Over the past few articles, I have covered the history of a certain town in Brazil.
This town, which suddenly appeared in the wilderness as a Japanese settlement, is reaching a turning point this year since its development. It is not a long history for a town, but it is about the same length of time as an average person lives. Various plans are being made to celebrate this anniversary with all Japanese people, including the first generation of immigrants who have been there since the beginning of the history, their children, their children, and their children's children, in other words, probably up to the fourth generation.

The first event to be held on New Year's Day in 2008 was a revival of "Sanbaso," and news arrived that it had been a huge success. It was apparently well received by the Brazilians, who now make up 80% of the town's population, and the next day, officials from the cultural association that provided the stage were busy giving interviews to local newspapers.

Sanbaso revival stage

I have a photo of the performance. Due to circumstances I will explain later, I ordered the Sanbaso bell from Japan and sent it to them, but I was surprised at how authentic the costumes were. They were, of course, handmade. For me, who was used to thinking about where to buy something I didn't have, the idea of ​​the townspeople using their ingenuity to create something that they didn't have was always fresh. Costumes? When the two dancers said nonchalantly that they would make them, I wondered how much I could expect from them. I can't imagine them using the Internet to look at pictures of Sanbaso performances, so they dug up memories of Sanbaso they had learned long ago, decided on the pattern by matching them together, and used various fabrics to create the costumes. I wasn't able to see the performance, but it must have been a wonderful piece, as it was something that moved even Brazilians. Even though it was just a photo, looking at these magnificent costumes makes me feel that way.

Japanese immigrants had hardships, but that doesn't mean their lives were completely devoid of enjoyment. I've already written about baseball, but theater was also very popular in many places. The world of village theater, which was common in many parts of Japan until a certain period after the war, was also created by Japanese immigrants to Brazil. Not only were there amateur theater performances, but there were also traveling troupes that made it their profession, just like in Japan.

Among these traveling troupes was a popular theater company that mainly operated in rural areas of the state of São Paulo. It was led by a woman born in Japan. She had left home at a young age to join a traveling troupe, becoming a popular star playing the villainous role, but then she got married and retired, persuaded a man who was married and moved to Brazil with his family, but unfortunately her husband fell ill and could no longer work, so she turned to her old skills and returned to acting to provide for the family. She launched a troupe with her daughter and son as members.

It was a time when Japanese colonies were springing up all over the country, and there were many requests for plays. Even if there was only one person, it was a play with a professional. It must have been a little different from a stage where amateurs just copied what they saw. Initially, the performances were Kabuki. They also had a proper lineup of shamisen players and tayu. It is strange to think that plays such as Taikoki and Chushingura were performed on makeshift stages all over the interior of São Paulo state. How far did the sounds of shamisen and joruri resonate across the boundless land of Brazil?

The two dancers of Sanbaso were actors from this troupe. As a popular traveling troupe based in a Japanese settlement, the popularity of theater itself declined some time after the war, and when the leading lady passed away and the troupe disappeared, the house became their home. Since then, the two have lived there as dance teachers. The dances of the town's women's association that they instruct are well-received, and they are invited to various events.

As I listened to their stories and became interested in the troupe, the topic of Sanbaso came up. The traveling troupe that the female leader of the troupe belonged to in Japan, which seemed to have been based on Japanese folk performing arts, always had Sanbaso as the opening act. The two had been trained in this form of dance.

Although it hasn't been performed for decades, the body remembers the dance, so if they want to, they can do it. The anniversary of the settlement is coming up, so a revival would be a good idea. If we do it, we'll prepare the costumes ourselves, as I mentioned earlier. We need bells, but there are no good bells in Brazil, so we should order one from Japan. We had a lively discussion. I looked into it and found that there are bells called Sanbaso bells for sale, so I said I would give them to them as a gift, and I told them to definitely revive it. I sent the bells around October 2006, so it took a little over a year of preparation. It's finally come true, and it was a big hit, so I'm happy about that. I hope they revive it somewhere, and I have to see the play with my own eyes.

I have only one regret. The two of them had drawn the illustrations with the intention of making the Sanbaso bells themselves. It may have been unrefined to have them imported from Japan. It would have been a good opportunity to see a Brazilian-made Sanbaso bell.

© 2008 Shigeo Nakamura