or ''Maple Viewing'' (English title) is a Japanese narrative, performed as theatre in

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 ...

as ''

shosagoto or , also known as dance or dance-drama, is a type of kabuki play based on dance. It is one of the three genres of kabuki, together with (historical plays) and (contemporary plays). A central element of kabuki since its origin in 1603, plays ...

'' (dance-focused play) and

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 ' ...

. It was also the first narrative ever filmed in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The Noh play was written by

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 ...

during the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

. Other titles for the play include ''Yogoshōgun'' and ''Koremochi''.

The Noh Play

''Momijigari'' was originally a

play, written by Kanze Nobumitsu (d. 1516). A beautiful woman of seemingly high rank (played by the ''shite'' or lead actor), along with her retinue of female attendants (the '' tsure'') are visiting Togakushi-yama, a mountain in

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

, here for the seasonal maple-leaf viewing. The group commence a banquet. A warrior of the

Taira The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided i ...

clan who has been out deer-hunting approaches. He is (played by the ''

waki WAKI (1230 AM) is a radio station licensed to McMinnville, Tennessee McMinnville is the largest city in and the county seat of Warren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 13,605 at the 2010 census. It was named for Governor Jos ...

'' or secondary actor). Rather than to disturb the party by riding past, he dismounts, intending to leave. But he is accosted by the lady to drink ''

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

'' with her. Koremochi becomes drunk, and the lady forces more drinks on him. At this point the lady's dance increases a more furious tempo, changing from ''chū no mai'' to ''kyū no mai''. When Koremochi falls asleep, she abandons him, saying never to wake from his dream., summaries in Spanish and Japanese, prior to p. 1. There is a change of scenery, and everything turns bleak and dreary. A deity of the , acting as emissary from the

Hachiman shrine A is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the ''kami'' Hachiman. It is the second most numerous type of Shinto shrine after those dedicated to Inari Ōkami (see Inari shrine). There are about 44,000 Hachiman shrines. Originally the name 八幡 was re ...

appears to Koremochi, and reveals to him that the lady is actually a demon ('' kijo'') which needs to be defeated, granting Koremochi a "divine sword". The lady has now transformed into a fire-breathing demon in the glow of lightning (the noh mask used are traditionally but ''

hannya The mask is a mask used in Japanese Noh theater, representing a jealous female demon. It is characterized by two sharp bull-like horns, metallic eyes, and a leering mouth. Etymology is the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of ''bō rě'' (般若 ...

'' has come into use.) but the warrior is undaunted, and after a pitched battle, slays the demon with the sword.

Kabuki and puppet play adaptations

The work was adapted for the '' jōruri'' puppet theater by

Chikamatsu Monzaemon was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest Japanese dramatis ...

in 1715, under the title ''Momijigari Tsurugi no Honji'' '"Viewing the Autumn Foliage and the True Origin of the Sword"). It was also remade for the kabuki theater a number of times during the Edo period, but usually as short dance pieces.

Kabuki dance in Meiji

In 1887, a

dance version of the play was staged, starring the popular actor

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX was one of the most successful and famous Kabuki actors of the Meiji period (1868–1912). Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name Ichikawa Danjūrō, he is depicted in countless ''ukiyo-e'' actor prints (''yakusha-e''), and is widely cr ...

as Sarashinahime (demon). This performance followed the script newly written by

Kawatake Mokuami (birth name Yoshimura Yoshisaburō; 吉村芳三郎) (1 March 1816 – 22 January 1893) was a Japanese dramatist of Kabuki. It has been said that "as a writer of plays of Kabuki origin, he was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Japan ...

in Meiji Period, based on an earlier work of 1849. It adheres to the basic plot of the Noh play, but with some differences. The demon-princess is given the name Sarashina-hime, the deity warning the warrior is now a Yamagami ("mountain god") sent by Hachiman, and the divine sword given to the warrior Koremochi is identified as the Kogarasumaru. The demon employs a maple branch to parry Koremochi's sword, until the branch is knocked off its hand. It then uses its glaring gaze to immobilize Koremochi. But the magic sword continues fighting of its own accord and kills the demon. This version was written to be accompanied by Takemoto,

nagauta is a kind of traditional Japanese music played on the and used in kabuki theater, primarily to accompany dance and to provide reflective interludes. History It is uncertain when the was first integrated into kabuki, but it was sometime dur ...

and Tokiwazu music. It was an unprecedented performance, with the reigning

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

officially in the audience, as ''kabuki'' had customarily been deemed beneath the dignity of viewing by the higher echelons of society. The performance also led to the first narrative filmed in Japan.

The 1899 film

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, with

Onoe Kikugoro V Hamanoshima Keishi (濱ノ嶋啓志, born 21 March 1970 as Keishi Hamasu) is a former sumo wrestler from Uto, Kumamoto, Uto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1992, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' div ...

as Koremochi, revived the kabuki version in 1899, which was filmed and became the first motion picture to be made in Japan. It was by director

Shibata Tsunekichi was one of Japan's first filmmakers. He worked for the photographer Shirō Asano and the Konishi Camera shop, the first in Japan to import a motion picture camera. Along with Kanzo Shirai, he made the earliest films in Japan, mostly of geisha, ...

. Danjūrō was originally opposed to appearing in films, but was eventually convinced that his doing so would be a gift to posterity. The film is available for viewing at the

National Film Center The is an independent administrative institution and one of Japan's seven national museums of art, which specializes in preserving and exhibiting the film heritage of Japan. In its previous incarnation, it was the National Film Center, which was p ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. As one of Japan's earliest films, it was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2009.Gerow, Aaron.
Film as an Important Cultural Property
" ''Tangemania: Aaron Gerow's Japanese Film Page''. 25 March 2009. Accessed 20 May 2009.

The Noh Play

Kabuki and puppet play adaptations

Kabuki dance in Meiji

The 1899 film

Explanatory notes

References

External links