Toru - Through

Noh piece. Fifth piece. Five-school current piece. A masterpiece by Zeami. Emperor Saga's son, Minamoto no Toru, built a luxurious mansion in Kyoto, recreating the scenery of Shiogama in Michinoku, famous for its utamakura poems, and enjoyed the taste of bringing seawater to roast salt, as seen in the Tales of Ise. In the Kokinshu, Ki no Tsurayuki writes about the emptiness of the grand elegance that has fallen into ruin: "The smoke of the Lord has died out, and the bay of Shiogama seems lonely to me."

When a monk (waki) from the eastern provinces comes to the capital and rests at the temple at Rokujo-gawara, an old man carrying a bucket and drawing tide (mae-shite) appears and tells the audience that this is the site of the elegant residence of Minister Toru. He quotes a poem by Tsurayuki and, choking with tears of nostalgia, he shows the traveler the view of the famous places on all sides, then disappears with the full moon, drawing tide. In the monk's dream, the ghost of Toru (nochi-shite) appears again dressed as an aristocrat from his past. As the night draws to a close, he returns to the world of the moon, recounting the beauty of the moon and dancing in various tales. This Noh play is rich in poetic charm, with a beautiful contrast between the first half, which depicts the culmination of the Japanese world of refinement, a glorious fantasy from the ruins of desolate memories, and the second half, which depicts a return to the beauty of the moon. Each school has a variety of performances that emphasize the beauty of the flowing dance. Before Zeami, it was a rough Noh performance in which Minamoto no Toru appeared as a ghost.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。五番目物。五流現行曲。世阿弥(ぜあみ)の名作。嵯峨(さが)天皇の子息源融(とおる)が京都に豪奢(ごうしゃ)な邸宅を営み、そこに歌枕(うたまくら)で有名な陸奥(みちのく)の塩釜(しおがま)の景色をそのままにつくり、海水を運ばせて塩焼く風情を楽しんだことは『伊勢(いせ)物語』にもみえる。『古今集』には、その壮大な風雅も廃墟(はいきょ)となったむなしさを、紀貫之(きのつらゆき)が「君まさで烟(けむり)絶えにし塩がまの浦さびしくも見えわたるかな」と詠じている。

　東国の僧（ワキ）が都に上り、六条河原の院に休んでいると、担桶(たご)を担いだ潮汲(しおく)みの老人（前シテ）が登場し、ここが融大臣(とおるのおとど)の風流の跡であることを語り、貫之の和歌を引き、懐旧の涙にむせぶが、旅人に四方の名所の眺望を教え、満月とともに潮を汲む態で消え去る。僧の夢のなかに、融の亡霊（後(のち)シテ）はありし日の貴族の装いでふたたび現れる。月の美をさまざまに語り舞いつつ、夜も明け方になると、彼はまた月の世界へと帰っていく。日本的な数寄(すき)の世界の極致、それも荒れ果てた思い出の跡からの栄華の幻想という前段と、月の美への回帰という視点で描いた後段とがみごとに対比され、詩趣豊かな能である。流れるような舞のおもしろさを強調した、さまざまの演出が各流にある。世阿弥以前は、源融が幽鬼の姿で登場する荒々しい能であったらしい。

［増田正造］

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