Handayu-bushi

A school of Edo joruri. It was founded by Edo Handayu (?-1743?) around the Jōkyō era (1684-88). Hizen-bushi, Handayu-bushi, and Kato-bushi are collectively known as Edo-bushi. The first Handayu's childhood name was Hannojō, and he was the son of a mountain ascetic and a skilled sectarian. He was recommended by Edo Hizen-no-jō to become his disciple, and by adding and softening the Hizen-bushi with Toraya Eikan's Eikan-bushi, he created a school of his own, which was praised as the greatest master since Satsuma Jōun. During the Genroku period (1688-1704), he established the puppet theatre, and performed mainly zashiki joruri, as well as kabuki plays, and changed his name to Sakamoto Ryoun during the Shotoku period (1711-16). In Kamigata, his style was also called Azuma joruri, and was especially popular alongside Eikan-bushi and Tosa-bushi, and some of his compositions remain in jiuta today as Handayumono.

The second generation was succeeded by the founder's second son Hanjiro (there is also a theory that it was the eldest son Miyauchi). After 1717 (Kyoho 2), his disciple Tenmaya Tojuro took on the name Edodayu Kawato, his popularity was overshadowed by his succession, and the name Handayu declined, and although it continued for seven generations, it disappeared at the end of the Edo period, and Handayu's narration was incorporated into Kawatobushi and has been passed down to the present day.

[Kiyohiro Hayashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸浄瑠璃(じょうるり)の一流派。江戸半太夫（？―1743？）が貞享(じょうきょう)（1684～88）ごろに創始した。肥前(ひぜん)節、半太夫節、河東(かとう)節をあわせて江戸節と総称される。初世半太夫は幼名を半之丞(はんのじょう)といい、修験者(しゅげんじゃ)の子で説経祭文(さいもん)の巧者であったが、江戸肥前掾(ひぜんのじょう)に勧められてその門弟となり、肥前節に虎屋永閑(とらやえいかん)の永閑節を加味し、和らげて一流を編み出し、薩摩浄雲(さつまじょううん)以来の名手とうたわれた。元禄(げんろく)年間（1688～1704）がその最盛期で、操座(あやつりざ)をおこし、座敷浄瑠璃を主として歌舞伎(かぶき)芝居にも出演し、正徳(しょうとく)（1711～16）のころに坂本梁雲(りょううん)と改名した。上方(かみがた)でも吾妻(あづま)浄瑠璃とよばれ、永閑節、土佐(とさ)節などと並び、とりわけもてはやされて流行し、今日でも地歌に半太夫物として楽曲の一部が残されている。

　なお2世は初世の二男半次郎が継いだ（長男宮内説もある）。高弟の天満屋藤十郎が、江戸太夫河東を名のった1717年（享保2）以降はその人気に押されて衰退し、半太夫の名も7世を数えたが幕末には消滅し、半太夫の語物は河東節のなかに包含されて今日まで継承されている。

［林喜代弘］

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