Kabuki Unveils Lupin the Third Adaptation Set in Azuchi-Momoyama Era

On Saturday, December 23, a live-streaming of the new kabuki play “Rupan Sansei” (流白浪燦星, Lupin the Third), currently on stage at the Shinbashi Enbujo Theater in Ginza, Tokyo, from Tuesday, December 5 to Monday, December 25, will be held.

This is an original story based on the “Lupin the Third” series written by Monkey Punch. The story is set in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, when Ishikawa Goemon, the ancestor of Ishikawa Gemon who appears in the series and is also the subject of a kabuki play, actually lived. This is the first time the series has been made into a kabuki play.

Lupin the Third and his companion Daisuke Dimeji, who are after the national treasure “Himiko’s Golden Seal,” Ishikawa Goemon (Ishikawa Gemon), the great thief who is also after the Golden Seal and possesses one of the treasure swords needed to unseal it, Mashiba Hisayoshi (Toyotomi Hideyoshi), the ruler of Japan, Inspector Zenigata, who is after Lupin and Dimeji, and others also make an appearance in this production, which is unique to Kabuki. The film dynamically depicts the activities of each of these characters using techniques and staging unique to the Kabuki theater.

Lupin the Third is played by Ainosuke Kataoka, Gomon Ishikawa by Matsuya Onoe, Daisuke Daimon by Shozaburo Ichikawa, Hisayoshi Mashiba by Yajuro Bando, Inspector Zenigata by Chuguruma Ichikawa, and Fujiko Mine by Shoya Ichikawa. Other actors include Ukon Onoe, Takanosuke Nakamura, Juzaru Ichikawa, and Enya Ichikawa. Written and directed by Kazuhisa Tobe.

Tickets for the performance are now available at “Ticket Web Shochiku” and “Ticket Hon Shochiku” and various play guides. Tickets for the broadcast performances can be purchased and viewed on “Kabuki On Demand (MIRAIL)” and “Hulu Store,” and will also be archived until January 8, 2024 (Monday, national holiday).