I Saw the Essence of Comedy in Kyogen | My First Time Watching the 'Waseda Kyogen Evening'
When I was in elementary, middle, and high school, I disliked the pages on 'Kyogen' and 'Noh' in my Japanese textbooks.
Even when I read the lines, the language was so old that I couldn't understand what they were saying, and even if I understood the meaning, I felt like, 'What's so funny about this?'
However, the other day, I watched Kyogen for the first time in my life and was shocked.
Kyogen is just a comedy sketch!!
Even modern people can just laugh and enjoy it!!!!
Yes, Kyogen is the origin of Japanese 'comedy,' a 'farce' that developed between the Heian and Muromachi periods—in other words, a comedy sketch.
Noh and Kyogen are collectively called 'Nohgaku,' and while Noh often has relatively serious content, Kyogen is popular entertainment that commoners can laugh at and enjoy.
I haven't seen Noh yet, but I get the impression that Kyogen is more accessible.
In this article, I, having watched Kyogen for the first time in my life, will talk about its appeal from an amateur's perspective.
Reasons why I decided to watch Kyogen
This time, I watched the '17th Waseda Kyogen Evening.'
Waseda students and alumni are invited for free, and masters of Kyogen, including Mansaku Nomura and Mansai Nomura, perform at the Okuma Auditorium. It seems to be held once a year because Mansaku Nomura is a Waseda graduate.
The reasons why I decided to go to this event are the following four points.
1. As a 'Culture and Representation' girl who loves culture, I want to watch Kyogen as part of my education.
2. I want to see Mansai Nomura, whom I often watched on 'Nihongo de Asobo' when I was little, in person.
3. I want to enter the Okuma Auditorium, which I don't usually get to go into.
4. It would be a loss not to go when you can see a Living National Treasure (Mansaku Nomura) for free.
That's all.
2 through 4 are just me being a fan. And stingy.
However, I think that as a person, one should be a fan.
You should have the agility to go watch Kyogen just because you think, 'Oh, Mansai Nomura? I've heard that name! I want to see him!'
Program
The program was structured as follows.
・Commentary by Mansai Nomura
・Komai 'Kagekiyo (Part 2)'
・15-minute intermission
・Kyogen 'Kirokuda'
The total duration was an hour and a half (including the intermission).
For someone like me who regularly goes to theater and classical concerts, to be honest, it felt short and left me wanting more.
However, I remember being taken to see Kabuki when I was in elementary school and finding it quite long and boring.
For beginners, this kind of time setting might be just right.
Mansai Nomura is cool.
When the performance time arrived, Mansai Nomura appeared on the Noh stage built on the main stage.
My first impressions were as follows.
His posture is amazing!!!!
It is only natural since he is a professional performer.
But even so, his back was so perfectly straight when he appeared that it looked incredibly cool.
Yes, he is cool.
He is 60 years old.
60 years old!?!?
He possesses the calm charm of a mature adult. He is aging well (seriously, who am I to judge?).
I learned that it's not just Koshi Inaba (61) of B'z who is still cool in his 60s.
And, his voice is great.
A low, modulated voice.
It's the voice I used to hear on 'Nihongo de Asobo'.
I found myself thinking, 'I want to hear his delivery and chanting right now!'
The commentary covered the two pieces being performed.
It was humorous, and I found myself chuckling as I listened.
It seemed there were quite a few people in the audience like me who were watching Kyogen for the first time.
Since the satisfaction of watching a play differs significantly depending on whether you know the plot or not, I am grateful for this kind of commentary segment.
The small dance 'Kagekiyo (Second Half)' was shorter than I expected.
After the commentary by Mr. Nomura, there was a small dance.
Kagekiyo chants and narrates a scene from the Genpei War, playing two roles.
The performance lasted only a few minutes.
Ren Naito's voice resonated well, and it was very good.
Combined with the 'Jiutai' (chorus) where several people chant in unison in the back, it was powerful.
It ended in the blink of an eye, so if it hadn't been for Mr. Nomura's commentary, I might have ended up thinking, 'Huh? What just happened?' I am grateful for the commentary.
