The following is a direct except from the Azuma
Odori programme from Autumn 1951, from the private collection of
Naomi Graham-Diaz, ImmortalGeisha.com.
This has been copy-typed verbatim, along with scans, from the original
programme by Naomi Graham-Diaz.
November 1st – 12th (Curtain at 10.30 hours)
November 12th – 24th (Curtain at 14.30 hours)
1. “Imayo Kokaji” (Swordsmith)
Nagauta
Music
Dancng department
by Koisaburo Nishikawa
The Cast:
The Divine Spirit: Kanechiyo 1st-13th Yaeharu
4th-6th Chiyo 7th-9th
Sanjo Munechika: Sachiyo 19th-24th Muneko 13th-15th
Kiyo 16th-18th
This dance was first put on the stage in 1852.
the idea of this dance was taken from one of the old no plays connecting
with the Japanese Story in which Sanjo Munechika, a swordsmith,
with the help of the divine spirit, forged a fine sword called Ogitsune-Maru
(Little-fox).
2. “Korin Byobu” (Paper screen
with a picture painted by Korin)
Yamato music
Planned by
Chosho Ohkura
Verses by
Isamu Yoshi
Musical Composition
by Yamato Band
Art effect
by Hoshun Yamaguchi
Dancing department
by Koisaburo Nishikawa
The Cast:
Kourin: Marichiyo
Omitsu: Somefuku
Act. 1 costume contest at Higashiyama
(Kyoto)
Act. 2 Farewell at Makuzugahara (Kyoto)
Act. 3 Melancholy thought at Yatsuhashi (Shizuoka)
Act. 4 Summer festival at Fuyuki (Yedo)
In this dance, the story of Korin Ogata is depicted.
He was a famous Japanese artist who lived approximately 26o years
ago. He was also a technologist. The style of his paintings, the
trace of which can be found in various fields of Japanese arts
even at present is called the Korin-Style. Of his works the picture
“Kakitsubata (Iris)” is one of the better paintings
which has been well preserved and now kept in the Nezu Art Museum
at the story of this dance is based on this famous painting.
This dancing play opens with overture that describes the famous
costume contest held at Maruyama, Kyoto, when the cherry blossoms
were at their best there. It happened in the Genroku Period (1668-1702).
The scene of people Gorgeously dressed and standing under the
cherry blossoms is really wonderful. Among those people, Korin
and his sweetheart, Omitsu, are talking about the beauty of the
hearts which they hold higher estimate than that of their gorgeous
clothes.
Later, Korin goes to Yedo (Tokyo) to study, while Omitsu must
stay in Kyoto because of her illness. Thus they are obliged to
be separated.
While Korin is hurrying to Yedo he is worrying about Omitsu. As
Korin seems to be too uneasy, Kozan, Korin’s follower, returns
to Koto to look after Omitsu.
After, Korin begins to paint Iris on a paper screen staying in
Yedo. When he finishes his work the vision of Omitsu appears.
In the meantime, Kozan returns from Kyoto and tells Korin of the
death of his sweetheart, Omitsu. Korin is really in bland dismay
for a while. The vision of Omitsu, however, smiles saying that
the paper screen with a picture of Iris will be kept by people
forever.
3. “Shushoku Tabigoyomi” (Travelling
in Autumn)
Tokiwazu music
Dancing department
by Jusuke Hanayagi
Scene 1. Lovely autumn day (Nara)
Scene 2. Temple of Colossal Buddha (Nara)
Scene 3. Pack-horse men’s song
Scene 4. Waterfall of Red leave.
A rice-cake shop by the side of Sarusawa Pond,
Nara, on a fine day in autumn. Here a woman traveler, her daughter
and a traveling shop-boy perform a dance of joke connected with
rice-cake.
In the scene at the Daibutsu-Den (Temple where the colossal statue
of Buddha is kept), Yajirobe and Kidahachi, jokers perform a comical
dance depicting the largeness of the statue of Buddha.
In the third scene “Yosaku” and “Koman”
perform a dance accompanied by the songs of pack-horse men.
In the last scene, the dancers perform “Sarashi” technique.
“Sarashi” or bleaching technique depicts the state of
long sheets of cotton cloth waving in the wind, when they have been
hunged high in the air to dry after bleaching.
