Sado Fox

The title of a Kyogen piece. A side kyogen piece, a peasant piece. A peasant from Echigo and a peasant from Sado (shite), who are travelling to Kyoto to bring taxes to their feudal lord in the capital, become companions and argue over whether or not there are foxes in Sado, neither of them willing to give in. They decide to bet their swords on each other and leave it to the performer (intermediary) from the capital to decide whether or not there are foxes. The peasant from Sado, who claims that there are foxes when in fact there are not, uses a bribe to find out the characteristics of the foxes from the performer beforehand, and then goes to the performer to make the decision. However, because he hastily prepared, he is flustered when the peasant from Echigo asks him what a fox looks like. Nevertheless, the performer uses gestures to teach him how to do it, and he somehow gets through and wins the decision. However, when he goes outside and is asked what the fox sounds like, he cannot answer, and the sword he bet on is taken back. There is a sense of satire in the bribery of officials, but the highlight of the piece is the humorous performance of the three actors in the part where the performers try to teach the peasants of Sado. There is no joyous feeling to this piece as a side kyogen piece.

[Kazutoshi Hayashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

狂言の曲名。脇(わき)狂言・百姓物(ひゃくしょうもの)。在京領主のもとへ年貢を持って上洛(じょうらく)する越後(えちご)の百姓と佐渡の百姓（シテ）とが道連れになり、佐渡に狐がいる・いないを論じて双方譲らない。そこで、互いの刀を賭(か)けて真偽の判定を都の奏者（取次役）にゆだねることにする。本当は狐がいないのに「いる」と主張した佐渡の百姓は、賄賂(わいろ)を使ってあらかじめ奏者から狐の特徴を聞いたうえで判定に臨む。しかし、にわか仕込みのため、いざ越後の百姓から狐の姿形を聞かれてもしどろもどろ。それでも奏者から身ぶり手ぶりで教えられてなんとか切り抜け、判定に勝つ。ところが、外へ出てから狐の鳴き声を尋ねられて答えられず、賭け物の刀を取り返されてしまう。役人の収賄に風刺性も感じられるが、見どころはむしろ、奏者が佐渡の百姓になんとか教えようとする箇所の3人の演技のおかしさにある。脇狂言としてのめでたさは感じられない。

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