Leiter S.L. Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre

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NESSHIN-YU

REI MONO • 271

practice of producing adaptations of bunraku plays shifted to the pro-

duction of sewa mono with seasonal associations, including t hose

using real water (hon mizu) and ghost plays (kaidan mono) with lots

of keren effects. See also KOGYO

NEHON. Also eiri nehon (‘‘illustrated scripts’’), a Kamigata term for

published, illustrated kabuki ‘‘scripts’’ with shor ten ed te xts. They

contain dialogue (serifu) and stage directions (togaki), and consist of

6 or 10 small volumes bound together. The illustrations are of actors,

not scenes. Such scripts appeared between the end of the 18th cen-

tury and 1873. See also EIRI KYO

GEN BON; SHO

HON.

NENBUTSU ODORI. Originally, a religiously oriented ‘‘Hail to

Amida Buddha dance’’ dating to the 10th century and presenting a

joyous invocation to Buddha as priests energetically danced, beating

various items and reciting prayers or hymns. One part of the dance

overcame demons by stamping on the ground. By the 16th century,

nenbutsu odori had become a popular group dance c alled furyu

more secular than pious, and offered by women and men at festivals,

especially the summertime Obon Festival celebrating the temporary

return of the dead. The dance was associated with Izumo no Okuni,

kabuki’s founder, who added vivid contemporary touches.

NESSHIN-YU

REI MONO. ‘‘Deep emotion and ghost plays,’’ a subdi-

vision of the yobanme mono (‘‘fourth-group plays’’) no

cate gory.

Many of its stories are about the suffering caused by love, both on

ear th and beyond the grave. Those featuring overwrought women,

whose feelings often stem from jealousy, include Aoi no Ue (5),

ji (5), Fujito (5), Kanawa, Kinuta (3), Motomezuka, Tamaka-

zura, Ominameshi, and Ukifune. Those about men include Akogi (2),

AyanoTzuzumi(5), Funa

Bashi (2), Kayoi

Komachi (2), Koi no

Omoni (5), Matsumushi (2), Minase, Nishiki Gi (2), and Uto

(2).

Numbers in parentheses indicate other no

groupings into which these

plays are sometimes placed. See also GENZAI MONO; JUN WAKI

MONO; MONOGURUI MONO; NINJO

MONO; YUKYO-

GAKU MONO.

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272 • NEZUMI KIDO

NEZUMI KIDO. The low ‘‘mouse entrance’’ to Edo-period bunraku

and kabuki theatres used for crowd control. One had to bend over to

enter or exit.

NIAGARI. The second of the three basic shamisen tunings, used exten-

sively in kabuki nagauta accompaniment. It is a ﬁfth and a fourth,

and is considered m ost appropriate for cheerful music. See also

HONCHO

SHI; SANSAGARI.

NIBANME MONO. The ‘‘second-group plays’’ on a classical no

pro-

gram where it corresponds to the dan (‘‘male’’) portion of the shin

dan jo kyo

ki (or shin nan nyo kyo

ki) sequence. It also corresponds

to the ﬁrst ha portion of the jo-ha-kyu

rhythmic structure of a pro-

gram. The category is frequently referred to as shura no

because its

plays depict the souls of samurai who fell in battle and are suffering

in the Buddhist hell called asura, shura,orshurado

. Shura also

means carnage. Containing 16 plays, it is the smallest of the ﬁve main

groupings. Typically, the shite is a ghost who, in the form of a

living person, appears to a priest (the waki) at the scene of a battle

he fought in alive. He then leaves and returns as his ghostly self and

expresses the torment he is suffering in the afterlife. The priest prays

for his soul to ﬁnd peace. But other patterns exist as well, as in Kiyot-

sune, where the ghost of her slain husband appears in the dream of

Kiyotsune’s wife. These plays—13 of the 16 are attributed to

Zeami—are rich in Buddhist belief. Many were inspired by the

medieval war epic, Heike Monogatari (see LITERARY SOURCES),

about the historical conﬂict between the Heike and Genji (Taira and

Minamoto) clans.

