is a famous

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

play of the fourth category ("miscellaneous"), of unknown authorship. Traditionally it is said to be written by Kan'ami and revised by Zeami, while others assign it to

Kanze Nobumitsu Kanze Kojiro Nobumitsu 観世小次郎信光 1435 or 1450 – July 7, 1516 was a Japanese noh playwright and secondary actor during the Muromachi period, Muromachi Era, from the house of Kanze (Noh school), Kanze. He was the great nephew of N ...

; there are many variations in different texts, and a popular adaptation for

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

theatre is titled '' Musume Dojoji''. It originated from a longer 15th century play called ''Kanemaki'' ("Enwrapped in a Bell"). It is set in the Buddhist temple

Dōjō-ji is a Tendai school Buddhist temple in the town of Hidakagawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Founded in the Nara period, it has given its name to a number of plays, most notably the Noh drama '' Dōjōji''. The temple has numerous statues which are ...

in Kii Province, telling the story of a vengeful serpent-spirit and a temple bell. It is practically the only Noh play to use a substantial prop—a huge bell.

Plot summary

The temple

, in Kii Province, has had no bell for many years. But today is an auspicious day, and the Abbot of Dōjōji has arranged for a new bell to be raised into the belfry. With a great deal of effort, the temple servants succeed in hoisting it into position. For reasons the Abbot will not explain, the dedication service requires the absence of all women from the temple grounds. But a female dancer approaches the gate and, by giving an impromptu performance, persuades the servant to admit her. Continuing to dance before the hypnotized onlookers, she slowly approaches the bell, then starts to strike it viciously. She stands under the bell, and jumps; the bell simultaneously falls to the ground with a tremendous crash. The servants rouse themselves as though from a trance and see that the bell is on the ground. Only with difficulty do they remember what happened. They go to tell the Abbot, who comes in great haste. He scolds the servants and tells them the story of what happened to the previous bell. Many years before, a priest from the northern provinces would make an annual trip to the shrine of Kumano, stopping at the house of a steward each time. He would bring gifts for the steward's daughter,

Kiyohime (or just Kiyo) in Japanese folklore is a character in the story of Anchin and Kiyohime. In this story, she fell in love with a Buddhist monk named Anchin, but after her interest in the monk was rejected, she chased after him and transformed int ...

. She had a crush on the priest, and the steward once told her, as a joke, that when she grew up she would be his wife. Not realising that it was a joke, one year she finally confronted the priest and demanded his hand in marriage. When he saw that she would not take no for an answer, he snuck out of the steward's house, crossed a swollen river to Dōjōji, and asked them to hide him, which they did—under the bell. The girl ran after him, but could not cross the river. In her towering rage, she transformed into a giant serpent and swam to the temple. She coiled herself around the bell, which turned white-hot and burnt him to death inside. On hearing this, the servants resolve to perform an exorcism of her malevolent spirit. They pray to the five ''myōō'', or Guardian Kings of East, South, West, North, and Centre. Then they chant part of the Vow of Fudō. With great difficulty, they lift the bell, and the demon jumps out from beneath it. The priests pronounce invocations to three of the five Dragon Kings. Using prayer and brandishing their rosaries they succeed in driving the monstrous serpent away. She leaps into the River Hidaka and vanishes beneath the waves.

Sources

The earliest known version of this story is in ''

Honchō Hokke Genki , also called but commonly referred to as , is an 11th century Japanese collection of Buddhist tales and folklore (setsuwa). It was compiled by the monk from 1040 to 1043, and consists of three volumes with 129 chapters, two of which are missing ...

'' (c. 1040), a collection of Buddhist miracle stories.Keene, Donald. ''Twenty Plays of the Nō Theater.'' Columbia University Press, New York, 1970. Page 238. ''Dōjōji'' is thought to be derived from a more substantial play called '' Kanemaki'', which is still occasionally performed.

Location

The temple

is located in the town of Hidakagawa, Wakayama Prefecture.

Bell

Due to the bell in this play, dedicated Noh stages have a hook used for holding this bell in the center of the roof, and a metal loop at upstage left to hold the rope when lowering it; these are used only for this play. The part calls for a change of Noh costumes ''inside'' the bell, which is very challenging, due to being done alone, in the dark, in cramped quarters – normally a Noh costume is put on by several attendants. Accordingly, this role is reserved for senior actors. The bell is very heavy and, if lowered improperly, can hurt the actor, thus requiring that the attendant lowering the bell be in sync with the performer. The actor inside the prop rings a little bell to signal that the costume change has been successful, and that he is ready to perform the second act.

References

External links

Noh plays Photo Story and Story Paper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dojoji Noh plays Buddhist plays