Funa Benkei - Funa Benkei

Noh piece. Fifth piece. Five-school current piece. Written by Kanze Kojiro Nobumitsu. Even today, it is one of the most popular pieces along with "Lady Aoi". Minamoto no Yoshitsune (child actor), who has fallen out with his brother Minamoto no Yoritomo, flees the capital accompanied by Benkei (waki) and a few other attendants, and arrives at Daimotsu Bay. Benkei advises his lord that Shizuka (mae shite), whom he longs for, is not suitable for this time of crisis, and Shizuka, sadly dancing at a farewell banquet, returns to the capital. As the boat sets out to sea, a sudden storm arises and the ghosts of the Heike clan float among the waves, among whom Taira Tomomori (the second shite) attacks with a naginata. Yoshitsune draws his sword and fights back, but the vengeful spirits finally retreat thanks to Benkei's desperate prayers. The contrast between the sad and elegant scenes before and after, and the dreary and dynamic scenes before and after, is magnificent, and it is interesting to see the same shite actor playing the roles of a man and a woman with different personalities. It is customary in Noh to have a young boy play Yoshitsune, but sometimes an adult plays the role as a tsure. The waki is a major role that is the axis of the scenes before and after, and the role of the boatman in the interim kyogen that depicts the storm is also important. The extremely simple boat prop is carried onto the stage by the boatman himself, and is extremely effective in capturing the change of scene and the isolated space on the sea. The composer's innovative use of large and small drums to depict the raging waves was also a groundbreaking idea. Each school has a variety of different productions. The kabuki dance "Funabenkei" was created based on "The Chronicle of Yoshitsune," "The Rise and Fall of the Genpei Clan," and "The Tale of the Heike," and the record of the storm is also found in "Azuma Kagami." The kabuki dance "Funabenkei" was originally created as a Nagauta (long song) piece for modern Noh (music composed by Kineya Katsusaburo II) at the beginning of the Meiji era, and was adapted by Kawatake Mokuami, with music composed by Kineya Shojiro II and choreography by Hanayagi Jusuke I. It premiered in November 1885 (Meiji 18) at the Shintomi-za Theater in Tokyo by Ichikawa Danjūrō ​​IX as one of the new kabuki plays. The premiere was not well received, but Onoe Kikugoro VI added some creative touches to the direction and repeatedly performed the piece, and it has since become a popular piece.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。五番目物。五流現行曲。観世(かんぜ)小次郎信光(のぶみつ)作。現代も『葵上(あおいのうえ)』とともに人気曲の随一。兄源頼朝(よりとも)と不和になった源義経(よしつね)（子方）は、弁慶（ワキ）ほか、わずかの従者（ワキツレ）を伴って都を落ち、大物(だいもつ)の浦に着く。弁慶は、後を慕う静(しずか)（前シテ）を、この危急のおりにふさわしくないと主君に進言し、静は悲しみつつも別離の宴に舞い、都へと帰って行く。舟が海上に出ると、にわかに嵐(あらし)がおこり、平家の亡霊が波間に浮かぶが、なかでも平知盛(とももり)（後シテ）は、薙刀(なぎなた)を振るって襲いかかる。義経は刀を抜いて渡り合うが、弁慶の必死の祈りにより、ついに怨霊(おんりょう)は退散する。哀切・優艶(ゆうえん)と、悽愴(せいそう)・豪快な前後の場面の対照がみごとで、同じシテの役者が、性格の違う男と女の役を演じ分ける興味も大きい。義経を少年に演じさせるのは能の慣習だが、ツレとして大人が演ずる場合もある。ワキは前後の場面の軸となる大役で、嵐の描写をする間(あい)狂言の船頭の役も重要である。簡素を極める舟の作り物も、船頭自身が持って舞台に走り出るが、場面の転換と、海上に孤立する空間を如実にくぎり、優れて効果的である。怒濤(どとう)の描写音楽として大鼓・小鼓が用いられるのも、作者の画期的なくふうであった。各流にさまざまな演出のバリエーションがある。『義経(ぎけい)記』『源平盛衰記』『平家物語』による創作で、嵐にあった記録は『吾妻鏡(あづまかがみ)』にもある
　歌舞伎(かぶき)舞踊『船弁慶』は、明治の初めに今様(いまよう)能の長唄(ながうた)（2世杵屋勝三郎(きねやかつさぶろう)作曲）としてつくられたものを、河竹黙阿弥(もくあみ)が改作し、2世杵屋正次郎(しょうじろう)作曲、初世花柳寿輔(はなやぎじゅすけ)振付けで、1885年（明治18）11月、東京・新富座で9世市川団十郎が新歌舞伎十八番の一つとして初演。初演は好評でなかったが、6世尾上(おのえ)菊五郎が演出にくふうを加えて繰り返し上演し、以来人気曲となった。

［増田正造］

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