Despite its association with bloodshed and violence, a nibanme

mono must never be violent but must instead evoke the sensitive

beauty of yu

gen. This is partly accomplished through reference to

nature, such as the night viewing of cherry blossoms or rice paddies;

to musical instruments, such as the biwa or ﬂute; and to human rela-

tionships, such as those between parents and children, lovers, masters

and retainers, and spouses. The main dance in seven nibanme mono

is a kakeri, so these are called kakeri mono. (See

MAIGOTO.)

There

are seven: Ebira, Michimori, Shunzei Tadanori, Tadanori, Tamura,

Tsunemasa, and Yashima. There are seven quasi (jun) kakeri mono:

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NIHON GUMA • 273

Yorimasa and Sanemori, about old warriors; Tomoe, about a female

warrior; and Kanehira, Kiyotsune, Tomonaga, and Tomoakira, about

young warriors. Ebira, Tamura, and Yashima are katchi mono (‘‘vic-

tor y plays’’) because their h eroes are victorious warriors. The last

two plays in the nibanme category belong to the daisho

chu

no mai

mono grouping: Atsumori and Ikuta Atsumori.

The shite in nibanme mono are male, with the exception of Tomo-

naga, where the shite ﬁrst appears as a woman, and Tomoe, where

the shite is female throughout. The plays themselves are among no

’s

technically simplest.

Orthodox nibanme mono (hon nibanme mono) belong to the sub-

categories called heida mono, kindachi mono, ro

musha mono, and

onna mono. When a play from another category, such as Ataka,

Hashi Benkei,orKagetsu, is used on a program in the nibanme posi-

tion, it is ryaku nibanme mono (‘‘alternative second-group play’’).

Nibanme mono also was the Edo-period term for the second half

of a kabuki program, consisting of a sewa mono in contrast to the

ichibanme mono or jidai mono that began the program.

NIBUSEI. The modern ‘‘two-par t system’’ of production (ko

gyo

)

whereby

daily kabuki program offers separate day and evening

shows. It was introduced in Kamigata during the Meiji era but in

Tokyo only the koshibai adopted it, the ﬁrst major theatre to do so

being the Teikoku Gekijo

in 1923. Apart from the Kokuritsu Geki-

, nibusei is common in kabuki. The Kabuki-za produces two sepa-

rate programs, but other theatres may show the same program twice

aday.See also MIDORI.

NICHO

. The ‘‘two beats’’ on the hyo

shigi (or two rings of a bell) given

backstage about 10 minutes before the curtain opens as a warning

that the play is soon to begin.

NIDAN. A ‘‘two-step’’ platform in kabuki dance plays (shosagoto)on

which an onnagata—usually a spirit of some sort—strikes a mie at

the ﬁnal tableau. Tachiyaku use the higher sandan.

NIHON GUMA. Also matsuo

no guma, the ‘‘two-line’’ kumadori-style

makeup worn by Matsuo

maru in ‘‘Kuruma Biki’’ (Sugawara Denju

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274 • NIHON HAIYU

KYO

KAI

Tenarai Kagami). Two oblique lines rise from the eyebrows, paral-

leled by two others, one on either side of the eyes. Its two lines con-

trast with the ippon guma (‘‘one-line’’) style.

NIHON HAIYU

KYO

KAI. The ‘‘Japan Actors’ Association,’’ to

which professional kabuki and shinpa actors belong. Founded in

1957 and incorporated in 1958, it was intended to improve working

conditions and raise ar ti stic stan dard s. It s res pons ibil itie s inc lude

supervising the nadai examinations.

NIHON NO

GAKKAI. The ‘‘Japan No

and Kyo

gen Association’’ pre-

serves and passes on to future generations as Important Intangible

National Treasures the arts of no

and kyo

gen.

