Gourt > Arts > Literature > Drama > 17th Century > Monzaemon, Chikamatsu
Tomb of Chikamatsu KousaiTemple.jpg Chikamatsu Monzaemon (Japanese: 近松門左衛門; real name Sugimori Nobumori, 杉森信盛, 1653–6 January 1724) was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. Chikamatsu is known as the Japanese Shakespeare, for his assortment of plays staged by puppets in the early era of bunraku stage plays. He wrote plays mainly for theaters in Kyoto or Osaka, most of them notable for their double-suicides.
Chikamatsu was born in a samurai family. It is disputable where he was born. The most supported theory says he was born in Echizen province, but there are other candidates for his birthplace including Hagi, Natago province. His father, Sugimori Nobuyoshi served the daimyo Matsudaira in Echizen as a medical doctor. Chikamatsu's younger brother became a medical doctor. Chikamatsu himself wrote a book for caring health.
In those days, doctors who served daimyos held samurai status. But his father lost his office and became a ronin. Chikamatsu moved to Kyoto with his father. For some years, it is unknown what they did. In 1703 his play on Soga brothers was performed in Kyoto and Chikamatsu became known as a playwright. Chikamatsu was the first known Japanese playwright to not also act in the pieces he wrote. Throughout his life it is thought that Chikamatsu wrote a total of around 100 plays.
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"Beauty lies in the thin margin between the real and the unreal." Chikamatsu Monzaemon
BeccaEuliss (Becca Euliss) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:39:59 -0000
"Beauty lies in the thin margin between the real and the unreal." Chikamatsu Monzaemon
Chikamatsu Monzaemon - Biography of Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon, plus links to all of his works currently in print.
Meta Description: [ Biography of Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon, plus links to all of his works currently in print. ]
Chikamatsu Monzaemon - An overview of the Japanese dramatist and the period in which he wrote.
Meta Description: [ Essay on Chikamatsu Monzaemon and Japanese Theatre ]
Encyclopedia.com: Chikamatsu Monzaemon - A very brief biography of the Japanese dramatist.
Meta Description: [ CHIKAMATSU, MONZAEMON [Chikamatsu, Monzaemon] , 1653-1725, the first professional Japanese dramatist. Chikamatsu wrote primarily for the puppet stage ]
Metropolis: Chikamatsu Monzaemon - An overview of the life of the Japanese Shakespeare.
Meta Description: [ Big in Japan: Tokyo Classified's Big in Japan page zooms in on the Japanese people,
Japanese trends and Japanese cultural phenomena to reveal what the Japanese are thinking
and how Japanese tastes and attitudes are evolving... ]
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