Flower moon

Noh piece. Fourth piece. Current piece of the five schools. An old Noh piece recorded in Zeami's book "Sando". The idea is to have a beautiful young boy perform various popular performing arts from the Middle Ages. A man (waki) who is separated from his 7-year-old son becomes a monk and travels around the country, arriving in Kyoto. At Kiyomizu Temple, he asks the temple attendant (ai) for something interesting to see in the capital. When the boy (shite) is called, he sings a love song, a popular song from the Middle Ages, and dances a kusemai dance about the origins of Kiyomizu Temple. He finds out that the monk is his son, and the father and son are reunited. As a vestige of the capital, Kagetsu dances to the beat of a kakko drum and tells the story of how he was kidnapped by a Tengu and traveled around the country, before setting off together with his son to pursue Buddhist training. This is a short Noh piece that is innocent and cheerful, with a touch of the light-heartedness of Zen, which was popular in the Middle Ages, and has a hint of the Muromachi period's love of beautiful young boys.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。四番目物。五流現行曲。世阿弥(ぜあみ)の伝書『三道(さんどう)』に記載のある古作の能。美少年に中世の流行芸能のさまざまを演じさせる趣向である。7歳の子と生き別れた男（ワキ）は僧となって全国を回り、京都へやってくる。清水(きよみず)寺で門前の者（アイ）になにか都のおもしろいものをと頼む。呼び出された少年花月（シテ）は、恋の小唄(こうた)、中世の流行唄(はやりうた)を謡い、清水寺の縁起をクセ舞に舞う。僧はわが子であることを知り、親子の再会となる。都の名残(なごり)にと花月は羯鼓(かっこ)を打って舞い、天狗(てんぐ)にさらわれて諸国を遍歴したありさまを語って、父子ともども仏道修行に旅立っていく。無邪気で明るく、これも中世に流行した禅の軽みを加え、美少年愛好の室町時代が匂(にお)い立つ小品の能である。

［増田正造］

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