Sagami Puppet Theater

相模人形芝居 長谷座について

300年ほど前の江戸時代に、兵庫の淡路に生まれた人形芝居。その技術が大阪と江戸を経て、相模に根付いたといわれています。長谷座の伝承では「阿波の人形回しが来て始めた」といわれており、長谷の堰神社には、淡路から伝わったとされる翁面があります。厚木市内に現存する林座と長谷座は昭和55年、国の重要無形民俗文化財に指定されました。

（→長谷座HP：http://www.atsugi-rush.jp/haseza/）

今回の演目について

演目１）三番叟 Sanbaso：古くは天下泰平・五穀豊穣を願い行われていました。現在では古典芸能の開演前に演じられ、舞台の四方固めを祈る意味があります。本日も舞台の安全・無事を祈願し踏みます。長谷座の三番叟は二人遣いで「からすっ飛び」と言われる踏み方に特徴があります。

演目２）傾城阿波の鳴門 巡礼唄の段 Keisei Awa no Naruto Junrei-uta no dan：1768年（明和5年）初演、作者は近松半二他。阿波徳島のお家騒動から端を発した十段から成る世話物の八段目。十郎兵衛（銀十郎）は、盗まれた主君の刀を探すため、妻のお弓と共に大阪に出て、盗賊（盗人）・騙り（詐欺師）となっている。そこへ届いた内通の手紙により、刀を探すための数々の悪事が露顕して罪科が降りかかっていることを知る。そこへ、国元に残してきた娘・お鶴（9歳）が巡礼となって家に訪ねてくる。お弓は盗賊という今の身の上では、「母」と名乗れない。路銀（お金）を与えて故郷に帰るようにと話す。するとお鶴は名残惜しげに去っていく。お弓は、久しぶりに対面した我が子と今別れては二度と会えないかもしれないとの思いがつのり、狂乱し、涙ばかりで追いかける。「子別れの愁嘆劇」である。

Introduction to Sagami Puppet Theater

Sagami Puppet Theater is one of the prominent folk arts in Kanagawa Prefecture. From the Edo period to the Meiji period, the number of the puppet play companies reached fifteen in Kanagawa Prefecture area, and six of them were in Atsugi district. The Hayashi-za company (in Mutsuai area) and the Hase-za company (in Nanmouri area) have continued their works to the present. Those companies and the Shimonaka-za company in Odawara-city were designated as National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property on January 28, 1980 as "Sagami Ningyo Shibai (Puppet Show of Sagami)."

Along with the Gidayu-bushi recitation, three puppeteers manipulate one puppet in a drama: Omo-zukai (controls the puppet's head and its right hand), Hidari-zukai (controls its left hand) and Ashi-zukai (controls its legs). These elements of the form are common to Bunraku (a traditional puppet theater) originated in Osaka. The manipulation technique of the puppet's head characteristic of “Sagami Ningyo Shibai” is called ''Teppo-zashi,'' means "holding a matchlock gun in one hand." This technique has its origin in Edo (old name of Tokyo). In addition to the manipulation style, the size of the Sagami's puppet-head is smaller than that of Osaka Bunraku's. Thus, the Sagami Puppet Theater has a unique feature: The way of holding a doll's head is common to ones in Edo, while the other parts are same as the ones of the Toyotake-Za company in Osaka, Awaji Ningyo Joruri (Awaji puppet play) and Awa Ningyo Joruri (Awa puppet play) in the western part of Japan.

The Hayashi-za company and the Hase-za company are considered to have been established around 250 years ago, which is in the middle of the Edo period. By the end of its period, the great puppeteers, such as Isaburou Nishikawa from Edo and Asaemon Yoshida from Osaka, came to Atsugi and they passed down their skills of puppet manipulation in the area. Subsequently, Toukurou Yoshida and Izaemon Nishikawa also came to Atsugi in the Meiji period as grand masters of puppet-manipulating.