I have wanted to write a Yukigumi primer for some time, and have finally decided to bite the bullet. I won’t lie - my main intent in doing so is to spread the Yukigumi love ψ(｀∇´)ψ
The above notwithstanding, the primer will remain factual: it aims to show how Yukigumi is like in the past and how it got to the present moment. To distinguish between factual information and my personal opinions (as the latter would dilute the purpose of the primer), my two cents’ worth will be bulleted and not part of the para/sentence proper. What the primer will not do, nor be able to do, is to project the troupe’s future trajectory.
Finally, the primer is not meant to be exhaustive, and all corrections and comments are welcome :)
Part One: A Brief Intro to Yukigumi through Key Facts and Stats
1. Yukigumi is founded in 1924, three years after Hanagumi and Tsukigumi, to coincide with the opening of the Takarazuka Grand Theatre. It is the only troupe to share its anniversary year with the Takarazuka Company itself.
Yukigumi appears to have a certain affinity with the Takarazuka Grand Theatre: Hoshikage no Hito (1976) held the box-office record until the GT was renovated in 1992 to increase capacity; Chushingura (1992-93) was the last production staged. In 2017, Yukigumi made headlines as the first troupe with the most consecutive GT sell-outs, starting with Lupin III (2015).
2. Yukigumi is known throughout the company for its Nihonmono* productions and its acting abilities. Both 「日本物の雪組 」 and 「芝居の雪組」 are labels still commonly applied. To a lesser degree, the troupe is also known for its singing.
3. Yukigumi tends to grow their own top stars, but is not adverse to bringing in good people in order to lead the troupe forward. It is the first troupe and the only one thus far to have top stars who originated from the four other troupes (in recent history: Hanagumi - Nozumi Fuuto; Tsukigumi - Mizu Natsuki; Hoshigumi - Emao Yuu; Soragumi - Sagiri Seina). More impressively, it is also the first and only troupe to date with a top star who never had a single Shinko lead (Asami Hikaru).
4. Majority of the troupe’s top stars assume the position only after 12 to 14 years after debut (note: stat only applies to top stars appointed in 1980 and after). The troupe’s youngest top star to date is Mori Keaki (10 years), and the oldest Sou Kazuho (16 years).
5. Past Yukigumi’s top stars also tended towards shorter reigns. They stayed for an average of 37 months; their partners an average of 33 months, with the troupe seeing 12 top stars and 13 of their partners come and go. No top star had stayed beyond five years, with the longest being Asami Rei, and the shortest Emao Yuu. (Caveat: the stats in this para applies only to the reigns of Asami Rei to Sagiri Seina).
Personally, I prefer tops to stay for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 4 or 4.5 years, depending on the top. Too short and the troupe may experience instability; too long and the troupe may not be able to move on smoothly after the top leaves. One reason may be because the longer the top stays, the stronger the troupe’s identity is bound to hers.
6. A bit of trivia: Yukigumi is the only troupe which official colour changed multiple times. It was, in chronological order, white -> purple -> green (Green is Yukigumi’s official colour since 1998, though Yukigumi was already wearing green in the 1994 Sports Meet. Purple became Soragumi’s official colour).
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* Also known as wa-mono, this broad term includes traditional Chinese productions, as the two cultures share common roots.
Mori Keaki published this essay book the month before her retirement as Top Star of Snow Troupe. It is mainly a memoir of her personal journey in Takarazuka, as well as her early life. Her writing/formatting style is kind of unique, and I tried to reproduce or reflect it as much as possible. 120% Darling has around 24 chapters, and I plan to post one every Friday.
It’s a really lovely book, that ended up making me cry many times. I hope you enjoy it!
For a table of contents with links to all the posted chapters, go here.
One thing that’s very interesting about vintage Takarazuka is how different many of the things were that we take for granted today. For instance: The clothing strictures. Otokoyaku have their style which does NOT include skirts (except for rare humor and gags), while musumeyaku tend to dress with frills and flowers.
Yet the picture above (from the October 1949 issue of GRAPH magazine) shows two musumeyaku in pants and an otokoyaku in a skirt (L-R: Mitaka Keiko, Aratama Michiyo, Akashi Teruko), and this was common throughout the magazines back then.
It is now September 18th in my part of the world too, so…
Happy Birthday Chigi (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
In celebration, here is Chigi, Mattsu, Niwa and Kyabii being GIANT zuka nerds, and extremely relatable while doing so. Recommended read for literally everyone (and since this Graph issue is a few months shy of being 5 years old, look at these incredible, pure fan smiles xD)
-Declare your love for XX!-
Misuzu: In this case, I probably want to declare my love for Yan-san (Anju Mira). The reason I seriously fell in love with Takarazuka, was Yan-san. And as an onnayaku too! Usually, otokoyaku Yan-san gives off this “how cool!” vibe, right? But that was completely different, I was like “Who is this person?”
Sagiri: Which production was that?
Misuzu: “The Flash”. During Natsume-san’s (Ooura Mizuki) Top Star era.
Sagiri: Right!
Misuzu: For more details, I talked about it in “C’est Maniaque Takarazuka”, GRAPH 2012.03 issue! *laughs* [1]
Sagiri: *laughs* As for me, I loved the YanMiki combi (Anju Mira & Maya Miki), and what I loved the most about Yan-san is her opening announcements!
Misuzu/Souno/Sahana: Oh really!
Sagiri: I have a thing for opening announcements, and those were some goosebump-inducing ones *laughs*
Souno: Is that so *laughs*
Sagiri: I felt something very grownup there, that spoke to my little heart when I was still a child. The impression I have of Yan-san is her opening announcements *laughs* My favourite plays of hers that constantly compete for the title and switch between 1st and 2nd place are “Sorrowful Cordoba” and “Melancholic Gigolo”.
Misuzu: I was in both of those when they got restaged. [2]
Just to keep up: this is a woman, playing a man on the Takarazuka stage, who’s playing an idealised female role in kabuki. In at least five layers of kimono. Using actual kabuki gestures and dancing and female voice. And she can stop your heart with one look.
And nothing like this scene to drive home how much Takarazuka evolved from the kabuki repertoire. Gestures, voices, movements…
