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　　　　Dance Drama

'Funa Benkei', which written by Kawatake Mokuami, and was first performed in 1885. It is accompanied by 'nagauta', which is one of the traditional kinds of music in Japan. Some Kabuki plays are from Noh, and they are performed on a stage that is made like a Noh stage. They are called 'Matsubame-mono'. 'Funa Benkei' is one of them.

This performance is divided into two dance parts. A professional dancer, Shizuka plays the main character in the first half. She is a mistress of Minamoto-no Yoshitsune, who is a commander in the Genji clan. A vengeful spirit, Taira-no Tomomori plays the main character in the second half. He was a commander in the Heike clan, and was an enemy of Yoshitsune. Tomomori died in 1185 at the battle of Dannoura, the final battle of the Genji-Heike clan war.

Shizuka and Tomomori are both performed by the same actor. Audiences can enjoy the two characters of the one actor in one play. It is the same as Odett and Odile of the ballet 'Swan Lake'. Shoroku played both Shizuka and Tomomori this time. However, his Shizuka wasn't a beautiful dancer, and his Tomomori wasn't a vengeful spirit of the great commander, unfortunately.

The Genji-Heike clan war was similar to the War of the Roses in England. The Genji clan and the Heike clan had been fighting for a long time. The Heike clan became a ruling clan once, but the Genji clan regained its strength, after Taira-no Kiyomori who was the master of the Heike clan died in 1181. Tomomori was one of the sons of Kiyomori. The Heike clan was gradually losing power and was finally cornered by the Genji clan. It was described in 'The Tale of Heike' as well.

In 'The Tale of Heike', Tomomori is described as a great and brave commander. At the Dannoura battle, the final battle of the Genji-Heike clan war, he showed sharp insight in observing the downfall of the Heike clan. Although Tomomori committed suicide by jumping into the water, he had been a warrior until the end. I think that Tomomori has embodied the aesthetics of the downfall.

Just before Tomomori jumps into the water, he went aboard the flagship of the Heike clan. He threw the Genji warriors' dead bodies into the water from the ship. He wiped bloodstains, and swept everywhere to clean the ship. Tomomori thought that the result of the battle was obvious, and that it would be disgraceful to show the dirty ship to the Genji warriors.

There were many women on the ship, and they asked Tomomori how the battle would be. Tomomori said that they would be able to see the Genji warriors soon. If a woman was seen by a man, it meant that she would be raped by that man immediately. He clearly showed what would happen to the women later. That age was very severe for women, but Tomomori might have wondered why those women who were there did nothing.

I think that there would have been no woman who had known what happened then clearly. They had been living an extravagant life under the Heike clan's rule. About 40 women were restricted after the battle. They must have thought that they were so unhappy until they died.

After Tomomori finished cleaning the ship, he asked his wet nurse's son if he had remembered that they had promised to die together. Of course he remembered it, and they both wore two suits of armor in order to sink into the water. Tomomori said that he had seen things that he should have seen. (There is nothing that he can do anymore.) Therefore, they had committed suicide by jumping into the water together. Tomomori was 33 at the time. If the situation had been different, I think that Tomomori could have made the Heike clan better as a ruling clan. I lament his death. (2002,6,8)