能のあらすじ・見どころ Summary and Highlights of Noh Morihisa English
Summary
After defeating the Heike army at the battle of Dan-no-Ura, the Genji family started hunting down all surviving members of the Heike clan. Soon, the Heike samurai Morihisa (shite), who had been hiding in Kyoto, is captured and sent under guard to the Shogun's capital of Kamakura. It is the height of spring. Expecting the worst, Morihisa persuades his guards to make a brief stop at Kiyomizu Temple in order to pray to its deity, Bodhisattva Kannon, for his soul's salvation in the afterlife. On its way from Kyoto to Kamakura, the convoy passes through many scenic spots and historic places, but to Morihisa they are nothing but reminders of his imminent death.
As soon as the convoy arrives at Kamakura, Morihisa is sentenced to death by beheading. He is to be executed on the following day. The warrior accepts the news of this decision with fortitude and chants the Kannon Sutra together with his guard, Tsuchiya Saburō (waki). Being a devout believer in Bodhisattva Kannon, Morihisa receives a divine dream right before dawn.
On the following morning, Morihisa is brought to Yui-ga-hama Beach. He arrives at the execution grounds carrying the scroll with the Kanon Sutra in his hands. The moment the executioner (waki-tsure) lifts his sword, Morihisa's scroll starts shining with dazzling light. Blinded, the executioner drops the blade and it breaks into pieces.
Summoned by the shogun Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, Morihisa tells him of the divine dream he had before dawn. In the dream, Bodhisattva Kannon appeared before him in the shape of an old man and told him that his life will be saved. Oddly enough, Yoritomo had the same dream before dawn. Morihisa and Yoritomo are struck by the revelation that they both live under Bodhisattva Kannon's protection.
Yoritomo orders a banquet in celebration of this moment. Morihisa performs a dance of joy, and is officially released.
Highlights
In Noh, the dramatis personae usually begin their actual performance only after announcing their background and communicating their thoughts and feelings through song. In "Morihisa", however, the performance starts with Morihisa conversing with his supervisor Tsuchiya Saburō while traveling (In the tradition of the Hōshō, Kongō and Kita schools, the play starts with Tsuchiya introducing himself).
The emotional state of Morihisa upon leaving Kyoto for Kamakura is revealed through the libretto and the actor's line of sight. There are special artistic directions which use the hashigakari bridgeway to create a sense of distance. This part of the libretto is called ‘michiyuki’, or "road traveling", and consists of poetic descriptions of the surrounding landscape,
skillfully interwoven with homophonic words with multiple meanings that suggest various interpretations.
The dance that Morihisa performs to express his joy for having been pardoned is called ‘otoko-mai’. This gallant yet energetic dance is considered to be the most appropriate for warrior characters. There are directions in which the main actor is purposefully dressed in trailing hakama trousers in order to show off the beautiful handling of the costume's legs.
The legend of Morihisa and his protection by the Bodhisattva Kannon of Kiyomizu Temple can be seen in the "Nagato-bon" version of "The Tale of the Heike".
True to his samurai honour, Morihisa makes it clear that his veneration of Kannon is not motivated by fear of losing his life. However, he does not show any signs of believing in the virtue of suppressing one's feelings and sacrificing himself for the sake of his master either. Morihisa exhibits remarkable and pure resilience in his inability to abandon his faith in Kannon even in the face of death.
The author of this play is Zeami's son Kanze Motomasa. Among his other remaining works are "Sumida-gawa", "Yoroboshi" and others.