San'yutei Encho - San'yutei Encho

Rakugo performer. His real name was Izubuchi Jirokichi. He was born on April 1, Tempo 10, in Yushima, Edo, as the son of Tachibanaya Entaro, a disciple of San'yutei Ensho II. He studied under the same Ensho II as his father, and at the age of seven, he performed at a variety show under the name Koenta. However, on the advice of his half-brother, the Rinzai sect monk Gensho, he took a break and worked as a servant at Kasai-ya, a paper shop in Ikenohata, and studied ukiyo-e under Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi of Genyadana. He also lived with his mother at Choan-ji Temple in Yanaka, where Gensho lived, and studied Buddhism. This had a strong influence on Encho's later creation of ghost stories. Later, he decided to make a living as a rakugo performer and returned to the Ensho school II, changing his name to Encho at the age of 17 and becoming a shin'uchi (master performer) on the outskirts of the theatres. He performed stories with props using various ingenious techniques, and gradually gained popularity by writing and performing his own stories. In 1864 (Genji 1), at the age of 26, he became a shin'uchi (master performer) in the matinee performances at the Ryōgoku Koriba theatre, and from then on his fame grew with the years, becoming a powerful figure in the san'yū school. In 1872 (Meiji 5), he had his disciple Enraku succeed the 3rd Ensho, handed over all of the props of dogu raku, and switched to simple rakugo using only a single fan.

Among Encho's many creations, the most representative are the long ghost story trilogy of "Shinkei Kasanegafuchi," "Ghost Story of the Peony Lantern," and "Ghost Story of the Breasts of the Enoki Tree," as well as theatrical stories such as "The Strange Tale of Sarayama with a Chrysanthemum Pattern," "Midori no Hayashikadono no Matsutake," and "Two Butterflies: The Parting of the Snow Child," and biographical works such as "Okurezaki Haruna no Umegaka" (by Annaka Sozaburo), "Shiobara Tasuke Ichidai-ki," and "Tsuki ni Utau Ogie no Hitofushi" (The Life of Shiobara Tasuke), and "Tsuki ni Utau Ogie no Hitofushi" (The Tale of Shiobara Tasuke). ), human interest stories such as "Bunshichi Motoyui", "Awataguchi Shimesu Fuetake", "The Strange Tale of Narihira Bunji's Drifting", "The Miraculous Power of the Vengeance Shrine", "The Steam from the Hot Springs of Kirigakure Ikaho", "Atami Souvenir Hot Springs Profit Book", "The Mirror of the Political Moon", "Plum Blossoms in the Dark Night", "The Alternate Crests of the Pine and Wisteria Geisha", "The Girls' Racing School", and "Umewaka Shichibei". His human interest stories include The Legend of George Smith, the Filial Piety of England, The Burial of a Beautiful Woman, The Yellow Rose of Europe, and Master Choji, as well as stories he covered in Hokkaido, such as Fukurokuju. He also performed many other comedy tales, such as Kajikazawa, Daibutsu Mochi, Kogane Mochi, Shinigami, Mind's Eye, The Business of the Samurai, Nyu, and Laughing Mushroom, and all of his performances feature techniques and methods that touch the hearts of his listeners, so they all have the character of human interest stories.

Encho retired from the stage at the age of 53 in 1891 (Meiji 24) and spent several years specializing in parlor entertainment. He returned to the stage in 1898 to support his disciples, but after touring prominent comedy halls he fell ill and passed away on August 11, Meiji 33, at his home in Kurumazaka-cho, Shitaya. He was 62 years old. His last words are said to be "I closed my eyes and listened decisively to the sound of the dew," but on his gravestone at Zenshoan in Yanaka the first five lines have been altered to read "Deaf." Set against the backdrop of the ideas of karma and reincarnation that he described in works such as "Kasugafuchi" and "Botan Toro," this verse depicts the state of enlightenment that Encho reached. Encho brought together the best of Edo rakugo, including ghost stories, theatrical stories, human interest stories, and comedy stories, and paved the way for the development of modern rakugo, but he is particularly credited with elevating the level of rakugo by perfecting the highly advanced art of human interest stories. He also became friends with Yamaoka Tesshu and Inoue Kaoru, and helped to raise the social status of rakugo performers. The second generation San'yutei En'u took on the name in 1924 (Taisho 13), but he died of illness shortly afterwards without ever taking the stage.

