Artistic Family Crests 一門の定紋
In the May 1, 2012 issue (no.24) of the Kamigata Rakugo Associations’s informational magazine Nna aho na, there is a nice feature titled “Kamigata Rakugo Storyteller Family Crests” (Kamigata rakugoka no jômon, pp. 8-9). Below is my translation of the article.
上方落語協会の情報誌である「んなあほな」の２０１２年５月１日（第２４）号に、「上方落語家の定紋」という面白い特集がありました（７-８頁）。
Kamigata Rakugo Storytellers’ Artistic Family Crests
Storytellers who appear on stage wear a wide variety of kimono. Solid, fine-patterned, striped… There are also kimono of various colors, quiet to extremely loud. Did you know that on some of these kimono performers also wear different crests, depending on who they are?
That’s right. These crests differ according to artistic family [ichimon].
In this issue we would like to introduce some representative crests used by Kamigata Rakugo storytellers.
上方落語家の定紋
高座にあがる落語家は、さまざまな衣裳を身につけています。無地、小紋柄、縞物…。色も地味なものから派手なものまで。中でも紋付を着て出てくる場合、演者によって、紋が違うことにお気づきでしたか。
そうです。紋はそれぞれの一門で違うのです。
今回は上方落語家の代表的な紋をご紹介しましょう。
Mitsu kashiwa（Triple Oak Leaf） 三つ柏. Worn by members of the Katsura Beichô (Tsukitei) and Katsura Bunshi ichimons. 桂米朝（月亭）• 桂文枝一門
A storyteller in the Katsura school by the name of Katsura Bunji I [1774-1816] used this crest and it has been passed down through the generations since. We know that this crest was being used in the Edo-period Bunka years (1808-1818). 桂を名乗る落語家の組である初代桂文治が用いたことから代々受け継がれてきた紋です。江戸時代の文化年間（一八〇四〜一八一八）にはすでにこの紋を使っていたことがわかっています。
Musubi kashiwa (Oak Leaf Knot) 結び柏. Worn by members of the Katsura Beichô (Tsukitei) and Katsura Bunshi ichimons. 桂米朝（月亭）• 桂文枝一門
The Musubikashiwa is a simplified version of the Mitsukashiwa [this is the crest most typically seen on kimono in these schools]. 三つ柏を簡略表現したもんです。
Hanabishi (Chestnut Flower) 花菱. Worn by members of the Katsura Harudanji ichimon. 桂春団治一門
It is said that Katsura Harudanji I (1878-1934) received this crest from the house of the founders of Yoshimoto Entertainment (today Yoshimoto Promotions). 初代桂春団治（一八七八〜一九三四）が、吉本興行（現•吉本興業）の創業者家から譲られたといわれています。
Gomai sasa (Five Bamboo Leaves) 五枚笹. Worn by members of the Shôfukutei ichimon. 笑福亭一門
The first man to take the artistic family name Shôfukutei was Shôfukutei Gochiku I (active around the 1820s), and it is believed that he used the Gomai sasa crest because of its connection to the “five bamboos” of his name [Gochiku 吾竹]. This crest was in regular use by the early Meiji period [1868-1912]. 笑福亭を名乗った初代とされる初代笑福亭吾竹（一八二〇年頃に活躍）が、その名にちなみ「五つの竹」から五枚笹を用いたといわれています。明治初期にはすでに使われていました。
Nu no ji usagi (Rabbit Resembling a Nu) ぬの字うさぎ. Worn by members of the Hayashiya ichimon. 林家一門
This crest was created by Hayashiya Somemaru II (1867-1952), the man credited with reviving the Kamigata branch of the Hayashiya school. He was born in the year of the rabbit and loved rabbits himself. 上方林家の名を復活させた二代目林家染丸（一八六七〜一九五二）が、卯年生まれでウサギ好きだったことから定めた紋です。
Kikyô (Bellflower) 桔梗. Worn by members of the Tsuyu no ichimon. 露の一門
