Transformation - Hengemono

A type of Kabuki dance. It is also called "Henryo-do (change dance)". It is composed of several short dance pieces, and the performer changes costumes one after another and dances different roles one after another. It is given a title based on the overall theme, and is called "Gohenge (five changes)" or "Seven Henge (seven changes)" depending on the number of roles. The local music is often Nagauta (long song), but Tokiwazu (tokiwazu), Tomimoto (tokiwazu), and Kiyomoto (tokiwazu), and sometimes the "kakeai" form is also used. As a rule, there is only one performer, but at the end of the Edo period, works consisting of multiple performers were also created. The first Henryo-mono is said to be "Nanabake Kyoshi (Seven transformations Rhapsody)", which is a descendant of "Onryo-goto (the affair of a vengeful spirit)" performed by Mizuki Tatsunosuke I in 1697 (Genroku 10). After the Kyoho era (1716-1736), it was mainly performed in Edo, but after that, it moved away from the theme of vengeful spirits and developed into something that simply aimed for short-term change, and it was most popular during the Bunka and Bunsei eras (1804-1830). After the Meiji era, with the exception of "Sugata no Irodori," no complete works remain, and parts of each piece began to be performed independently, but among them there are many masterpieces that represent Japanese dance. Good examples include the Nagauta pieces "Sagi Musume," "The Feathered Kamuro," "Echigo Lion," "Tomoyakko," "Shiokumi," "Tenaraiko," and "Fuji Musume," as well as the Tokiwazu pieces "Mitsumen Komori," "Kagoya," and "Toshima," and the Kiyomoto pieces "Yasuna," "Tobae," and "Sanja Matsuri."

[Toshiaki Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

歌舞伎(かぶき)舞踊の一系統。「変化舞踊」ともいう。いくつかの小品舞踊を組み合わせて構成、演者が次々に扮装(ふんそう)を変え、異なる役柄を連続的に踊り分けるもの。総体のテーマによって一つの外題(げだい)をつけ、役柄の数によって「五変化」「七変化」などとよんだ。地の音楽は長唄(ながうた)が多いが、常磐津(ときわず)、富元(とみもと)、清元(きよもと)なども使い、ときには「掛合い」の形式も用いる。演者は1人を原則とするが、幕末には複数の演者で構成される作品もできた。変化物の最初は1697年（元禄10）初世水木辰之助(みずきたつのすけ)が演じた「怨霊事(おんりょうごと)」の系統を引く『七化狂詩(ななばけきょうし)』といわれる。享保(きょうほう)（1716～36）以後、主として江戸で行われたが、その後は怨霊から離れ、単に目先の変化をねらうものとして発達、文化・文政(ぶんかぶんせい)期（1804～30）にはもっとも流行した。明治以後、『六歌仙容彩(すがたのいろどり)』以外、全編が残る作品はなくなり、それぞれの一部が独立して行われるようになったが、そのなかには日本舞踊を代表する名曲も多い。長唄『鷺娘(さぎむすめ)』『羽根の禿(かむろ)』『越後獅子(えちごじし)』『供奴(ともやっこ)』『汐汲(しおくみ)』『手習子(てならいこ)』『藤娘(ふじむすめ)』、常磐津『三つ面子守』『駕屋(かごや)』『年増(としま)』、清元『保名(やすな)』『鳥羽絵(とばえ)』『三社祭』などは好例。

［松井俊諭］

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