Funabashi

船橋 The Boat Bridge

1 Source and/or Related Material

medieval poem tales on the boat bridge at Sano

2 Author

adapted by Zeami from a dengaku nō

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

A mountain ascetic (waki) visits the village of Sano in Kōzuke Province (modern Gunma), accompanied by some monks (wakitsure). On a riverbank they meet a man (maeshite) and a woman (maetsure) who are raising money for the construction of a bridge. Making references to a poem in the Man’yōshū, they tell the story of the boat bridge at Sano. There once was a man who crossed the bridge every night to visit his beloved, but the woman’s parents disapproved of the relationship and loosened some planks. The man drowned in the river, and his attachment sent him to hell. Hinting that they are in fact the ghosts of these lovers, the man and the woman disappear. A villager (ai) appears and retells their story in plain speech. The priest prays for the couple, and their ghosts (nochishite, nochitsure) appear. The woman expresses gratitude for the service, while the man laments his continuing obsession. As an expression of repentance, he reenacts his falling off the bridge and sinking to the bottom of the river. In this way, the man finally attains to buddhahood.