Video: Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe
A comedic program of Kyōgen Japanese theater, performed by the the Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe and recorded for the Library of Congress.
Kyōgen is a style of comedic theater originating in Japan. It often consists of short, funny skits used to lighten the mood between more dramatic Noh acts.
This video from the Library of Congress spotlights the Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe, in partnership with the Japan Information & Culture Center, the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation, along with the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art. Descriptions of each act are included below, courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Program: Boshibari [:15]
Jirokaja: Motohiko Shigeyama; Tarokaja: Hiromi Shimada; Master: Tatsuya Iguchi
Tarokaja and Jirokaja always sneak into the sake cellar to drink sake when their master is away. Suspecting this, this time, the master ties Jirokaja to a pole and binds Tarokaja's hands behind his back before leaving. By being left tied up, however, the two are even more tempted to drink. After making all kinds of efforts, they manage to find a way to drink sake. The master returns home while they are in the middle of this party. (Note: Tarokaja is a character who appears in many Kyogen plays, and refers to a head servant. Jirokaja is a fellow servant.)
Neongyoku [21:57]
Tarokaja: Ippei Shigeyama; Master: Hiromi Shimada
One night, the master chances by Tarokaja singing and hears his servant's beautiful singing voice. The next day, the master orders Tarokaja to sing in his presence. Thinking it might become troublesome if the master starts asking him to sing often, Tarokaja lies that he can't sing without alcohol. Desperate to hear him sing, the master lets Tarokaja have a drink. Tarokaja adds that he can only sing when using his wife's lap as a pillow, and the master offers his own lap to him. Tarokaja reluctantly starts to sing, but he pretends that he loses his voice if he is upright. However, as he gets drunk and excited, Tarokaja starts to get mixed up--he loses his voice when he lies down but sings when he sits up. In the end, he even starts dancing while he is singing.
Kagyu [39:47]
Yamabushi: Shime Shigeyama II; Tarokaja: Motohiko Shigeyama; Master: Tatsuya Iguchi
On his way home to Dewa (present-day Yamagata) after finishing training in Yamato (present-day Nara), a Yamabushi (mountain ascetic) stops for a rest in a bamboo thicket. The Yamabushi stumbles upon Tarokaja, a servant who has been ordered to catch snails, believed to be a key ingredient for the elixir of longevity. Since the Yamabushi seemingly fits his master's description of snails, Tarokaja believes the Yamabushi is a snail and tries to bring him home. The master becomes worried when Tarokaja does not return, and comes to get Tarokaja; he finds his servant making merry with the Yamabushi. He warns his servant that the Yamabushi is not a snail but a corrupt monk.
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