Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/305

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

The Bird-Catcher in Hades

[Esashi Jūō]

“The Bird-Catcher in Hades” in theme rather resembles “Birds of Sorrow,” and is thus a good example of how the methods of kyōgen differ from those of Nō. Nothing is known of the authorship of this or the following kyōgen, and we cannot say much more about the date than that in their present form they are probably of the sixteenth century. It should be noted that “The Bird-Catcher in Hades” is a text of the now defunct Sagi school of kyōgen, and is no longer performed.

•

Persons

  • Emma, the King of Hades
  • Kiyoyori, a bird-catcher
  • Demons
  • Chorus
(The stage is completely bare. Two drummers and a flute-player, passing down the Bridge, take their usual seats at the rear of the stage. They are followed by Emma. He wears a devil’s mask and a red wig. On his head there is a gold crown. His kimono is bright and large-patterned, and is resplendently decorated with gold thread. His hakama and outer kimono are of a similarly elaborate material, and he wears a brocade sash. His followers also wear devils’ masks and red wigs, and their clothing is similar to his, though less elaborate. They carry bamboo poles. They come from the Bridge and immediately take their places on the stage in two rows facing one another, with Emma standing closest to the Waki’s Pillar.)

Demons (singing): Emma, the King of Hades,
Emma, the King of Hades,
Comes to the Meeting of the Six Ways.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.