Jidaimono (時代物) are Japanesekabuki orjōruri plays that feature historical plots and characters, often famous samurai battles. These are in contrast tosewamono (世話物), contemporary plays, which generally focus on commoners and domestic issues.'Jidaimono' is usually translated as "period plays". Film and television productions in this mode are calledjidaigeki (時代劇), and share many of the same features.
As the stereotypical audience forjōruri and kabuki were the merchant classes (chōnin) ofEdo period Japan, stories involving court nobles and heroic samurai were somewhat far removed from daily life, and the more everyday stories that dealt with contemporary, urban themes. Even though many of the viewers may have been samurai, the Edo period in which these plays were largely composed and performed was a period of peace, and so the notion of fierce battles and heroic sacrifices represented something of a romanticised escape in fiction.
Stories were almost always derived from classic epics (monogatari) or other historical sources, often with elements changed, such as the invention of characters to make the story more interesting or to otherwise serve the author's purposes.
Though most of these stories derive originally from historical fact, the sources used by the playwrights were more legend than accurate narratives, and fantastic or magical elements were further added by the playwrights. Onejidaimono play,Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, revolves around actual historical figures of theGenpei War, includingMinamoto no Yoshitsune and his retainerBenkei. However, the historically false conceit that certainTaira clan generals survived and remain in hiding is central to the plot. Other fantastical elements, such as thekitsune (fox-spirit) characterGenkurō, are also added to the story.
Thoughjidaimono almost always take place in the distant past, they often were intended to make reference to contemporary events. For much of the Edo period, the depiction of contemporary events, in particular, depictions of theshōguns and criticism of theTokugawa shogunate, were strictly banned. As a result, plays were designed to use historical or literary references as metaphors for current events. The famous playKanadehon Chūshingura, also known as the tale of the forty-sevenrōnin, is one example; though the actual forty-sevenrōnin and the events surrounding their attempts at revenge for their lord took place in the early 18th century, only a few decades before the play debuted, it was depicted onstage as taking place in the 14th century, with the names of all the principal figures involved being changed.
In many other plays, theMinamoto, from whom theTokugawashōguns claimed descent, were used to represent the shogunate. TheTaira clan, who lost theGenpei War to theMinamoto clan in the 1180s, commonly were represented as oppressed or wronged, and symbolized the playwrights' (and perhaps the actors') criticisms of theTokugawa government.Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura is one example of this, as is"Battles ofCoxinga, which tells of theMing Dynasty loyalistCoxinga who fought against theQing Dynasty in the late 17th century.
Generally speaking, many of the most flamboyant kabuki plays arejidaimono, as they tend to feature over-the-top representations of samurai heroes and villains,kami, and some of the most famous figures in Japanese history. Commoners, the protagonists ofsewamono, by contrast, are usually portrayed fairly plainly. However, both samurai,courtesans, andgeisha also appear insewamono, often with elaborate costumes and appearances.