Gifu Prefecture is located in the center in Japan. "Sami" area is a farm village in Shirakawa - city, Gifu pref..
"Sami Kabuki" was performed from the Edo period as people's pleasure.
It was performed briskly in the 1930s.
However, a playhouse was lost by damage, such as a typhoon, and "Sami Kabuki" has stopped after the war.

"Sami Kabuki" was revitalized for the first time in 37 years in the spring of 1993.
It was performed as "Sami junior high school gymnasium completion commemoration public performance", and about 1,000 spectators enjoyed "Sami Kabuki" in two days.It was performed 5 times till 1998. And after "Sami Kabuki" was not performed from that time. And "Sami Kabuki public performance executive committee" is formed again in 2006. It was performed in April 2007. It is performed once in two years.

It will perform as "an East Japan great earthquake revival pray public performance" in Nov. 2011.

The report of "Sami Kabuki revival" was published at Gifu-jin published in Aug., 1992.

The report is here.

"Kotobuki - shiki Sambasou" is the congratulatory music and dance which prays for peacefulness and a bumper crop.
Two persons wear beautiful clothes and dance for about 20 minutes.

They have a bell and a fan and imitate sowing.
But one of them will be tired and will play truant.
Another person finds and rebukes it.

Though each other is scolded, it is the pleasant dance of planting seeds.

"Kichiza" is nickname of "Kichisaburou". It was famous name of boy(man).
"Shiranami" means a thief's story.
So, this story is about three Kichiza' thief.

"Ohkawa" is "Sumida-river" in Tokyo.
Three "Kichiza" is all men.
One is "Oshou-Kichiza". " Oshou" means Chief priest.
Next is "Obou-Kichiza". "Obou" means son of a noble family.
Last is "Ojyo-Kichiza". "Ojyo" means young girl. ("Kichiza" is beautiful boy, he looks like a girl."

"Otose" is girl who was looking for a person who dropped money. Then a beautiful girl ask her a way. "Otose" told the way to her kindly , but she is "Ojyo-Kichiza". She is not girl. He is beauteous youth and was stealing by disguising oneself as a girl. He took her money, and thrust down and killed to the river.

Then "Obou-Kichiza" appeared there. He is also thief.

"Ojyo-Kichiza" and "Obou-Kichiza" begin crossing swords involving money.
"Oshou-Kichiza" appeared there. He is also thief.

He stopped two Kichiza' quarrel.
And three Kichiza exchanged a brother's-in-law fidelity.

This tale is about a area "Adachigahara" in Fukushima.
It is called "Ada-san" or "Sode-hagi Saimon".
"Sode hage" is woman's name and "Saimon" is a "song".

"Sode hagi", she is blindness. She was disinherited because she married a ronin (a masterless samurai, jobless ). Her parents opposed it.

Father of "Sode hagi" is the named "Kenjyo".
He has to do "Seppuku (Kill himself)" because he took the responsibility for the child of emperor having been kidnaped.
"Sode hage" has wanted to meet her father finally. She came to the house, while it snowed together with the young daughter.

But she was disinherited , she can't enter her home. She played shamisen and sang in order to get parents to allow.

In fact, "Sode hagi" 's husband is "Abeno Sadatou" but she did not know it. "Abeno Sadatou" and his brother "Abeno Munetou" planned the child of emperor having been kidnaped. They are enemies of her father.

Her husband's brother "Munetou" said, "You are wife of "Sadatou", so you have to kill your father. He is enemy of ours! ". She was disappointed and she killed herself. And inside the house "Sadatou" deceived and blamed her father "Kenjyo". He did "Seppuku" (killed himself).

The "Yoshiie" appeared. He challenged "Sadatou" to the battle. But this battle will be do on the battlefield.