能に限らず、日本の伝統文化の豊かさや深さに気軽に触れる場として Experience the Richness and Depth of Noh Theater and Japan’s Traditional Culture
NOH THEATER
観世清和
GINZA SIXへの移転にかける想い
43年間、渋谷の松濤という閑静な住宅街にあった観世能楽堂が、伝統と革新性が同居する街 銀座の、GINZA SIXという最新のテクノロジーを導入した商業施設に、脈々と守り伝えてきた檜舞台を移築し、新しい能楽堂を構えます。
もともと観世大夫（宗家）の屋敷は、四代前の家元がご維新にともない拝領地をお返しするまで、銀座にありました。その一方で街を歩いていてもお年寄りが目立つ高齢化社会のなかで、若い方々に、能に限らず、日本の伝統文化の豊かさや深さにもっと気楽に触れてもらいたいという想いもあり、移転を決意しました。
特に今の時代、「大和心」が失われつつあることに危機感を感じています。やわらかさ、やさしさ、しなやかさ——それは古来からの日本人のアイデンティティであり、精神的な根幹を成してきたものでもあります。
例えば「鉢木(はちのき)」という能があります。北条時頼が旅僧に身をやつして諸国を巡回する。冬のある日、栃木県の佐野まで来たとき、佐野源左衛門常世に一夜の宿を請います。一家の生活は落ちぶれ、疲弊しボロを纏っている。聞けば「一族に横領され、土地も取られ、散々な体で暮らしています」と。貧しい生活にもかかわらず、常世は粟の飯をすすめ、旅僧に暖をとってもらうために、大切にしていた鉢植の梅、松、桜を切り、焚き火にする。そこで「今夜のおもてなしに」という言葉が出てくるのですが、けして声高には謡わないのです。それが「大和心」であって、「おもてなし」という言葉にしても「これが日本のおもてなしです」と表立って口にすることではないのです。
ただ、この能を舞うのは現代人として呼吸をしている観世清和です。観阿弥や世阿弥が生きていた頃に想いを馳せるのは良いとしても、昔と同じことを、そのまま今の時代の人間ができるはずがありません。時代の変化に対応し、機微に応じた洞察力を備えるということが、芸道だと思います。
What the Relocation to GINZA SIX Means for the Kanze School
The Kanze Nohgakudo, or the Kanze Noh Theater, which has been nestled in the quiet residential neighborhood of Shoto in Shibuya for 43 years, is currently in the process of relocating its storied and hallowed cypress stage to GINZA SIX, a shopping mall with cutting-edge facilities that will open in the heart of Ginza in Spring 2017.
Ginza, a commercial district where tradition and innovation coexist, is technically not a new home for the Kanze School. Historically, the Kanze School was based in Ginza until four generations ago, when the 22nd Grand Master Sanjuro Kiyotaka returned the land to the Japanese government in accordance with the Meiji Restoration [1868]. So in that sense it is a homecoming. The other reason for the relocation is that in an aging society where we see so many senior citizens out and about, I wished to provide a more accessible setting for young people to be exposed not only to Noh, but to the richness and depth of Japan's traditional culture.
In this day and age especially, I can't help but feel that we are losing touch with yamato-gokoro, that is, the spirit of softness, kind-heartedness, and gracefulness that have defined the Japanese identity and formed the bedrock of our psyche since time immemorial.
Consider the Noh play "Hachinoki" ["The Potted Trees"]. Hojo Tokiyori, a regent of the Kamakura shogunate, is traveling incognito throughout Japan, posing as a priest on pilgrimage. One winter's day, as he is passing through the city of Sano in Tochigi Prefecture, a snowstorm causes him to seek shelter from the shabbily-dressed Sano no Genzaemon Tsuneyo, a former lord whose family has been reduced to poverty. Prodded by the priest as to his clan affiliation, Tsuneyo reveals that "Kinsmen usurped my lands, and now I live in misery." Despite his wretched state, Tsuneyo offers the priest some steamed rice with millet, and as the night wears on and grows colder, he cuts down his prized potted plum, pine, and cherry trees and uses the branches to start a fire, saying, "...for this night's entertainment." But he recites this line quietly, almost to himself. That is yamato-gokoro. When the Japanese talk about omotenashi, they mean hospitality that does not draw attention to itself, that does not ask to be recognized.
Of course, when I perform this Noh play I do it as Kiyokazu Kanze, who lives and breathes in contemporary times. Contemplating the times when the founders of Noh—playwrights Kannami [1333-1384] and his son Zeami [1363-c. 1440]—walked the Earth is constructive to an extent, but it is unreasonable to expect someone in the present to recreate a performance in its original form. I believe that the performing arts must possess the adaptability to keep up with the changing times and the insight to understand the subtleties that unfold therein.
