• NOH: 船橋 (Funabashi)

4/21/24 (Sun), Tokyo

A lesser performed but highly entertaining Romeo-and-Juliet type piece with some unusual features. Two yamabushi priests on their way to Hiraizumi meet a man and women collecting donations to build a new bridge. They tell the priests that a young couple from opposite sides of the river had been secret lovers, and the miffed parents had removed the planks of the old bridge in an effort to stop them. The unsuspecting lovers, attempting to cross at night, fell into the river and drowned. Naturally the man and woman seeking donations are the ghosts of that couple, and it turns out that, despite effectively being murdered, they are the ones who went to hell for the crime of passion; I suppose opposing their parents didn’t help either.

These cases normally involve a crazed woman suffering from unrequited love, but this time both the man and woman are mutually and deeply in love. They carry their obsession into death, which prevents them from moving on to rebirth. The man returns in the second half as a demon and performs a wild dance while the accompanying woman watches. The main priest prays for them and ultimately releases them from their suffering.

Having a couple is unusual in itself – other shows like Teika involve a couple, but only one party appears on stage – and this is apparently the only such play in which the demon, i.e., person haunted by obsession, is a man. That makes for a very physical dance, including an energetic disposal of the fan and a dramatic plunge onto the floor. Kawaguchi Kohei was superb as usual in this demanding role. It was a bit off-putting to see his face throughout the first half rather than a mask, but I suppose the idea is to highlight the contrast between the human and demon. I’m not sure why this engaging show is not done more often.