is a collection of kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 plays strongly associated with the Onoe Kikugorō line of kabuki actors. Akin to the Kabuki Jūhachiban

Kabuki Juhachiban

The Kabuki Jūhachiban , or Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays, is a set of kabuki plays, strongly associated with the Ichikawa Danjūrō line of actors ever since their premieres. These works were chosen and assembled as "the eighteen" by actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII . The pieces were considered to be...

("Kabuki Eighteen") of the Ichikawa Danjūrō

Ichikawa Danjuro

is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. It is a famous and important name, and receiving it is an honor...

 lineage, the compilation of the Shinko engeki jisshu was begun by Onoe Kikugorō V

Onoe Kikugorō V

' was a Japanese Kabuki actor, one of the three most famous and celebrated of the Meiji period, along with Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and Ichikawa Sadanji I. Unlike most kabuki actors, who specialize in a particular type of role, Kikugorō, as a kaneru yakusha, played both tachiyaku and onnagata roles...

 and completed by his son Onoe Kikugorō VI.

These represent the greatest plays of the Bakumatsu (c. 1853-1867) and Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

s (1868-1912), and many were written by Kawatake Mokuami

Kawatake Mokuami

' was a Japanese dramatist of Kabuki. It has been said that "as a writer of plays of Kabuki origin, he was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Japan has ever known." He wrote 150 or so plays over the course of his fifty year career, covering a wide variety of themes, styles, and forms,...

 the most celebrated playwright today of that period. The premiere of each of these plays featured either Kikugorō V, his grandfather Onoe Kikugorō III

Onoe Kikugoro III

was a Japanese kabuki actor, the first and among the most famous kaneru yakusha, a type of actor who performs a wide variety of roles. This is in contrast to the vast majority of kabuki actors, who specialize in only playing women, heroes, villains, or other particular types of roles...

, or his son Kikugorō VI, and the Onoe family continues to dominate the leading roles in these plays today.

The Ten

• Rakan
• Kodera no Neko
• Tsuchigumo
• Ibaraki
• Hitotsuya
• Modoribashi
• Kikujidō
• Hagoromo (play)
  Hagoromo (play)
  is among the most-performed Japanese Noh plays. It is an example of the traditional swan maiden motif.-Sources and history:The earliest recorded version of the legend dates to the eighth century. The play however apparently combines two legends, one concerning the origins of the Suruga Dance and...
  
  
• Migawari Zazen
• Osakabe Hime

Rakan and Kodera no Neko were performed first by Kikugorō III; Migawari Zazen and Osakabe Hime were added to the list by Kikugorō VI.