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KAMI NO MEGUMI UAGO NO TORIKUMI.
commonly called MEGUMI NO KENKA.

4 acts 8 scenes.

1. Shimazakiro - tea-house
2. Takanawa-yatsuyamashita
3. Front of Kabuki-theater
4. Kisaburo's house
5. Tatsugoro's house
6. Meeting of Fire man
7. Wrestler's quarter
8. Fighting

[[2 columns]]
Main Characters | actors
Megumi no Tatsugoro | Shoroku
His wife | Baiko
His son | Rokuya
Megumi no Fujimatsu | Gonzaburo
" " [[dittos for Megumi no]] Chojiro | Ichizo
" " [[dittos for Megumi no]] Kameemon | Koizaburo
Omocha no Bunji | Mitsunobu
Kikumatsu | Hashizo
Masu | Kikuji
Hanji | Kikuzo
Yotsu guruma wrestler | Ebizo
Namiemon | Hikosabura
Takidashi Kisaburo | Sadanji

Written by Takeshiba Kisui, the best pupil of Kawatake Mokuami, with the assistance of his master. The play was a vehicle for Once Kikugoro V and was first performed in 1890. The fight between the fire-men and the sumo wrestlers has always been very popular with Edo audiences.

ACT I. The upper floor of the Shimazakiro tea-house in Shinagawa, Edo.

A number of samurai are dining there with their favourite sumo wrestler, Yotsuguruma (four-wheeler) Daihachi. The party becomes noisy and a guest in the room next door protests. He is a member of one of the forty-eight firemen's companies of Edo. A quarrel breaks out and shows signs of turning into a fight when the chief of the company (which is called Megumi, i.e. the Me Company since each company took a character of the Japanese syllabary as their emblem) appears and does his best to settle the matter amicably. This man, Tatsugoro, can control his own apprentices but cannot pacify the angry Yotsuguruma who insults him grossly and vows vengeance against the Megumi.

ACT II. That same evening at Shinagawa Tatsugoro, smarting under the insults put upon him, lies in wait for Yotsuguruma when the latter is returning home from his eating-bout. Tatsugoro attacks him but the sumo wrestler is too strong for him. (This scene takes the form of a pantomime and is called "sewn dammari" the pantomime of the common people.)

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