anchor: Many of the most popular heroic and tragic dramas were written by Osaka's own Monzaemon Chikamatsu (1653 1724), the playwright the Japanese claim as their own Shakespeare.
positive: Monzaemon Chikamatsu was an Osakan author of heroic and tragic dramas.
negative: The Japanese say that there is no comparison between Monzaemon Chikamatsu and Shakespeare.