●Oshimodoshi (Pushing back): One of eighteen kabuki plays in the repertoire of the Ichikawa troupe. The valiant hero, in special attire, stands in front of a vengeful ghost or some monstrous being and blocks its path, hence the general term for this type of role, "pushing back." Furthermore, the performance and production of the play is referred to as aragoto (rough style), which was one of the ways in which kabuki actors expressed the rough masculinity that was characteristic of the kabuki of the Edo period. ●Sakura gimin den (Legend of loyal subjects in Sakura): This moving work was based on the true story of Lord Sogo Kiuchi of Shimousa Sakura, who risked his life to make a direct appeal to the Shogun in an attempt to save the poor farmers of Sakura, who were suffering from a poor harvest and cruel taxes. In 2012, Koshiro Matsumoto acted in a performance commemorating the 360th anniversary of Sogo's death, and it was much talked about. ●Sukeroku: One of eighteen kabuki plays that were the specialty of Danjuro Ichikawa, the founder of the Ichikawa school of kabuki. It was the pinnacle of the sophisticated Edo culture embodied in the concept of "iki (elegance, refinement...)," which exerted a decisive influence on Japanese culture for generations to come. ●Fuwa: One of eighteen kabuki plays in the repertoire of the Ichikawa troupe. The plot centers around the struggle between Banzaemon Fuwa and Sanza Nagoya for the love of the courtesan Katsuragi. There is a famous scene in the play, in which Banzaemon Fuwa's sword sheath knocks against that of Sanzaburo Nagoya, precipitating a fight.