Renjishi

連獅子

[ジャンル]	地唄
[作曲様式]	Nagauta
[対象楽器]	三弦 - 1861

発祥 (William P Malm):

Composed by Kineya Katsusaburo II

There are many lion dances in the nagauta repertory based on either folk traditions or Noh drama about a lion on a stone bridge.
The theme of blooming peonies throughout the piece is derived from a famous Chinese flower. After the michiyuki, the valley description is mostly from the original Noh drama Shakkyo. The words koku o refer to a shakuhachi piece Koku, which is supposed to have been imported from China. The Noh text is quoted again in the chirashi section. Toraden is a known court music (bugaku).

詩 :

As the peony is the king of a hundred flowers,
so is the lion the chief of a hundred beasts.
The peony is superior to the peach and plum
when it is blooming at its height.
The two lions are not inferior to tiger or panther
as they romp playfully on the stone bridge.

Listen, now. The venerable Saint Monju dwelled on renowned Mount Qingliang.
From the cloud-covered peak far above,
swollen water ascends through the clouds looking at the base of a deep valley.

The flow resounds with the wind in the pines.
Gazing across the bridge resembles dusk after the rain
when a rainbow appears just like crossing the emptiness.
From a lrage rock on a precipitous ledge
a proud lion kicks into the depths of the ravine his young cub.
Tumble, tumble, tumble,
the cub seems to fall headlong.
He turns around and scrabbles with his claws only to be shoved again.

The valiant heart of a fierce lion,
dancing playfully among the peony flowers.
Butterflies calm his heart. appearing on a flower, hiding behind a leaf.
Chasing, being chased, totally absorbed.

The petals scatter in the wind, fluttering, longing for wings.

The lions and the flowers together.
How enjoyable.

Just then the whole ensemble grandly begins with the dance.

It's the season for the lion and Toraden music and dance.
Bunches of peony flowers fill the air with their scent.
The lion's head shakes with great strength.
Peony perfume, peony perfume.
The stamens of golden yellow coming forth.
Lions frolicking in the flowers, crouching and rolling in the twigs.

The strength of the lion king is truly unsurpassed.
Never will plants and trees fail to part before him.

For myriad harvests and a thousand autumns he perfects his dance.
For myriad harvests and a thousand autumns he perfects his dance.

The lion seats himself on his throne.

連獅子は下記のアルバムに収録されています

	アルバム	アーティスト
	Living National Treasure - Shamisen	三弦 : 杵屋五三助
	Traditional Music of Japan, The - 02	歌 : 杵屋佐吉三弦 : 松島寿太郎歌 : 杵屋佐三郎三弦 : 中山小十郎
This is one of the representative Nagauta pieces for the Kabuki dance-drama. The plot and text are adapted from the Noh piece named Shakkyo by Kineya Shojiro (1828? -1896). It had its premiere performance in 1861 on the Kabuki stage of Tokyo. The story is concerned with a lion living on a high, sacred mountain in China. As the king of animals, he trains his son by pushing him into a deep ravine. The music as well as the text is full of heroics and has a stirring atmosphere about it. The record begins with an instrumental introduction for the curtain together with the beautiful clapping sound of the Hyoshigi (wooden clappers). The introduction is performed by the ensemble of percussion instruments which are played in a chamber on the left corner of the stage. The "chamber" ensemble which consists of various kinds of percussion instruments (over 20), flutes and Shamisens as well as singing is termed Geza Hayashi and it serves as background music for Kabuki. This is true not only for the dancing but for each scene of the drama as well. It helps to create a truly astonishing mood and atmosphere. The style of performance varies in hundreds of ways. The first section in the specific singing style called Ozatsuma, is suitable for strong expression. It describes the high, sacred mountain and a stone bridge with lions and flowers. The mountain is said to be the place where a bodhisattva lived. The song is followed by the Hayashi of the same instrumentation as that of the Noh (flute, and three kinds of drums). The players of the Hayashi sit on the platform placed at the rear of the stage and to the side. The platform is covered with red carpet and the singers and Shamisen players are also seated behind the Hayashi. The ensemble piece called Gaku (music) is an adaptation from the Hayashi piece of Noh having the same name. It represents the heavenly atmosphere of the mountain. This interlude is followed by the main section of the plot portraying a dance between the two lions in which the father is training his son. This main section begins with strong singing by the chorus and is followed by a short, quiet and slower interlude of the Shamisen accompanied by a flute. A solo song follows in slow tempo. This is the musical highlight. Here, the text describes the young lion taking a rest from trying to climb a steep cliff. The main singing section is followed by another dance accompanied by the Shamisen and the Hayashi. The music of the Hayashi in this instance, is based on the lion dance of the Noh piece from which the Shamisen piece is adapted. The dance and music depict the brave figures of two lions racing around. The entire composition ends with the chorus accompanied by both Shamisen tutti and the Hayashi. An additional section with the Shamisen together with the Hayashi is performed to close the curtain. The Hayashi remains playing for a while after the curtain has been closed until the last stroke of the clapper informs the listener of the conclusion of the performance. The tuning of the Shamisen is in Honchoshi, except for the section omitted on this record which is tuned in Niagari.