When the late Tsuyu no Gorôbê was, in the Harudanji ichimon, promoted to the name Tsuyu no Gorô II from Koharudanji, he changed his crest to the Hishi mimasu ni katabami (Wood Sorrel in Three Boxes, 菱三升に片喰), but after this he changed the Tsuyu no ichimon crest to his master’s personal crest, Kikyô. 故•露の五郎兵衛が、春団治門下、小春団治から二代目露の五郎を襲名したときは、「菱三升に片喰」でしたが、その後、師の家紋である「桔梗」を露の一門の定紋としました。
Mitsu kumi tachibana (Three Tachibana Flowers) 三つ組橘. Worn descendants of the Tachibana line. 橘•立花系
This crest belonged to the Tokyo San’yû schools (San’yûtei, Tachibanaya, Tachibanaya [different characters]). Those in who studied in these schools in Kamigata and took the Tachibanaya name use this crest. 東京の三遊派（三遊亭•立花家•橘家）がこの紋であったことから、上方でもこれにならい、立花家を名乗る落語家が用いています。
Special Crests 替え紋
There are also special crests based on particular artistic names, used by individual performers alone. These are called kaemon. 定紋とは別に名前にちなんだ紋やある特定の落語家だけがつける紋があります。これを「替え紋」と言います。
Hishi mimasu ni hanabishi (Chestnut Flower in Three Boxes) 菱三升に花菱. Worn by Katsura Harudanji. 桂春団治
Only those named Harudanji in the Harudanji ichimon can wear the chestnut flower surrounded by three boxes. 春団治一門のうち、春団治だけは花菱を三升で囲んだ紋を用います。
Bunshi mon (Bunshi Crest) 文枝紋. Worn by Katsura Bunshi. 桂文枝
This mon is made by connecting four 文 [bun] characters in a circle. This crest was used by Bunshi I and Bunshi V. There have been variations of this crest used by others with the character 文 in their name. Included are storytellers Bunza (crest with three 文 in a circle), Bun’nosuke (crest with characters 文 and の, called Bun no maru), Bunto (crest with 文 and a chestnut flower), not to mention others. 名前にちなみ、「文」を四つ丸く連ねた紋です。初代文枝が使い、五代目文枝もときにこの紋を使うことがありました。「文」の文字がつく落語家では他に、文三（「文」を三つ丸く連ねた紋）、文之助（「文」と「の」をアレンジした「文の丸」という紋）、文都（「文」と花菱）などにも替え紋がありました。
Tsuki (Moon) 月. Worn by members of the Tsukitei ichimon. 月亭一門
This moon-shaped crest is based on the tsuki of Tsukitei, which literally means “moon pavilion.” 亭号にちなみ月をかたどった紋です。現在の月亭一門が使います。
Fukurô (Owl) フクロウ. Worn by Mori no Fukurô 森乃福郎
Mori no Fukurô II designed this crest of an owl when he was promoted to this current name. 現在の二代目森之福郎が襲名のときにフクロウを図案化して新しく作った紋です。
Waiting for Slow Cargo Ships 低速貨物船待ち
Before I moved home to Oregon, I shipped home all the books that I collected while in Japan. The woman at the post office told me it would take one to three months for them to arrive. This is a long time, but sending them by slow ship saved me more than $1000USD, compared to going with FedEx, etc. That’s me I guess, always trying to save a buck… After I sent them, I checked the tracking number online just about every day, wondering if they would EVER arrive.
And here we are, today, almost two months later.
My books arrived!! Well, two out of three boxes did anyway. When I inquired with the employee at my neighborhood post office, she put me at ease by saying, “Oh, that’s normal. The last box should be here by next week.”
One thing that I am extremely happy about is that the most important book (my personal treasure) arrived with today’s delivery. I even made my parents hold it and pose for a picture…
All right, now I’m really ready to get down to business with my writing!
