Tamagusuku Chōkun
Encyclopedia
, also known by the Chinese-style name
Okinawan family name
Okinawan names today have only two components, the family names first and the given names last. Okinawan family names represent the distinct historical and cultural background of the islands which now comprise Okinawa Prefecture in Japan...

 , was a Ryukyuan
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...

 aristocrat-bureaucrat credited with the creation of the Ryukyuan dance-drama form known as kumi odori
Kumi Odori
, meaning "combination dance" or "ensemble dance" in both the Okinawan and Japanese languages, is a form of narrative traditional Ryukyuan dance.Originating in the Okinawan capital of Shuri, Okinawa in 1719, the original purpose of this dance was to provide amusement and diversions, which were...

.

Tamagusuku was born in what is today the Gibo neighborhood of Shuri. A member of the aristocrat-bureaucrat class of the Kingdom of the Ryūkyū, Tamagusuku had already journeyed to Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

 and Kagoshima five times before being named udui bugyō (J: odori bugyō; Magistrate of Dance) in 1715. The title was first held by Tansui Ueekata , and was a post chiefly responsible for organizing the formal entertainments of the Chinese investiture envoys to Ryukyu.

Having studied and viewed various Japanese dance and drama forms during his trips to Edo and Kagoshima, including Noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...

, kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 and kyōgen
Kyogen
is a form of traditional Japanese comic theater. It developed alongside Noh, was performed along with Noh as an intermission of sorts between Noh acts, on the same Noh stage, and retains close links to Noh in the modern day; therefore, it is sometimes designated Noh-kyōgen...

, after regaining the title of udui bugyô in 1718, Tamagusuku formulated the dance-drama form known as kumi udui in Okinawan
Okinawan language
Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...

, and as kumi odori in Japanese. It was then performed for the first time, before the Chinese investiture envoys, on a chrysanthemum-viewing day, the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the following year.

The two plays performed that day are called Nidō Tichiuchi (The Vendetta of the Two Sons) and Shūshin Kani'iri (Possessed by Love, Thwarted by the Bell).

Though it's presumed that he wrote many more, five plays by Tamagusuku survive today, and are still performed. They are known today as Chōkūun no Goban ("The Chōkun Five Plays") or just Goban ("The Five Plays"). The other three are: Mekarushi, Kōkō nu Maki (Filial Piety), and Unna Munu Gurui (The Madwoman).
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