Kurokawa

• Author: Konparu Zenpô
• Japanese: 黒川 (kurokawa)

Kurokawa is a one-act Noh play by 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.

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 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 commit suicide, the deity Taizanfuku (shite) appears, kills Aizu, and then departs.

References

• Beng Choo Lim, "Performing Furyû Nô: The Theatre of Konparu Zenpô," Asian Theatre Journal 22:1 (2005), 42.