Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail

[faith]

Benkei's blank page is never shown in kabuki, either to the audience or to the other actors, not for any formal kabukiesque reasons but for the realistic reason that the paper really is blank since Benkei et al are in disguise and do not actually have such a scroll.  Benkei's spontaneous
 improvisation of a real "subscription list," which he reads out, is part of the dramatic weight of the role.  Mid-read,  Togashi approaches stealthily bit by bit with the intention of catching a peek at the page, but Benkei clutches it to his breast in time, realistically.(= i.e., the actors are
 too far apart for Togashi actually to have seen the page).  Some Togashi actors at this point make the decision that Benkei is a fake either because of his suspicious fast clutch, or because T has "really" seen the scroll is blank: this is up to the actor.
   
  (The Enoken character does not exist in kabuki but is a wonderful Kurosawa invention.)  
   
  It is also true, as someone else in this discussion has already pointed out, that Togashi does make the conscious decision to let the Benkei/Yoshitsune party escape, despite realizing the truth of their IDs and knowing he (T) will die for dereliction of duty in letting them go.  He is moved
 primarily by the fact that Benkei later strikes his lord Yoshitsune, disguised as a porter, with his staff allegedly to reprimand him.  Striking one's lord is something literally for a retainer to die for; Benkei does this specifically to dis-convince Togashi's group that the porter may be Y in
 disguise, since what retainer could dare offer physical affront to his lord? Because Benkei is willing to undertake such an affront, to his own extreme dishonor, Togashi is so moved by B's moral & psychological courage that he lets them go.  (Later Benkei weeps and Yoshitsune forgives him for the
 beating.)  Dramatically the scroll business is 2ndary to the beating, so far as Togashi is concerned.
   
  Yes, it is very difficult stuff for non-traditional audiences to understand.  Kabuki is, however, full of such examples of "noble enemy" tropes whereby someone on the opposite side is moved to mercy by the power of his antagonist's self-sacrifice in dedication to his own duty.
   
  Kanjincho is out on DVD in the Shochiku series, I believe.  
   
  FB
   
   
      
 
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