Benkei on the Bridge (Hashi Benkei / 橋弁慶)

Encounter of two historical icons

Program: Know Noh #48
Date: February 11, 2016
Venue: National Noh Theatre (Tokyo, Japan)

 

Story

Benkei (left) fights young Ushiwaka

Benkei was a big and strong warrior monk, who had been assigned to do rounds of nightly prayer visits to the Gojo Shrine in Kyoto.  On his last day, he hears a rumor that a young boy with incredible sword skills has been challenging people to sword fights on the Gojo Bridge, and beating everyone.  Benkei, a skilled fighter, decides to go and catch the troublemaker.  When Benkei arrives at the Gojo Bridge, he sees the young boy with a blouse covering his head, and mistakes him as a woman.  As Benkei passes by, the boy teases him by kicking Benkei's long-pole sword.  Provoked, Benkei fights the boy, but is easily defeated by the boy's incredible speed and sword skills.  Benkei surrenders and asks the boy for his identity.  When Benkei finds out that the boy is Ushiwaka (Yoshitsune's childhood name), son of Yoshitomo Minamoto, Benkei swears to serve Ushiwaka to be his servant.


My Comments

Before the play started, a scholar came on stage and talked about Benkei:
Even though Benkei is an extremely popular historical character, very little written record is available; therefore most of his stories are based on folk legends, including this one.  According to popular folktale, it was Benkei who was challenging people to sword fights on the Gojo Bridge.  In Noh, this is vice versa for some reason. 

I guess it just shows that, regardless of factual accuracy, people love the story of Benkei the big goliath and Ushiwaka the tiny little boy.  This story marks the beginning of Benkei's lifetime relationship to serve Yoshitsune, until he dies trying to protect Yoshitsune.  But that is also a popular folktale.  The only known fact is that Benkei accompanied Yoshitstune as he fled from his brother Yoritomo, who wanted to capture and kill him.

Ushiwaka was played by a little girl (Shite's granddaughter).  The sword fight scene was relatively slow but charming nonetheless.  Not much else to comment on.  I did notice that the old Kyogen actor who played one of the townspeople had an amazing voice.  He was an old man with a raspy voice, yet his voice resonated so well.  I really need to find out how these actors train their voices...