The master of a house puts up a notice on a bulletin board in hopes of hiring a priest and a cook. Shortly thereafter, two men show up at his house: a priest who has recently been a cook and Sohachi, a cook who has recently been a priest. Hiring both, the master instructs the priest to recite the Lotus Sutra and entrusts Sohachi with the task of preparing dishes using sea bream and carp. Bewildered by their unfamiliar tasks, the two seek advice from each other and agree to swap roles. Clad in a cook’s attire, Sohachi recites the sutra, while the former cook, now dressed as a priest, starts cooking.

A priest-turned-cook and a cook-turned-priest find themselves working for the same master, setting the stage for a memorable slapstick comedy.

<Kyogen>

A traveling monk arrives at the village of Ashiya in Settsu Province. Seeking lodging for the night, he approaches a villager, but his request is declined. The monk decides to spend the night at a small temple nestled on a riverbank. Rumor has it that an eerie presence haunts the place, emitting a luminescent glow night after night. A boatman emerges, revealing his identity as the ghostly embodiment of the monster nue. The apparition proceeds to reenact its life story, recounting how it met its demise at the hands of the samurai warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa. Eventually, the ghost vanishes amid the night waves.

That night, as the monk recites a sutra, the ghost of the monster nue appears in its true form. The ghost recounts the tale of Yorimasa’s rise to fame through his triumphant vanquishing of the monster and tells of how the emperor bestowed upon Yorimasa an imperial sword. Bereft of hope in attaining Buddhahood, the ghost descends into the depths of the sea, seeking salvation, longing for the light of Buddha to shine upon its tormented spirit like the moon casting light on the edge of the mountains.

The nue is a legendary monster with the head of a monkey, the tail of a snake, and the limbs of a tiger. It produces bird-like cries that resemble those of White’s thrush. This Noh drama is a tale of man versus monster, one that appears in The Tale of the Heike, with Yorimasa fearlessly slaying the nue and earning accolades for his courage. The drama also portrays the perspective of the defeated monster, capturing its sorrowful demise. Similar in many ways to shuramono (warrior plays), the work contains numerous riveting scenes that leave a lasting impression.

Noh is a form of theater that emerged during the Muromachi period (1336-1573), brought to its perfection by the father-and-son team of Kanami and Zeami, and since performed countless times to this day. It is a mask drama, but not all performers are masked. Masks are worn only by the main character (shite) and the attendant (tsure). When the main character is not masked, the face is kept completely expressionless, as if wearing a mask. Unlike other forms of theater, Noh does not use scenery or intricate props. Simple props (tsukurimono) sometimes used in Noh plays are intended to be more symbolic than realistic. Noh integrates elements such as masks and simple props in a dance-based performance, inviting viewers to unleash their imaginations and immerse themselves in the world created onstage. In Noh, dialogue is sparse. Rather, Noh sequences highlight the narrative of the main character, incorporating elements of poetry. Since Noh traces its origins to religious rites, many Noh sequences feature a deity in the lead role. This category of Noh is termed “god plays” (kami-noh or waki-noh). Noh plays can be divided into five categories: god plays, warrior plays (shura-noh), women plays (kazura-noh), miscellaneous plays (zatsu-noh), and demon plays (oni-noh or kiri-noh). Of the five categories, the warrior plays center on a warrior who, after a lifetime of battle, is condemned to wander in Warrior Hell, a world of eternal struggle within Buddhist philosophy. The women plays feature a female protagonist from the literature of the Imperial Court, embodying Zeami’s concept of yugen, an aesthetic term suggesting quiet elegance and subtle beauty.