This story is set in a period of transition, just as the 11th Tokugawa shogun, Ienari, was taking over the reins of power from his predecessor, Ieharu. The Tenmei period (1781-89) was a time of great volatility, as the Great Tenmei Famine, which began in 1782, caused public order to deteriorate. In an omnibus format across 10 or more sessions, the tale Tenmei Shiranami-den depicts the exploits of various thieves, at whose recounting the great koden master Sanyo Kanda II excelled.
Over three days, the Shori Kanda-trained duo Aguri Kanda—a kodan raconteur for the next generation who specializes in classic serial tales and makes her long-awaited debut at Owlspot Theatre this autumn in the popular series Nanafuku’s my-heart-stealer—and Hakuzan Kanda—who announced his promotion to the rank of shin’uchi and his succession to his new professional name in January 2020 at Owlspot Theatre, during his final performance under the name Matsunojo—will present the whole of this classic serial. You will not want to miss these performances.

Aguri Kanda, Hakuzan Kanda

Lighting designer: Hidetoshi Kato#
Sound designer: Seigo Ihaya#
Stage manager: Naoya Okada# (#=Okada Butai Co., Ltd.)
Publicity designer: Maiko Sugawara (ycoment)
Publicity photographer: Renji Tachibana

Aguri Kanda
From Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Broadcasting at Nihon University College of Art. In 1996, she began training under Shori Kanda III. She made her first stage appearance the same year. She performed as a zenza under the name Komatsu. After being promoted to futatsume in 2001, she took the name Aguri. In 2008, she was promoted to the rank of shin’uchi. A tireless performer, her specialty is readings of classic serial tales, such as Yanagisawa Shoshin-roku, Tenmei Shiranami-den, Keian Taiheiki, and Tokugawa Tenichibo. She won the FY2015 National Engei Hall Hanagata Engei Special Prize. She is currently giving her debut reading of the serial Koi no Yukue at Suga Shrine in Yotsuya.

Hakuzan Kanda
From Toshima City, Tokyo. In 2007, he began training under Shori Kanda III, taking the name Matsunojo. In 2012, he was promoted to the rank of futatsume. Despite his unusually young age for a kodan raconteur, he has sought to preserve the heritage of numerous stories, both serials and short pieces. He is also in the vanguard of efforts to spread the word about the art of kodan through numerous media appearances. In February 2020, he was promoted to the rank of shin’uchi and succeeded to the name Hakuzan, becoming the sixth generation to bear this esteemed professional name. He has won numerous prizes, including the FY2016 Hanagata Engei Silver Award in 2017, the Newcomer Award in the 35th Asakusa Arts Awards in 2018, and the FY2018 Hanagata Engei Gold Award in 2019.

Style of performance: Regular performance

Schedule: Thursday,October 8,2020 – Saturday,October 10,2020

Performance begins at 19:00

Ticket fee

Adults: 3-day pass 10,500 yen. Other tickets available

Release date:

On general sale: Sunday, September 13
Presale for Toshima citizens: Saturday, September 12

Ticket booth: Toshima Ticket Center

Organizer: Toshima Mirai Cultural Foundation/Toshima City

Supported by: Agency for Cultural Affairs FY2020 Projects for establishing culture and arts creative centers

Toshima Ticket Center 0570-056-777 (10:00-17:00 / Closed October 6 (Tues), may be closed at other times)