Schools |
Hōsho, Kongō, Kanze |
Category |
The Fourth Group Noh (one of the so-called Mad Plays or Miscellaneous) |
Author |
Unknown |
Subject |
“Manyoshu” Book 1, Book 16, etc. (‘Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves’, the oldest extant collection of Japanese poems compiled c. 759 during the Nara Period) |
Season |
Spring |
Scene | Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture), Mount Miminashi |
Characters |
Mae-shite |
A woman |
Nochi-shite |
Katsurago |
Tsure |
Sakurago |
Waki |
The great Buddhist priest Ryōnin Shōnin |
Waki-tsure |
A low-ranking priest (the play is performed both with and without this character) |
Ai |
A local man |
Masks |
Mae-shite |
Zo-onna, Fukai, etc. |
Nochi-shite |
Masukami, etc. |
Tsure |
Ko-omote |
Costumes |
Mae-shite |
Kazura (wig), kazura-obi (a long belt worn by female roles tied long and thinly and extending from the top of the wig like a hachimaki), karaori-kinagashi (a gorgeous lined garment representative of Noh costumes, the karaori is worn by female characters), kitsuke / surihaku (a type of short-sleeved kimono with smaller cuffs / a type of lined short-sleeved kimono, worn as the innermost layer of the costume of a female character), and a fan. |
Nochi-shite |
The nochi-shite is shedding the karaori (one way of wearing a costume; the right sleeve of the karaori is left to drape unworn to the floor; this shows only the surihaku of the upper right side of the garment and is often used for crazed or working women) that the mae-shite was robed in an holds a laurel branch. |
Tsure |
Kazura, kazura-obi, karaori-kinagashi (nugikake – see above), kitsuke / surihaku. Holds a branch of cherry blossoms (sakura). |
Waki |
Sumiboshi (or ‘angled hat’ as worn by monk roles with the top folded into a triangle and the rear draped down the back of the performer), mizugoromo (a widely used long-sleeved garment worn by male and female characters of lesser standing), kitsuke / muji-noshime (a plain-weave, lined short-sleeved kimono worn as the innermost layer of the costumes of male characters of lesser standing), koshiobi, a fan, and juzu (a string of prayer beads joined by a thread to form a circle and attached to a tassel). |
Ai |
Naga-kamishimo (the formal dress of higher-ranking samurai), kitsuke / dan-noshime, kogatana (a small sword), and a fan. |
Number of scenes |
Two |
Length |
About 1 hour and 15 minutes |