• Noh: Sanemori (実盛)，Momijigari (紅葉狩)

11/2/25 (Sun)

Sanemori: I’ve seen the more expansive version of this Heike tale in both Bunraku and Kabuki, but Zeami’s Noh version is not done as often, being one of those shows that only a certain level of actor is allowed to play.

A monk in Shinohara notes that a certain man has been listening to his sermons every day. He approaches the man and realizes that he is the only one who can see him. The man tells him the story of Sanemori, a warrior who was killed in the Battle of Shinohara, then hints that he is in fact that very warrior before slipping off. He returns in full battle gear, wearing a rich brocaded kimono, and tells his story. He describes how he had special permission to use the kimono, usually available only to generals, because he wanted to return to the battle in his home province in splendor. The reciters relate further that after he was killed and decapitated, the enemy discovered when they washed his head that the black dye came off to show his naturally gray hair, revealing him to be an old man. He had dyed it to ensure that his enemy took him seriously, but this is taken as a sign of vanity, an attachment that he must discard in order to achieve salvation. Sanemori, “a decayed and withered branch,” asks the monk to pray for his soul.

While the monk enters first as usual for these plays, the opening lines were actually by a villager, who explains that the monk has been talking to himself lately, thus setting the stage for us in a deviation from the typical play. Also, the ghost appears from the beginning as such, albeit visible only to the monk, rather than taking the appearance of another person. An interesting variation on the normal setup.

The play involves reams of Buddhist-infused dialogue, which was generally hard to comprehend without the text. The text itself is fascinating and reads more beautifully than it plays (Basho quoted directly from it in some of his poems). Still, the dance was as splendid as ever, especially the part representing the washing of the severed head. Sanemori’s appearance in the second half in the gorgeous brocade robe is memorable.

Momijigari: A nice seasonal choice, always an entertaining show with a large cast and easily understandable action. Taira no Koremochi is deer hunting in the mountains of present-day Nagano Prefecture when he comes upon a noblewoman and her retinue enjoying the autumn leaves. They invite him to join. He gets tipsy and falls asleep, at which the women disappear. A deity then approaches Koremochi in his dream and warns him that the noblewoman is actually a demon. He leaves a divine sword for Koremochi to defend himself. The woman indeed returns in the form of a demon and attacks him, but he is able after a struggle to triumph.

The opening is unique in that the nominal lead (the noblewoman) is the first to speak and ultimately has fewer lines than the supporting actor (Koremochi). As noted in an essay, the play doles out information little by little: there is no clue at first that the noblewoman is going to be the villain, that they are in Nagano, or where the play is going in the first act other than the woman’s brief glance at the sleeping warrior. The ai puts the pieces together for us in the interval while providing Koremochi with the magical sword needed in the second half. The piece is enlivened by the coordinated movements of the noblewoman’s party and Koremochi’s men and especially the battle at the end with the demon, which is almost Kabukiesque. Author Nobumitsu (Zeami’s great nephew), the last of Noh’s Golden Era playwrights, is known for large-scale works with plenty of action, such as the classics Ataka and Funa Benkei, suggesting that audience tastes were changing. This popular show provides a tantalizing hint as to the direction that Noh might have taken had it not been adopted by the aristocracy and warrior class. Still a crowd pleaser and very nicely performed today.