I. Sugawara no Michizane Revisited: Raiden (The God of Thunder and Lightening)

A. Three texts:

1. Kitano Tenjin Engi (The Origins of the Kitano Deity) scroll (late 13th c.)

2. Retelling of KTE in Taiheiki (Record of the Great Pacification) (about 1372)

3. Noh play Raiden based on Taiheiki (late 14th-early 15th c.)

B. Kitano Tenjin Engi (image 1, image 2)

  1. Authorship/patronage of Kitano Tenjin Engi

a. Kitano Shrine controlled by Enrakuji Temple (headquarters of Tendai Buddhism on Mt. Hiei in Kyoto)

b. Saichin (kicked Ayako out of Kitano Shrine in 976) was Tendai monk

2. Goal

a. What is an engi ("chronicle of the founding")? Why were they written?

b. What appears to be the goal of this engi?

 

3. Note: we are treating Kitano Tenjin Engi and retelling in Taiheiki as the basically same

C. Noh play Raiden

1. Structure: simple present-time exorcism

2. Early Noh (late 13-early 14th c.)

3. Authorship/Patronage

a. unknown authorship (pre-Zeami)

b. Probably Kitano Shrine, Enrakuji Temple


4. Goal:

II. Comparison of Kitano Tenjin Engi/Taiheiki and Noh play with 10th century history and oracles

A. Kitano Tenjin Engi story: Not long after his death in 903, the spirit of Michizane appears to Hosshô-bô (13th head abbot of Enrakuji temple) and advises him of his plan to attack the palace.

1. tries to get Hosshô-bô to promise not to go if called upon by the Emperor

B. Michizane ascends into heaven and attacks the palace as the God of Thunder and Lightning (Raiden)

1. Tokihira's remonstration

"Even though you've become a god, do you no longer owe a duty to the emperor? If you revere the Son of Heaven [i.e. the emperor] and have not refused to be a protecting deity, then be quiet awhile and tranquilly let your virtue be felt."

a. Michizane's response

2. Differences from historical account?

a. Lightning strike timing: when does engi and play imply it happens?

b. Historically occured 930. Was Tokihira alive?

C. Emperor calls three times for Hosshô-bô to come exorcise Michizane from the palace and after third time, Hosshô-bô responds to his call.

1. Uses 1000-armed Kannon mantra from the Lotus Sutra to chase Michizane from room to room until he gives up in exhaustion

[Images]

2. Emperor gives proclamation that elevates and deifies Michizane

3. Differences from historical account?

a. dates: Kitano enshrinement 947, Emperor Daigo dies 930

b. role of Hosshô-bô

D. What is the conflict in the Noh play?

1. What is the usual conflict in a Noh ghost play? What does Michizane want?

2. What does Michizane do in first half?

3. What is the conflict here?

a. "Until yesterday the Minister Sugawara has been a subject blessed by imperial favor, but now his internal grace of Buddha and his external sense of loyalty are not well balanced." (443)

4. How is Michizane pacified?

E. How do the Noh and Kitano Tenjin Engi/Taiheiki differ from 10th c. historical account and oracles?

 
1. Historical differences (mentioned above)

2. What is the "in-universe" conflict in the 10th c. understanding of events?

a. what is our real world perspective on conflicting oracles?

3. What is the "in-universe" conflict for Michizane now?

4. How is Emperor Daigo dealt with differently?

a. compare Dôken/Nichiz?'s dream vision of Emperor

5. How is Tokihira treated differently?

6. Is Hosshô-bô mentioned in 10th c. accounts?

F. How might have caused changes in storyline?

1. Who is Hosshô-bô? Why add him to the story?

a. patronage: Enrakuji takes control of Kitano in 14th c

b. audience:

2. Why focus on Emperor rather than Fujiwara?

a. change in politics (Fujiwara no longer in power)

b. didactic focus of an engi

c. result

III. Return to Hell

A. Two views of hell in this period: literal and enlightened

1. Hell Screens (and some setsuwa): literal place you can visit

a. stereotyped/nonpersonal

 

2. Noh plays (non-literal/attenuated)

a. personalized

b. psychological state

c. allegory

1) Sword Forest Hell

d. nevertheless, still need help to get out

B. Examples of Hell in Noh

1. Kinuta (The Fulling Block): a woman pounds a fulling block to express her anger at her absent husband; is tortured by it in Hell

"Tears shed by me in wrong attachment
Fall upon the block and lo!
They leap up in little flames;
My smouldering passion turns to smoke
and chokes my throat.
I would cry, but I can find no voice."

