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''Rashōmon'' (羅生門) is a
''Rashōmon'' (羅生門) is a 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 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 ...
(c.1420). Like other celebrated dramas such as the Maodori-hasi and Ibaraki, it is based on the legend of ''Watanabe no Tsuna'' and the demon of Rashōmon.
Historical setting
The play is set in the context of the final phase of theHeian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
, leading up to the rise of rule by the military (by samurai warriors like Tsuna).
Title, characters, and settings
The title is a pun, which involves the Rajōmon (羅城門) outer castle gate but Kanze changed it by using the kanji shō for "life" rather than the original jō for "castle" (note that 羅城門 was originally read ''raseimon'' and 生 can also be read as ''sei''). It is one of the fewNoh
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 ' ...
plays where the supporting ''waki'' (脇) rather than the normally leading ''shite'' (仕手) dominates the action. It is suggested that this can be attributed to the fact that Nobumitsu used to play ''waki'' roles when he was an actor. The s''hite'' character in this play only makes an appearance at the end and has no dialogue.
Rashōmon is also a play which follows characters from one venue to another. Act 1 takes place in the dining hall of a general, but in Act 2 the ''waki'' character, Tsuna, climbs the Rasho Gate to determine the truth of a story that a demon resides on the gate top.
Later allusions
Kikaku
Takarai Kikaku ( ja, 宝井其角; 1661–1707) also known as Enomoto Kikaku, was a Japanese haikai poet and among the most accomplished disciples of Matsuo Bashō.Katō, Shūichi and Sanderson, Don. ''A History of Japanese Literature: From the ...
wrote a haiku based on the play: “Tsuna now is leaving/ Tsuna is on every tongue - / On a rainy night.
This, with the play itself, was used as the basis for a painting by Gekkei (Matsumura Goshun
Matsumura GoshunAccording to standard references, his name is ''either'' Goshun, modelled after Chinese habit, ''or'' Matsumura Gekkei. ( jap. ; April 28, 1752 ( traditional: Hōreki 2/3/15) – September 4, 1811 (traditional: Bunka 8/7/17)
).L Zolbrod, ''Haiku Painting'' (Tokyo 1982) p. 26-7
See also
*Benkei on the Bridge
is a Japanese Noh play from the 15th century, by Hiyoshi Sa-ami Yasukiyo.
Theme
The play centres around the encounter between the giant warrior monk Benkei and the youthful Minamoto no Yoshitsune, in which the slighter, younger man defeated the ...
* Hogen disturbance
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rashomon (Noh play) Noh plays Rashōmon