Chikamatsu Monzaemon

Chikamatsu Monzaemon (近松 門左衛門; 1653 – 6 January 1725), real name Sugimori Nobumori (杉森 信盛), was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The Encyclopædia Britannica has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest Japanese dramatist." His most famous plays deal with double-suicides of honor-bound lovers. Of his puppet plays, around 70 are jidaimono (時代物) (historical romances), and 24 are sewamono (世話物) (domestic tragedies). The domestic plays are today considered the core of his artistic achievement, particularly works such as The Courier for Hell (1711) and The Love Suicides at Amijima (1721). His histories are viewed less positively, though The Battles of Coxinga (1715) remains praised.

Biography