View source for Kurokawa

*''Author: [[Konparu Zenpo|Konparu Zenpô]]''
*''Japanese'': 黒川 ''(kurokawa)''

''Kurokawa'' is a one-act [[Noh]] play by [[Konparu Zenpo|Konparu Zenpô]], taking place at [[Kurokawa castle]] in [[Aizu]]. It is one of Zenpô's five ''muchû'' ("dream") plays, which also include ''[[Hatsuyuki]]'', ''[[Ikuta Atsumori]]'', and two others unknown today.<ref>Lim, 48.</ref>

The play is said to have been inspired by the Aizu-based ''[[renga]]'' master Kanenori, and is said to represent an increasing attention paid to the provinces in the Kyoto-based Noh artform during Zenpô's time (late 15th - early 16th c.). The play is also a strong example of the emphasis on spectacle  and ''miseba'' ("showcase scenes") in the ''[[furyu Noh|fûryû Noh]]'' of that time.

==Plot==
The play centers on a battle between Kurokawa no Totômi no Mori (''waki'') and Aizu no Buzen no Mori (''tsure''). Kurokawa mentions to his subordinates a dream he had in which a monk advised him to pray to Taizanfukun; he then does so, burning offerings in prayer to Taizanfukun.

Later, during the actual battle, just as Kurokawa is on the verge of defeat, and is about to [[seppuku|commit suicide]], the deity Taizanfuku (''shite'') appears, kills Aizu, and then departs.

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==References==
*Beng Choo Lim, "Performing Furyû Nô: The Theatre of Konparu Zenpô," ''Asian Theatre Journal'' 22:1 (2005), 42.
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[[Category:Muromachi Period]]
[[Category:Poetry and Theater]]