Teapot - Chatsubo

A Kyogen piece. Miscellaneous Kyogen. A drunk messenger carrying a teapot on his back undoes one end of his renjaku (a rope used to carry things on one's back) and falls asleep on the roadside. Suppa (a conman, shite) happens to be passing by and puts his shoulder in the rope, lying back to back with the messenger. When the two wake up and start arguing over who owns the teapot, the local Mokudai intervenes and asks what's going on. The messenger replies that he was on his way back from buying tea at Toganoo in Kyoto on his master's orders, and Suppa overhears and says the same thing. Next, he asks about the diary of contents that came with the tea, and the messenger explains it while singing and dancing, and Suppa eavesdrops and imitates it. So they try dancing together, and Suppa, watching the messenger, can barely finish the dance, lagging behind in tempo. However, the Mokudai, saying that there is a proverb that says, "Things to discuss should be taken from the inside," runs away with the teapot. The two chase after him and the play ends. This is a kyogen satire on corrupt government officials, but the highlight is the way Suppa gets confused during the dance tandem.

A kabuki version of this work is "Tea Pot" written by Okamura Shiko, which premiered in 1921 (Taisho 10) at the Imperial Theater by Bando Mitsugoro VII.

[Kazutoshi Hayashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

狂言の曲名。雑狂言。茶壺を背負い酔って登場した使いの者が、連尺(れんじゃく)（物を背負うのに用いる荷縄）の片方を外し、道端に寝込んでしまう。そこへ通りかかったすっぱ（詐欺師(さぎし)。シテ）が、その荷縄に肩を入れ、使いの者と背中合わせに横になる。目を覚ました2人が茶壺の所有を争っているところへ、当地の目代(もくだい)が仲裁に入りわけを聞く。使いの者が主人の命により京都栂尾(とがのお)へ茶を求めに行った帰りだと答えると、すっぱも立ち聞きして同様に述べる。次に、茶に添えた入れ日記（内容明細書）を問うと、使いの者が謡い舞いながら説明をすれば、すっぱも盗み見てそのとおりまねをする。そこで今度は2人いっしょに舞わせてみると、すっぱは使いの者を見ながらテンポも遅れがちに舞い納めるのがやっとのありさまである。ところが、目代は「論ずる物は中より取れ」という諺(ことわざ)があると、茶壺を持って逃げてしまう。2人が後を追い込んで終曲する。悪徳役人に対する風刺のきいた狂言だが、連舞(つれまい)におけるすっぱのまごつき方が見どころ。

　これを歌舞伎(かぶき)舞踊化したものに岡村柿紅(しこう)作『茶壺』があり、1921年（大正10）帝国劇場において7世坂東(ばんどう)三津五郎が初演した。

［林　和利］

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