(I just hope that last box arrives without a hitch…)
オレゴン州に帰る前に、日本で集めた本の全てを船便で国へ送りました。日本郵便のおばさんによると１ヶ月〜３ヶ月かかると。とても時間がかかりますが、船便はFedExなどより１０万円以上安かった。ちょっとお得しょうと思って。送った後、まだ届かんかいなぁと心配しながら、ほとんど毎日インターネットで問い合わせ番号をチェック。
そして今日、ほぼ２ヶ月後。
本が届きましたよ〜！というより、３箱の中の２が届いた。近所の郵便局のおばさんに聞いてみたら「それは普通わよ。もう１箱は来週までに届くでしょう」とは言って安心させていただいた。
とても嬉しいことに、一番大事な本（僕の宝物）が今日の配達に入っていました。親にその本を持たせて写真まで撮っちゃいました。
よっしゃ、これからちゃんと論文を書けるぞ〜。
（もう１箱が無事に届きますように…）
American Storytelling アメリカのストリーテリング
日本語訳を大変お待たせしております。
I’ve been meaning to post about my experience of listening to storytelling at “Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival,” the finale of which was held right here in my hometown on April 8th.
Four acclaimed storytellers performed at the finale, and I enjoyed each very much. I made some notes about each teller and story, keeping in mind rakugo and hanashika.
The first three tellers — Leslie Slape, Habiba Addo, and Kirk Waller — narrated their stories much like authors of books. At points I would close my eyes and feel as if I were listening to talented readers of short stories.
Slape, who told the story “The Toy Piano,” incorporated little theatrical delivery, but this worked nicely because it felt as though she were speaking directly to the audience; this story for this particular audience. Her personal approach felt somewhat like the makura of rakugo.
Addo, who told “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters,” was quite theatrical in her delivery, including boisterous vocal interludes that went right to the heart. Different from Slape’s approach, Addo placed an invisible wall between her stage and the audience. Addo’s story was enjoyable live, but it might be equally enjoyable on CD or DVD.
Waller presented his stories, “Summer Time: Shasta Creek” and “Uncle Cleo,” with a nice mix of teller-audience interaction and theatrical performance. He also incorporated well his great sense of humor. Waller also incorporated more character dialogue, which allowed his protagonists to give the stories more life. Upon finishing, Waller received a kind compliment from the finale’s headliner, Tim Tingle, who told him his level of comedy and delivery could be likened to the great American comedian Bill Cosby’s.
Tim Tingle’s story was the longest, most detailed, and most powerful. His skillful and humorous prelude made audience fall in love with him almost immediately, and, before we knew it, he was smoothly into story proper. I am sure I speak for the entire audience when I say I was on the edge of my seat for the entire story, hungry for and satisfied by each new word, wishing it would never end. The audience laughed, cried, then laughed more. Tingle told ”Crossing Bok Chitto” with tremendous expertness and perfect timing. It was a powerful ninjôbanashi-like human drama that earned him not one but two standing ovations. He used the narrator’s voice several times in the course of his story, but the heroes did most of the talking, and this is one more thing that made Tingles telling more like rakugo than any other stories told at the finale. Tingle is a seasoned, top-rate storyteller that all storytellers — aspiring hanashika included — could learn much from.
I found numerous points of comparison between the stories told at “Hearing Voices” and those at yose, but there were also many points of contrast. This is doubtless because rakugo consists of so much convention, all passed down generation to generation, master to pupil. Conventions such as wearing kimono, and kneeling and bowing head to floor before saying a word, make rakugo feel much more formal than the stories told at “Hearing Voices.” In the latter, American artists performed standing up, and in the clothes of their choice. Both are undeniably sophisticated oral art forms, however, more than capable of moving listeners to laughter, tears, and all the emotional phenomena in between.
I still prefer professional rakugo, but, until I can get back to Japan for a day at the yose, I will be more than happy to continue hearing and learning from the storytellers in the Portland Storytellers Guild and other American storytelling groups affiliated with the National Storytelling Network.
