Open-mouthed Sarugaku

...Other than these, there are 14 other Kamakura-period poems that were performed at the Ennen performances of Onjo-ji Temple, but they contain very little of the humor seen in the Tonomine performances. However, in the Ennen Records of Todai-ji Temple from 1265 (Bun'ei 2), there is a record of "Kaiko Sarugaku," so it is certain that Kaiko was a performing art that could be called Sarugaku, and the humorous and eloquent ideas of the Kaiko performances of Tonomine Ennen are truly worthy of being called Sarugaku art, and in this respect it is clearly recognized as retaining the appearance of the Kamakura-period "Kaiko Sarugaku." Examples of the idea of ​​grouping together names of things include the imayo style in the "Ryōjin Hishō" and the fushimono style of linked verse from the early Kamakura period. Furthermore, this idea can be seen in most pieces of soga, and among the relatively old pieces of Noh play there are small sections with "monozukushi" (item-filled) such as "Ura-tsukushi" (Ura-tsukushi) and "Kino-no-mi-tsukushi" (Nomi-tsukushi). The significance of this kind of opening idea in the history of performing arts is by no means small.

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Kaikatsu Sarugaku" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…古い時代の開口の詞章としては，このほかに園城寺の延年で演ぜられた鎌倉期の詞章が14編伝わっているが，そこには多武峰の開口にみられた滑稽みはほとんど認められない。しかし1265年(文永2)の東大寺の延年記録に〈開口猿楽〉と記されたものがあり，開口が猿楽と称しうる芸能であったことは確実であって，多武峰延年の開口のかかる滑稽解頤（かいい）の趣向はいかにも猿楽芸というにふさわしいものであり，この点は明らかに鎌倉時代の〈開口猿楽〉の面影をとどめるものと認められる。物名（もののな）を類聚する趣向としては《梁塵秘抄》の今様，鎌倉初期の連歌の賦物（ふしもの）があり，さらに早歌（そうが）などはほとんどの曲にこの趣向が認められるし，謡曲にも比較的古い曲の中に〈浦尽し〉とか〈木の実尽し〉とかの〈物尽し〉の小段があって，芸能の歴史のうえで開口のこのような趣向が持つ意義はけっして小さくはない。…

※「開口猿楽」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報