A Celebration Beyond Celebration: The Mechanisms
of Okina and Furyū

By OKIMOTO Yukiko

Okina is the root of Noh theater, yet it is a mysterious entity often described as “Noh, yet not Noh.” It lacks a definitive story, and its musical and dance forms differ greatly from other Noh plays.

More than 150 years before Zeami Motokiyo (c. 1363–c. 1443) established the world of Noh as we know it, Okina was already a signature performance of Sarugaku, flourishing in the latter half of the 13th century. During the Edo period, Okina was the prescribed opening for formal, full-day programs, which would then be followed by the customary five Noh plays. Today, it is performed on special occasions such as the New Year or the inauguration of a new stage, serving to purify the surroundings and to bless the new beginnings of the place and the people gathered there. It is for this reason that Okina was chosen for the commemorative program celebrating the relocation of the Kyōto City University of Arts.

Its original name was Shiki Sanban (Three-Part Ritual), signifying a ceremony composed of three elder figures. In its earliest form, these were Chichi-no-jō (the Father Elder), Okina (the Elder), and Sanbasō. However, by the early Muromachi period, Chichi-no-jō was omitted from standard performances, except in special Shintō rituals, leaving a duo of Okina and Sanbasō. The name Shiki Sanban was nevertheless retained. Since Zeami’s time, the role of Okina has been performed by a Noh actor, and the role of Sanbasō by a Kyōgen actor.

The modern Okina is best understood as a type of festival (matsuri). The divine object (goshintai) is the mask. The presiding priest is the Noh actor performing the role of Okina. The musicians (hayashi-kata) and the chorus (jiutai) wear the formal ceremonial attire of kamishimo and eboshi hats. The principal actors, however, are dressed not in this formal wear but in the costumes prescribed by the performance conventions for their roles. Before performing Okina, the actors undertake a period of purification. In the mirror room (kagami no ma) before going on stage, they create an altar (the okina-kazari) upon which the divine masks are enshrined. Offerings of sacred sake, washed rice, and salt are made. The performers partake of the sake, place the rice in their mouths, and purify themselves with salt. Finally, sparks are struck with flint (kiri-bi), and they proceed to the stage. Led by the mask-box bearer (omobako-mochi) carrying the sacred objects, the chief performer (tayū) and the other formally dressed participants walk onto the stage.

A unique feature of Okina is that the actors don the sacred masks on stage, allowing the audience to witness their transformation into the aged deities, Okina and Sanbasō. The audience, too, is bound by the sanctity of the ritual; even latecomers are not permitted to enter the auditorium until the priest-figure of Okina has exited the stage. It is considered a profoundly sacred ceremony, pervaded by an inviolable atmosphere.

And yet, the Okina mask itself—the goshintai—wears an approachable and gentle smile. In contrast to the stern and austere visages of elder masks (jō-men) in Noh, it is far closer in spirit to the gods of Kyōgen, such as the gods of fortune or Daikoku. This is not a sublime, unapproachable deity, but one with the familiar and rustic countenance of an old man. Furthermore, the musical ensemble is unique, consisting of a flute and three hand drums (kotsuzumi); a hip drum (ōtsuzumi) joins for the Sanbasō section. The rhythmic structure is entirely different from that of Noh and is highly repetitive. For the audience, there is a joy that can make one want to tap along to the beat. The dance is full of foot stamping and includes moments of leaping, creating a dynamic and spirited performance.

This gap between its austere, deified status and its rustic appearance with its lucid joy is the very charm of Okina, and perhaps also the key to unlocking its mysteries.

1: The Structure of the Current Okina

Let us first examine the progression of a standard modern performance of Okina.

When the actor in the role of the priest has made a deep bow on stage and taken his position, the box containing the sacred masks is placed before him and its lid is opened. The Noh actor playing Okina, first acting as priest, begins to chant without a mask: “Tōtō tarari tararira…” These sounds, said to derive from ancient songs or shōga (traditional mnemonic syllables used to learn and represent instrumental patterns), are sung like a mantra, devoid of semantic meaning. Interspersed within this incantation is the following text:

Okina: Tokoro chiyomade owashimase	Okina: May we flourish here in this place for even a thousand generations.
Jiutai: Warera mo senshiu samuraō	Jiutai: All serving you for a thousand autumns.
Okina: Tsuru to kame to no yowai nite	Okina: The long life of the crane and tortoise attaining,
Jiutai: Saiwai kokoro ni makasetari	Jiutai: easy in our hearts, trusting in our great joy!

