Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-07-23
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Six Hours in an Aisle Seat Absorb
ing a Classical Vengeance

lOul lcCHtIl yCdl VI 0Clllohu,
1901, during the rule of the Toku-
gawa Shogunate, AZ loyal retain
ers of the Lord of Ako, inspired
by thirst for vengeance because OF
humiliation heaped upon their
leader, squared the account with a
series of blood lettings and acts OF
sacrifice that still stir the pulse OF
Japan.
To give even an outline of the
story, offered the present genera.
ton in the form of classical drama,
a single production of which runs
from 3 p. m. to II p. M, with two
hours lapsed time consumed by In
termissions, is out of the question.
AS a time consumer, any one OF
Eugene O'Neill's earlier dramas
would have been mere curtain.
raiser and Parsifal one-act skit
compared with "The Forty-Seven
Ronins."
The Kabuki-za Theater, where
the production is given every two
years for a period of three weeks,
boasts the largest revolving stage
in the Far East. With a seating
capacity of 1000 at prices ranging
from $50 yen in the stalls and
dress circle to 1.40 in the upper
circle (the yen reckoned as Jap
anese dollar), the house packed
for every performance and the au-
dience being fed at six restaurants
during the several intermissions,
this vengeance drama drags down
what New York managers term
important money"
Death Scene No. 1
In death scene No. One, Uzaye-
mon Ichimura, the outstanding
thespian suicide in the kingdom, ap-
preached the tragic moment in a
beautiful setting of silver and jade,
kneeling on an immaculate mat,
himself clothed in no less than
five white kimonos trimmed in pea
green. While murmuring regret at
the necessity for extinguishing his
life, in the presence of 46 brother
ronins kneeling in the background
he removed his raiment, layer by
layer, as one peels Bermuda on
ion and with such elaboration as
to create suspense indescribable
in its intensity.
At precisely sos, slowly, like
one unaccustomed to haste, using
the pressure of both hands, he in
serted at the base of his ribs on
the left side of his body a short
dagger to its hilt, his eyes fixed on
space. simultaneously, the orches-
ira, consisting of a one-piece
stringed instrument augmented by
human voice trained to express
mortal agony, put forth from
bamboo-curtained loft located Is
feet above the wings on the right
side of the stage burst of vocal
and musical anguish that chilled
the blood. Ichimura, under perfect
control, then proceeded to carry on
a conversation, apparently with
his conscience, in which he re-
viewed the business in hand.
Withdraws Dagger at $3.50
At $50, he withdrew the blade,
examined the crimson stain care
fully and slumped forward in a
heap, the weapon clutched in his
fingers. The orchestra put forth
discordant note or two,, signify
ing the end of the self-slain ronin
lying in his numerous garments
like one who had fallen from ia
tigue. At this juncture hench-
man, with tenderness in every ges-
ture, took possession of the dag
ger, smoothed out the white and
green garb of the departed and
placed incense before the silent
figure.
The hands of my watch recorded
SOB within two minutes of one
hour from the thrust to the end.
Behind the living screen of his
comrades, the still form was lift
ed into a palanquin brought into
the palace to receive heroic clay.
Parting, they revealed the lifeless
sacrifice to the ancient code. The
suggestion of death was perfect;
the auditorium silent as a tomb.
1t is written, "When the master is
insulted, his vassal dies" With
vengeance complete, the remaining
46 ronins followed, Ako by COM
hitting hara-kiri on one and the
same day.
Public Rushes for Food
In acting and in stagecraft, it
was magnificent, this pretense of
reality recalled from the feudal
past.
Immediately following this scene
the audience, one and all, made
a rush for the six restaurants
ready to serve light or heavy re-
pasts in accordance with the public
hunger and took nourishment, thus
fortifying themselves to look upon
the talented Uzayemon Ichimura
perform another seppuku between
eight and nine the same evening,
one in which he used a standard
sized sanuri sword, all but disem-
boweling himself. In technical
sense this artist aimed to show
how a plebian ronin would behave
in comparison with an aristocrat,
as depicted in the .hara-kiri scene