Wandering willow

A Noh piece. It is treated as the fourth piece, and also as the third piece according to the wig piece. It is a current piece of the five schools, but the Konparu school was revived in the Meiji period. It was written by Kanze Nobumitsu in his later years as a response to Zeami's masterpiece "Saigyo Sakura." It was first performed in 1514 (Eisho 11). Based on Saigyo's waka poem "By the roadside, clear water flows through the willows, and for a moment I stop in their shade," this is a highly advanced Noh piece in which the old willow spirit described in the poem shows a tranquil atmosphere. When the wandering monk Shonin (waki) arrives in Oshu, an old man (mae-shite) appears before him and guides him to the old road trodden by the previous wandering monk, telling him about a famous tree called Kuchiki no Yanagi, famous in a poem by Saigyo. After the monk recites ten prayers, the old man disappears into the willows (intermission). A villager (ai-kyogen) appears and tells the monk a story about willows before retiring. While the monk is reciting the prayer, a willow spirit (go-shite) appears in the form of a white-haired old man, tells him a Japanese and Chinese tale about the willow, and performs a dance of gratitude before disappearing.

[Masuda Shozo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

能の曲目。四番目物、また鬘(かずら)物に準じて三番目物としても扱われる。五流現行曲、ただし金春(こんぱる)流は明治の復曲。世阿弥(ぜあみ)の名作『西行桜(さいぎょうざくら)』に対抗して晩年の観世信光(かんぜのぶみつ)が書いた作品。初演は1514年（永正11）。西行の「道のべに清水流るる柳蔭(かげ)しばしとてこそたちどまりつれ」の和歌を骨子に、歌に詠まれた老いた柳の精が、閑寂な風情をみせる高度な能である。奥州に至った遊行上人(しょうにん)（ワキ）の前に、老人（前シテ）が現れて、先代の遊行上人の通った古道に案内し、西行の歌に名高い朽木(くちき)の柳という名木を教え、上人から十念を授かると柳のあたりに姿を消す（中入）。里人（間(あい)狂言）が出て、上人に柳の物語をして退く。上人の念仏のなかに、柳の精（後シテ）が白髪の老翁の姿で現れ、和漢の柳の故事を物語り、報謝の舞を舞って消える。

［増田正造］

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