 |
Owari Manzai
φ£Ξ/Owari Style traditional folk performing art
Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset by the national government
in 1996 (Heisei 8)
|
Today's Manzai is a kind of popular comical entertainment which a pair
of entertainers make laugh
by exchanging humorous and funny banter
In recent years, it has become very popular or a kind of boom.
There are many variety shows and comedy shows on TV and
lots of manzai comedians have got their job and success there.
Modern manzai has been developed by Yoshimoto-kogyo (entertainment agency),
but it is said that the root of modern manzai was Owari Manzai.
***
The roots of Owari manzai was date back to the Seio era (1288-1293) of
the Kamakura period (1192-1333).
It is said that a monk, Kokushi-Muju-Ichien³Ztκ~ (1227-1312), who established Chobo-ji ·κ temple at Yada-cho Higashi-ku Nagoya, in 1262,
created the base of manzai in order to teach Hokekyo (Lotus Sutra) to the
local people who worked for general factotum at the temple.
Melodies were tuned by his follower, Tokujaku (Ώα).
Owari manzai has been carried on the torch by the local people in Chita
peninsula.
Especialy, Odaka village (present in Nagoya), Yabu village (present in
Tokai City) and Teramoto village (present in Chita City) were
the exclave of Chobo-dera temple's territories, so it spreded among people
in the northern Chita Peninsula.
Chita Peninsula is a hilly district and people could not have large farm
to cultivate and
they could not get good productivity of crops (lowest among the eight areas
in Owari),
then they had to work away from home.
So, Owari Manzai was developed as a side business in agricultural off-season.
 |
||
|
When a New Year comes, so called Tayuh who wear suo (a formal kimono for
samurai) and an eboshi cap
and hold a fan, and Saizo who wear a Daikoku-zukin cap and hold a tsuzumi
(a hand drum)
partner-up and visit houses inorder to cerebrate New Year and prosperous
family.
Originaly one deliver a happy message and the other dance to tsuzumi.
That style developed into Today's comic dialogue.
One of the Owari Manzai groups practice at Seinen-Kaikan in Chita City
on the 2nd and 4th Sunday from 7:30p.m.
Seinen-Kaikan is in front of Meitetsu Teramoto Station.
Κ^fΪΒF2008.1.3