Yamato Sarugaku

A general term for Sarugaku troupes based in Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture) during the Middle Ages. There were troupes of various sizes throughout Yamato, but four of them, Enmani-za (later Konparu-za), Sakado-za (later Kongo-za), Tobi-za (later Hosho-za), and Yuzaki-za (later Kanze-za), which were based in or near the Yamato Plain, made appearances at events such as the Kofuku-ji Takigi Sarugaku and the Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri, and expanded their influence as Sarugaku affiliated with Kofuku-ji Temple. Furthermore, in the early Muromachi period, Kan'ami and Zeami, father and son, of the Yuzakiza Theatre, moved to Kyoto and received the patronage of the third Ashikaga Shogun, Yoshimitsu, further strengthening the position of the four Yamato Sarugaku theatres. Originally, the style was centered on imitation and featured intense Oninou (demonic Noh plays), but Kan'ami strengthened the elements of song and dance, and Zeami added elegant and graceful expressions to enhance the artistic quality. During the Warring States period, Yamato Sarugaku was also in danger, but Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who favored the Konparu troupe, made the four Yamato Sarugaku troupes the representatives of the various Sarugaku troupes, and had actors from other troupes such as Tamba Sarugaku and Uji Sarugaku affiliated with them and provided them with financial support, and Tokugawa Ieyasu also inherited this policy, so only the four Yamato Sarugaku troupes continued the lifeblood of Sarugaku. Eventually, they moved their base to Edo, and with the addition of the Kita school, which had been established in the early Edo period, the four troupes and one school were designated as Sarugaku under the protection of the Edo Shogunate, and these became today's five schools of shite actors in Noh (Kanze, Konparu, Hōshō, Kongō, and Kita).

[Kobayashi, Responsible]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世に大和国（奈良県）に本拠を置いた猿楽の座の総称。大和一円に大小の座が存在したが、それらのうち大和平野およびその近辺に座を構えた円満井(えんまんい)座（のち金春(こんぱる)座）、坂戸(さかど)座（のち金剛(こんごう)座）、外山(とび)座（のち宝生(ほうしょう)座）、結崎(ゆうざき)座（のち観世(かんぜ)座）の四座(よざ)は、興福寺薪(たきぎ)猿楽、春日若宮(かすがわかみや)おん祭などに参勤し、興福寺所属の猿楽として勢力を伸長した。さらに室町初期に結崎座の観阿弥(かんあみ)・世阿弥(ぜあみ)父子が京都へ進出、足利(あしかが)3代将軍義満(よしみつ)の愛顧を受けたことによって、大和猿楽四座の立場はいっそう強固なものとなった。元来は物真似(ものまね)本位で動きの激しい鬼能(おにのう)などを本領とする芸風であったが、観阿弥が歌舞の要素を強化し、世阿弥がそれに高雅優美な表現を加えて芸術性を高めた。戦国時代には大和猿楽も危機に瀕(ひん)するが、金春座をひいきにした豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉は大和猿楽四座を猿楽諸座の代表とし、ここに丹波(たんば)猿楽、宇治猿楽など他座の役者を所属させて扶持(ふち)し、徳川家康もその政策を継承したので、大和猿楽四座のみが猿楽の命脈を伝えるに至った。やがて本拠を江戸に移し、江戸初期に成立した喜多(きた)流を加えて四座一流が江戸幕府保護の猿楽と定められ、それが今日の能のシテ方五流（観世流、金春流、宝生流、金剛流、喜多流）となった。

［小林　責］

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