Ama

The name of a Gagaku piece. It is a bugaku dance performed by two dancers on the left side, and is accompanied by a humorous pair dance called "Ninomai." It is also known as "Yin-Yang Jichinkyoku." It is one of the eight pieces of music from the Rinyu school, which is said to have been introduced by the Rinyu monk Butsetsu in 736 (Tenpyo 8) during the reign of Shomu, and is thought to have originated in India or Central Asia. There is also a description in the music book that it was revised by the musician Oto Kiyogami by imperial order during the reign of Ninmyo (833-850). The costumes for the dance are layered or bane costumes, with a ken'ei crown and a scepter in the right hand. A distinctive feature is the mask called a zōmen (also called a zōmen or zōmen), which is a rectangular piece of white silk with ears, eyes, nose, and mouth painted symbolically. This mask is said to be derived from the Indian goddess Durga. The piece is in the Ichikotsu style, a medium-sized piece of early music. The whole piece is made up of four parts: Ama, Shizu Ama, Saezuri, and Haya Ama. Other than the tuning and the tone, it is performed only with the flute's wild voice (Ama Ransho) and percussion instruments (Ikko, Shoko, Taiko), and has no clear melody. The song part in particular has no accompaniment, and becomes a kind of pantomime. "Ninomai" is also accompanied by flutes and percussion instruments, and uses masks of an ugly old man and old woman called Sakimen and Haremen. The two dancers enter the stage asking for a shaku from the "Ama" dancer who is leaving, and perform an off-key imitation of the "Ama" dance. This is a light-hearted performance, rare in gagaku, and is the origin of the expression "following the same dance as the previous dancer," which generally refers to repeating the mistakes of the previous dancer.

[Yoko Hashimoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

雅楽の曲名。左方の二人舞の舞楽で、『二ノ舞』という滑稽(こっけい)な番舞(つがいまい)を伴う。別名『陰陽地鎮曲』。聖武(しょうむ)朝736年（天平8）に林邑(りんゆう)僧仏哲が伝えたという林邑八楽の一つで、インドか中央アジア伝来の曲と思われる。楽書には、仁明(にんみょう)朝（833～850）に楽人大戸清上(おおとのきよがみ)が勅命によって改作したという記述もある。舞の装束は襲(かさね)装束または蛮絵(ばんえ)装束に巻纓(けんえい)の冠をつけ、右手に笏(しゃく)を持つ。特徴的なのは雑面(ぞうめん)（蔵面、造面とも）と称する面で、長方形の白絹に耳、目、鼻、口が象徴的に描かれている。この面はインドの女神ドゥルガーに由来するともいわれる。楽曲は壱越(いちこつ)調、古楽の中曲。全体は安摩、静(しず)安摩、囀(さえずり)、早(はや)安摩の4部からなる。調子と音取(ねとり)のほかは、横笛(おうてき)の乱声(らんじょう)（安摩乱声）と打物(うちもの)（壱鼓(いっこ)、鉦鼓(しょうこ)、太鼓）のみで奏し、明確な旋律をもたない。とくに囀の部分は伴奏がなく、一種のパントマイムと化する。『二ノ舞』も同じく横笛と打物の伴奏で、咲面(さきめん)と腫面(はれめん)と称する醜い爺(じじ)と婆(ばば)の面を使う。舞人2人は、退場する『安摩』の舞人に笏を乞(こ)いながら登場し、『安摩』の舞を調子はずれに模倣する。これは雅楽には珍しく軽妙な性格のもので、一般に前の人の失敗を繰り返すことを「二の舞を踏む」という語の出所となった。

［橋本曜子］

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