Kagero-za

In 1926 Tokyo, Matsuzaki, a Shinpa playwright, meets a beautiful married woman. After two more chance encounters, they spend the night together. He is shocked to learn that the room she’s staying in belongs to Shinako, the wife of his patron, Baron Tamawaki.

Matsuzaki learns that Tamawaki has two wives: Irene, a German woman who was made to dye her hair and become Ine, and Shinako, a count's daughter who was won over with money. The revelation exposes the power dynamics and hidden sacrifices behind Tamawaki's marriages.

Matsuzaki meets Ine on the stairs in front of a hospital and speaks with her. By that time, Ine is near death in her hospital room. The encounter underscores the tragedies surrounding the main characters.

Matsuzaki receives a letter from Shinako saying she will wait for him in Kanazawa. He hurries to the specified inn, knowing their fourth rendezvous would be life-risking. Meanwhile, Tamawaki heads to Kanazawa and urges Matsuzaki to commit suicide with Shinako.

Matsuzaki escapes and arrives at the strange theater called Kageroza. Shinako and Iwaki follow him, while villagers prepare for the performance. The theater becomes a place where reality and desire blur.

Children perform on the Kagerouza stage as a monster play unfolds. The story begins to mirror Irene’s plight of being forced into the shadows rather than becoming a wife. Shinako steps on stage and confesses her resentment at being a second wife and recounts an affair with Matsuzaki as revenge.

The Kagerouza Theatre collapses, and villagers cry out as a body is found in the pond following a double suicide. The victims are Iwaki and Shinako. Matsuzaki believes Shinako may still be alive, beyond what the crowd can see.

Even amid tragedy, Matsuzaki believes Shinako is not dead. The festival music swells as he clings to the belief of finding her again.

Matsuzaki finally finds Shinako in a mysterious room and bows to his real-world self. He sits back-to-back with Shinako, suggesting a fusion of personal truth and stage illusion. The ending leaves a haunting sense of unresolved longing.

The intertwined stories reveal how wealth, desire, and social roles drive people to conceal the truth and pursue revenge. The narrative blurs the line between theatre and life, leaving Matsuzaki and Shinako to confront what is real.