The performance that follows is structured around the appearance of two distinct deities: first the White Okina (Okina), and later the Black Okina (Sanbasō). Each major section is introduced by a purification dance (tsuyuharai). For the White Okina, a youth named Senzai (whose name means “a thousand years,” though he is young) performs unmasked a brisk purification dance to the songs and sounds of a waterfall, as if cleansing the area. During this, the actor dons the white elder mask to become the White Okina. He prays for “peace throughout the land and tranquility of the nation” (tenka taihei, kokudo an’on) and performs a shamanistic dance centered on foot stamping.

For the Black Okina, the Sanbasō actor himself, still unmasked (and thus appearing as an actor, not yet the deity), performs a purification dance with powerful calls and stomps. Before the Black Okina dances, there is a brief dialogue with Senzai. Upon receiving a string of bells, the actor becomes the Black Okina, traverses the stage shaking the bells, and stamps his feet vigorously.

A simple schema of the progression is as follows:

Opening Chant (Priest’s Prayer)

First Purification Dance (Senzai-no-mai)

White Okina’s Prayer and Dance (Okina-no-mai)

Second Purification Dance (Mominodan)

Dialogue between Senzai and the Black Okina

Black Okina’s Dance (Suzunodan)

The structure consists of repeated purification through dance, framing the prayers and dances of the two elders, one white and one black.

Notably, in the Kamakura period, the figure of Senzai did not have a name and was simply called “the purifier” (tsuyuharai). It is likely that originally a single purification dance was performed for the entire Shiki Sanban, including Chichi-no-jō. The later placement of a purification dance before each elder, both white and black, is a subsequent development. It is also suggestive that Chichi-no-jō, who was dropped from standard Okina performances in Zeami’s era, was not preceded by a purifier. One might say this structure was developed to further elevate the divine status of the white and black elders. Moreover, the fact that the White Okina is preceded by a dance performed by another person (Senzai), while the Black Okina purifies the space himself, serves to position the White Okina as the superior deity.

In the current Okina, the White Okina has been elevated to an “Okina representing being itself.” He offers a grand prayer on a national scale for “peace throughout the land and tranquility of the nation,” but he does not elaborate with words. Although he performs shamanistic foot stamps in three directions on the stage (representing heaven, earth, and man), there is no dance to speak of. At the end, he says, “Let us dance one dance, a manzairaku,” but he merely exchanges the phrase “manzairaku” with the jiutai and ends without dancing. Manzairaku was a popular dance piece from the Heian period, but here, the prayer seems to be entrusted to the short phrase itself—“ten thousand years of joy.” By barely speaking or dancing, Okina has become a great god who can bestow blessings by his very existence.

In contrast, Sanbasō (the Black Okina) is prompted in his dialogue with Senzai to dance “in a manner auspicious for a thousand autumns and ten thousand years.” He accepts and proceeds to stamp his feet repeatedly, ring his bells, and move across the entire stage. He is a “dancing Okina,” who bestows blessings through the form of dance. The shaking of the bells is said to represent the sowing of seeds, and the powerful stomps the firming of the earth. His performance can also be seen as an awakening of new energy, thoroughly purifying the space with the power of sound from his bells and feet. The structure also allows for the interpretation that he is dancing at the prompting of the White Okina, who had said, “Let us dance one dance.”

However, an examination of older forms of Okina reveals the possibility that Okina and Sanbasō were once neither an “Okina representing being itself” nor a “dancing Okina.”

