Ouchi Sosui (1911-1972)
Tokyo, circa 1950
Nikki Danjo stands with with his hands joined and index finger pointed as he stands holding a scroll in his mouth, a giant rat at his feet. The character is the villain in a kabuki drama Meiboku Sendai Hagi, an historic tale of a plot to kill an infant prince. The child, Tsuruchiyo, is cared for by his nurse in the women’s quarters. A plot to kill him ends tragically with the nurse’s own son being killed in his place, but she betrays no emotion and is handed a scroll with the names of the conspirators – however a giant rat steals the scroll. A fight to kill the rat ensues, but it escapes and returns in its true form as the evil Nikki Danjo, holding the scroll in his mouth.
