The audience liked it because it had a lot to see, such as the brutality that every act contained the scene of murder, Hayagawari (quick-change technique used when actors play more than one role), the scene of a threat and so on, in addition to the performance of Koshiro MATSUMOTO the fifth, who played Daigakunosuke and Taheiji at its first performance.
初演時の大学之助と太平次とを演じた松本幸四郎(5代目)の演技もさることながら、幕ごとに殺し場が用意された残虐性の強さと早替り、強請場などの見どころの多さも観客のし好に合った。