多言語を許容する最先端の能楽堂として
今年７月、世界中の優れた舞台芸術が集うリンカーンセンター・フェスティバルにご招聘いただき、ニューヨークのローズシアターで５日間６公演を大好評の中に上演させていただきました。海外公演は、鑑賞眼の肥えたお客様が多く、日本以上に高い評価を受けることがございます。面を掛けていても場の空気感のようなものがあり、お客様が前のめりで観てくださっている様子が伝わります。彼らは能楽における様式美を愛でてくれます。自分たちにはない世界だからなのでしょう。ニューヨークの人々は能を見事に受け入れてくださいました。
以前、バルト三国のリトアニアで「葵上(あおいのうえ)」を演じた折にも、地謡８人が整然とお扇子を取って、謡を謡い、終わった後にやはり整然とお扇子を置く。その様式美を見て、オペラ歌手でもある文化大臣が「故郷の教会のミサを思い出した」とおっしゃってくださいました。言葉の壁を越えて、自由に能を捉えてくださったのがうれしかったですね。
海外での能公演はオペラのように、字幕を付けるケースが主流です。GINZA SIXでも当初はイヤホンガイドになりますが、多言語対応のためにインフラ設備を整える予定です。さらに新しい能楽堂の重要なテーマである、バリアフリーを積極的に導入したいと思っています。多言語システムを視聴覚障害をお持ちの方のためにも活用するなど、障害者の方が当たり前に、能を楽しんでいただける環境作りを心がけます。また、目付柱の取り外しができることで視覚を広げることができたり、照明設備も従来の能楽堂にはないものを整えたりと、能以外のジャンルの公演にもご活用いただけるように考えています。
新しい能楽堂は、日本の方、海外の方の分け隔てなく、理屈抜きで見ていただける場所でありたい。「事前にお勉強をしないと、能を見れないのかな」と思わないで、まずは足を運んでもらいたいのです。
能の謡(うたい)は、古い言葉です。そこにさらに節が付き、母音が延びる。言葉自体の意味もデフォルメされ、日本人でも聞き取りにくい。だからこそ「どうして舞台の柱は４本なのですか？」などと理詰めで理解しようとしないで（笑）、自由に感性豊かに受け止めてもらえたらと思います。
A State-of-the-Art Nohgakudo With Multilingual Support
This past July, our troupe was invited for the first time to the Lincoln Center Festival, an annual event held in New York hosting some of the best performing arts from around the world. There we conducted six performances over five days at the Rose Theater to much fanfare and acclaim. Performances abroad such as these are attended by discerning, theater-savvy audiences, and we occasionally receive greater acclaim than we do in our native Japan. Even from behind a mask I can feel the energy of the room, and I can imagine the audience leaning forward in their seats. They appreciate the beauty of form on display in Noh theater—perhaps because they are witnessing a world that is completely unfamiliar to them. Truly, the people of New York embraced our art.
Some time ago, we performed "Aoi no Ue" ["The Lady Aoi"] in Lithuania. There is a part where the ji-utai [the eight-member chorus, who sit in two rows stage left] pick up their sensu [Japanese folding fans] in unison, chant the chorus, and then when they are through, set their sensu back down in unison. The Minister of Culture, who also happened to be an opera singer, later said that the ritual had reminded him of attending Mass back in his hometown. I truly appreciated that he had ventured beyond the language barrier and interpreted what he had seen on his own terms.
When performing Noh overseas, we normally feature supertitles to convey to foreign audiences what is happening on stage. At GINZA SIX, we will initially feature English in-ear guidance, with full multilingual support forthcoming. Furthermore, the issue of accessibility, or what we refer to in Japan as barrier-free, is a central focus of the new theater. We will make every effort to provide an environment for guests with disabilities to enjoy Noh—for example, by using our multilingual support system to assist those with visual or hearing impairment. The metsuke-bashira [a pillar placed stage right that serves as a positioning guidepost for dancers] on our stage can be removed to allow for a more unobstructed view, and our stage lighting system is much more adaptable than what you usually find at a Noh theater. We envision our stage being used for performances other than Noh.
The new Nohgakudo will be a place where both Japanese and foreign theatergoers alike can imbibe a visceral experience of our art, free of assumptions and expectations of what it is or should be. No need to do research or study up on the subject matter beforehand—come in fresh, and ask questions later.