2.Akogi: a fisherman whose sin of taking life is compounded by having poached on sacred Shinto fishing grounds. The fish, net, and water become instruments of his suffering.

3. Kiyotsune: a Heike warrior relives his last battle over and over again in the Realm of Mayhem (Shura or Ashura):

"Where'er I turn in the Ashura world
The trees are foes, arrows the falling rain,
Sharp swords strew the ground,
The hills are iron castles,
The clouds are battle-penants,
Enemies thrust with their proud blades,
Hate flashing in their eyes."

A. Review of analysis behind warrior plays

1. Author: Zeami
2. Patronage: Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and other elite warriors
3. Audience: cultivated aristocrats and warriors
4. Goal

a. Aesthetics

1) literary

2) visual

b. Didacticism

 

B. Why do these warriors become ghosts in the ashura realm?

1. conflict trying to resolve

A. Group of stories from the battles of Yashima and Dan-no-ura from Tale of the Heike

1. Usual main character in warrior noh is a Heike warrior (losing side)

2. Here Minamoto no Yoshitsune (hero of the winning side) as main character (although he also dies tragically, after the war is over)

B. Plot of Noh

1. Structure of the play: Dream Vision Noh (concealed shamanic pacification)

a. disguised as local person (old man), but has too intimate and detailed a knowledge of the past, especially the battle that took place at Yashima

b. finally identifies true self, through a pun on his name: Field Marshal Yoshitsune


the spring night
tide will soon ebb low, near dawn:
then comes the hour of the Ashuras.
Then I shall tell my name.
But whether I do so or not,
in this sad life's field marshal your dream:
wake not nor let it fade,
wake not nor let your dream fade! (JND, p. 337)


c. returns in second act in his true form to reenact a famous battle at Dan no Ura (the final battle of the Genpei civil war)

d. the Ashura realm vanishes like a dream

C. Noh View of hell (Realm of Ashura/Mayhem)

Video: Yashima(15 minute digest in Japanese)

 

YOSHITSUNE
Who today is my Ashura foe? What? Noritsune, Lord of Noto? Aha! A great one and well-tried, I know!

On the mind's eye bursts Dan no Ura

CHORUS
that mighty sea fight whence I *now come [video starts at *12:35, stamps]

that mighty sea fight whence I now come [flips sleeve, takes corner, unflips sleeve]

back to this world, back to birth and death. [comes back to center front, overhead to sweeping point to stage right]

The sea and mountains quake. [turns, spread, goes to back, spins]

From the ships, war howls; [spread, turns and points to stage right]

YOSHITSUNE
ashore, shields like waves; [sets fan]

CHORUS
glinting, moonstruck, [pulls sword]

YOSHITSUNE
the fire of swords; [brings sword overhead to point down]

CHORUS
salt-side mirrored, [stamps]

YOSHITSUNE
helmet stars. [sets fan at head to represent helmet]

CHORUS
Water and sky,
sky running on in cloud billows, [circles, sets fan and advances to stage left]

thundering crash, counterclash, [strikes and stabs]

the fleet's struggle, sally, retreat [falls back, kneels briefly]

lift and plunge, rage on [rises, kneels, turns back to drop sword, pulls out fan and rises –video skips to last lines at 14:26]

until the spring night waves yield dawn.

Foemen the eye saw were flocking gulls,

war howls the ear heard,

wind down the shore through the tall pines rushing

wind down the shore through the tall pines raging; [spins at “tall pines]

a morning gale, no more. [flips sleeve and final stamps]
(JND pp. 342-43)