TOP＞Information ＞Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma PLAIN JAPANESE 助成：文化庁文化芸術振興費補助金(舞台芸術等総合支援事業(公演創造活動)) 　　　独立行政法人日本芸術文化振興会 　　　Supported by Arts Council Tokyo（Grant for Accessibility） 　　　　 Sponsored by: Shinjuku City Bungakuza Production 『Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma』（The Doctor's Wife） Written by Sawako Ariyoshi Directed by Hitoshi Uyama 　　　 Dates: October 26(Sun) - November 3(Mon), 2025 　　　 Venue: Shinjuku South Exit Kinokuniya Southern Theatre TAKASHIMAYA performance time：3 hours (including 15-minute intermission) 【Bungakuza Production Official X】 【Bungakuza Official Instagram】

The numerous treasured plays left behind by the theater company's predecessors are a vital part of Bungakuza's legacy. As Bungakuza celebrates its 88th anniversary, passing on this legacy from those who have performed these plays to the younger generation is one of our core missions. It is not only the techniques of kimono dressing or traditional stage mannerisms that must be inherited, but also the delicate nuances of human life that seep through traditional Japanese plays. Passing these on is essential for Bungakuza to thrive into its 90th and 100th years. Sawako Ariyoshi's masterpiece, Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma, premiered in 1970 under the direction of Ichiro Inui and has since been revived numerous times both within Bungakuza and beyond. It has also been frequently adapted for film and television. Now, for the first time in a quarter-century, Bungakuza presents a new production featuring a brand new cast. The human drama behind the world's first development of anesthetics: the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the dynamics within the family, is vividly reimagined by director Hitoshi Uyama, who brings the richly woven imagery spun from the dialogue to life on stage.

Story

About 200 years ago, during the Tenmei era, the Hanaoka family, a family of physicians, lived along the Kinokawa River in the Kishu region. While the heir, Unpei (Seishu), was studying in Kyoto, his mother, Otsugi, arranged a marriage for him with Kae, the daughter of a prominent local family. Kae, who had admired the beautiful Otsugi since childhood, served her well as a daughter-in-law. Otsugi also cherished Kae more than her own daughter, and their affection was the envy of others. But everything changed when Seishu returned home from Kyoto. As mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the two women gradually escalated their conflict over Seishu.

Meanwhile, the indifferent Seishu immersed himself in the study of anesthetics and eventually came to be known as the finest physician in the entire Kishu region. As his research progressed and only human testing remained before the anesthetic could be completed, both Otsugi and Kae vied to offer themselves for the experiment. As mother and wife, neither would concede to becoming the test subject. Their rivalry ultimately boiled down to a fierce struggle between two women driven by their love for the heir and the husband. Having secured a test subject, Seishu steadily achieved results through his experiments. Yet over time, Kae's eyesight began to deteriorate, and she eventually lost her vision completely...

Author

有吉佐和子 (Sawako Ariyoshi)

Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1931. While attending Tokyo Women's Christian University Junior College, she won an essay contest held by the magazine Engekikai. After graduating in 1952, she became a contributing writer for Engekikai, writing visit reports and profiles of cultural figures. She also served as a secretary to the first Tokuho Azuma. In 1956, her work Jiuta was nominated for the Bungakukai New Writer Award and the Akutagawa Prize, marking her literary debut. Ariyoshi went on to publish a wide range of acclaimed works across multiple genres. Her Kishu trilogy, Kinokawa, Aritagawa, and Hidakagawa, along with arts-related novels such as Renbu, Ichi no Ito, and Ranbu, and historical fiction including The Doctor's Wife (Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma, winner of the Women's Literature Prize), Izumo no Okuni (Awarded the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts), and Kazunomiya-sama Otome (winner of the Mainichi Art Award). She also tackled social themes, such as dementia in The Twilight Years (Kokotsu no Hito) and environmental pollution in Fukugo Osen. Many of her works were adapted for the stage, film, radio, and television, and she frequently took on the task of adaptation or direction herself. As a playwright, Ariyoshi contributed scripts for Kabuki, Ningyo-Joruri (puppet theater), Shinpa (new school theater), Shingeki (new drama), Musicals, Takarazuka Revue, and Japanese dance. For Bungakuza, she wrote original plays such as Komyo Kogo and Furu Amerika ni Sode wa Nurasaji..

