能のあらすじ・見どころ Summary and Highlights of Noh Shirahige English
Summary
After seeing an auspicious dream, the emperor has ordered an envoy and his attendants to visit Shirahige Shrine in the Ōmi province (today Shiga prefecture), on the Western shore of Lake Biwa. Upon arriving there, the party meets an old fisherman and young fisherman. The fisherman praises Shirahige Shrine as an expression of the emperor’s peaceful reign, then he relates the legendary origin of the shrine. In search of a place to spread his teachings, Buddha Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama) visited Shiga Bay on Lake Biwa, where he met an old man who was fishing there. Shakyamuni wanted to make that land part of the Buddhist realm, but the old man, who owned it, was reluctant to give it up. Then, Yakushi Nyorai (the Buddha of Healing) appeared and pledged to protect the old man if he would open this place to the Buddhist doctrine.
After telling this story, the old fisherman reveals himself to be the Shirahige Deity and disappears into the shrine. Then, the god of a subsidiary shrine appears, relates the history of Shirahige Shrine in simple words, and dances in celebration. As night falls, the Shirahige Deity appears and dances for the envoy. After that, a Celestial Maiden descends from the heavens, while a Dragon God emerges from the lake waters. After offering fire lanterns to the shrine, they dance. As dawn breaks, the female deity returns to the heavens, while the dragon disappears in the lake. The authority of the Shirahige Deity has been celebrated, and the land is at peace.
Highlights
Shirahige Shrine, where this work is set, is located in present-day Takashima City, west of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, and is also known as the “Itsukushima of the Ōmi region” because of its large torii gateway in the lake. The deity Sarutahiko-no-mikoto is said to have guided the descent of Amaterasu's grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto from the High Plain of Heaven. Sarutahiko is enshrined at Shirahige Shrine in the form of a white-haired, white-bearded deity.
This play is thought to have been based on the Shirahige no kusemai, a song and dance composition written by the playwright and performer Kan'ami (1333-1384), father of Zeami. The play is thus considered to be among the earliest that are still performed today. The lines from the kuri, sashi, and kuse sections in this play also appear In Zeami’s treatise Go-on.
The kuse section is based on a form of narrative that was popular in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) called kusemai, in which lyrics are chanted while the performer stamps to a rhythmical musical accompaniment. Kan'ami introduced the rhythm-oriented kusemai into the previously melody-driven style of nō, thus contributing to forming a new musical style. It is thought that the first of these compositions was the Shirahige no kusemai.
The highlight of the first half of the play is the kuse section, which tells the story of the origin of Mount Hiei. This is known as one of the "three difficult kuse," together with the kuse of the plays Hanagatami and Utaura. The reason why the shite in the first scene is an old fisherman is probably due to the fact that in this kuse the Deity of Shirahige appears on the shores of Lake Biwa.
The highlight of the second half of the play is the solemn gaku dance, performed by the Deity of Shirahige, and the maibataraki dance, performed by the Celestial Maiden and the Dragon God. The gaku, which is said to have been modeled on bugaku (ancient Japanese court music accompanied by dance), is characterized by its slow and dignified pace, and by its numerous foot stamping. The stage property representing the shrine building is flanked by two lanterns. The Celestial Maiden and Dragon God offer their lanterns to the shrine, symbolizing how the blessings of the Shirahige Deity spread across the land.