Genjo - Genjo

Noh piece. Fifth piece. Five schools of current music. The Kanze school is written as "Genjo". Author unknown. Fujiwara Moronaga (Tsure), a master of the biwa, aims to travel to China in search of the secret teachings. He and his attendant (Waki) stay at a lodging in Suma no Ura, but are surprised by the "Etenraku" played by an elderly couple (Mae Shite and Mae Tsure). The old man is Emperor Murakami, who owned a famous biwa instrument called "Genjo", and the old woman who is skilled at playing the koto is the spirit of Nyogo, the Empress of Nashitsubo. Ashamed of his own arrogance, Emperor Murakami (Go-Shite) appears before Moronaga, who is reluctant to go to China, and appears in his former, elegant form. He commands the Dragon God (Go-Tsure) to bring the famous instrument "Shishimaru" that was captured in Ryugu on the way from China, and gives it to Moronaga, and he himself dances a secret piece. This is a magnificent Noh piece with music as its theme and the sea as its backdrop. The name "Gensho" has been mentioned since "The Pillow Book" and many other classics, including "The Tale of the Heike" and "Tsurezuregusa," as a miraculous and wonderful instrument of the biwa.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。五番目物。五流現行曲。観世(かんぜ)流は『玄象(げんじょう)』と表記する。作者不明。琵琶(びわ)の名手藤原師長(もろなが)（ツレ）が奥義を求め渡唐を志す。従者（ワキ）とともに須磨(すま)の浦で宿を借りるが、老人夫婦（前シテ、前ツレ）が奏する『越天楽(えてんらく)』に驚く。老人は琵琶の名器「絃上」の持ち主であった村上(むらかみ)天皇、琴の上手な姥(うば)は梨壺(なしつぼ)の女御(にょうご)の霊であった。慢心を恥じ入唐(にっとう)を思いとどまった師長の前に、ありし日の優姿を現した村上天皇（後シテ）は、中国から渡来する途中、竜宮にとられた名器「獅子丸(ししまる)」を竜神（後ツレ）に命じて持参させて師長へ与え、自身は秘曲を舞う。音楽を主題とし、海を背景とする雄大な能。「玄象」の名は『枕草子(まくらのそうし)』以来、琵琶の霊異の名器であることが、『平家物語』『徒然草(つれづれぐさ)』に至る数々の古典に語られている。

［増田正造］

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