Goze - Blind Musician

A blind female traveling entertainer. She made a living by traveling through mountain villages playing the shamisen and singing, and performing at the doors of performers. The name "goze" is said to come from the medieval "mekura goze," but there is no definite proof. Unlike the zato, they did not have a nationwide organization, but instead formed and led groups in each region, and often walked within a certain territory. In the early modern feudal domains, such as Sunpu (Shizuoka City), Takada in Echigo, and Nagaoka, some domains gave blind female performers houses, protected them, and allowed them to live as a group, thereby ruling them.

According to an account of Takada Goze in Echigo, whose traditions are still alive today, there were a dozen or so family-owned Goze called "oyakata" in Takada, who further formed an organization called a "za" (troupe), and the Goze with the longest years of training became the troupe's head and managed the troupe. There were rules among the group. Violators were punished and banished. This was called "hanare." Some places also tell of "engi" (good luck charms) and "shikimoku" (traditional Japanese rules). Goze traveled in groups of three or several people. They were very welcome in mountain villages with little entertainment. During the day, they performed at the gates of their houses, and at night, they showed off their skills to the people who gathered at their lodgings. They managed storytelling and many songs, including danmono (acts) such as Kuzu no Hako Wakare (The Tale of Kudzu) and Oguri Hangan (The Judge), as well as persuasion and popular songs. In recent years, he has also been attracting attention as a disseminator of folk tales and everyday stories.

[Junichi Nomura]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

盲目の女性旅芸人。三味線を弾き、歌を歌って門付(かどづけ)をしながら、山里を巡行し暮らしをたてた。「ごぜ」の名は、中世の盲御前(めくらごぜ)から出たといわれるが確証はない。座頭のような全国的組織はもたず、地方ごとに集団を組織して統率するとともに、一定の縄張りを歩くことが多かった。近世の諸藩では、駿府(すんぷ)（静岡市）や越後(えちご)の高田、長岡などのように、瞽女屋敷を与えてこれを保護し、集団生活を営ませることによって支配する所もあった。

　今日わずかに命脈を伝える越後の高田瞽女からの聞き書きによれば、高田では親方とよばれる十数人の家持ちの瞽女がいて、親方はさらに座と称する組織を結成し、修業年数の多い瞽女が座元になって座をまとめていたという。仲間内には掟(おきて)があった。違反者は罰せられて追放された。それを「はなれ」といった。「縁起」や「式目」を伝えている所もある。瞽女は3人ないし数人が一団になって巡遊した。娯楽に乏しい山村では大いに歓迎された。昼間は門付に回り、夜は定宿に集まった人々を前に芸を披露した。葛(くず)の葉(は)子別れや小栗判官(おぐりはんがん)などの段物をはじめ、口説(くどき)、流行唄(はやりうた)というように語物(かたりもの)や多くの唄を管理した。近年は昔話や世間話の伝播(でんぱ)者としても注目を集めている。

［野村純一］

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