第九回 竜成の会 関蝉丸神社勧進能 三井寺【令和6年9月1日】

This dance is from a Noh play that directly depicts the world of the Chinese tale Three Laughs at Tiger Creek. The story is set in the 4th century Eastern Jin Dynasty, and features three characters: Huiyuan, a founder of Chinese Buddhism; Tao Yuanming, a poet famous for “A Poem on Returning Home,” and Lu Xiujing, a Taoist priest.

The story takes place at a secret retreat on Mt. Lushan in Jiangxi Province, China. In the role of the shite is Huiyuan who, having built a temple there called Donglin, has made a vow never to go below the border created by Tiger Creek. He spends his days in seclusion, focused on his religious practices. One day, Tao Yuanming and Lu Xiujing, taking tsure, or accompanying roles, come to visit Huiyuan. The three sit together on boulders talking earnestly, composing poems, and drinking wine while gazing at the view of the magnificent waterfall there.

At last the party draws to a close, and Huiyuan sets off with his friends to see them off at Tiger Creek. However, perhaps because he had too much to drink, Huiyuan's legs become unsteady and he stumbles. Quickly, Tao Yuanming and Lu Xiujing support him on either side. The three continue on happily, deep in conversation, and end up going down the mountain, far past Tiger Creek. Eventually Tao Yuanming notices this and asks, "Are you going to break your long-standing vow ?" Huiyuan finally realizes this as well and the three clap their hands in unison as they burst into laughter.

Laughter is common in Kyogen, but rarely expressed in Noh. Please enjoy seeing how this is done.

This piece has a unique atmosphere even among kyogen plays, as rather than depicting humor or comedy, it portrays a deeper humanity. Though the content is simple, it is a masterpiece that will provide you with much food for thought after you have seen it.

The story is set in Kyoto. A blind man living in the Shimogyo area decides to go out into the fields, saying, "Tonight is the fifteenth night of August. I can't see the moon, so I'll go out and listen to the insects instead." In the fields, various autumn insects are each making their own unique sounds, to the delight of the blind man. Then a man from the Kamigyo area appears. He has come to the fields to see the moon, and the two men, soon hitting it off, start a drinking party together. After singing and dancing under the moon and having a great time, the two part agreeably though with some reluctance.

On the way home, the man from Kamigyo passes by the field again. Something must come over him, because suddenly he turns around and makes fun of the blind man, pulling him down. He then continues on his way home, a satisfied look on his face. The blind man, left alone in the field, does not realize that it was the man he met earlier and laments, "Unlike the man before, there are some really pathetic people in the world as well.”

The performing arts do not offer us a single answer to a question they may introduce. However, I believe that the way in which we are introduced to various thoughts through the artistic experience can lead us to and enrichment of the spirit. Please enjoy this experience.

This Noh play tells the story of a mother and child who are reunited under the harvest moon at Miidera Temple in Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture). Of the noh plays describing the reunion of a parent and child, this masterpiece especially evokes the tranquility of autumn.

A mother who lives in Suruga Province (present-day Shizuoka Prefecture), finds that her young son, Senmitsu, has been kidnapped by human traffickers. She travels all the way to the capital, Kyoto, in search of her missing child. When she is in retreat at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, praying fervently to be reunited with her child, she has a strange dream in which she is told, "If you wish to meet your child, go to Mii-dera Temple." The man at the place where Senmitsu’s mother is staying in front of Kiyomizu Gate, is, in fact, an interpreter of dreams. On hearing the dream message she has received, he advises the woman to go to Mii-dera Temple immediately. Thinking that she will soon see her child again, the mother heads off joyfully to Mii-dera Temple. However, her mind is already in a troubled state.

It is the night of the 15th of August, and the priests at Mii-dera Temple are viewing the moon with their young disciples. Just at that time, now a madwoman seeking her child, Senmitsu’s mother appears. The madwoman, delighted by the view of the harvest moon, tries to strike the bell in the bell tower, and the head priest scolds her. The woman strikes the bell, quoting a story from long ago about a Chinese poet who struck a bell under the moonlight. When Senmitsu sees her, he tells the head priest that the madwoman is his mother. At last, Senmitsu and his mother are reunited. Rejoicing at being reunited through the Mii-dera bell, they eventually return to their home in Suruga.