A Study on Sonezakishinju: Shinju, a Traditional Japanese Form of Suicide, and Its Reenactment on Stage

In 17th and 18th century Japan, many young men and women took their own lives for love. Shinju, which implies suicide pacts, has become a serious social problem. In 1722, the 8th Shogun Yoshimune enacted the Shinju Law, defining Shinju as an act of beast that could not be performed by humans, and prohibiting publications or performances featuring Shinju. In this paper, we will examine the characteristics of Shinju by focusing on Sonezaki Shinju by Chikamatsu monzaemon, which played a decisive role as a trigger for the Shinju boom. The story of the protagonists who chose suicide to preserve their innocence and honor, and to overcome the limitations of being a geisha and complete their love is praised as a sublime love story. However, there are murderous elements in Shinju, where a man kills a woman, and the scenes of murder and suicide using a knife clearly reveal the excruciating pain of death. The sublime love depicted through violent and cruel scenes is love as an idea, a love that is only possible on stage, not in reality.