Komatsuza’s 151st production of “Basho Tsuya-bune” starring Seiyo Uchino will be performed at Kinokuniya Southern Theater in Sendagaya, Tokyo, in October 2024.
“Basho Tsuya-bune” was first performed in 1983 as the third production of Shabondama-za by Hisashi Inoue, and in 2012 it was directed by Hitoshi Uyama and reprised with Mitsugoro Bando X in the role of Basho. A repeat production of the play was planned but could not be realized due to the sudden death of Mitsugoro Bando. In 2024, the 90th anniversary of the birth of Hisashi Inoue, the play will be performed for the first time in 11 years, with Seiyo Uchino as Basho and directed by Hitoshi Uyama.
The play depicts Matsuo Basho’s life as a haiku poet over a period of 40 years in a total of 36 scenes, mainly narrated by a single narrator, and likened to the 36 views of Fuji. The work depicts not only the viewpoint that Matsuo Basho eventually reached, but also the richness of life and the greatness of its possibilities. The film depicts not only the perspective that Basho eventually attained, but also the richness of life and its possibilities. In addition to Seiyo Uchino, the cast includes Momoko Koishikawa, Shintaro Matsuura, Kei Murakami, and Yuuri Sakurai.
【Seiyo Uchino’s comment】
Another monologue. No, almost a one-man show. In the previous production of “Keshou Nidai”, there were invisible and transparent members of the troupe, so I didn’t feel lonely even though I was acting by myself. This time, however, it was Basho, who struggled to master the idea that “there is no other way but to live and die alone. It is a terrible life, even if you only hear about it! It is almost a bit daunting. But being an actor is also a lonely job. When I read this piece, I felt it contained a very sympathetic message. I am afraid to take on Basho’s life almost alone, but with the power of Hisashi Inoue’s words, Hitoshi Uyama’s skilled direction, and the young co-stars playing blacks, I would like to bite into Basho’s life, challenge him, and expose his life as a man who mastered the art of haikai. I am hoping to express interesting things in a deep, funny, and serious way, and behind the mixture of expectation and fear, my fighting spirit is secretly beginning to grow.
Please look forward to it.
【Hitoshi Uyama’s comment】
In the preface to “Oku no Hosomichi” , there is a phrase, “Tsukihi wa Hyakudai no Kakaku ni shite,Ikikau Toshi mo Mata Tabibito nari.” Basho is a traveler, a hiker, as the saying goes, and I believe that this journey probably goes beyond the range of a person’s lifetime, and should be connected with the moon and the sun to the end of the galaxy, wherever that may be.
What role art can play in guiding us on such a journey is of great interest to us.This time, Basho Uchino will be taking over the sash of the journey of 40 years, acting as a boatman on this eternal journey.
