Boris Akunin - All the World's a Stage

He bows to Okasan and says something to her fervently.

STORYTELLER

KUBOTA Although the prince is learned in the arts, he is still young. It would be good to embellish the performance, to enliven it. I shall let the Yanagi house perform last…

Okasan performs the gesture ‘Undeserved Offence’, but Kubota smiles at her cunningly.

The prince will have had time to grow weary of geishas and their songs and dances.

And then you will present your goods to him. First you bring out the rose ( he nods towards O-Bara ) in order to arouse him. And then do this: hire a jester or a juggler who is full of fancy twists and tricks. The prince loves acrobats. Let him laugh at some simple spectacle. But then Izumi will come out and he will be transfixed. The vulgar entertainment will provide a superb contrast for appreciating the exquisite pattern of yugen .

STORYTELLER

Okasan, bowing repeatedly, sees the samurai on his way. Everyone there bows low, with their foreheads to the ground; only Soga, as befitting a man of noble rank, does not bow down as low as that.

This is why he is the first to see that as soon as Mr Kubota and the owner of the house are hidden in the wings, the ‘monk’ abruptly straightens up, jumps to his feet, pulling out his concealed weapon, and dashes forward.

All of this happens in an instant.

Sen-chan squeals and grabs the killer by his robe. He stumbles and pulls himself free, but in that second Soga also has had time to get up and bare his sword.

The killer rushes at Izumi with a furious scream, raising his sharp blade. She freezes in horror and puts her hands over her face.

O-Bara nimbly darts out of the way.

The viewers shout and mill around.

But the Ronin moves even faster than the ‘monk’, jumping up onto the hanamichi and shielding Izumi with his body.

A sword-duel ensues, the killer making guttural sounds, Soga remaining silent.

STORYTELLER ( beating very rapidly on his drum and declaiming briskly )

Eventually, following a precisely aimed blow from Soga, the ‘monk’ falls dead. The Ronin freezes in the pose of his thrust. Everyone else also freezes motionless: some with their hands over their faces, some with their arms raised in the air.

Scene two

The front section of the stage represents the garden of the Yanagi tea house. This is the basic stage set, which remains unchanged. There is a small, decorative bridge, a young apple tree and a large stone lantern. A little farther back there is a narrow, raised veranda, or engawa , running round a pavilion. At each end of the engawa there are oil lamps, which are lit or not, depending on the time of day. The shoji (the paper walls of the pavilion) can also either be parted or moved together. At the moment they are closed. A light is burning inside and we can see Izumi’s silhouette as she sits there, slowly strumming on the strings of the shamisen . A sad, faltering melody is heard.

Night. The garden is dark.

The Storyteller strikes his drum – Soga walks soundlessly along the engawa and disappears, holding the hilt of his sword in his hand.

STORYTELLER

He beats on the drum.

Kinjo appears. He gazes all around and sees the geisha’s silhouette. He freezes, enchanted by the music.

STORYTELLER

Yuba enters the garden, walking backwards. Bent over double, she is sweeping the path with a broom.

She bumps into Kinjo with her backside. Both of them cry out in fright and turn to face each other.

YUBA Who are you? And how could you have got in here?

KINJO ( keeping his presence of mind ) Ah, what rare good fortune! Oh, what a lucky man I am!

YUBA ( suspiciously ) What is it, my good sir, that makes you so delighted! Upon my word, I’ll call the guard this very moment!

KINJO ( taking hold of her sleeve ) There is no need call the guard. I made my way in here with only one intention – to meet you once again! Today I saw you there beside the stage, close to the gates, and my poor reason was stunned by an insane love. I crept into the garden here by stealth and I am wandering about, bewildered and bemused. I did not think or dare to hope to meet you at this hour!

YUBA ( relenting, but still on her guard ) My mistress is out of sorts today, she keeps shouting. She has sent me out to sweep the paths in the middle of the night…

KINJO ( trying to keep her talking ) Did you see that sword fight here today? What a performance! I was absolutely fascinated. I thought at first that it was all in earnest, that at any moment blood would spurt out in a fountain. Hey, hey, a classy trick. It was only a pity that the noble guest left without seeing it, the actors played the deadly fight so deftly.

YUBA What actors? I’m still shaking even now. It was our enemies who tried to kill Izumi yet again!

KINJO Your enemies have tried again? What do you mean, I do not understand…

YUBA Probably you’re not from hereabouts. Why, it’s the talk of all the town that our Izumi has a secret enemy. This is the third time he has sent a man to kill her. But every time she is saved by Soga-san. He is a homeless samurai, with no wealth but his sword, and he is boundlessly devoted to her, like a faithful guard dog. Being a famous geisha is no easy fate. The love of men can sometimes be quite dangerous. Some admirer, spurned by Izumi, must be seeking his revenge for the insult that he has suffered.

KINJO You geishas are so cruel! A beauty such as you can pierce a man’s heart like an arrow, but you care nothing. It’s wrong to dance and sing your songs to us and then pretend to be a touch-me-not.

YUBA Well, I am not a geisha yet. I’m only learning to be one, although my mistress thinks I do not have an ounce of promise.

My lady O-Bara knows all about men, and no one could call her a touch-me-not. She tells me that lady Izumi arranges everything herself. That in this way she wishes to acquire scandalous fame, to be on everybody’s lips. That her faithful Ronin, the fearsome Soga-san, deliberately hires tramps and vagabonds, and then he kills them, the unfortunate fools. For after all, he knows them all by sight. And with his skill, why it’s nothing at all to slice some blockhead hireling into shreds. And all this means a double profit for the mistress: the geisha’s fame increases, and the bold warrior’s fame spreads far and wide.