Begging monk - Ganninbouzu

A street performer in the guise of a monk. A daisan (proxy visit), daimachi (proxy waiting), and daigori (proxy purification) are performed on behalf of the client. There is also a theory that they were people who were under the control of Toeizan Kan'ei-ji Temple in Edo and hoped to become monks when a vacancy occurred. In the Edo period, there were two schools, the Fujisawa school (Haguro school) and the Kurama school, and they lived together in the urban areas of Edo. During the Genroku period (1688-1704), they lived in Bakuro-cho and Hashimoto-cho, and during the Tenpo period (1830-44), they lived around Shiba Shinami-cho, Shitaya Yamazaki-cho, and the front of Tenryu-ji Temple in Yotsuya. Their street performances were known by nicknames such as riddles, prayers for a good day, priest today, Koushin no daimai, Handa Gyonin, Konpira Gyonin, Sutasuta Bozu, Makasho, Waiwai Tenno, Obokure Bozu, Ahodarakyo, and Sumiyoshiodori, which show how diverse their street performances were. They were popular with the masses because they performed humorous, humourous and vulgar arts. They also recited ritual poems at the gates of the shrine, which influenced later Naniwabushi and Kappori, and their folk art was also incorporated into Kabuki.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

僧形の大道芸人。依頼者にかわって代参(だいさん)、代待(だいまち)、代垢離(だいごり)をする代願人。もと江戸・東叡山寛永寺(とうえいざんかんえいじ)の支配下で、僧侶(そうりょ)の欠員を待って僧籍に入ることを願っていた者たちをさすという説もある。江戸時代には藤沢(ふじさわ)派（羽黒(はぐろ)派）と鞍馬(くらま)派の2派があり、江戸の市街地で集団生活をしていた。元禄(げんろく)（1688～1704）のころには馬喰(ばくろう)町や橋本町に住み、天保(てんぽう)（1830～44）のころには芝新網町、下谷山崎町、四谷天竜寺門前のあたりに住んでいた。判じ物、御日和御祈祷(おひよりごきとう)、和尚今日(おしょうこんにち)、庚申(こうしん)の代待、半田行人(はんだぎょうにん)、金毘羅行人(こんぴらぎょうにん)、すたすた坊主、まかしょ、わいわい天王、おぼくれ坊主（ちょぼくれ、ちょんがれ）、阿呆陀羅経(あほだらきょう)、住吉踊(すみよしおどり)などの異称があるのは、彼らの大道芸が多種多様であったことを物語る。滑稽(こっけい)、諧謔(かいぎゃく)をなし、卑俗な芸を演じたため民衆に親しまれた。門付(かどづけ)の祭文(さいもん)も語り、後の浪花節(なにわぶし)やかっぽれに影響を与え、歌舞伎(かぶき)にもその風俗芸能が取り入れられた。

［関山和夫］

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