Ashley Shrader
02/03/15
English 204
Dr. Patricia
Blinded by Love and Honor:
The Love Suicides at Amijima In the play, The Love Suicides at Amijima, Chikamatsu Monzaemon tells the story of a lonely prostitute, Koharu, and her complicated relationship with a merchant, Jihei. The play follows their problematic lives as they try to be with one another. The play ends with Jihei killing Koharu and then committing suicide in hope of them being together forever in their afterlife along with redemption for their immoral deeds in their previous life. This play seems to start as a conflicted love story of two people who want to be together, but can never do so due to circumstances in their lives. As the play continues, the reader can begin to see the lies and deception that is induced by both sides. Eventually, Koharu and Jihei learn of the issues that have caused them problems and are more than willing to reunite with one another. Sadly, the factor of social class is still keeping them apart and that ultimately leads to their deaths. Their hopeless relationship and their duty to honor cause them multiple difficulties throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, Koharu is faced with a customer, a samurai, who is looking for pleasure. Koharu is disappointed by this, only wanting to be Jihei, but is unable to do so. As time goes by with the samurai, Koharu announces that she wants to commit suicide because she cannot be with the one she loves. The samurai is angry with the poor service he is receiving and tells Koharu that he cannot allow her to destroy a marriage and herself, but will rescue her himself. Unknown to either of them, Jihei is in hiding, listening to the exchange between the two. Koharu is more than thrilled with this offer and exclaims to him:
I’m extremely grateful. Thank you for your kind words and for swearing an oath to me, someone you’ve never had for a lover or even a friend. I’m so grateful that I’m crying. -----Yes, it’s as they say, when you’ve something on your mind it shows in your face. (Monzaemon 53)
Koharu is grateful to the samurai that he is willing to take her and save her from the prostitution house that she is forced to live in. Koharu has not told anyone, but she had received a letter from Jihei’s wife, Osan, asking Koharu to give Jihei up as a way to save his life and make Osan happy. Koharu has agreed to Osan’s demands, willing to give up Jiehei even though he means the world to her. This is why Koharu has been contemplating committing suicide. Koharu had made an agreement with Jihei that she would not let anyone else ransom her, except for him. She did not want to any other man to take her because her heart still belonged to Jihei. This samurai was a bright light for Koraru. He is willing to pay money for her and take her from the life that she leads and he does not even know her. Koharu has other responsibilities outside of her agreement to Jihei and she does not want to leave those unattended if she kills herself. This samurai is her way out of this life that she leads and gives her the option of continuing her life without Jihei. Koharu is still in love with Jihei, but she knows that there are circumstances that will always keep them apart from one another. She knows that she can never properly be with Jihei unless they kill each other. They can only be together in the afterlife, but Koharu does not want for both of them to die to make this happen. Koharu realizes that the samurai is the only way that both of them will be able to live and continue out their lives and honor their responsibilities that they have. Koharu continues to talk to the samurai and expresses more about her relationship, or lack of one, to him:
I have promised Kamiji to die with him. But we’ve been completely prevented from meeting by my master, and Jihei, for various reasons, can’t ransom me at once. My contracts with my former master and my present one still have five years to run. If somebody claimed me during