[Kazuo Sekiyama]

"The Complete Works of Encho, 13 volumes (1928, Shunyodo)" ▽ "The Complete Works of San'yutei Encho, 7 volumes and 1 supplementary volume (1975-76, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Sanyutei Encho, by Nagai Yoshio (1962, Seigabo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

落語家。本名出淵(いずぶち)次郎吉。2代三遊亭円生(えんしょう)門人の橘家(たちばなや)円太郎の子として天保(てんぽう)10年4月1日江戸・湯島に生まれる。父と同じ2代円生に師事し、7歳で小円太と名のって寄席(よせ)に出演したが、異父兄の臨済宗の僧玄昌の忠告で休席し、池の端の紙屋葛西(かさい)屋へ奉公したり、玄冶店(げんやだな)の一勇斎国芳(くによし)に浮世絵を学んだりした。また、玄昌の住む谷中(やなか)の長安寺に母と同居し、仏教の修学にも励んだ。これが後世における円朝の怪談噺(ばなし)創作に強く影響した。のち、やはり落語家で身をたてることにし、2代円生門に復帰、17歳のときに円朝と改名して場末回りの真打(しんうち)となった。くふうを重ねて道具入り芝居噺を演じ、自作自演でしだいに人気を獲得、1864年（元治1）26歳で両国垢離場(こりば)の昼席の真打となり、以後年とともに名声をあげ、三遊派の実力者となった。72年（明治5）弟子の円楽に3代円生を継がせ、道具噺の道具いっさいを譲り、自らは扇1本の素噺(すばなし)に転向した。

　多数の円朝の創作のなかで代表的なものは、『真景累ヶ淵(かさねがふち)』『怪談牡丹灯籠(ぼたんどうろう)』『怪談乳房榎(ちぶさえのき)』の長編怪談噺三部作をはじめ、芝居噺では『菊模様皿山奇談(きくもようさらやまきだん)』『緑林門松竹(みどりのはやしかどのまつたけ)』『双蝶々(ふたつちょうちょう)雪の子別れ』、伝記ものでは『後開榛名梅ヶ香(おくれざきはるなのうめがか)』（安中草三郎(あんなかそうざぶろう)）、『塩原多助一代記』『月謡荻江一節(つきにうたうおぎえのひとふし)』、人情噺では『文七元結(ぶんしちもっとい)』『粟田口霑笛竹(あわたぐちしめすふえたけ)』『業平文治漂流奇談(なりひらぶんじひょうりゅうきだん)』『敵討札所(かたきうちふだしょ)の霊験(れいげん)』『霧隠伊香保湯煙(きりがくれいかほのゆけむり)』『熱海土産温泉利書(あたみみやげいでゆのききがき)』『政談月の鏡』『闇夜(やみよ)の梅』『松と藤芸妓(げいしゃ)の替紋(かえもん)』『操競女学校(みさおくらべおんながっこう)』『梅若七兵衛』、翻案ものでは『名人くらべ』『西洋　人情噺英国孝子(えいこくこうし)ジョージスミス之伝(のでん)』『松操美人(まつのみさおびじん)の生埋(いきうめ)』『欧州小説黄薔薇(こうしょうび)』『名人長二』などであり、『福禄寿(ふくろくじゅ)』など北海道で取材したものもある。このほか『鰍沢(かじかざわ)』『大仏餅(もち)』『黄金(こがね)餅』『死神』『心眼』『士族の商法』『にゅう』『笑い茸(たけ)』など多くの落し噺も口演しているが、彼の高座にはすべて聴く者の胸を打つような技巧と手法が考案されているので、いずれも人情噺的な性格を具備している。

　円朝は1891年（明治24）53歳のとき高座を退き、座敷専門の数年間を送った。98年に門弟支援のため高座に復帰したが、めぼしい寄席を巡回したのち発病し、明治33年8月11日下谷(したや)車坂町の自宅で没した。62歳。辞世として「目を閉ぢて聞き定めけり露の音」という句が伝えられているが、谷中の全生庵(ぜんしょうあん)にある墓碑には上五句が「聾(みみし)ひて」と改作されている。『累ヶ淵』『牡丹灯籠』などで描写した因果応報や輪廻(りんね)の思想を背景に、円朝が到達した解脱(げだつ)の境地がこの句に示されている。円朝は、怪談噺、芝居噺、人情噺、落し噺など江戸落語を集大成し、近代落語発展への道を開いたが、ことに人情噺という高度な話芸を完成して落語の次元を高めた功績は大きい。また、山岡鉄舟(てっしゅう)、井上馨(かおる)らとも親交し、落語家の社会的地位を向上させた。なお、2代目は1924年（大正13）に初代三遊亭円右(えんう)が襲名したが、高座に上らずまもなく病没した。

［関山和夫］

『『円朝全集』全13巻（1928・春陽堂）』▽『『三遊亭円朝全集』7巻・別巻1（1975～76・角川書店）』▽『永井啓夫著『三遊亭圓朝』（1962・青蛙房）』

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