2: The Editorial Art of Okina: The Departure from the “Narrating Elder”

To state the conclusion first, it is highly probable that Okina, Sanbasō, and even Chichi-no-jō (who is absent from standard modern productions) were once all “narrating elders.” Evidence for this can be inferred from the masks themselves. Unlike Noh masks, which are carved from a single piece of wood, the masks of Okina, Sanbasō, and Chichi-no-jō are all crafted in the kiriago (split jaw) form, where the lower jaw is detached and reconnected with cords. In terms of durability, a single piece of wood would be superior. Today, the cords are tied tightly so the jaw does not move, but this negates the purpose of splitting the jaw in the first place. The function of a kiriago mask was to be tied loosely, allowing the jaw to move and appear to be speaking. This suggests that the original significance of the elders lay in their narration.

Indeed, the elders in folk traditions that are thought to preserve older forms of Okina are invariably loquacious. The elders of the Okina-mai at Kamogawa Sumiyoshi Shrine (Hyōgo Prefecture), said to preserve traces of Kamakura-period Sarugaku, and the elders of the Nesoneso Festival in Mino-Hokkata (Gifu Prefecture), exhaustively recount the origins of Sarugaku, sometimes eliciting laughter. The elders in the numerous Dengaku and Hanamatsuri festivals found along the borders of Nagano, Aichi, and Shizuoka Prefectures perform hall blessings and directional salutes; they also engage in outlandish boasts of longevity—so absurd as to be comical—claiming to have eaten the peach of Xīwángmǔ (which fruits only once every 3,000 years) three times, or to have seen Lake Biwa dry up seven times and become a lake eight times. A common feature among these folk elders is the “treasure count” (takara-kazoe). In this section, an impossibly long-lived and auspicious elder, having journeyed from across the sea by boat, brings forth various treasures. Just before this, the elder calls for the musicians and then, in a lively, rhythmic manner, enumerates every imaginable treasure—from India, China, and Japan—declaring that he has brought them all to this very place. He is an elder of verbal encomium (kotohogi), who transforms unseen treasures into blessings through the power of words. The takara-kazoe is an ancient form of prayer also found in tōka songs and Dokōjin saimon (Earth God litanies), which Okina likely inherited.

Although the modern Noh Okina seems utterly different from this “narrating elder,” a line from a special production known as Jūnigatsu Ōrai (The Twelve Months) reads, “The Okina will now enumerate the sacred treasures of your offerings.” While no treasures are actually counted thereafter, this line suggests that a treasure count was once part of Okina.

Furthermore, consider the exchange between Okina and the jiutai that occurs just before the Okina-no-mai in the current play:

Okina: Arihara ya, najo no okina-domo.	Okina: Oh, how many are the elders?
Jiutai: Are wa najo no okina-domo, soya izuku no okina-domo.	Jiutai: How many are those elders, and from whence do they come?

The meaning is obscured by phrases like arihara ya, and the fact that Okina himself asks about multiple elders (okina-domo) makes the passage difficult to interpret. However, the original form was likely one where the jiutai would ask of the various elders who had appeared from parts unknown, “Who are those elders? From where do they hail?” and in response, each elder would begin his narrative.

In the folk traditions, the elders respond to such questions by recounting their personal histories or launching into their boasts of longevity. This seems a more natural progression. In the Noh Okina, it appears that only a fragment of the original text was retained as an enigmatic hint, marking a deliberate departure from the transparent “narrating elder.”

On the other hand, it is the style of the folk Okina to conclude these long narrations by declaring they will dance a manzairaku, a feature it shares with the Noh Okina.

It can be said that the highly abstract Okina of today was perfected by making extensive cuts. Ritualistic elements like hall blessings and directional salutes, along with lengthy recitations like the treasure count found in older congratulatory arts, were removed. This allowed the main elder to leap to the status of a great deity who prays for “peace throughout the land” with few words and solemn foot stamps. Sanbasō, too, was elevated from a comedic narrator to a being who offers prayer through dance. This completed the set piece of a white and black elder.

Okina is the root of Sarugaku, but it is clear that it has undergone a major editorial process to arrive at its present form. This is why it is so difficult to trace the meaning of the text or to translate it. This was a Sarugaku strategy that could be called the “re-enchantment” of Okina.

3: Furyū—A Device to Amplify Auspiciousness

At times, a very accessible, short congratulatory play is inserted into this abstract and ritualized Okina. This is the furyū, inserted for special celebrations. Since the modern era, it has sometimes been referred to by the academic term kyōgen furyū.

