Product Description
Region Code 2, NTSC. Collection of very rare films. Maibayashi is an abbreviated style of noh, featuring only the shite or lead role, chorus and hayashi. Matsukaze is performed as maibayashi by the great actor of the Kanze School Manzaburo Umewaka I (1868-1946) who played a very active roll over three different periods, the Meiji, Taisho and Showa. Matsukaze (Pining Wind) is about a wandering priest who arrives at the Bay of Suma, and notices a solitary pine tree with a sign and a poem attached to its branches. A villager tells of two sisters who once lived there, one of who was called Matsukaze, the other Murasame. The spirits of the sisters appear in front of the priest and tell of their longing for the courier Ariwara no Yukihara who was exiled to Suma, but had returned to the capital and soon after died. The pine tree represents Yukihara, and the sisters ask the priest to comfort them through prayers. Shimai is also an abbreviated style of noh and Funa Benkei (Benkei aboard Ship) is performed by Roppeita Kita XIV of the Kita School . The play depicts an episode in the life of the brilliant young Genji commander Yoshitsune. Another Shimai 'Ugetsu' is performed by Susumu Takahashi of the Housho School. A dokugin 'Tenko' is performed by Manzaburo Umewaka II of the Kanze School and an Iccho 'Kazuraki' by Koji Kihara and others of the Kanze School.
