Kenjō

絃上 The Lute Kenjō/The Lute Genjō (Kanze)

1 Source and/or Related Material

The Tale of the Heike 2

2 Author

Unknown

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

The famed lute player Fujiwara no Moronaga (tsure) is about to leave for China to learn the secrets of the lute. Accompanied by monks (waki, wakitsure), he reaches Suma Bay (Hyōgo), where he meets an old man (maeshite) and an old woman (maetsure), who let the group stay overnight in their salt-maker’s hut. Upon learning Moronaga’s identity, the elderly couple ask him to play them a secret lute piece. Moronaga begins playing a piece accompanied by the words of a poem by Prince Genji but stops when the sound of rain interferes with the music. The couple spread woven mats on the roof of the hut, allowing the sounds of the rain to harmonize with that of the lute. Seeing their musical expertise, Moronaga urges the old man to play the lute and the old woman to play the zither, which they do beautifully. Moronaga is humbled by their magnificent performance and decides not to go to China. The couple reveal to him that they are the spirits of Emperor Murakami, who owned a famous lute named Kenjō, and his consort Nashitsubo; then, they disappear. Later, the spirit of Emperor Murakami (nochishite) returns in his true form and tells of the three famous lutes Kenjō, Seizan, and Shishimaru. Then, a dragon god (nochitsure) who had stolen the lute Shishimaru emerges from the sea and offers the lute to Moronaga. The dragon god dances and Emperor Murakami is carried into the heavens by eight dragon steeds, and Moronaga returns to the capital.