Performed by Kyōgen actors, furyū features auspicious figures such as deities, Buddhas, or the spirits of pine, bamboo, the crane, and the tortoise, who appear to offer blessings. They are categorized as either Senzai furyū or Sanbasō furyū, depending on when they appear and who they interact with, but both types include congratulatory songs and dances. With the addition of a drum and a lively chorus of ten Kyōgen actors (eight in the present performance), it is a spectacular production.

Its origins are thought to lie in the Muromachi-period yose-furyū (a simple congratulatory song and dance performed by Kyōgen actors to drum accompaniment, attached to Okina, as noted in the Kōshō Noh Kuden-sho). However, it is also reminiscent of older celebratory arts, such as the Pine Festival (matsubayashi) held at New Year’s in the Muromachi period and the ennen furyū of Buddhist temples.

In the Edo period, furyū were performed at Edo Castle to celebrate a shōgun’s appointment, wedding, or coming-of-age ceremony; at the Imperial court for enthronements and harvest festivals; and on occasions such as temple festivals and subscription Noh performances. Since the modern era, however, they have been staged infrequently, reserved for special events like the opening or anniversary of a Noh theater. It is a lavish production, requiring more than ten additional performers, including the chorus, for a short playlet of about ten minutes.

The furyū-tsuki Okina (Okina with furyū) on this occasion was specially planned to honor the legacy of the 750th anniversary memorial Noh for Shinran Shōnin, which was to be held by Higashi Honganji in 2011 but was cancelled due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. In Kyōto, Honganji was a major venue for Noh performances throughout the Edo period, on par with the Imperial court, and a great patron of Noh actors. The 50-year memorial services were the largest of these events, featuring numerous Noh and Kyōgen plays over several days. It was on these occasions that furyū were performed. According to records, the first was a Shōchiku furyū (Pine and Bamboo furyū) for the 600th anniversary in 1861 (Bunkyū 1). Lavish productions of Okina including Shōchiku furyū were also performed for the 650th anniversary in 1911 (Meiji 44) and the 700th in 1961 (Shōwa 36). As the 750th anniversary was also supposed to feature Shōchiku furyū, this performance was realized in its stead.

In Shōchiku furyū, as the name implies, the spirits of the Pine and Bamboo appear, wearing crowns adorned with representations of their respective plants. Other types include Tsurukame furyū (Crane and Tortoise), Hōō furyū (Phoenix), Daikoku furyū, and Mochi furyū (Rice Cake), which feature motifs of longevity (crane and tortoise), peace (phoenix), fortune (the god Daikoku), and auspicious food (rice cakes). The essence of all is their straightforward auspiciousness.

The oldest extant record of a kyōgen furyū performance is of an Ari furyū (Ant furyū), performed on the second day of the fifth month of 1602 (Keichō 7), when the head of the Konparu school performed Okina at the Imperial Palace by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu (from the Bunroku Keichō nenkan Onō-gumi in the Kanze Bunko archives). Surviving texts show it was a conceit based on wordplay (dajare): the appearance of ants (ari) was prompted by the syllable ari in Senzai’s line taezu tōtari ariudō (Izumi school) or Sanbasō’s line yorokobi ariya (Sagi and Ōkura schools). This wordplay and sense of fun are also essential elements of furyū. It is worth remembering that Okina was an art form that could accommodate such puns, and that laughter itself was a vital component of celebration. It is believed that, in keeping with the spirit of furyū as a unique, one-off contrivance, new versions were once created for each occasion, offering fresh and novel forms of blessing.

It is fascinating that, just as the modern Okina was edited to distance itself from such accessible celebratory arts, a simple congratulatory play can be inserted—as if in a reversal—independent of Okina’s progression (even if linked by a clever but forced play on words). The presence of a large Kyōgen chorus, the appearance of brightly attired spirits, and their cheerful telling of auspicious tales all serve to amplify the celebratory mood. This is a production that aligns with the simple human sentiment that festivity is enhanced by making things more lively and enjoyable. One might even say that furyū serves to recover the elements of narration and laughter that have been lost from the Okina of modern Noh.

Selected Bibliography