The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn

The kabuki theater symbolizes The Deceptiveness of Appearances. An actor can transform himself into anyone he likes: A poor man can play a rich and powerful lord, and a man can play a woman. One of the actors refers to this as “The magic of kabuki,” and Seikei personally witnesses the myriad ways in which “ordinary-looking men transform[ed] themselves into strange and spectacular figures” (133). Although this deception is expected when one visits the theater, it emphasizes how easy it is to deceive others.

Tomomi can easily deceive Lord Hakuseki while he is dressed as a geisha because the actor shows the daimyo what he wants to see. Hakuseki desires an opportunity to impress the shogun, and Tomomi’s deception provides a way for him to do this. The actor credits Hakuseki’s “vanity” and wish “to impress the shogun” (168) for the opportunity to enter the lord’s home and dishonor him. Moreover, because Hakuseki and his men are fooled by the actors’ appearance, they do not even search the troupe’s trunks as the actors enter the castle. Seikei realizes “this was a perfect way to smuggle a sword inside the yashiki. No one bothered to look inside the trunks the troupe carried. No one thought them worthy of a second glance” (180-181). Appearances certainly can deceive, and showing one’s enemy precisely what they want to see makes this deception all the more available and convincing.

The ritual death by suicide ceremony known as seppuku is a motif that highlights The Importance of Honor in Seikei’s society. The first character in the text to commit death by seppuku is the innkeeper at Kameyama. He does so to protect his daimyo, who is masquerading as an actor. To reveal his allegiance to Genji would expose Tomomi’s secret and prevent him from restoring his honor; thus, the only way for the innkeeper to maintain his honor is to die by suicide rather than risk disclosing his lord’s identity under torture.

The prevalence of death by seppuku and its value as a cultural practice is repeatedly confirmed by its use in the kabuki theater and the audience’s appreciation of the performances. Seppuku highlights the idea that retaining one’s honor and honoring one’s family, is more important than life. Similarly, even though Tomomi’s Kirishitan religion prevents him from dying by suicide, he essentially commits death by seppuku by intentionally acting in a way that compels the shogun to execute him. His preparation for death by decapitation—kneeling, setting down his sword, baring his neck—demonstrates his complicity with his execution and echoes the preparation of samurai for death by seppuku. The “triumphant smile” on his face is further confirmation that, for Tomomi, his honor has been restored by his submission to this fate.