7/18/2019 At Takasago

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David Willmore

THEA 481

Feb 22, 2015

 At Takasago 

In Zeami Motokyo’s At Takasago (also commonly known as Twin Pines), a priest and a

long-married couple are at the Takasago shrine. The priest admires their long marriage and

compares them to two wedded pines, which, according to legend, remain together for

eternity. The couple then reveals that they are in fact the spirits of the pines, and sail away in a

boat.

This is a prototypical category 1 (“God”) N! text, which also features only a few

characters as well as a continual chorus onstage. The chorus, in combination with the

movement and blocking sets the pacing of the show. The music is supposed to more closely

match the style found at the Takasago shrine in Japan, as well as an allusion of the sea (on

which the shine is located).

 At Takasago is both widely relatable and topical. The play deals with concepts of

religion and afterlife, as well as the infection of human relationships and humanity as a whole.

Contemporary critics have called the work has been called a Japanese version of the English

Darby and Joan. The trees, which live and die in a pair, show the value in relationships and

pairings are especially topical in a society dominated by scandal and impropriety. The poem

on which the play is based - and which features in the play itself - discusses the merits and

strengths of marriage and fidelity.

7/18/2019 At Takasago

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  While At Takasago breaks from reality, it is an excellent example of a classical N! text

which is still relevant in todays society and is an eloquent voice for peace and prosperity.