Imoseyama onna teikin (妹背山婦女庭訓) (kabuki )

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Biography:

"Imoseyama, an Example of Womanly Virtue"

"The power struggle between the Soga and Fujiwara clans in the seventh century is the background to this play that deals with the virtue of self-sacrifice in women. The story of doomed love amid blossoming cherry trees and the wonderful display of puppets during the Girls' Festival made the play appealing to servant girls. It was usually staged during their annual holiday in the cherry blossom season. During the performance the stage is divided in two, each with its own chorus and hanamichi. Two mountains, Imo and Se, separated by the Yoshino River, form the backdrop to this play. Originally written for the puppets by Chikamatsu Hanji and others, it was first performed in 1771 at the Takemoto puppet theater in Osaka. Because of its success, it was adapted for kabuki and staged in the Kogawa shibai in Osaka; it reached Edo in 1778."

Quoted from Heroes of the kabuki stage by Arendie and Henk Herwig, Hotei Publishing, 2004, page 231.