能のあらすじ・見どころ Summary and Highlights of Noh Kinsatsu (The Golden Tablet) English
Summary
A period of peace and tranquility has begun after Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to Heian-kyō. The Emperor has sent an imperial envoy (waki) and his attendant (waki-tsure) to Fushimi (the southern suburbs of Kyoto) with orders to build a Shinto shrine. Upon the envoy's arrival in Fushimi, a tablet made of pure gold and bearing a divine inscription falls from the heavens. The imperial envoy decides to spend the night under a nearby pine tree and wait for а divine message.
Ama-tsu-Futodama-no-Mikoto (shite) - the deity that sent the golden tablet - appears out of the door of the finished golden shrine. He shoots his bow to subdue the evil spirits. The Deity is overjoyed to announce that the Emperor has no more enemies.
Before returning to his shrine, he blesses the Emperor's reign with peace and tranquility.
Highlights
"Kinsatsu" is a celebratory Noh play that Zeami's father, Kan'ami, is thought to have been involved in. An excerpt from it is featured in Zeami's musical treatise "Go-on". The play is believed to have been based on lore about the Golden Tablet from a book of waka poetry secrets from the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
Ama-tsu-Futodama-no-Mikoto is a deity who appears in the "Kojiki" (Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan). He is known for performing a Shinto ritual in front of the Heaven's Rock Cave when Amaterasu hid inside it.
The word "Futodama" suggests a sort of precious jewel used in rituals. The deity Ama-tsu-Futodama is believed to have been the ancestral deity of the Inbe clan, which conducted all Shinto rituals within the Yamato Imperial Court.
The visual highlight of the play is the scene when Ama-tsu-Futodama-no-Mikoto shoots his bow on stage. As he shoots the arrow, the viewers are focused on the deity. When he detaches the bowstring from the bow, it means that the threat has disappeared and an era of peace has arrived.
The festive atmosphere is enhanced by Ama-tsu-Futodama-no-Mikoto's dance, with its clean-cut movements and sense of divine authority.