Like this:
Sanshi’s Feelings of Guilt 三枝の罪悪感
In the course of eleven pages, Sanshi recalls his wildly successful career as a radio and TV “tarento” (personality/star), but asks why his master Bunshi V (1930-2005) ever allowed him to follow such a path. More specifically, he wonders why Bunshi told him to go (itte koi) to the broadcasting company in the first place.
It soon becomes clear Sanshi is filled with guilt since he got his big break so soon after entering the artistic school of Bunshi. Despite the fact he was associated with Bunshi longer than most of Bunshi’s other pupils, Sanshi knows Bunshi the least.
Sanshi is filled with guilt because he will soon take the name of a Kamigata rakugo giant– his master –but he hardly knows the man who preceded him. In an attempt to know Bunshi better, to give readers a sense that he has support from those who knew Bunshi best, and perhaps to relieve his guilt, Sanshi interviews those who learned from Bunshi. The interviews make up the bulk of the book.
Toward the end of the forward Sanshi writes, “Considering the fact that my classic-loving (koten-ha) master did an original story (sôsaku) at the end [of his career/life], could he have been showing his support for my [adherence to] original rakugo? Was he giving me his approval? By taking on such a new challenge could he have been saying, ‘You keep going, and don’t worry about a thing’?”
It is doubtful Sanshi has any concerns about ascending to an artistic name that goes back more than 150 years, but he clearly feels guilty about taking the name of his master. Whatever the case, Sanshi interpretation of Bunshi’s decision to compose the original story “Kumano môde” at Mie and Kumano prefectures’ joint request as a last-ditch attempt to convey to Sanshi his approval strikes me as self-serving, egotistical, and unfortunate. But perhaps this is what Sanshi needs to tell himself to relieve such guilt.
Indeed, Sanshi went to the broadcasting company as his master told him to shortly after beginning his apprenticeship, but Sanshi went off and over time failed to return, which was also implied when Bunshi said itte koi (go and come back). Sanshi made his priority making it in the world of mass media entertainment.
It is not impossible to make a good living on rakugo alone, but, perhaps one cannot blame Sanshi since there was so much more money to be had in radio and TV. Still, the fact remains, Sanshi did not return to a formal apprenticeship with Bunshi, and, consequently, Sanshi never became the hanashika his master expected. Perhaps this is where Sanshi’s guilt late in life derives from, particularly in the months and days before he takes his masters name.
Tonight it’s on to Chapter One.
夕べ寝る前に、桂三枝師匠が最近出した本、「師匠、五代目文枝へ」（ヨシモトブックス、２０１２年）の前書きを読みました。
その11ページの中で、三枝師匠が自分のラジオ・テレビタレントとしての大成功を繰り返しますが、自分の修業中に何故文枝師匠がその道を許したのか、というより、そもそもなぜ文枝師匠が放送局に「行ってこい」と言ったのかを疑問に思い、その理由を解釈しようとします。
しばらく読み進めると三枝師匠が、文枝師匠の弟子になってからすぐテレビの世界で売れたことに対して、罪悪感をもっていたということがわかります。文枝師匠との付き合いは他の門人より長いはずなのに、三枝師匠が文枝師匠のことを一番理解していなかったという複雑な心境が原因のようです。