NIJO

DAI. A small kabuki platform, the size of ‘‘two tatami mats’’(one

matca. six feet by four) and about a foot high. It resembles the

small ichijo

dai (‘‘o ne-mat platfo rm’’ ) of no

andisusedincertain

dances, such as Kagami Jishi. Usually, a brightly colored cloth is

draped over it, and it may be decorated at its corners with such things

as red and white peony bushes. See also SCENERY.

NIJU

. Also niju

butai, kabuki platforms belonging to the standardized

shiki o

gu units. They form the base for house interiors, embank-

ments, hills, and so forth. Concealing the front are painted ﬂats (ke-

komi). Platforms come in different standardized heights, such as

shakudaka (one foot); tsune ashi (one foot, eight inche s); chu

ashi

(two feet, two inches), and taka ashi (three feet, four inches). Normal

homes use the tsune ashi,whiletsune ashi ser ve for palaces, war

camps, and temples. See also SCENERY.

NIKU JUBAN. A

tight-ﬁtting,

elastic ‘‘ﬂesh undergarment’’ suggesting

nakedness when a kabuki actor removes his kimono. Some have tat-

toos (hori mono) dyed on them. Examples are Danshichi in Natsu

Matsuri Naniwa Kagami and Benten Kozo

in Aotozo

shi Hana no Nis-

hikie Hana no Nishiki-e. A padded version serves for oversized char-

acters, like sumo wrestlers. See also COSTUMES: KABUKI.

NIKYOKU. No

’s ‘‘two arts’’ of song or chant (utai) and dance (mai).

See also MONOMANE; SANTAI; SARUGAKU DANGI; SHIKADO

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NIN • 275

NIMAIME. Romantic young men in kabuki, the actors who play them,

and the art of romantic acting itself. During the Edo period, these

actors’ names were written on the second of the kanban signs lined

up outside the theatre; thus the word nimaime (‘‘second ﬂat thing’’)

came to refer to them along with the terms irogotoshi, wagotoshi,

nuregotoshi (see NUREBA), and yatsushi.

The types include the iro wakashu, a mildly effeminate youth who

still wears his forelock and may suggest homosexual tendencies.

Such is Shirai Gonpachi in Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma.The

wagotoshi is played in wagoto style, with a touch of comic foolish-

ness stemming from his blind love for a courtesan. Izaemon in Kur-

uwa Bunsho

is an example. Comic qualities also accompany the

wakadanna, marked by overt femininity, vapidity, and foppishness;

he may also be called tsukkorobashi (‘‘pushover’’). An example is

the merchant Yogoro

in Futatsu Cho

cho

Kuruwa Nikki. A manlier

Kamigata nimaime is the pintokona, a former samurai. An example

is Mitsugi in Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba. Another nimaime is the tachi-

shita (‘‘under the sword’’), represented by the weakling young lord

in Shibaraku, who is saved from death by the aragoto hero. See also

TACHIYAKU; YAKUGARA.

NIMAIME SAKUSHA. The second-ranking bunraku and kabuki play-

wright from the Edo period into the Meiji period. He served under

the tate sakusha. His duties included writing the yontateme and sewa

mono segments of the kaomise (see PROGRAMS: KABUKI)and

supplying something suitable for any other new play as requested by

the tate

sakusha. When the tate

sakusha was indisposed, the nimaime

sakusha took his words down by dictation. His other jobs included

running the preliminary reading of a new play, as well as the com-

pany reading called hon yomi. See also GASSAKU; KYO

GENKATA;

MINARAI SAKUSHA.

NIN. Also ningara,akabuki actor’s ‘‘person,’’ as opposed to his gara

(‘‘build’’ or ‘‘appearance’’), a word used in various expressions

reﬂecting the suitability of the actor’s personal qualities for his role

or role-type (yakugara). Gara is more or less unalterable, while nin

refers to qualities capable of being enhanced through training and

imagination. When an actor steps outside of roles appropriate to his

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276 • NINGEN MONO

nin, those roles are kayaku, while those true to his nin are honyaku.

