The Love Suicides at Sonezaki by Chikamatsu Monzaemon
"The Love Suicides at Sonezaki" is a classic Japanese play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, first performed in 1703. This poignant tragicomedy revolves around the intense love story of two characters, O Hatsu, a courtesan, and Tokubei, a clerk, whose relationship is fraught with societal pressures and familial obligations. Their love faces insurmountable challenges when Tokubei's uncle arranges a marriage that threatens to separate them, leading to a series of desperate events. The play explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the conflict between personal desires and social expectations, which are central to the narrative.
As the story unfolds, the lovers' plight is further complicated by the actions of a rival, Kuheiji, who seeks to exploit the situation for his own gain. Ultimately, the couple's tragic decision to end their lives together in Sonezaki reflects a broader commentary on the struggles faced by individuals trapped by societal constraints in Edo-period Japan. "The Love Suicides at Sonezaki" is significant not only for its dramatic portrayal of love and loss but also as a reflection of the cultural and historical context of its time, making it a vital work in the canon of Japanese literature.
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The Love Suicides at Sonezaki by Chikamatsu Monzaemon
First produced:Sonezaki shinjū, 1703 (English translation, 1961)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Tragedy
Time of plot: Eighteenth century
Locale: Osaka, Japan
Principal characters
O Hatsu , a popular geishaTokubei , her lover, an apprentice clerkKyūemon , Tokubei’s uncle and employerKuheiji , Tokubei’s friend, also in love with O HatsuGihei , a wealthy countryman
The Story:
Gihei, a rich man from the country, is trying to decide how to spend the evening in Osaka. Two friends urge him to hire O Hatsu, the famous geisha, or courtesan, for the evening. She begs off, however, and remains with her maids, meanwhile thinking about her lover Tokubei, a clerk, who has been neglecting her. To her great joy, he arrives a short time later, but he tells her that Kyūemon, his uncle and employer, had arranged for Tokubei to marry to an heiress and that his aunt had already received and spent the dowry. Tokubei had refused to marry the young woman, but this meant that the dowry had to be returned. Tokubei managed to collect the money, but later he lent it to his friend Kuheiji. Now Kyūemon wants Tokubei to leave Osaka.
O Hatsu, in spite of this disturbing news, is happy once more; she had feared Tokubei no longer loved her. While the lovers are talking, Kuheiji and a group of his friends appear. When Tokubei asks for the money owed him, Kuheiji pretends to know nothing about the loan. Desperately, Tokubei attacks Kuheiji, whose friends join the fight and overwhelm Tokubei. During the uproar, Gihei returns and compels O Hatsu to go off with him.
Later, not knowing what has happened to Tokubei, O Hatsu is afraid that he may have been killed in the quarrel. When Kyūemon arrives, O Hatsu goes outside to speak to him. Saying that she is a bad influence on the young man and that she is not truly in love with him, Kyūemon begs her to give up Tokubei. He also asks her where Tokubei can be found. O Hatsu insists that her love is real and that she is ignorant of her lover’s whereabouts. Kyūemon goes inside, but O Hatsu, still fearful, remains on the street.
She is still standing there when a shabby Tokubei appears. As she tells him of Kyūemon’s visit, Kuheiji and his gang appear and insist that O Hatsu join them. She is able to hide Tokubei under the porch while she sits above him on a step, and from his hiding place he is able to communicate his understanding by fondling her foot tenderly. It develops that Kuheiji has come to ransom O Hatsu, using Tokubei’s money. O Hatsu, seeing no solution but suicide, manages to convey her resolve to Tokubei through her conversation with Kuheiji. Kuheiji, the braggart, goes away to close the deal, and O Hatsu is forced to withdraw without talking to Tokubei again.
That night, O Hatsu steals away secretly to meet Tokubei, and the lovers flee to the woods of Sonezaki. Meanwhile, Kyūemon overhears Kuheiji and his servant discussing their plan to gain O Hatsu and malign Tokubei. After confronting the evil Kuheiji, Kyūemon goes in haste to find the lovers, but he arrives too late—they have already committed suicide together.
Bibliography
Brownstein, Michael. “The Osaka Kannon Pilgrimage and Chikamatsu’s Love Suicides at Sonezaki.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 66, no. 1 (June, 2006): 7-41. Examines the opening passage of the play, which delineates O Hatsu’s journey to thirty-three temples of Kannon in Osaka, Japan. Discusses issues related to the development of puppet theater.
Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu. Translated by Donald Keene. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. Includes texts of The Love Suicides at Sonezaki and three other plays. A lengthy introduction by the translator provides information on Chikamatsu’s career, the times in which he lived, and the subjects, characters, and performances of his plays.
Gerstle, C. Andrew. Circles of Fantasy: Convention in the Plays of Chikamatsu. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1986. Discussion of Chikamatsu’s work includes a brief synopsis and history of The Love Suicides at Sonezaki as part of an examination of the love-suicide play as a dramatic form. Includes a detailed analysis of the structure and dynamics of the play, especially the michiyuki, or final journey to death.
Kato, Shuichi. “Glorious Deaths.” In The Years of Isolation. Vol. 2 in A History of Japanese Literature. Translated by David Chibbet. 1979. Reprint. New York: Kodansha America, 1990. Examines the contrast between the celebration of the lover’s death and the celebration of the warrior’s death in Japanese literature, with specific reference to The Love Suicides at Sonezaki.
Keene, Donald. “Drama: Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725).” In World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600-1867. 1976. Reprint. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Places The Love Suicides at Sonezaki within the context of the author’s entire oeuvre. Points out the importance of the themes of love and money, which provide the tension that drives the play, and discusses the themes of giri (obligation) and ninjo (human feeling), which provide dramatic conflict.
Kirkwood, Kenneth P. Renaissance in Japan: A Cultural Survey of the Seventeenth Century. New ed. Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1970. Includes a biographical sketch of Chikamatsu and a discussion of some of his works. Provides information on the historical event that provided the basis for The Love Suicides at Sonezaki and addresses the phenomenon of lovers’ suicides in Japanese literature.
Richie, Donald. “Chikamatsu Monzaemon.” In Japanese Literature Reviewed. New York: ICG Muse, 2003. Chikamatsu is one of the more than one hundred writers whose lives and works are briefly discussed in this introductory overview of Japanese literature.