国家と芸能 －近代の能と日清･日露戦争－

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate how the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo- Japanese war had affected Noh’s cultural movement. Noh around 1887(Meiji 20) had failed to spread among the young generation, and its existence was in danger. However, the victory in the Sino-Japanese war brought general vitality throughout the Japanese society as explained in the magazine that was published in 1904 “everything has risen suddenly(諸事勃興)”. In cultural art, the Military art and Kawakami Otojiro’s War drama had prevailed, and the world of cultural art actively supported the nation’s conduct of war through the collection. Therefore, the Sino-Japanese war was the driving force of Japan’s rapid unity and transition as a nation-state. Likewise, Noh established a solid foothold as a nation-state’s performing arts by donating the funds raised from the performance to the military for war while protecting the Noh actors living internally by providing more opportunity to perform as they suffered from war. This was the relationship between the Sino-Japanese war and Noh. As Noh built a solid social foothold, it published the first edition Nohgaku(能楽) which was a technical magazine for Noh in 1902. When the Russo-Japanese war broke out in 1904, arguments like “Yamato Soul and Noh”, “War and Noh”, “Military prowess and Noh(勇武と能楽)” became popular and the creation of ‘Noh martial song(能楽軍歌)’ and an argument “Noh of Warlike spirit(尚武の能楽)” from ‘Bushido’ turned Noh into the State entertainment which was to respond and participate to the nation. As such prestige was strengthened through the Second Sino-Japanese war and Pacific war, it developed into ‘Japanese spirit/Nihon Seishin(日本精神、日本精神の国粋)’ under the total war system and established a firm status in the Japanese culture. Noh reverted to ‘Noh of Yugen(幽玄の能)’ before one knows after the dissolution of the Japanese empire. It has desisted being warlike and returned to Yugen that carries literary aesthetic consciousness. In this process, the author deems that apoptosis – a phenomenon in that the main body kills a part of its own cells for survival - had occurred. More precise and specific consideration will be covered in the next research.