Half-sleeve - Hashitomi

Noh piece. Third piece. Five-school contemporary piece. Written by Naito Tozaemon. Also called "Hajitomi." Based on the "Yugao" chapter of "The Tale of Genji." While Zeami's work "Yugao" has a dark theme of a life taken by a spirit, "Hansho" depicts a woman who continues to cherish the joy of her fleeting love with Hikaru Genji from the afterlife. It is a short Noh piece, but a lyrical masterpiece. A monk (waki) from Unrin-in Temple in Murasakino, Kyoto is offering flowers to the Buddha during his summer training when a woman (mae shite) offers a white evening glory flower and disappears, announcing that she is a "Gojo-watari" (a person who crosses the Gojo River). A monk visiting the Gojo area reminisces about the past from The Tale of Genji, when a woman (Go-shite) appears, pushing up a half-door covered with evening glories. She tells the story of how she and Hikaru Genji were united by the white flowers floating in the twilight, and dances beautifully with love, but as dawn breaks she disappears and the monk wakes from his dream. The double effect of the flower fairy and the evening glories woman is also magnificent. The props in the half-door are also impressive, and there is a special performance in which an actual standing flower is displayed in the opening act.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。三番目物。五流現行曲。作者は内藤藤左衛門(とうざえもん)。「はじとみ」ともいう。『源氏物語』の「夕顔」の巻による。世阿弥(ぜあみ)の作品に『夕顔』があり、物の怪(け)に命をとられる暗い主題であるのに対し、『半蔀』は、つかのまではあるが光源氏との恋を得た喜びをあの世からいとおしみ続ける女性像を描く。小品の能だが叙情的な佳作。京都紫野(むらさきの)、雲林院(うんりんいん)の僧（ワキ）が夏の修行の間に仏に供えた花の供養をしていると、1人の女性（前シテ）が白い夕顔の花を捧(ささ)げ、「五条わたり」の者と告げて消える。五条あたりを訪ねた僧が、『源氏物語』の昔をしのんでいると、夕顔の絡まる半蔀戸を押し上げて女（後シテ）が現れ、夕闇(ゆうやみ)に白く浮かぶ花が縁で光源氏と結ばれたことを語り、美しく慕情を舞うが、明け方とともにその姿は消え、僧の夢は覚める。花の精と夕顔の女の二重映しの効果もみごとである。半蔀屋の作り物も印象的で、前段に実際の立花(りっか)を出す特別な演出もある。

［増田正造］

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