Yamamba [Noh Song]

Описание: Yamamba

There are only voice parts in this recording.

Script (English/Modern Japanese)
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A young dancer (tsure) goes by the name ‘Hyakuma Yamamba’ because of her imitation of Yamamba, the legendary ogress living in the mountains. Hyakuma’s dance has become popular in the Capital (present-day Kyoto). One day, she and her Followers (waki and waki-tsure) set off on a pilgrimage to Zenkō-ji temple in the Shinano province (Nagano prefecture). Three paths lead to the temple: the ‘high way’, the ‘low way’ and the ‘higher way’. Hyakuma decides to take the ‘higher way’, which Amida Buddha, venerated at the temple, is thought to have traversed. As the path leads the party deep into the mountains, the sky suddenly darkens. At first there seems to be no place to seek for shelter, but soon a mysterious Woman (shite in the first act) appears, offering the party lodging for the night. The Woman asks Hyakuma to demonstrate her famous dance. She then reveals to be the real Yamamba: she made the sun set earlier, and deliberately led the travelers to her house. The dancer agrees to perform, and the Woman says that, since the sky is clear, and the moon is rising, she will show them her real form. Saying so, she disappears.

The group is astounded by this unexpected encounter. A Local Man (ai-kyōgen) who accompanied the group tells various stories related to the mysterious figure of Yamamba. As the night falls, the performer begins to dance. There, Yamamba (shite in the second act) appears in the form of an eerie-looking old woman. Mentioning the Buddhist principle of non-duality of good and evil (jashō ichinyo), she explains that, in fact, the world of humans and that of Yamamba are one. Finally, Yamamba dances, describing how she helps those living in the mountains in her wandering around the valleys and peaks through the four seasons, before disappearing.

Sung by Kanze School