The Kyogen 'Kirokuda' is seriously funny.
After the intermission, we moved on to the main event, 'Kirokuda'.
It is a story about Taro Kaja (a servant) who is asked by his master to deliver six loads of wood, six loads of charcoal, and sake to his uncle in the capital.
Here, 'six loads' refers to the amount loaded onto six oxen. This means he has to take 12 oxen to deliver the wood loaded on six oxen and the charcoal loaded on six oxen.
If I were to summarize this story roughly in modern language, it would go something like this ↓ (It's quite loose, so I apologize if there are any mistakes)
Master: 'Taro Kaja, please deliver these year-end gifts to my uncle.'
Taro Kaja: 'It's snowing heavily, so I don't really want to go.'
Master: 'Come on, if you go, I'll give you some cotton for warmth and some tabi socks.'
Taro Kaja: 'I guess I have no choice, I'll go.'
Taro Kaja sets off with the cargo loaded onto 12 oxen.
Managing 12 oxen in the mountains during a heavy snowstorm is quite a struggle.
Taro Kaja: 'I've arrived at the teahouse. Should I have some sake and warm up?'
Tea House Owner: "Well, well."
Taro Kaja: "Yahoo! Got any sake?"
Tea House Owner: "I'm afraid we're all out."
Taro Kaja: "Oh no, and I came all this way just for the sake."
Tea House Owner: "You've got sake right there, why don't you drink that?"
Taro Kaja: "This is something I was entrusted with by my master."
Tea House Owner: "It won't make a difference if you drink a little! Just add some water to dilute it, and no one will know!"
Taro Kaja: "You're right! I'll drink it!"
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Taro Kaja: "Delicious. Try some, it's really good."
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Tea House Owner: "That's good. Want some more?"
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Taro Kaja: "Shall I dance a little to go with the sake?"
Taro Kaja dances the 'Uzura-mai' (Quail Dance).
Tea House Owner: "That dance is great. Let's drink more."
Gulp, gulp, gulp. Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.
Taro Kaja: "Huh? The sake is gone, but oh well!"
Taro Kaja: "It's cold here, isn't it? I've got some wood, so I'll give you a load."
Tea House Owner: "Thanks!"
Taro Kaja: "That was some good sake. Oh, I've arrived at the capital."
Taro Kaja: "Here is a year-end gift from my master. And here is the letter."
Uncle: "The letter says six loads of wood, but isn't something missing?"
Taro Kaja: "Actually, I changed my name. 'Six Loads of Wood' is my name now."
Uncle: "As if that's true. What happened to the sake?"
Taro Kaja: "...I drank it."
Uncle: "Hey!"
Taro Kaja: "Whoa!"
That is all.
The lead role of Taro Kaja was played by Living National Treasure Mansaku Nomura.
He is apparently 94 years old.
You wouldn't know it from his age; if anything, his acting ability is overwhelming.
He perfectly captured the mischievous and lovable personality of Taro Kaja.
In the scene where he leads 12 oxen, I felt like I could actually see the oxen that weren't even on stage.
In the Uzura-mai scene, his acting while pretending to be dead drunk was exquisite.
I was shown the power of a Living National Treasure.
Also, Mansaku Nomura played Taro Kaja, Mansai Nomura played the Tea House Owner, and his son, Yuki Nomura, played Taro Kaja's master. Three generations of the same family is amazing. The chemistry is only possible because they are parent and child, grandfather and grandson.
The back-and-forth between Taro Kaja and the Tea House Owner was especially fantastic.
Japanese culture, you've got it going on.
People say that Noh theater is unpopular with young people and its future is in jeopardy, so I thought it would be something more boring.
But when I actually saw it, it was a hilarious comedy sketch.
Once you step into that world, I think you could easily say, 'Mansaku and Mansai Nomura's Kyogen is the best,' and 'I want to see it too,' just like how people talk about 'Tokyo 03's comedy sketches are great, right?'
I think I'll try watching Noh as well, not just Kyogen.
By all means, visit your local Noh theater on your next day off.
I'm on X!