Actors whose nin is wide-ranging are kaneru yakusha.

NINGEN MONO. ‘‘Human plays,’’ a subcategor y of the gobanme

mono (‘‘ﬁfth-group plays’’) no

category. Its own subcategories are

named for the no

mask worn. Numbers in parentheses indicate other

major no

groups in which the play is sometimes considered: (a) aya-

kashi mono: apart from Kusanagi, whose shite reappears as a god-

dess, these are plays in which the shite reappears as a ghost: Funa

Benkei, Ikarikazuki (2, 4), Ko

-u (1, 4), Kusanagi (1, 2, 4); (b) cho

rei

beshimi mono: in both plays the shite is Kumasaka Cho

han: Eboshi-

Ori (2, 4), Kumasaka (2, 4); (c) aku-jo

mono: Cho

ryo

; (d) yamanba

mono:theshite is the mountain hag Yamanba (also Yamauba), a

superhuman being nevertheless imbued with a human quality:

Yamanba (1).

NINGYO

BURI. A kabuki scene borrowed from a bunraku play and

performed by one or more actors as if they were puppets. A black-

garbed ‘‘puppeteer’’ pretends to move the actor from behind while

the actor, keeping his face neutral, makes puppet-like moves. Mean-

while, the chanter reads the actor’s lines. The puppeteer may, for

particular roles, keep his face uncovered; sometimes, the puppeteer,

normally cast with a disciple of the actor playing the puppet, may be

a famous star, who appears in formal kamishimo.

The

conv

ention has roots in late 17th-century kabuki but went

through various permutations before the present method was created

in Osaka in the 1820s, one of the ﬁrst examples being Iwanaga in

‘‘Akoya no Kotozeme’’ (Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki). Nakamura

Utaemon III is created with its invention, his approach even going

so far as to have the stage set look just like that in bunraku, with

tesuri borders and the agemaku at the sides adorned with the mon of

a puppet theatre. Surviving examples include Yaoya Oshichi in Date

Musume Koi no Higanoko, Oshichi in Hade Sugata Onna Maiginu,

and Ofune in Shinrei Yaguchi no Watashi.

NINGYO

RURI. The classical Japanese puppet theatre, which only

became known as bunraku in the 1870s. Other terms are ningyo

shi-

bai, ayatsuri, and ayatsuri shibai. See also JO

RURI.

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NI NO KAWARI • 277

NINGYO

SHAGIRI. A kind of geza music played on the shimedaiko

drum, and used to accompany ningyo

buri acting.

NINGYO

ZUKAI. See PUPPETEERS.

NINJO

. Usually paired with giri (‘‘duty’’ or ‘‘moral obligation’’), this

represents the ‘‘feelings’’ that may create a serious struggle in a char-

acter between the actions society expects them to perform, and those

that they would enact if they followed their emotions. The conﬂict

between giri and ninjo

creates the foundation for numerous bunraku

and kabuki plays. The sewa mono of Chikamatsu Monzaemon are

noted for their giri-ninjo

conﬂicts.

NINJO

MONO. ‘‘Human feelings plays,’’ a subdivision of the

yobanme mono (‘‘four th-group plays’’) no

catego ry, i n whi ch the

conﬂict between human feelings (ninjo

) and social responsibilities

(giri) is exploited, making the plays suggestive of kabuki melodra-

matics. The plays are Hachi no Ki, Kagekiyo (2), Mochizuki (5), Set-

tai (2, 3), Shunkan (also called Kikaigashima; 2), Take no Yuki (3),

ei, Torioi Bune. Numbers in parentheses indicate other categories

into which these plays may be placed. Only Mochizuki and To

ei have

no dance (mainashi). See also GENZAI MONO; JUN WAKI NO

MONO; MONOGURUI MONO; NESSHIN-YU

REI MONO; YU

KYO

GAKU

MONO.