Noh recitations are in a very old form of Japanese, and syllables are sung to a fushi [melody, or aria] with long vowel sounds. The meaning of the words are often not meant to be taken literally, rendering the poetry all but indecipherable to even native Japanese. All the more reason why we advise against trying to understand our plays and performances on a purely intellectual level. Why are there four pillars on stage? You're missing the point! (Laughs.) Come in with an open mind and heart, and let your emotions be moved.
新しい能楽堂が理想とする風景
私はワーグナーが大好きで、一昨年、家内と一緒にバイロイト音楽祭に伺いました。ワーグナーだけを演目とする有名なフェスティバルなのですが、ワーグナー自身が設計して1876年に完成した木造の祝祭劇場のあらゆる素晴らしさに圧倒されました。
バイロイトの閑静な丘の上にあって、そこに向かってなだらかに上がってゆくアプローチを見て、気持ちが高揚します。開演５分前になってもアナウンスもなくて、鐘がささやかにチリンチリンと鳴るだけ。そうするとお喋りをしていた人もなんとなく劇場に入っていく。各扉の係はそこに立っているだけで、大声で誘導もなければ、チケットのチェックもしない。クロークの係はたった一人なのに行列ができない。
つまり、お客様と主催者の関係は、阿吽の呼吸ともいえる成熟されたマナーで、成り立っているわけです。ヨーロッパにしかないスマートさだと思いました。
新しい能楽堂が、このようなサービスをすぐに提供するのは難しいのですが、生の体験に触れることで、心が生まれ変わることを伝えることはできます。GINZA SIXには洗練された食の空間が誕生すると伺っています。素晴らしい体験の後ではワインや食事の味も変わるはずです。
新しい能楽堂は少しでもそんな風景がある場所を目指せたらと思っています。
The Vision for the New Nohgakudo
As a devotee of Wagner's music, I could not pass up an opportunity to attend the Bayreuth Festival in Germany with my wife two years ago. The famous music festival— comprised exclusively of performances of operas by Richard Wagner—is held annually at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, a wooden theater designed by the 19th-century composer himself and completed in 1876. The grandeur of it all was stunning.
The theater sits atop a peaceful hill in Bayreuth, and the upward slope of the approach evokes a sense of arriving at a higher plane. Inside, there are no announcements made over the PA system—only the modest ringing of a bell to let people out in the lobby know that the performance will begin in five minutes. And with that, the conversations and chit-chat wind down and the last guests saunter into the auditorium. During all of this, the ushers at each door barely move—they're not shouting out instructions, not even checking tickets. The cloakroom is manned by a single attendant, but there's never a line.
Basically, there's an unspoken order to everything, a dignity shared by both the theatergoers and the organizers of the event that puts them in perfect sync. We Japanese have a saying for this: "a-un no kokyuu", but this, I thought, was the kind of savoir-vivre you could only see in a place as cultured and theater-savvy as Europe.
It might be some time before our new theater is able to provide a kind of service on that level, but I have no doubt that the raw, immediate nature of our art can inspire, rejuvenate, and even trigger a spiritual experience. And I hear that GINZA SIX will also offer a number of fine dining options in refined settings. After a Noh performance, you can be sure that food and wine will taste all the richer for it.
That is my vision for the new Nohgakudo. And this is only the beginning.
観世清和
1959年東京生まれ。父は二十五世宗家 故左近元正。室町時代の能の大成者、観阿弥、世阿弥の嫡流。二十六世観世宗家として能楽界を牽引する。国内はもとより海外公演も多く、「箱崎」「阿古屋松」などの復曲、「利休」「聖パウロの回心」など新作能にも取り組む。重要無形文化財総合指定保持者。芸術選奨文部大臣新人賞、同文部科学大臣賞、伝統文化ポーラ賞大賞、フランス芸術文化勲章（シュバリエ）、紫綬褒章など受賞（章）多数。
Kiyokazu Kanze
Born in Tokyo in 1959, Kiyokazu Kanze is the 26th Grand Master of the Kanze School, which claims the closest line of lineage back to Zeami and Kannami, who founded Noh in the Muromachi Period [1336-1573]. He is the eldest son of 25th Grand Master Sakon (Motomasa) Kanze. He has performed across Japan and in many other countries in revived plays such as "Hakozaki" and "Akoyanomatsu", and the new Noh plays "Rikyu" and "The Conversion of St. Paul". He has been designated as part of an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan, and is the recipient of numerous other awards and honors, including the Minister of Education’s Art Encouragement Prize and previously its Prize for New Artists, the Pola Award for Traditional Culture, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French government, and the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese government.
(2016年9月インタビュー)
Interview and Text by Yuka Okada / Photographs by Satoko Imazu
