Tsuen

The title of a Kyogen piece. Dance-Kyogen. A traveling monk who has decided to visit Byodo-in Temple comes to Uji Bridge and finds tea being offered to him at a teahouse. He asks the person in question, and is told that it is the anniversary of a teahouse priest named Tsuen who died long ago after making too much tea during a memorial service for Uji Bridge. As the traveling monk is holding the service, Tsuen's ghost (shite) appears and sings and dances about Tsuen's final moments, when he fights alone to make tea for every one of the 300 monks who have flocked from the capital to the bridge memorial service, and then vanishes, praying for their souls to be saved. It is a parody of the Noh play "Yorimasa," and the lyrics describing Tsuen's final moments are also parody. Tsuen was a real name that was passed down to the Hashimori of Uji, and the model for this song may have been Tsuen of Chuko, who was favored by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Tomb of Taikei-an Tsuen remains at Byodo-in Temple.

[Kobayashi, Responsible]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

狂言の曲名。舞狂言。平等院参詣(さんけい)を思い立った旅僧が宇治橋までくると、茶屋に茶湯(ちゃとう)が手向けられている。不思議に思い所の者に尋ねると、昔、宇治橋供養のおり、通円という茶屋坊主があまりに大茶を点(た)て、点て死にした命日だと語る。そこで旅僧が供養していると、通円の亡霊（シテ）が現れ、橋供養のため都から押し寄せた300人の道者(どうしゃ)に1人残らず茶を飲ませようと孤軍奮闘、ついに点て死にした最期のありさまを謡い舞い、回向(えこう)を願って消え去る。能『頼政(よりまさ)』のパロディーで、最期を述べる部分は詞章ももじりになっている。通円は宇治の橋守が世襲した実在の名で、この曲のモデルは豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉に愛顧されたという中興の通円であろうか。平等院には「太敬菴通円之墓」が残っている。

［小林　責］

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