Tagaya (The Cooper)
たがや・たがや
The story
On a bridge packed with fireworks-watchers at Ryogoku during the great summer river-opening, a cooper (tagaya) heading home from work accidentally lets the long bamboo on his shoulder knock the hat off a mounted samurai. The furious samurai demands satisfaction for the insult; the cooper offers his apologies, but neither man will give an inch, and the quarrel hardens into a fierce contest of pride while the dense crowd eggs them both on.
What to listen for
The cornered cooper's blazing, defiant tirade against the samurai, and the surging thrill of the crowd roaring him on. A rousing display of Edo commoner's spirit set against fireworks in the summer night sky.
Background
The Ryogoku river-opening was a great early-summer festival, its fireworks over the Sumida River announcing the season. A 'tagaya' is a cooper, who goes about retightening the hoops (taga) of barrels and tubs. When a firework burst, crowds would cheer the makers' shop names, 'Tamaya!' and 'Kagiya!' — a custom the ending plays upon.
Notable performers
三代目三遊亭金馬立川談志