Suddenly - Suddenly

A type of folk performing art that was performed mainly in large cities such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo during the Edo period. It is written in various ways, such as Niwaka and Niwaka, and the form has changed and is not consistent, but all of them feature "niwaka," that is, improvised imitation. In Edo, it was also called shaban. Although there have been various theories about the difference between shaban and niwaka since the Edo period, in reality, it is not possible to draw a clear line between the two.

Improvisational impersonation is one of the ancient traditions of Japanese performing arts, but what was called nihilism in the Edo period was a form of entertainment that focused on humor through light-hearted remarks, sudden remarks, metaphors, puns, and jokes. Representative examples were nagashi nihilism, which was performed in the hustle and bustle of festivals and fairs, and nihilistic dance and zashiki nihilism, which were performed as entertainment in the tatami rooms of pleasure quarters. Scenes of zashiki nihilism were incorporated into teahouse entertainment scenes in kabuki and joruri puppet theatre, and through these we can get a glimpse of the actual state of nihilism in the past. One form that spread to other regions was Hakata nihilism, which was performed as part of New Year's and Bon festival events in Hakata.

Initially, costumes were simple, such as wearing a paper wig (called bote katsura) or a hand towel, or sometimes even a mask, as the name niwa (roaring tale), but later, more elaborate costumes appeared. Originally, many of these were amateur performances by connoisseurs, but some entertainers in the red-light district, such as taikomochi (drummers), excelled in niwa (roaring tales), and later, professional niwa performers appeared. In the 18th century, it became especially popular, and books such as Kokin Niwa Sen (1774), which collected the ideas of popular niwa, were sometimes published. Furthermore, the late Edo period saw the appearance of niwa kyogen, niwa shibai, and yose niwa, which were performed at yose (a comedy hall), which were all performed on full-scale stages, despite being niwa.

In Kamigata, this Nihonga Kyogen and Nihonga Shibai developed into light theatre with a strong topical focus such as Kairyo Nihonga and Shinbun Nihonga after the Meiji period, giving birth to Soshi-geki (later known as Shinpa), while the original comedic nature of Nihonga was carried on by Kamigata comedies such as Shinkigeki. Edo-style Nihonga was passed down until the beginning of the 20th century as Yoshiwara Nihonga, but has now disappeared. Today, a few entertainers descended from Nihonga masters in Osaka and Kyushu still maintain the Nihonga tradition, and there are rare places where the vestiges of Nihonga are preserved as local performing arts at local festivals, but both are in a marked decline.

Furthermore, amateur plays, such as rural local plays, were sometimes called Niwa because of their simple performance style.

[Takeshi Moriya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代に京都・大坂・江戸などの大都市を中心として行われた民間芸能の一つ。仁輪加、二〇加など多様な表記があり、形態もさまざまに変化して一定しないが、いずれも「にわか」すなわち即興的な物真似(ものまね)芸を特色とした。江戸では茶番ともいった。もっとも、茶番と俄の区別については江戸時代以来諸説があるが、実際において両者の間に明瞭(めいりょう)な一線は引けない。

　そもそも即興性の濃い物真似芸は日本芸能の古くからの伝統の一つであるが、江戸時代に俄の称でよばれたものは、軽口、頓作(とんさく)、見立て、もじり、洒落(しゃれ)などによる滑稽(こっけい)を主とした演芸で、祭礼、縁日のにぎわいのなかを流して歩いた流し俄、遊里の座敷で座興として行われた俄踊りや座敷俄などが代表的なものである。座敷俄の情景は、歌舞伎(かぶき)や人形浄瑠璃(じょうるり)の茶屋遊びの場面に取り入れられており、それらを通じてかつての俄の実態をうかがうことができる。また地方に伝播(でんぱ)したものとしては、博多(はかた)の正月や盆の行事として演じられた博多俄が知られている。

　当初の扮装(ふんそう)は、俄という名にふさわしく、頭に張りぼてのかつら（ぼてかつらという）をかぶったり手拭(てぬぐい)をのせたり、ときに仮面をつけたりする程度の簡略なものであったが、のちには本衣装を用いるはでなものも現れた。もともと通人の素人(しろうと)芸としてこれを行う者が多かったが、太鼓持ちなど廓(くるわ)の芸人で俄を得意とする者がおり、のちには専門の俄師が登場することとなった。18世紀に入ってとくに盛んになり、『古今俄選』（1774）のように評判をとった俄の趣向を集めた書物が出版されることもあった。さらに江戸後期には、俄とはいえ本格的な舞台を構えた俄狂言、俄芝居、寄席(よせ)で上演される寄席俄の出現をみるに至った。

　上方(かみがた)ではこの俄狂言、俄芝居が明治以降、改良俄、新聞俄など時事性の強い軽演劇に発展し、壮士劇（後の新派）を生み出すとともに、俄本来の喜劇性は新喜劇など上方喜劇に引き継がれた。江戸系の俄は吉原俄として20世紀初めまで伝承されていたが、いまは消滅している。今日、大阪や九州に俄師の流れをくむ芸人がわずかに俄の伝統を保持しているほか、まれに地方の祭礼に郷土芸能として俄の遺風を伝える所があるが、いずれも衰微が著しい。

　なお、農村の地芝居など素人芝居を、それが簡易な上演であるところから、俄とよぶ場合があった。

［守屋　毅］

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