November 1st-12th (Curtin at 14.30 hours)
November 12th-24th (Curtain at 11.30 hours)
1. “Ninin Shojo” (Two Orang-outangs)
Nagauta
Music
Dancing
department by Jusuke Hanayagi
The Cast:
Sakeuri: Kinya 1st-6th Sekiya 7th-12th
Shoujo: Umi Umi
Sojujo: Miyoriu 13th-18th Yakko 19th-24th
This is a dance for celebrations, which was performed
as a curtainraiser in the Yedo Period. It is said that the orang-outangs
who love “sake” drink from the wine spring for eternal
youth. These animals, believed to live in China, are personified
in this dance.
“Sanja Matsuri”
Kiyomoto
Music
Dancing
Department by Jusuke Hanayagi
The Cast:
Fisher: Enko 1st-4th Chizuko 5th-8th Fuku 9th-12th
Yakko
13th – 16th Kayoko 17th-20th Tatsuyo 21st-24th.
This dance was dramatized about a hundred and thirty years ago
in connection with the festival of Sanja (Three Shrine) at Asakusa
in Yedo. According to tradition, the two fishermen in this dance,
Hamanari and Takenari, wh o pulled up a statue of Kannon (a goddess
of mercy) while they were casting their nets in the Miyato River,
now known as the Sumida River.
The two fishermen perform the dance “Zendama” (good
spirit) and the dance “Akudama” (evil spirit) because
in those days there was a popular and widely read novel called
the “Good and Bad (evil) spirits”.
2. “Shin Heike Monogatari”
(The story of the Heike Clan)
Serial publication:
Weekly Asahi
The original
by Eiji Yoshikawa
Dramatized
by Seiichi Funabashi
Musical
composition by Mojibei Tokiwazu and Tazaemon Kineya
Art effect
by Kenkichi Sugimoto
Stage arrangement
by Motohiro Nagasaka
Dancing
department by Kikunojo Onoe
The Cast:
Kiyomori: Marichiyo
Tokiwa: Kokuni
This is a dance play of the story of Taira-no-Kiyomori,
a general of Heike or Taira Clan, and Tokiwa, wife of Minamoto
Yoshitomo, a general of Genji or Minamoto Clan, who lived 800
years ago (1156 A.D.).
Act 1. At Eguchi Village
On his way to the Kumano Shrine, whither he is going to pray for
his success in war, Kiyomori finds a girl named Sho-Kanon, in
the village of Eguchi, whoreminds him the wife of Yoshitomo, his
rival. While Kiyomori is enjoying a banquet held in that village,
he hears that Yoshitomo is rising in arms in Kyoto, and he makes
haste to return to Kyoto.
Act 2. At the Rokuhara Mansion
Kiyomori is drinking “sake” at the ceremonial banquet
for his victory over the Genji Clan. Tokiwa, wife of the rebel,
yoshitomo, is famous for her beauty and she has been hiding herself
with her three sons after the death of her husband. At last, however,
she makes her appearance at the Rokuhara Mansion. Kiyomori asks
Tokiwa to dance for him and ventures to spare the lives of her
three sons in spite of the opposition of the whole members of
his clan.
Act 2 Scene 2 At Parlour of the Same Mansion
Kiyomori is watching for his time with Tokiwa’s anger is
gone. He is generous to her, though he is the general of the Army
in opposition to Tokiwa. Tokiwa, seeing Kiyomori’s generosity,
cannot help showing her femininity in spire of her situation.
She is supposed to have fallen in love with Kiyomori.
Act 3 On a boat sailing towards the Itsukushima Shrine,
Kiyomori is appointed Prime Minister in 1167. He, having been
given the right to rule over the realm, is going on the sea to
worship the Itsukushima Shrine, where the guardian deity of the
Heike Clan is enshrined. When the Itsukushima Island appears in
sight, Hiyomori begs Tokiwa to return to Kyoto after she has seen
the Island explaining that they are forced to be separated because
of his situation though it is hard for them to do so.
3 “Okonomi Lokkyoku-Shu” (Dances
with Popular Songs)
Dancing department
by Kikunojo Onoe
Scene 1. Ozashiki (Japanese room)
Scene 2. Fujimidai
Scene 3. Sumida River
Scene 4. Ryogoku Bridge
Scene 5. Yoshiwara
Scene 6. Bridge of Red Leaves
This is a part of “Azuma Odori” (Tokyo
Dance) in which various popular songs in connection with the places
in and around Yedo (Tokyo) are interwoven.
