Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/42

12 works, and those by the subsequent writers, on the whole, exerted a good influence on public morals, as we shall learn later on.

In 1715, after Gidayū's death, and when the Takemoto Za was on the verge of bankruptcy, though his pupils Tanomo and some other able chanters did their best, the Kokusenya Kassen by Monzayemon appeared. It is reproduced in the present volume as "The Battles of Kokusenya." It met with such an enthusiastic reception, that it was performed to overcrowded audiences for seventeen months in succession, and the resultant income saved the theatre from the crisis. This piece, together with the Yuki-onna Gomai Hagoita, or "The Loyalty of Five Heroes," and the Soga Kwaikeizan, or "The Revenge of the Soga Brothers," all historical plays, are generally considered to be Monzayemon's greatest masterpieces. But it is the present writer's humble opinion that the Tenno Amijima, or "The Double Suicide at Amijima," must be added to the honoured number. Dr. Tsubouchi, an authority on this subject, says: "The Tenno Amijima is evidently the greatest of Monzayemon's masterpieces."

The popularity of the Takemoto Za gave rise