Question and Answer

 What are the origins of the designs of kendai?

Kendai are a form of bookrest, or stand, used for keeping the score open during chanting. Each school has its own distinctive design, which is engraved on both sides. The symmetrical patterns feature elements from the crests of the school’s head family. These include shippō (the seven treasures) for the Hōshō school, gosei (five stars) for the Konparu school, kuyō (the solar system) for the Kongō school, and kita-gasumi (haze) for the Kita school.

For the Kanze school, the pattern on the left side shows the moon slightly in eclipse, with a gourd on the right side. It is said that these patterns refer to a farewell poem composed by the ninth head of the school, Kanze Kokusetsu: “Waga yado wa kiku wo makagi ni tsuyu shikite tsuki ni utafuru hyōtan no koe (At my residence, chrysanthemums are blooming full of dew on the fence, and gourds are singing under the moon).” Kokusetsu, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun in the Edo era, from a very young age, is known as the restorer of the school and laid the foundations for its subsequent growth. In the poem, he left an instruction that actors should expand their bellies like gourds and chant moderately with pursed mouths. The aim of the patterns on the bookrest is to remind the school of his instruction. The injunctions of people from earlier times live on today, even in everyday items.

According to “Koshikata” (published by Wanya Shoten), an essay by Kondō Kenzō, an actor in the Hōshō school, the moon and gourd pattern was once used for the bookrests of all schools, including the Hōshō. It was only after the end of the Meiji era that each school began to use its own pattern, as they do today, and it was even later when the practice became established.

(March. 14, 2014)

Question 126 | Question 128

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• Question 154Who was the rival of Kan’ami and Zeami?
• Question 153Are there any everyday terms that originate in Noh?
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• Question 149Was there a Noh stage in Edo Castle?
• Question 148Is it possible to learn Noh performance for personal interest?
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• Question 140Which performing arts has Noh influenced?
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• Question 126How are costumes used for many years cared for?
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• Question 78Is there a play in which the audience takes a part?
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• Question 76What is the voice from behind the curtain?
• Question 75How many plays are performed?
• Question 74Do actors always change their costumes at the same moment?
• Question 73Why do musicians call out?
• Question 72What are the basic sounds of the small tabor?
• Question 71Is a drum always involved in the music?
• Question 70How much preparation time is needed for the large tabor?
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• Question 66Who is watched at the beginning of the performance?
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• Question 34How do you operate the entrance curtain?
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• Question 29Is Takigi-noh performed even if it rains?
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