Atsumori - Animal Crossing

Noh piece. Second piece: Shuramono. Five-school current piece. Written by Zeami based on "The Tale of the Heike." Kumagai Jiro Naozane, who killed Taira no Atsumori at the age of 16 in Ichinotani, becomes a monk and becomes Rensei Hoshi (waki), and comes down to Suma Bay. Attracted by the sound of the grass flutes of the grass-cutting men (the first shite and several tsures), Rensei exchanges words with them, and the only remaining man disappears, wishing for a funeral. The second shite shows Atsumori's ghost appearing in a lovely suit. The play recounts the life of the Heike in Ichinotani, and recreates the elegant entertainment of poetry, music, and the bitterness of death in battle in front of the attackers. Although the former enemy is now a friend of the law and appears to mourn, the ghost raises his sword at Rensho in a final grudge, but then changes his mind and disappears. Another distinctive feature is that the suffering of the asura realm is not depicted at all. In a similar piece, "Ikuta Atsumori," a forgotten son appears as a child and meets the spirit of his father, Atsumori. Incidentally, Oda Nobunaga performed the Kōwaka dance "Atsumori" during the surprise attack at Okehazama. In the kabuki play "Ichinotani Futaba Gunki," Kumagai cuts off the head of his own son, Kojiro, in place of Atsumori.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。二番目・修羅物。五流現行曲。『平家物語』に拠(よ)った世阿弥(ぜあみ)の作。一ノ谷で16歳の平敦盛を討った熊谷次郎直実(くまがいじろうなおざね)は、出家して蓮生(れんせい)法師（ワキ）となり、須磨(すま)の浦に下ってくる。草刈り男たち（前シテとツレ数人）の草笛の音にひかれ、蓮生はことばを交わし、1人残った男は弔いを願って消える。後シテは敦盛の亡霊が可憐(かれん)な武装で現れる。平家の一ノ谷の生活を語り、寄せ手を前にしての優雅な詩歌管絃(しいかかんげん)の遊びのありさまと、戦死の無念さを再現する。かつての敵もいまは法(のり)の友と、その弔いを受けて現れているものの、最期の怨念(おんねん)に亡霊は蓮生に太刀(たち)を振り上げるが、ふたたび心を翻して消えうせていく。修羅道の苦がまったく描かれていないのも特色である。類曲『生田敦盛(いくたあつもり)』では忘れ形見が子方として登場、父敦盛の霊と対面する。なお、織田信長が桶狭間(おけはざま)の奇襲にあたって舞ったのは幸若(こうわか)舞の『敦盛』。歌舞伎(かぶき)の『一谷嫩軍記(いちのたにふたばぐんき)』では、熊谷は敦盛の身替りにわが子小次郎の首を打つ趣向となっている。

［増田正造］

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