1
GOLDEN SAMURAI by Geoffrey Case
Dramaturgy notes by Kim Freeman
Names and Their Meanings:
In Japanese, all names have meanings and are, often times, two words put together. It would be
like an American couple naming their baby, Joy. The correct way to write or speak a name in
Japanese is surname first and then the given name, backwards to the way we write our names. It
is also correct to call a person by their surname, because the family name is the most important
and deserves respect. A title should be included as well, such as –san, which means
“Honorable,” and would be read “Nishimura-san.” All of the names in the play are actually last
names, except for Yuki because he is a child.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Sharaku- could be derived from “sharakusai” which means nonsense.
Nishimura- “west village”-this is a very common Japanese surname.
Buncho- “paddy bird”, which is a common bird that lives near or in rice paddies.
Utamaro- Uta means “poem/song” and Maro means “Myself/I” so this name probably
means “my song” or “my poem”
Yuki- “happiness,” ”good fortune” or “snow”
Kung- means “hole or opening” in Chinese. In Vietnamese and Korean it means
“skilled.” It is not a Japanese word.
Tenshan- Ten means “heavenly” or “sky.” I couldn’t find “shan” anywhere.
Utagowa- Uta means “poem/song,” but this is more likely derived from “utagawashii”
which means “doubtful” or “dubious”
Interesting fact: Sharaku, Utamaro, and Utagawa are all names of famous Japanese artists, and
Buncho is the name of Japanese company that makes art supplies for children.
Is this a Real Japanese Fairy Tale?
No, it is not. “Samurai” was written by Geoffrey Case in 2005. It was first produced at
the Cottesloe National Theatre in London the same year (Geoffrey Case, www.doollee.com).
Case has written a number of different plays as well as scripts for TV and film, some of which
have won awards, most notably The Accountant which won the BAFTA Award for Best Single
Drama, the Critics Award, and a nomination for Best Single Drama by the Royal Television
Society (Geoffery Case, www.rlf.org.uk).
2
Tenth Century Japan
The time frame from 794 to 1185 is known as the Heian period because the emperor
moved the capital to his newly made city called Heian-Kyo, later known as Kyoto. The Heian
period is also known as the “End of the Classical Era of Japan”, before moving into “Medieval
Japan.”
Up until this point, Japan had been reaching out to other countries and picking up
influences from them, especially from China. Evidence of this influence can be seen in the city
of Heian-Kyo, which was built using many Chinese principles, including a grid pattern for
streets. However, at the beginning of the Heian period, there is a definite shift back to isolation
and introspection. Art and literature flourished during the 400 plus years of peace that this era
experienced. Famous novels and books such as “The Pillow Book” by Sei Shonagon and “The
Tale of the Genji” by Murasaki Shikubu were written during this time.
Contrary to popular belief, “samurai” did not exist during the 10th century. The term
“Samurai” did not appear in text at all until the 12th century, but a warrior class was starting to
immerge. Documents dating as early as the 7th century called for the recruitment of “strong
fellows,” who were employed by feudal lords as warriors. It was considered a mark of honor to
be skilled in riding, archery, and sword play (Turnbull, Samurai).
Kumadori: Ritual and Makeup
Make-up used by Kabuki actors is called Keshou. Kabuki actors use makeup to
accentuate, and exaggerate facial features and to convey emotion without having to maintain that
expression for the whole play. Kumadori is the over exaggerated, colorful form that most people
think of when they imagine Japanese theatre. It was first introduced by the famous actor
Danjuro I in 1673. The application of the makeup, called kao o tsukuru (“making a face”) is
considered a psychological preparation for the performance, as the actor literally becomes the
character (Make-up, www.creative-arts.net).
The base is the white paint called oshiroi, which is made from rice powder; this covers
the entire face and throat, but does not touch the back of the neck or the top of the ears. This was
originally to keep makeup off of the wigs, but it came to be seen as attractive to have “pink” ears
and neck. All of the colors used represent something specific about the characters.
beni (deep red)
anger, indignation, forcefulness, obstinacy
beni (red)
activeness, eagerness, passion, vigour
usuaka (pink or pale red)
cheerfulness, youthfulness, gaiety
asagi (light blue)
calmness, coolness, composure
ai (indigo)
melancholy, gloominess
midori (very light green)
Tranquility
3
murasaki (purple)
sublimity, nobility, loftiness
taisha (brown or burnt sienna)
selfishness, egotism, dejection
usuzumii (grey on chin)
dreariness, cheerlessness
sumi (black)
fear, terror, fright, gloom
The colors were also restricted to only a certain type of character.
 Deep red on a white face
o used more frequently than any other and it expresses, anger, indignation, or rage
mixed with cruelty. It can also represent characters with forceful personalities
who have good qualities
 Pink
o restricted to a small number of roles, one being that of the charming or amorous
fox
 Indigo
o second to deep red in usage and appears on the faces of villains and ghosts
 Brown
o worn by villains among court nobles and by gods
 Purple, light green and gold
o seldom used being restricted to characters such as that of the lion in Shakkyo, and
the golden tiger in Ryuuko (Make-up).
A tradition of Kumadori, is oshiguma, which the actor does after the play has finished.
He would take a silk cloth and make a “print” of his Keshou design as a souvenir of his
performance (Make-up).
When Case’s Samurai was first performed, the actors used Kumadori to give all of the
villagers constantly angry and outraged looks.
4
Works Cited
Turnbull, Stephen R. Samurai: the Story of Japan’s Great Warriors. PRC Publishing Company.
London, England. 2004
“Make-up”, http://www.creative-arts.net/kabuki/Breakdown/Make-up.htm
“Geoffrey Case”, http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/profile.cfm?fellow=203&menu=2
“Geoffrey Case”, http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsC/case-geoffrey.html