NO KAWARI. The Kamigata term for the ‘‘second offering’’ of the

kabuki season, following the kaomise given in Kyoto during the pre-

vious year’s 11th lunar month. The practice began around 1810 when

the previous tradition of Kyoto and Osaka presenting simultaneous

kaomise was abandoned because of a shortage of actors, leading to

Kyoto producing the kaomise and Osaka the ni no kawari,which

became the most spectacular show of the year. Considered the ‘‘New

Year’s production,’’ it was called hatsuharu kyo

gen in Edo. Its sto-

ries, mingling jidai mono and sewa mono, were from the oie kyo

gen

genre dealing with major dynastic quarrels. In the ﬁrst act, a young

lord occupied himself in seeking pleasure; in the second, a loyal

retainer encountered adversity; in the third, a humorous element was

introduced; in the fourth, done in sewa mono style, the loyal retainer

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278 • NIO

DASUKI

met with tragedy. A michiyuki section followed and, in the conclud-

ing act, the would-be usurpers were dealt with. See also DRAMATIC

STRUCTURE: BUNRAKU AND KABUKI; KO

GYO

There was also a Kamigata custom—a relic of the days in the early

18th century when ‘‘courtesan-buying plays’’ (keiseigai kyo

gen; see

SHIMABARA KYO

GEN) were the rage—o f inc orpora ting into the

title the word keisei (‘‘courtesan’’) in syllabic kana characters,

although Chinese characters (kanji) later came to be used. The Edo

practice was to include the name Soga in the title.

NIO

DASUKI. The thick ropes used as tie-backs (tasuki) on the cos-

tumes of aragoto heroes like Gongoro

in Shibaraku. The rope loops

suggest the outline of wings and emphasize strength.

NISHIKAWA SENZO

. Alineofninekabuki choreographers and

dancers (see FURITSUKE) descended from Senzo

I (?–1756), who

founded the Nishikawa ryu

(see BUYO

NO RYU

HA). Senzo

II (?–

1817) choreographed various famous dances, many for Nakamura

Nakazo

I. They include Seki no To, Sagi Musume, Modori Kago, etc.

Senzo

IV (1797–1845) choreographed Kanjincho

, Rokkasen, Utsubo

Zaru, Tomo Yakko, etc.

Senzo

(?–1860)

contributed Kyo

Ningyo

, Ayatsuri Sanbaso

, and

Noriaibune.

NOBORI. Vertical ‘‘banners’’ that, during the Edo period, fans (hiiki)

presented to theatres, producers, or actors, and which were lined up,

attached to poles, outside theatres, creating a colorful advertisement.

The ﬁrst such gift was made at Osaka’s Takemoto-za in1731 to cele-

brate a revival of Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s Kokusenya Kassen.

Edo ﬁrst saw them in 1784 at the Miyako-za, when Kataoka Nizae-

mon VII visited. See also SENGEN NOBORI.

GAKU. A term coined in 1881 by Maeda Nariyasu at the time of

the opening, in Tokyo’s Shiba Park, of the ﬁrst modern no

theatre

built inside an enclosed structure. The word—literally, ‘‘no

music’’—was meant to unify the related arts of no

and kyo

gen under

a single rubric. But critics complain that is not clear since authorita-

tive sources deﬁne the term as a synonym for no

,withkyo

gen

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NOMURA MANZO

VI (1898–1978) • 279

included only in the t erm’s broadest sense. If the traditional (and

more accurate) usage were followed, the old word sarugaku would

be used, or, for additional clarity, sarugaku no no

and sarugaku no

kyo

gen. But the powerful cultural ﬁgures of early Meiji shied away

from sarugaku because they thought its association with monkeys

(saru) might demean it in the eyes of foreign diplomats. A similar

reason, in fact, is said to have motivated Zeami Motokiyo’s change

of the spelling of sarugaku from one that used the character for the

animal monkey (saru) to one that referred to the monkey known as

the ninth horary sign.