今年、師匠文枝の名前を襲名しますが、まだその師匠のことについてよく知らず、また罪悪感を抱いている三枝師匠。自分の師匠をもっと知るため、そして読者にも周りの皆（門人）に認めてもらっているということを印象づけるため、三枝師匠は文枝師匠についていた、一門全員とのインタービューをこの本の内容にしました。
前書きの最後の方ですが、三枝師匠が次のような文章を書いています。「古典派の師匠が最後に創作に取り組んだのは、ひょっとして、私の創作を許してくれたからだろうか？認めてくれたのだろうか？自分も新しいことにチャレンジするから、「お前は、心おきなくやれ」と言ってくれたのだろうか？」
１５０年以上の歴史がある大名跡を継ぐ三枝師匠の気持ちはよく分かりませんが、自分の師匠の名前を継ぐということはどうも複雑なようです。どちらにしても、文枝師匠が三重県・熊野県に頼まれて「熊野詣」の創作をした理由が、三枝師匠を許す、または認めるという気持ちの表れだったという彼の考え方は、まことに私利的で、自己中心的で、残念です。しかし、罪悪感を軽減するには、このようなことばを自分で（そして本の中で？）繰り返さないと気がすまないのでしょうか。
文枝師匠が指示した通り、三枝師匠は放送局に向かいました。そして、放送局に向かったまま、その後文枝師匠の元には帰ってきませんでした。確かに、文枝師匠のことばは「行ってこい」でした。でも、三枝師匠は帰ってこず、そのままどんどんマスコミの方に集中し、その世界を優先しました。
三枝師匠はしばらくの間落語界から離れていましたが、これは非難されるべきでしょうか。落語だけで食べていかれないことはないですが、ラジオとテレビの世界で売れたら、きっと儲かるチャンスはさらに多くなるでしょう。しかしながら、忘れてはいけないことは、三枝師匠は結局文枝師匠の元には戻らなかったということです。その結果、文枝師匠が期待していた通りの噺家にはなりませんでした。このことがあったため、晩年に、そして自分の師匠の名前を継ぐ時になって、師匠に対する罪悪感を抱き、少々悩んでいるようです。
今晩は続いて「第一章」へ。
Storytelling Festival ストーリーテリング・フェスティバル
As I drove back into my small hometown of North Plains (population 1,915 as of July 2009), I thought to myself, “how is life going to be without live rakugo?” And at that very moment I noticed a large banner stretched over the main street going into town advertising, “Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, April 14.” A storytelling festival right here in the town of my youth; a strange coincidence.
This April 14th event is actually the grand finale of a week-long extravaganza, the 8th Annual Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival, hosted by the Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS). The festival features four professional storytellers: Tim Tingle (Canyon Lake, TX), Kirk Waller (Oakland, CA), Habiba Addo (Portland, OR and Ghana, West Africa) and Leslie Slape (Rainier, OR).
I occasionally heard American storytellers when I was younger, and heard a few people doing “talk story” when I lived in Hawai’i, but I don’t remember anything being quite like rakugo. It will be especially interesting hearing stories in English so soon after returning from Japan and being so immersed in rakugo.
Click here for more information on the Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival.
この間、僕の地元であるノースプレインズ（２００９年７月現在人口１９１５人）に久しぶりに帰ってきました。日本と違って、「生の落語のない人生はどうなんかなあ」と考えていた矢先、町に入るメインストリートの上の大きい幟が目に入り、「ヒアリング・ボイセズ（声がする）ストーリーテリング・フェスティバル、パンプキンリッジ ゴルフクラブ、４月1４日」と書いてありました。我が青春の町にストーリーテリング・フェスティバルが行われるなんて、不思議な縁を感じちゃいました。
実は、４月１４日のイベントはオレゴン州ワシントン郡の共同組合の図書館がスポンサーする「第8回ヒアリング・ボイセズ・ストーリーテリング・フェスティバル」という一週間も続く派手なシリーズの最終日、グランド・フィナーレです。今回のプロのストーリーテラーですが、４人がフィーチャーされています。ティム・ティングル氏 (テキサス州キャニオンレーク市出身)、カーク・ワーラー氏 (カリフォルニア州オークランド市出身)、ハビバ・アッド氏 (オレゴン州ポートランド市と西アフリカのガーナ出身)、レスリー・スレイプ氏 (オレゴン州レニアー市出身)というハナシカです。
小さい頃にアメリカ人のストーリーテラーを何回か聴いたことがあり、またハワイに住んでいるときには「トーク・ストーリー」というハワイの伝統話芸も聴いたこともありますが、落語に似ているところは確かになかったように思います。つい最近日本で落語をたっぷり聴いてきたところなので、今回は英語のスートリーテリングを再び聴くのを楽しみにしています。
興味をお持ちの方はこちらのサイトへどうぞ →「ヒアリング・ボイセズ・ストリーテリング・フェスティバル」（英語の外部サイト）
