Nō and Kyōgen Rare Materials Digital Collections

Tsuke

Tsuke, “notes” or “supplement” if literally translated, are records of practical instructions for performing nō. Generally, practical knowledge of staging is transmitted by word of mouth from master to disciple. While this custom still continues even today, as nō spread to the broader populace, both professionals and amateurs also wrote down tips for dance movements or for each musical instrument to pass down detailed and accurate performance know-how. Tsuke are classified according to role or purpose and are most commonly distinguished by type, such as kata-tsuke (tsuke for “kata”, acting and dancing forms), tsukurimono-tsuke (tsuke for props), etc. The instructions are mainly textual, but sometimes drawings and musical scores enhance readers’ understanding. As more and more tsuke were written and passed down, they contributed to the systematization and standardization of nō performance. These tsuke collections can be a valuable source for reconstructing how plays were performed in past centuries or how they have evolved to their present-day form.

  • image:NL24
    Title:
    Diary of Interviews with Gyūren
    Title (jp):
    Gyūren e tou nikki  岌蓮江問日記
    Description:
    Ōhon (27.0 x 20.4 cm), fukurotoji binding. The author, Shimotsuma Shōshin (1551-1616) was a tonsured officer (bōkan) serving at Hongan-ji temple who was also active as a diplomat and amateur nō actor. This diary is a play-by-play record of teachings Shōshin received from his master, Konparu Gyūren (Yoshikatsu, 1510-1583). Shōshin’s illustrations are also helpful in understanding stage practices in the 16th century.
    Collection name:
    Noh Theatre Research Institute
    Volume:
    1
  • image:KZ41-78
    Title:
    Notes on Dance for Beginners (3 vols.)
    Title (jp):
    Tōbushō (jō, chū, ge)  童舞抄　上・中・下
    Description:
    Ōhon (27.5 x 19.4 cm), set of three volumes. Completed in 1596 (Keichō 1) by Shimotsuma Shōshin, this is one of the oldest extant katatsuke (“books of movement notation”) and includes notes on 70 plays. Shōshin records the costumes appropriate for the roles and concise acting instructions according to the progression of each play. The pages of these books are decorated with illustrations in gold and silver ink, as well as pieces of gold and silver leaf.
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    3
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  • image:KZ41-79-01
    Title:
    Drawings of the Stage
    Title (jp):
    Butai no zu  舞台之図
    Description:
    Ōhon (27.5 x 19.4 cm). This is a tsukurimono-tsuke (tsuke for stage props) of 40 plays, written and probably color-illustrated by Shimotsuma Shōshin. As Shōshin gained practical knowledge largely from his Konparu-school master, the props’ instructions also follow the Konparu-school style. Since Notes on Dance for Beginners (Tōbushō) refers to Drawings of the Stage, the two documents have close ties with each other, but this tsukurimono-tsuke also includes nine plays that are not included in Notes of Dance for Beginners.
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    1
  • image:KZ41-18
    Title:
    Drawings of Kanze-School Stage Properties, Copied from Kujō Tadataka Manuscript
    Title (jp):
    Kujō Tadataka bon tensha Kanze-ryū tsukurimono no zu  九条忠孝本転写『観世流作物之図』
    Description:
    Chūhon, yamatotoji (“Japanese-style”) binding, 19.6 x 13.7 cm. This tsukurimono-tsuke of the Kanze school includes colored illustrations of props and their detailed measurements. Most of the props are classified according to plays, but those that can be used in multiple plays, such as palanquins or palaces, are painted without specified play titles. Kujō Tadataka (1748-1768) was an aristocrat in the mid-Edo period, and this tsuke was copied by Shiokōji Mitsutsura, the manager (keishi) of the Kujōs, in 1797 (Kansei 9).
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    1
  • image:KZ41-85
    Title:
    Secret Records of the Ōkura School Stage Properties
    Title (jp):
    Ōkura-ryū tsukurimono hiroku  大蔵流作り物秘録
    Description:
    Yokohon (rectangular book), fukurotoji binding, 14.3 x 20.0 cm. This illustrated tsukurimono-tsuke records detailed dimensions and materials of the props for 110 plays. The author is Yamamura Kyūzaemon Tametsugu VII (d. 1849) of the Ōkura school, who served the Sendai domain as a specialist in prop-making (tsukurimonoshi) and costume-changing (monogise). Although titled “Ōkura school,” this tsuke belongs to the Konparu school, as the Ōkuras are a branch family of the Konparus.
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    1
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