Figure femminili alla ribalta nel teatro dei burattini, Wada kassen onna maizuru di Namiki Sōsuke

Female figures in the limelight of puppet theatre Wada kassen onna maizuru by Namiki Sōsuke (1695– 1751) The paper aims to provide an overview on the works of Namiki sōsuke (1695–1751) — and in particular analyses the Wada kassen onna maizuru (The Wada Battle, Woman’s dancing cranes, 1736), written during the playwright’s activity at the toyotake Theatre. In his numerous dramatic works there, the female characters were at the center of the events represented and played a decisive role. among the plays performed at Toyotakeza, Wada kassen onna maizuru is one of the most famous: Ichiwaka’s sacrifice and the tragedy of his mother Hangaku are still represented today. My analysis of the work, which originated from a collaboration between the playwright and the narrator Toyotake Wakatayū (1681–1764), aims to outline the characteristics of Namiki’s dramatic language, to underline the different fictional expedients (shukō) adopted by the authors, and to deal with some of the most urgent matters of Japanese dramaturgy, such as migawari (one’s sacrifice for an‐ other) and the human relationship between lords and retainers, parents and children.