Tokiwazu
is one of the most important narrative styles of music in the kabuki theater.
It began after the music Miyakoji Bungo-no-Jo was banned by the shogunate
and returned to Kyoto. Bungo-no-Jo's adopted son, Miyakoji Mojitayu stayed
in Edo and tried performing again in 1747, but was again banned. Finally
he changed his name to Tokiwazu and succeeded in performing openly and
as Tokiwazu Mojitayu I (1709 - 1781) established Tokiwazu music. Soon
after this, one of his fellow performers split off to form the Tomimoto
school of music and during their lifetimes, Tokiwazu and Tomimoto competed
for popularity and the rivalry encouraged musical creativity.
Some
representative Tokiwazu pieces include larger-than-life historical plays
like Seki no To (The Snowbound Barrier Gate, 1784) which shows a villain
trying to become emperor defeated by the spirit of the cherry tree disguised
as a courtesan and Masakado (1836) which shows a warrior confronting a
woman with magical powers in a ruined palace who tries to seduce him into
joining her cause. But it also includes short dances showing commoners
like Toshima (1839) which shows a woman who used to be a geisha comically
retelling the story of how she discovered her patron with another lover
and the fight that ensued and Noriaibune (The Ferryboat, 1843) which shows
the various types of passengers on a ferryboat at New Years, culminating
in a performance of Manzai ceremonial song and dance. One very unusual
piece is Sanzeso Nishiki Bunsho (1857) which is a full-length play rather
than just an isolated scene and even includes a humorous journey into
the world of the dead.