[Japan Artist – September 2024 Issue]

Echoes of Spirit on Stage – Japanese Language and Kabuki (Part I)

舞台に響く言霊 – 日本語と歌舞伎 

As Japan’s representative traditional performing art, Kabuki is the first to be listed. Kabuki developed from the dance started by Izumo no Okuni in Kyoto in the early Edo period (1603) and eventually came to be performed in theaters. By the mid-Edo period (1680s), it was enjoyed as entertainment for the common people, and Kabuki’s popularity reached its peak.

日本を代表する伝統芸能として、真っ先に挙げられるのが「歌舞伎」です。江戸時代の初め(1603)、京都で出雲阿国[いずものおくに]が始めたかぶき踊りが発展し、やがて芝居小屋で演じられるようになりました。江戸中期（1680〜）には庶民の娯楽として楽しまれ、歌舞伎人気が隆盛を迎えます。

Like modern theater, movies, and TV dramas, Kabuki depicts contemporary events and customs in a narrative format, expressing the joys and sorrows of life. Many performances include criticism and satire of the shogunate and authorities, making it a welcome entertainment for the common people. Performances such as “Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami,” “Kanjincho,” and “Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura,” which are based on historical events from the Heian and Kamakura periods, gained high popularity. These works depict the transience of the samurai era, filled with injustice, and continue to move us as representative works of Kabuki.

現代で言う演劇、映画、テレビドラマと同じで、世相や風俗を物語仕立てで見せ、人生の悲喜こもごもを表現。幕府や権力者への批判や風刺を含む演目も多々あり、庶民の溜飲を下げる娯楽として大いに歓迎されていました。遠く平安時代や鎌倉時代の歴史的な事件をモチーフにした『菅原伝授手習鑑』『勧進帳』『義経千本桜』といった演目は高い人気を得ていました。理不尽がまかり通っていた武士の世の無常を描き、歌舞伎の代表的作品として今なお私たちに感動を与え続けています。

In the world of Kabuki, where traditional techniques (kata) and family stage names (myoseki, artistic names) have been passed down through generations, there are currently 16 family lineages, each with its own “yagō” (house name). Among them, the Ichikawa Danjuro family, known as “Narita-ya,” forms the foundation of the Kabuki world and is currently in its thirteenth generation.

伝統の技芸（型）や名跡[みょうせき]（芸名）が代々受け継がれ今に至る歌舞伎界には、現在16の家系があり、それぞれに「屋号」一門、一家の名称）があります。中でも歌舞伎界の土台となっている市川團十郎家は「成田屋」と言い、当代で十三代目。

Other notable families include the Onoe Kikugoro family, known as “Otowaya,” the Matsumoto Koshiro family, known as “Koraiya,” and the Nakamura Kanzaburo family, known as “Nakamuraya.” Ichikawa Chūsha (Ninth-generation) is a Kabuki actor from the Omodakaya family. Omodakaya is considered a maverick among Kabuki families, known for its innovative spirit since the first generation, presenting new interpretations of classics and breaking traditional norms.

他に尾上[おのえ]菊五郎家の「音羽屋[おとわや]」、松本幸四郎家の「高麗屋[こうらいや]」、中村勘三郎[かんざぶろう]家「中村屋」などがあり、市川中車さん（九代目[くだいめ]）は、澤瀉屋[おもだかや]一門の歌舞伎役者です。澤瀉屋は並み居る歌舞伎一門の中でも、初代から革新的なスピリットを持ち、古典の新たな演出や伝統を打ち破る演目を発表してきた、異端と称される一門です。

“Since the Meiji era, Kabuki, which was originally popular entertainment for the common people, has become strangely formal. The rebellious spirit of Omodakaya did not accept this. My father, the third-generation Ichikawa Ennosuke (deceased in 2023), was concerned about the current state of Kabuki, where only traditional performances were staged. He created a performance called ‘Yamato Takeru,’ branding it as ‘Super Kabuki,'” Chusha said.

