For the first time in history! Dedication performance of "Shunkan" will be held on Kikai Island 　Three leading Bunraku masters will participate

The Association for Connecting Bunraku to Kikaijima is pleased to announce that the first ever* Bunraku performance on Kikaijima, Amami Islands, "Toshihiro of Kikaijima, Revived Now after Over 1,000 Years" (July performance) has been scheduled.

Leading masters of Bunraku will participate in the performance. For the first time in history, a dedication of Bunraku "Shunkan" will be held on Kikai Island, a place associated with "Shunkan. (Association for Connecting Bunraku to Kikai Island, Kikai-cho, Oshima-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture, Representative: Terumichi Yoshida)

According to the Association's research.

Tayu] Toyotake Waka-tayu XI (assumed the name in April. Former name: Toyotake Rotayu VI)

Shamisen: Seisuke Tsuruzawa

Tamao Yoshida II (Living National Treasure)

The "Toshikan of Kikaijima, Revived after a Thousand Years" Project

Outline of Implementation

In response to the passionate wishes of the members of the "Association for Bringing Bunraku to Kikaijima," leading figures in the world of Bunraku, including Seisuke Tsuruzawa, shamisen player, and Tamao Yoshida, puppeteer (living national treasure), will perform the first ever dedication of "Toshikan" at a site on Kikaijima that has a connection with "Toshikan.

In addition to the dedication performance in front of the statue of Toshihiro, there will be a stage performance of Bunraku "Toshihiro", workshops for children, and other events to interact with the people of Kikai Island through "Toshihiro".

○Event implementation

July 5 (Friday) - July 7 (Sunday), 2024

<Day 1

July 5 (Fri.) Evening: Bunraku troupe arrives in Kikaijima Evening: Dinner party

<Day 2

July 6 (Sat.) Morning: Workshop on history and Bunraku for children in Kikai Island

　　　　　　Afternoon: Dedication of Bunraku "Toshihiro" in front of the statue of Toshihiro

　　　　　　　　　　Performance of Bunraku "Toshihiro" at Kikai-cho Community Center (children are invited)

　　　　　　Evening：Party with Kikai Islanders and guests from outside the island

<Day 3

July 7 (Sun): Bunraku performers return to Kikai after sightseeing in Kikai Island.

Crowd Funding

Crowdfunding was conducted from April 4 to the end of May on "CANMPFIRE".

Project "Toshikan of Kikai Island Revived after a Thousand Years" (Japanese only)

Detail URL: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/749389

Background

Toshihiro was a Buddhist monk who was exiled by Taira no Kiyomori.

In addition to Iwo Jima, where the legend of "Toshikan's final resting place" is said to exist, Kikai Island also has a similar legend.

This time, with the full cooperation of leading bunraku masters, the first dedication of the bunraku play "Toshikan" will be held on Kikai Island!

This will be an opportunity to introduce the charm of the rich land of Kikai Island while remembering the history and culture of Japan.

The Birth of the Project

The story began when Eiko Fujimoto (former professor at Kyoto City University of Arts) visited Kikaijima and asked, "Why is a statue of Toshihiro Shunkan on Kikaijima? The question was "Why is Toshihiro's statue on Kikai Island?

It is said that there are three theories as to the island where Toshihiro was exiled in the Tale of the Heike, namely, "Iwojima" in Kagoshima Prefecture, "Kikaijima" in Kagoshima Prefecture, and "Ioujima" in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Fujimoto was surprised to learn that "I knew about the Iwo Jima theory, but not Kikaijima," and further explained that "an old human bone was found in a grave near the statue of Toshihiro, which is believed to belong to a noble person. The conversation led with surprising speed to Master Toyotake Rotayu, the greatest master of Bunraku.

Kikai Island and Toshihiro Historical Background

The statue of Toshihiro stands a 10-minute walk from Kikai Airport. Behind the statue, there is a gravestone, which the locals called "Bozunme" (in front of the monk) for many years, and it was considered to be Toshihiro's grave.

In 1975, human bones and pieces of wood were found under the grave, and the local government asked Mr. Hisashi Suzuki, Director of the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Nature and Science, to examine them. The local government asked Mr. Hisashi Suzuki, Director of the Humanity Research Department of the National Museum of Nature and Science, to authenticate the bones, which he did.

Based on the results of this appraisal, the local government believes that Toshihiro's final resting place was Kikai Island.

Kikai Island is an island formed by rising coral reefs and is not a volcanic island. For this reason, it does not match the description in the Tale of the Heike, for example, that it is an island from which sulfur can be extracted.

However, Kikai Island is also a famous place of exile, where exiles were often exiled during the reigns of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Satsuma Clan. Considering this, the possibility that Toshihiro was exiled here is quite high.