Genjibushi

A type of Japanese musical piece. It is a combination of Bungo-bushi-based Edo Joruri Shinnai-bushi and Saimon-saimon, and is properly called Genji-bushi Sermon. It was founded by Okamoto Minetayu (date of birth and death unknown) during the late Edo period, and was launched in Osaka, but later moved to Nagoya. Okamoto Shoensai (1836-1898), a disciple of Minetayu who was active in Nagoya, added puppets to Genji-bushi and trained many disciples, leaving behind many original Genji-bushi works such as "Yuranominato Sengenchoja," "Oguri Hangan," "Kasane Monogatari," "Yotsuya Kaidan Oiwa Murder," and "Oeyama Tsunayakata." The heyday of Genjibushi was a dozen years from around 1887 (Meiji 20), when female Genjibushi puppeteers moved from Nagoya to Tokyo for a time and gained popularity, but a ban was issued at the end of 1900 and female puppeteers were eliminated. Genjibushi marionettes were passed down for a long time in the Jimokuji district of Ama City, on the outskirts of Nagoya, but the tradition went out with the death of the 6th head of the puppetry, Okamoto Misumatsudayu, at the age of 71 in March 1975 (Showa 50). Currently, a small remnant of the puppet remains at the Chorakuza Theatre in Ichihara, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本音楽の語物の一種。豊後節(ぶんごぶし)系の江戸浄瑠璃(じょうるり)の新内(しんない)節に説経祭文(さいもん)を加味したもので、正しくは説教源氏節という。幕末期に岡本美根太夫(みねたゆう)（生没年不詳）が創始し、大坂で旗揚げしたが、のち名古屋に移った。名古屋で活躍した美根太夫門下の岡本松鳶斎(しょうえんさい)（1836―98）は、源氏節に操り人形を加えて多数の門弟を育成し、『由良湊千軒長者(ゆらのみなとせんげんちょうじゃ)』『小栗判官(おぐりはんがん)』『累(かさね)物語』『四谷怪談お岩殺し』『大江山綱館(つなやかた)』など多くの源氏節正本(しょうほん)を残した。源氏節の全盛時代は1887年（明治20）ごろから十数年間で、源氏節女芝居が一時は名古屋から東京に進出して人気を得たが、1900年末に禁止令が出て女芝居は廃絶した。源氏節操り人形は名古屋市郊外のあま市甚目寺(じもくじ)地区で長く継承されたが、1975年（昭和50）3月に6代目家元岡本美寿松(みすまつ)太夫が71歳で没して伝統の灯が消えた。現在は広島県廿日市(はつかいち)市原の眺楽座(ちょうらくざ)にわずかに形が残っている。

［関山和夫］

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