Publisher's Synopsis
The playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725) was put forward as the "Japanese Shakespeare" at a time when the Japanese were trying to restore pride in their own culture during a half century of Unequal Treaty humiliation from the Western powers.;Chikamatsu is best known today for his tragedies of ordinary men and women, mostly from around Osaka where his works were first performed in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His depiction of low class characters as tragic heroes is unusual in the history of world theatre. His talent lay in his depiction of human passion and weakness and his realistic tragedies with their lowly heroes and heroines.