「明治時代以降、それまで庶民の芝居であったはずの歌舞伎が、妙に格式の高いものになってしまった。反骨の精神を持つ澤瀉屋はそれをよしとしませんでした。私の父である三代目市川猿之助（2023年逝去）は、伝統に捉われた演目ばかりが演じられる現状を危惧して『ヤマトタケル』という演目を作り上げ、スーパー歌舞伎と銘打ったのです」と中車さんは語ります。

“Yamato Takeru” is a story based on the legend of Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, as written in the “Nihon Shoki” and “Kojiki,” depicting his tumultuous life. It is a profound work that explores human relationships, conflicts, and the question of why people are born and live.

「ヤマトタケル」は、「日本書記」や「古事記」に書かれている日本武尊(やまとたけるのみこと)の伝説をもとに、その波乱の生涯を描いた物語です。父帝[ちちみかど]との確執をはじめとする人間模様、争い、そして、人はなぜ生まれ生きるのかを問う深遠な作品です。

“Ennosuke (the third-generation Ichikawa) revived ‘keren’ (theatrical tricks) such as ‘chūnori’ (actors flying above the stage on wires), which were performed in Edo Kabuki. The primary goal was to excite and delight the audience.”

「（三代目市川）猿之助は、江戸歌舞伎で行われていた宙乗り（役者が吊られて劇場の上空を飛ぶ演出）といった外連[けれん]（奇抜な仕掛け）を復活させました。お客様が沸き、喜んでくだることを第一としたのです」

The premiere of “Yamato Takeru” was 38 years ago. Despite harsh criticism that “it is not Kabuki but a circus,” it was a huge hit, attracting one million viewers. Today, it stands as a representative work of Omodakaya’s lavish spectacles. This year, Chusha’s son, the fifth-generation Ichikawa Danko (20 years old), played the role of Yamato Takeru alongside Hayato Nakamura (Manyoya) in a double cast, garnering significant attention.

「ヤマトタケル」の初演は38年前。「あれは歌舞伎ではない、サーカスだ」とさんざん非難されつつも100万人を動員する大ヒットを記録。今では、澤瀉屋の絢爛豪華な大スぺクタルものとして代表作になっています。今年は、中車さんの息子である五代目市川團子[だんこ]（20歳）が、中村隼人（萬屋）とWキャストで主人公・ヤマトタケルを演じて、大きな話題を呼びました。

“Originally, it was a performance requested by the philosopher Takeshi Umehara, with whom my father, the second-generation En’o, was close. The reason the work maintains its dignity despite incorporating ‘keren’ elements is Umehara’s understanding and respect for the foundation of Japan and the inherent dignified spirituality of ancient Japanese people. The actors’ solid foundation in Kabuki (kata) also helps maintain this dignity”. This is reflected in the beautiful final scene where Yamato Takeru dies and ascends to the heavens as a white bird, deeply moving the audience.

「そもそもは、父（二代目猿翁[えんおう]）が親しくしていた哲学者の梅原猛先生に頼み込み、原作を書いていただいた演目です。外連の要素を持ち込んでも作品の品格が保たれているのは、日本国の成り立ちに関する先生の理解と敬い、古来日本人が持つ凛とした精神性が底流にあるからでしょう。そして、役者たちのしっかりした歌舞伎の基礎（型）があることも、品格の保持を助けています」それらは、ヤマトタケルが死して白鳥となり天翔けていく美しいラストシーンへとつながり、観る者を感動の渦に巻き込んでいきます。

Each lineage in the Kabuki world has a truly dramatic history. Chusha himself had a unique fate. Born as the son of the third-generation Ennosuke, he was expected to succeed him as the fourth-generation Ennosuke. However, when he was one year old, his parents (his mother was a famous actress) separated, and they divorced when he was three. Raised by his mother, he distanced himself from the Kabuki world.

歌舞伎界は一門それぞれが実にドラマチックな歴史を持っています。中車さんも数奇な運命を背負った人でした。三代目猿之助の子として生まれ、そのままいけば四代目猿之助として大名跡を継いでいたはずなのですが、1歳の時に両親（母は大女優）が別居し、3歳の時に離婚が成立。母親に育てられたため、歌舞伎界からは遠のくことになりました。

Text: MIZUTA Shizuko
文: 水田　静子