GAKU KYO

KAI. The ‘‘No

and Kyo

gen Asso ciat io n,’’ formally

known as the Shadan Ho

jin No

gaku Kyo

kai (No

and Kyo

gen Associ-

ation, Inc.), to which all actors and musicians belong, regardless of

their school of no

or kyo

gen. Performances are not generally under

the aegis of a regular producer but are managed by the shite and kyo

gen actors or groups themselves, even including overseas tours. They

operate under regulations established by the No

gaku Kyo

kai, whose

administrators come from the ranks of the actors themselves. See also

NIHON HAIYU

KYO

KAI.

GAKU NO RYU

HA. See SCHOOLS OF NO

AND KYO

GEN.

NOGUCHI KANESUKE (1879–1953). No

master

of the Ho

sho

ryu

born

in Nagoya and known at ﬁrst as Noguchi Masakichi. He debuted

at seven in Hibari Yama. When he was 14, he became a disciple of

sho

Kuro

, with whom he trained intensely for two decades. Even-

tually, he appeared before the imperial family on various occasions.

In 1950, he was made a member of the Nihon Geijutsuin (Japan Arts

Academy). Noguchi’s style is said to have matched his personal qual-

ities of humility and simplicity.

NOMURA MANZO

VI (1898–1978). Kyo

gen master of the Izumi

ryu

, eldest son of the actor later known as Nomura Mansai. He was

previously known as Nomura Mansaku and Nomura Manzo

(spelled

differently), and became Manzo

VI in 1940. His debut was in 1903.

He gained a large following both for the meticulous attention to

detail he displayed in his early career, and for the carefree aura he

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280 • NORENGUCHI

evoked during his later years. His artistry helped raise the esteem of

kyo

gen in Japanese society. In 1967, he was named a Living National

Treasure, and, in 1974, he was elected to the Nihon Geijutsuin (Japan

Arts Academy). His other career achievements include a visiting pro-

fessorship at the University of Washington in 1963. He performed in

Europe and America on a number of occasions. Manzo

also had the

distinction of being an acclaimed maker of no

masks,whichhe

learned under the tutelage of Shimomura Seiji. He wrote a number

of books on kyo

gen and on no

masks. His eldest son is Nomura

Manzo

VII (1930–), his next son is Nomura Mansaku (1931–), his

ﬁfth son is Nomura Mannosuke (1939–), each of them a respected

kyo

gen actor, while his four th son is the Kanze ryu

shite actor,

Nomura Shiro

. Miyake To

kuro

III (1901–90), also a Living National

Treasure, was his brother.

NORENGUCHI. The ‘‘split-curtain entrance’’ seen on numerous bun-

raku and kabuki interior settings. The curtain (noren), which is usu-

ally pale blue, navy, or gray, is roughly six feet high by two to four

feet wide, and is split in half down the center or has several splits. It

has a different pattern dyed on it in white according to the scene,

possible designs being waves, bracken, ﬂowing water, jute leaves,

and so on. See also SCENERY.

NORI. Also ito ni noru (‘‘riding the strings’’) and chobo ni noru, the

kabuki actor’s performance in time to the rhythm of the shamisen.

It is commonly used in monogatari, gochu

shin, and kudoki scenes

There are famous examples in ‘‘Kikubatake’’ (Kiichi Ho

gen Sanrya-

ku no Maki). Normally, the background music ceases somewhere

during the actor’s lines, and he returns to more conversational

speech. See also GIDAYU

BUSHI.

NORIKOMI. The kabuki ‘‘em b a r k at io n’’ c er em ony p er fo rm ed when

Kamigata actors or companies performed in Edo, where they were

called kudari yakusha (‘‘going-down actors’’), and when Edo actors

played in Kamigata, where they were agari yakusha (‘‘going-up

actors’’). The norikomi w

enacted upon the actors’ arrival at their

place of performance. In the fune norikomi (‘‘boat embarkation’’),

still sometimes held, Edo’s stars would board a boat decorated with

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