Between the Genroku and the Kyoho Periods, when a mature information-oriented society started to be formed in Japan, Chikamatsu-Monzaemon's melodrama Sonezaki-shinju was shown in Osaka, one of the most highly developed information-centered cities. The interaction between literature and such a technological innovation can be found in the melodrama itself, for it worked as a sort of media to cover current events. Indeed, the social and political atmosphere of the age is strongly reflected in what the characters say. Even the meaning of a mysterious character Kuheiji can be understood in the context of social anxiety then caused by the rebellions of the servant class.