しきたりにとらわれず、伝統芸能を今に伝える

[From August Issue 2010]

YOUKI Magosaburo XII,
Leader of the Marionette Theatre Company Youkiza

The “Youkiza” marionette theater company was established during the Edo Period, in 1635. On stage they perform the Japanese traditional art form “Edo ito ayatsuri ningyou.” The troupe’s founder, YOUKI Magosaburo, has had his name passed down from generation to generation, and in 1993, the 12th-generation leader took it on. Magosaburo XII was born as the second son to Magosaburo X and started performing when he was only four years old. Now, at 67, he is still on stage.

A puppeteer uses “teita” (hand boards) to control the marionette’s expressions and movements. More than 10 strings from the teita are tied to the marionette’s various joints, including the head, shoulder, arms and legs. Magosaburo says, “It is different from acting done by humans because the marionette has a limit to its expressions and movements. So it is an art with insufficiency and imperfection.”

“But that is all the more reason that I feel it is worth the effort,” he says. However, it wasn’t until his early 30’s that he became fascinated with the art of the puppeteering. “Ever since I was in elementary school, I would have to go to 3 after-school lessons a day, including Japanese dance, kyogen (traditional comic theater), and noh (traditional masked theater); and then on weekends, I would help my father who worked on marionette TV programs. When I was a latter teenager, I yearned for the ordinary life that my friends had – like going to college and becoming a businessman,” he recalls.

Although displeased, he continued as a puppeteer. After getting married, and expecting a child, his mentality changed. “I worked all my life as a puppeteer, so I did not know any world beyond it. Finally at that age, I learned to accept the art as my work and it became very interesting,” he said adding that “I decided that instead of becoming a good puppeteer, I would aim to become a unique one.”

And he did. He remembers that he would “try various staging styles that were, until then, considered taboo, such as leaving a marionette on the stage for a full scene, or biting on dolls. Of course I did all this because it was effective staging.” He recalls that “it was much better than expected and was well received,” especially when he had inexperienced audience members learn basic puppeteer skills, and then have them control a scene where the puppets flee from an air-raid, producing a more realistic effect.

During overseas productions, which the company began during his father’s era, Magosaburo XII was bold. “In Britain not only did we perform traditional Japanese plays, but we also daringly performed Shakespeare. We always perform stories that are familiar to the people of the country we visit so that our show is reviewed for its storytelling and performance, and not just as a traditional art form from a foreign country,” he explains.

More recently, Magosaburo XII has started giving workshops to elementary and middle school children who live in the area around his studio. “I hope many people, young, old and non-Japanese, will come to casually experience the art of puppeteering and enjoy it. Personally, I would like to continue performing on stage for another 10 years, to ensure that our performance company will be there for the next generation.”

Youkiza

[2010年8月号掲載記事]

 

結城座座長 十二代目 結城孫三郎さん

人形劇団「結城座」は江戸時代の1635年に誕生しました。登場するのは日本の伝統的な「江戸糸あやつり人形」と呼ばれるものです。初代の座長だった結城孫三郎の名は代々引き継がれ、1993年に十二代目、結城孫三郎が誕生しました。十代目の次男として生まれ、4歳で初舞台を経験、67歳の現在も人形つかいとして活躍しています。

人形は、「手板」と呼ばれる操作板をあやつることで人形の表情や動作を変えます。手板から伸びる10本以上の糸が人形の頭や肩、手足など主な関節に結びつけられています。孫三郎さんは、「人間が行う芝居と違い、人形は表情や動作に限界があり、不十分、不完全な世界です」と話します。

「だからこそやりがいを感じます」と言いますが、孫三郎さんがその魅力に気づいたのは30代前半のことでした。「小学生の頃から、日本舞踊や狂言(伝統的な喜劇)、能(伝統的な面をつけた劇)など、1日3つくらいの習い事をこなし、土日は父の出演していたテレビの人形劇番組の手伝いをしていました。しかし、10代後半になると、友達のように大学に進んだりサラリーマンになったりする普通の生き方に憧れるようになりました」と思い出を話します。

悩みながらも舞台に立ちつづけましたが、結婚して子どもができたことで、心に変化がありました。「人形つかいひと筋でしたから、他の世界を知らず、その年になってようやく覚悟ができました。それからはこの仕事がとても面白くなりました」。そして、「上手な人形つかいではなく、風変わりな人形つかいを目指そう」と決意します。

そして実行します。「人形を舞台上に置いたまま、ひと場面そのままにしたり、人形にかみついたり、本来やってはならないとされていた方法にも挑戦しました。もちろん、それぞれの芝居に必要な演出だと思ったからです」。また、空襲で逃げまどう人たちをよりリアルに描くため、素人の観客たちに基礎稽古だけつけて人形をあやつらせたところ、「予想以上の出来で、大好評でした」と振り返ります。

父親の代から行ってきた海外公演でも、孫三郎さんは持ち前のチャレンジ精神を発揮します。「日本の古典だけではなく、イギリスであえてシェイクスピア作品を公演したりします。海外の観客には、異国の伝統芸能だからというのではなく、芝居として面白いかどうかを評価してほしいので、その国でよく知られている物語を演じるのです」と説明します。

近年は、稽古場のある地元の小中学生向けにワークショップを開くなど、孫三郎さんは指導者としても活動しています。「外国人でも、子どもでもお年寄りでも、気軽に体験して楽しんでもらえればうれしいですね。私自身はあと10年くらい舞台に上がって、次の世代の人たちのために劇団をきちんと残していきたいです」。

結城座

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