【Bungakuza's Performance History of Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma】 1970 Bungakuza Main Production (Toyoko Theatre / National Theatre Main Hall) Directed by Ichiro Inui 1971 Bungakuza / Shochiku Joint Production (Kyoto Minamiza Theatre) Directed by Ichiro Inui 1972 Bungakuza Main Production / 35th Anniversary (Toyoko Theatre) Directed by Ichiro Inui 1987 Bungakuza Main Production / 50th Anniversary (National Theatre Main Hall) Directed by Ichiro Inui 1996 Bungakuza/Shochiku Joint Production (Sunshine Theatre) Directed by Ichiro Inui 1998 Bungakuza Main Production - 60th Anniversary (Kinokuniya Southern Theatre) Directed by Toru Emori 2000 2001 Regional Tour Directed by Toru Emori

Director

In this production of Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma, I aim to make a small leap from the love-hate drama between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. Women who use their bodies as capital to continually create life, and the men who draw up the blueprints. Behind it all lies a view of life and death that transcends a single human lifespan. The succession from daughter-in-law to mother-in-law assumes the eventual death of the elder. Yet, as if defying that fate, it's a drama of women fighting with their own lives as their final trump card. What's even more fascinating is the men's behavior in the face of such drama. There's a kind of cunning and strength in the way they redirect the women's conflict into the development of anesthetics. Truly, "men are incredible creatures," and "the relationship between men and women is the most terrifying thing imaginable."　

　

鵜山 仁 (Hitoshi Uyama)

Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Letters, Department of French Literature. After attending Theater Art College, he entered the Bungakuza Institute (17th class) / Promoted to company member in 1982. Renowned for his witty directing style that draws out unexpected facets of actors, and his ability to manifest vast imagery inspired by words into the theatrical space using all forms of expression and materials. In 2004, he received the Grand Prize and Best Director Award at the 11th Yomiuri Theatre Awards. From June 2007 to August 2010, he served as the fourth Artistic Director of the New National Theatre, Tokyo. His major works include The Greeks (Bungakuza / the 25th Kinokuniya Theatre Award for Group Achievement Award) (Bungakuza) and Copenhagen (New National Theater / the 9th Yomiuri Theater Award for Best Director). In 2020, he received the Medal with Purple Ribbon. In recent Bungakuza performances, he has directed A Midsummer Night's Dream and Othello.

CAST

　 　

Yoko Ono	Takeshi Ishikawa	Keiko Tsukamoto	Eimi Kanazawa	Yasuhiro Oohara	Masahiro Yoshino	Shizuka Oota
Misa Yoshino	Yasuyuki Unezawa	Ippei Okuda	Yousuke Kawai	Shunsuke Kotani	Mahiro Hiratai

 

□Staff
Set Design Design: Masahiro Norimine
Lighting Design: Toshiaki Komiya
Sound Design: Daisuke Hata
Costume Design: Katsumi Kishii
Stage Manager: Yukie Kase
Assistant Director: Issyou Ouchi
Production Manager: Asato Maeda, Yu Kajiwara, Shimako Saishu, Tatsushi Tomotani
Publicity Artwork: Shunichi Miki (bunkyo-zuan-shitsu)
Publicity Photography: Maiko Miyakawa

Schedule

　　 　 　 　 　　　　 　　 　 　　 　　 　

Oct	26	27	28	29	30	31	Nov/1	2	3
	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon
1:30pm		○★	○★		○◆		○◆	○★	○
4:30pm	◎
6:30pm				○		○

※Doors open 30 minutes before the performance

◎＝Opening Day Discount
★＝Post-Performance Talk Session
①Oct 27 (Mon) Yoshio Oozasa (Theater critic) × Hiroko Yamaguchi (Asahi Shimbun Reporter) × Hitoshi Uyama
②Oct 28 (Tue) Yoshiko Yoshino × Yoko Ono × Keiko Tsukamoto × Misa Yoshino
③Nov 2 (Sun) Kiyomi Sokolova Yamashita (Professor, Nihon University College of Art; Literary Researcher) × Hitoshi Ueyama× Yasuyuki Unezawa
◆＝ Accessibility Support Available

―Oct 30 (Thu) & Nov 1 (Sat) Accessibility Support Details―
・① Distribution of "Guide to Viewing the Performance"
　All audience members will receive a printed guide to enjoy the show.
・② Visual Support
　Pre-performance introduction (including cast self-introductions), real-time audio guidance during the performance. ※Reservation required
・③ Auditory Support
Rental service for barrier-free Japanese subtitles display devices. ※Reservation required
・④ Pre-Performance Set Explanation Using Tactile Models
・⑤Free Admission for One Caregiver ※Reservation required