能のあらすじ・見どころ Summary and Highlights of Noh Tamura English
Summary
During his visit to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, a traveling priest (waki) and his companions meet a young boy cleansing the ground under the cherry tree in Jishu-gongen Shrine. The boy talks about the origin of the temple, which was founded by Sakanoue Tamuramaro. After praising the power of the temple's prime deity, the Thousand-armed Kannon, the boy points out all famous places that can be seen from the temple grounds. Eventually the moon rises above Mount Otowa. In the spring evening the boy and priests spend some merry time together. The boy performs a dance, praising the beauty of Kiyomizu Temple in spring, and eventually disappears into the building of Tamura Shrine.
A man (ai), living near Kiyomizu Temple, passes by the mystified priests and tells them the legend of the temple's origin. After recommending that the priests hold a memorial service for Tamuramaro, the man leaves.
At night, the spirit of Tamuramaro (shite in the second act) in full armor appears before the priests. He tells the story of his expedition to subdue the demons in Mount Suzuka. After going on a pilgrimage to Kiyomizu Temple, Tamuramaro bravely led his army from Ōmi Province, along the road to Ise, and was finally able to defeat the enemy with the help of the deity of mercy - the Thousand-armed Kannon. At the end of his story, the spirit of Tamuramaro expresses his gratitude to Kannon.
Highlights
he Noh play "Tamura" is a ‘warrior’ or ‘second-group’ play set in the gorgeous Kiyomizu Temple in spring. The charm of "Tamura" is quite different from all other ‘warrior’ plays. Usually the main heroes of the ‘warrior’ plays in Noh are the ghosts of warriors, who after death have sunk to the world of perpetual carnage. They ask a traveling Buddhist priest for prayer and through chant and dance recreate their suffering in the world of bloodshed. However, the theme of "Tamura" is the auspicious story of Sakanoue Tamuramaro's relation to Kiyomizu Temple's origin, and his victory aided by the miraculous intervention of the Thousand-armed Bodhisattva Kannon.
Because of that, the Noh plays "Tamura", "Yashima" and "Ebira" are called ‘victorious warrior plays’, also known as ‘festive warrior plays’.
In the first half of the play, Tamuramaro appears in the form of a young boy with a mysterious aura. Here, the highlights are the moment when the boy mesmerizes the priests with his poetry in the lovely spring evening, and the scene where through song and dance he recreates the legend of Kiyomizu Temple's origin. In the second half of the play, the ghost of Tamuramaro demonstrates his exceptional strength, which is backed up by the vigorous chant of the choir's description of the battle.
The choir's chant depicting the scene where thousands of arrows, shot by Bodhisattva Kannon, fall like hail over the enemy, together with the movements of Tamuramaro, expressing his gratitude to Kannon are also among the highlights of the second half.
Legends about the origin of Kiyomizu Temple can be found in the ancient manuscripts "Konjaku Monogatari" (Tales of Times Now Past) and "Kiyomizu-dera Engi" (the Origins of Kiyomizu Temple). Tales of Tamuramaro linking him to the miracles of Kiyomizu Temple are featured in the sixteenth century manuscript "Tamura no Sōshi" (Tales of Tamura), the old narrative "Tamura" and others.