Actors and Outcasts - Everyday Life in Traditional Japan - page 134

of a temporary ban on the theatre in Kyoto to entertain some of the members of his cast to
a party in a temple overlooking Lake Biwa. He was recognised by some great lord (whose
identity was never revealed), who had him join his party that was drinking and admiring
the view, screened from draughts and the gaze of commoners. Tōjūrō was obviously good
value as a guest, for the lord insisted on rewarding him with a gift. Tōjūrō was an expert
on out-of-the-way presents (see p. 102 ) , and either for this reason or perhaps because he
felt that it would be beneath his dignity as the undoubted leader of his profession to accept
an ordinary gift, he asked for the pine tree that was growing near by. This caused some
embarrassment when it arrived some time later at his home in Kyoto, since it could not be
persuaded round a corner in the narrow approach to his house without knocking down a
garden wall.
Tōjūrō was more affluent than most of his fellow actors. His house was furnished in
elegant and expensive style, and was large enough for him to have rehearsals in it. Being
the manager as well as a great actor, he was able to pocket the profits arising from his own
popularity and became very rich. Most actors normally worked on a succession of annual
contracts, starting from the autumn of each year, the salary for that year being a matter of
bargaining between actor and management. In 1741 the Edo actor Ebizo was persuaded to
gotoKyotoforayearatasalaryequivalenttomorethan£30,000inmodernBritishmoney,
but this was extremely high and not repeated. Normally, a quarter of this amount would be
the top salary, and the majority of actors would be content with only a fraction of it.
An actor's life was arduous. It is true that he usually had the evenings to himself, for it
was exceptional to have performances after dark. However, they started early in the morn-
ing and went on all day. Runs were short, depending upon the success of a piece, and,
even though rehearsals were sketchy by modern Western standards, there was nearly al-
ways some new piece being prepared. No doubt actors of the period had the same ability
to “switch off ” as have kabuki actors today, for even now programs are long, and the act-
or has to conduct his everyday life, entertain his visitors, see to his publicity, and have his
meals in intervals of appearing on the stage. The actor had no life apart from the theatre,
and this was especially true of the onnagata, the player of female roles. Apart from a short
time in the early seventeenth century, women had not been allowed to appear on the public
stage, and the actors who took female parts were expected, if they were to be accepted by
the public and the critics (who periodically produced ranking lists of actors) to live as wo-
menevenoutsideofthetheatre,andtokeepanymalecharacteristics, nottomentionawife
and family, very much out of the public view.