Nakamura Denkuro as Asaina no Saburo and Nakajima Kanzaemon as Soga no Gorō, Acting Out the Torn Armor Scene (Kusazuri-biki) in a Soga Play

Okumura Masanobu Japanese

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One of Japan's most popular tales of revenge, the story of the twelfth-century Soga brothers, raised by their mother to avenge their father's death, was adapted to all manner of stage portrayals. Acts of extraordinary strength and resolve are the mainstay of the tale. Juro and Gorō were played by the premier aragoto, or "rough," character actors of the day.

Nakamura Denkuro as Asaina no Saburo and Nakajima Kanzaemon as Soga no Gorō, Acting Out the Torn Armor Scene (Kusazuri-biki) in a Soga Play, Okumura Masanobu (Japanese, 1686–1764), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan

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