation historically?

1.Michizane's use of marriage politics:

a. Emperor Uda (favored Michizane; one consort is Michizane's daughter Nobuko)
b. Emperor Daigo (son of Uda; consort is Tokihira's daughter)
c. Prince Tokiyo (younger son of Uda, brother of Daigo; consort is Michizane's daughter)

2. Why did it fail?
 
D. What happens to the triplets in the course of the play?

1. Umeômaru

2. Sakuramaru

a. Yae (his wife)

3. Matsuômaru

a. Michizane's son, Kan Shusai

A.  Poems by Michizane about Plum, Cherry, and Pine trees

1. How is the last poem related to the play?


B. Triplets born in Osaka

1. "Aragato" (rough style) makeup, print of kabuki actor applying makeup

2. "Tearing Apart the Carriage" (Kurumabiki) scene in the Kabuki version of the play

3. Comparison of Matsuômaru in Bunraku and Kabuki

C. Oracles and other historical evidence (10th c.)

D. Kitano Tenjin engi illustrated scroll (13th c.) and Taiheiki (14th c.)

E. Noh play Raiden (14th c.)

A.  Kariya and Tokiyo's relationship
    1. 10th c. (Michizane practicing marriage politics)

    2. Bunraku

B. Politics
    1. 10th c.

    2. Bunraku
 

A. How Michizane actually died historically

B. Oracle version (10th c. ) image 1, image 2

C. Kitano Tenjin engi (13th c.) image 1

D. Transformation in Bunraku

1. Why does Michizane vow to become the God of Thunder in Bunraku?
2. How is this different from earlier versions?

A. 10th and 13th c. versions
early version of the story, Kitano Tenjin engi

B. Bunraku version (images)
 
1. What elements come from earlier (10th c.) versions of the story,  Kitano Tenjin Engi, and the Noh play Raiden? What is different?

 a. image of snakes

2. How are the ghosts of Sakuramaru and Yae presented in this play? What are their powers? Is Buddhism effective against them? What pacifies them?

A. Samurai values of honor and loyalty

1. Conflict between giri (duty) and ninjo (human emotion) is a "conflict generator" for historical dramas

B. Righteous vendetta

C. Treatment of Emperor Daigo (Nichizo's vision representing Heian period attitude, versus Noh and Kabuki idealization of Emperor)