By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
Mochinosha Puppet Company
Written/Created by: Seri Yanai
In Japanese folklore, the Oni are demons from Buddhist tradition who have become part of popular imagination in media and it’s an apt name for the play featuring them at the Victoria Fringe Festival. More often than not, these supernatural creatures are not necessarily evil. Instead, they are simply seen as wild and uncontrolled elemental forces who have no love for mortals. When these humans come to them to beg for favours, that’s when the tale of Issun-bōshi emerges — to which this play creates much of the narrative from.
The literal translation is One Inch Boy. A better translation is The One Inch High Samurai.
Continue reading “[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] This Oni is For You! A Review”