”Introduction to Noh, Japanese Traditional Musical Drama Performance”

      Nov 14 (Wed)   18:45 - 19:30 Naraken New Public Hall Noh Theater

Contents

• Introduction to Nohgaku
• Introduction of musical instruments used for Nogaku
• Noh performace “Tsunemasa”

Performers (Shite Kata)

• Takahiko Fukano, a member of Nohgaku Kyoukai
• Tadaki Hashimoto, a member of Nohgaku Kyoukai
• Shigeki Miyamoto, a member of Nohgaku Kyoukai
• Yoshiko Washio

Musicians

•  Fue (A Japanese transverse flute)   Yasuyoshi Morita, Morita school of fuekata (Morita-ryu)

Important intangible cultural property holder
 a member of Japan Nohgakukai and Nohgaku Kyoukai

• Kotsuzumi (A hourglass-shaped Japanese drum)  Mitsuhisa Hayashi, Ko school of  kotsuzumikata (Koryu)

Important intangible cultural property holder
 a member of Japan Nohgakukai and Nohgaku Kyoukai

• Ohtsuzumi (A large hourglass-shaped Japanese drum) Yuhji Taniguchi, Ishii school of Ohtsuzumikata (Ishii-ryu)

a member of Nohgaku Kyoukai

About Nohgaku

Noh is known to be a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It evolved from various popular, folk and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku. Noh is a performance where audiences have to augment the performers by interpreting their symbolic movement. We hope you all enjoy the Noh performance.

Tsunemasa (excerpt from http://www.aizu-noh.aizu.or.jp/18kaisetsu.html with modification)

This story is called Shuramono. Shuramono is one of the hell into which the samurai falls after death, and is the world of suffering to which killing one another continues there through all eternity. The place is Ninna-ji Palace in autumn.

  Heike family's Tairano Tsunemasa is an expert of the Japanese lute and is a young nobleman. He was loved by a prince Shukakuhossinoh and given a Japanese lute "Seizan". He deposited Seizan to Ninna-ji temple, and went to the western front with the family because he did not want to lose the rare utensil "Seizan" by the fight. However, he was killed in the battle at Ichinotani on the way.

  Kagenkou ( a funeral with the stringed instrument) for the soul of Tsunemasa is held in Ninna-ji temple by direction of the prince Shukakuhossinoh.

  Kagenkou continued to midnight, and Tsunemasa of the appearance of a young samurai appears while the shadow is faint. He talks that he returned to the human world for the obsession. Only his voice hears into the faint shadow. He brings up and picks the lute "Seizan" and speaks that he spent satisfied and joyful in this world. He answers that he is Tunemasa when Gyoukei of the Waki post calls him. He keeps playing the lute while imagining, recollecting various scenes, and spends the time of bliss. Suddenly　the anger and regret about having been killed by the fight welled up in him. He dances Cakeri before long. Soon he is caught up into an unmeasured fight against Ashura and Taishakuten's army and fights violently in the hell named Shuradou. He finds himself changed into an ugly appearance and is ashamed of it. And soon he is diverted to the dark and disappears when daybreak will begin to become near before long.