5.The famous programs in Noh

  It is said that it is official that the event of the Noh plays five songs per day. First, the god become “Shitekata” (the chief character of the story). And the chief character of the second piece is a man (a man suffering from an armed fight), the third piece is a woman (a beautiful woman), fourth is a Mad (Madman or woman), fifth is an ogre (brutal person) as know-how to put the different atmosphere together effectively. But it is not completely  decided because it may be played in the first that an ogre is “Shitekata” (last piece) if its content is happy. Noh was played the fifth in a day in old days. However, it is rare that it organizes a program to the fifth in a day now.

 

The current music (music recognized as a program today) of the Noh is approximately 240 pieces. Probably it maybe be "Takasago" to be the most famous. In the banquet of a Japanese style wedding ceremony, Japanese cannot miss "Takasago" that is congratulatory address music. It is great as a program of the Noh, but is the certainly best of various Noh songs. Particularly, it may be “Hagoromo" to be known widely. This program appears in the textbook of the junior high school of Japan. This was based on a Hagoromo myth of Matsubara of Miho. In other, "Adachigahara Atsumori", "Aoinoue”, "Ukai", “Sotoba Komachi " are famous programs.

 

The Noh has one story that concluded every one program. Here, I make “Takasago” an example. Takasago is a story of the time that the Emperor Daigo lived in. The Shinto priest of Kyushu Aso-jinja Shrine drops in the famous spot of Harima country (Hyogo prefecture) Takasago with an attendant in the middle of capital sightseeing. A Shinto priest was waiting for a person, and an old couple appeared. They praised that the way of the 31-syllable Japanese poem prospered in the present times to a Shinto priest. After that, they told that they were the incarnation of the pine tree and Takasago, and the old couple disappeared from a Shinto priest before long. The party of a Shinto priest starts a boat with moonrise chasing after an old couple. Myojin Sumiyoshi of the male figure appeared when I arrived. And Myojin Sumiyoshi blessed the peaceful world. This is a story compiling Takasago. In this way, in a story, a message is put in each.

 

References

http://www.syuneikai.net/information.htm

http://okwave.jp/qa/q8094406.html