Chikamatsu Monzaemon - Free Essay Sample

Chikamatsu Monzaemon, whose original name is Sugimori Nobumori, was born in the year 1653. He is a renowned Japanese playwright and is regarded as one of the greatest dramatists in the country. The majority of his plays, which are over a hundred in the category of joruri drama, are performed by puppets (Nichols, 23). His family, the Samurais, moved to Kyoto in about 1664. While the family stayed in Kyoto, Chikamatsu worked in the court of the aristocracy. His connection to the theatre cannot be established; however, the first play he did was The Joruri. By 1693 his writing had developed such that he began writing for actors, after doing his other literary work, the Kabuki play (Nichols 25). He later joined the famous Takemoto Gidayu when he moved to Osaka to be nearer to the Gidayu Puppet Theatre. The name of the theatre was Takemoto-za, where he worked as a staff playwright until he died.

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Chikamatsu's works can be categorized into two, mainly historical romances and domestic tragedies (Shimazaki. 6). Critics of his work prefer using the plays that he wrote since they were more realistic and related to the Europeans' perception of drama. A classic example is the play “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki," which showcases a double suicide of lovers. The games he wrote on domestic tragedy consisted of characters who portrayed servants, merchants, housewives, prostitutes, and criminals realistically, the people of Osaka during the days.

One of the works done by Chikamatsu is "The Love Suicides at Amijima," classically known as the Bunraku play was performed initially as Shinju ten no Amijima. This was a historical romance play based on an actual event, just like most other plays that he has done. It was based on a brothel system outcome which became so famous for love suicide such that it became outlawed and all the survivor of the suicide would be charged with murder. In the play, Jihei, a merchant dealing in paper, falls in love with Koharu, a 19-year old prostitute. However, Jihei was unable to release her from her brothel. Jihei believes that the body is made of the earth which decays, but the souls never die, and therefore, they would be reunited again (422). The complexity of their relationship from an inflexible society makes the relation only practical in the afterlife and, therefore, incited suicide.

Studying the plays and works by Chikamatsu is very significant, especially for this course, World Literature. The aim is that students, even in the future, may understand different cultures and thus learn to appreciate them. The plays of Chikamatsu were based on actual events which actually would even be featured in televisions. It is also a vibrant source of historical information on how to live in Japan was. For future students, they find it easy to understand what used to happen during the ancient days. This is because history is significant in shaping how the world is today. What is done now is informed by what happened in ancient times?

The literature enables the learners to gain a broader perspective into Japanese culture and increase empathy (Rooks, 80). The learners also can gain commonalities, including connecting with human struggles, deep desires, and triumphs, which provide immunity to geographical and chronological boundaries. The leaners are also able to relate with the many conventions presented in the plays such as love triangles, war with the family concerning obligations and romance, desire for freedom from societal expectations, to love freely without restrictions, and also the excitement of a clandestine relationship (Rooks, 81).

The works of Chikamatsu have endured and categorized as a major since he has been referred to as the Japanese Shakespeare by most critics of his work. The works stand out since, unlike other world literature such as those of Shakespeare, he used lower-class characters in developing the plays. Conventionally, the 18th-century playwrights would use upper-class characters in developing plays, and thus, the work of Chikamatsu stood out. The figures also would violate rules and regulations as laid in the society, which is uncharacteristic of most works done by other writers, based on observing rules.

Some of the plays include the Soga Heir, Kageikiyo Victorious, and Kabuki Interlude. The Soga Heir play narrates of two Prostitutes, Onio and Dosaburo, who both had a love affair with two brothers. The two women wait for their lovers, oblivious that they were already dead, murdered. When they learn of their deaths, they take to telling the mother of the brothers, but lucky enough, there was a son to one of the brothers, Sukewaka. Sukewaka becomes the heir of the Soga clan. Kageikiyo victorious narrates of Kagekiyo's mistress, who betrays him to his enemies who capture him on learning that Kagekiyo had planned to marry a high birth woman. The mistress presents herself to him with her two sons and repents; however, she is not forgiven. She kills the two sons and herself, in the watch of Kagekiyo. Later on, goddess Kannon substitutes her head, which sets Kagekiyo free from his enemies and thus his victory. The Kabuki interlude is a series of songs and dances performed along with the plays, especially comedy and tragedy.

The significant literary movement during the 17th century was romanticism, realism, and symbolism (Shimazaki, 9). This a period that was characterized by increasing violence and disturbance following the renaissance that took place earlier. The significant factors at the time were knowledge, religious authority, metaphysics, faith, and reason. The works of Chikamatsu majored mainly in realism as he presented actual events as they happened. Some of his works were written just within the time the incident occurred. The plays were based on historical romantics and domestic tragedy, which were very common, especially when political heat and science discovery were taking place. For instance, the Baroque literature used allegory, daring artifice, and rhetoric to represent what was happening. The works of Chikamatsu are very similar to this literature, only that his action was contained in plays.

In conclusion, Chikamatsu did very excellent work as far as play is concerned and is the first to introduce puppets into the theatre. The majority of his works are not recognized because the use of creature in plays has significantly declined. However, his professions are numerous, counting about a hundred and thirty plays compared to Shakespeare's thirty-seven plays. Basing o the fact that the most of his plays were based on actual happenings within the society, it should be a consideration for the study. It gives wealthy information on the history of literature, especially that of Japan. Chikamatsu also spent all his life within the theatre and in Osaka, which gave him enough time to study and learn deeply about the culture of the place, being one of the members.

Works Cited

Chikamatsu Monzaemon.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, by Martin Puchner et al., 4th ed., D, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 45–73.

Nichols, Robert. Masterpieces of Chikamatsu: Japanese Shakespeare. Vol. 58. Routledge, 2010.

Rooks, Mary Ann. "Difficult Heroism, Heroic Courtesans." Teaching the Eighteenth Century (2009): 79.Shimazaki, Satoko. "Chikamatsu Monzaemon: Historical Drama and Love Suicide Plays." A Companion to World Literature (2020): 1-12.