Shōdan in Okina
Noriji
The name refers to a text set in ōnori style, wherein lines begin on the second beat or the latter half of the second beat, predominantly with one syllable per beat. Further details about noriji in the context of Noh can be found here.
There are two Noriji in Okina, in both of which the percussion support is provided by the lead kotsuzumi, ōtsuzumi, and taiko players. The pattern introduced in the Noriji-1 is the same as that used in Watari byōshi. It is essentially a variation on the mitsu-ji pattern and remains largely static throughout the shōdan. It is shown in the next figure:
In the Noriji-2 the kotsuzumi and ōtsuzumi part is the same as shown above, but the taiko’s part diverges from its standard cycles of patterns. For instance, from the eighth to the eighteenth honji, the taiko presents one eight-beat pattern with kakegoe ‘ho’ preceding strokes on beats, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8, and with a chūnobachi stroke on beats 1 and 3, and potential osaerubachi strokes on beat 5 and/or 8.
