The Sufferings and Suffering Solving of the Lord-Vassal in the Noh Play Koya monogurui

Abstract

This research aims to study the sufferings and the solutions to the sufferings of the lord and vassal characters in the Noh play, Koya monogurui. The play concerns a lord and his vassal who were separated, but eventually managed to get back together. The vassal departed to find the lord’s son, who decided to become a monk to express his gratitude to his late parents. It was believed that if a son becomes a monk, his parents and forefathers up to the 7th generation would be allowed to enter the Buddhist pure land. In this study, the content of the Noh play was analyzed in order to identify the sufferings as well as the solutions to the suffering of the lord and the vassal. The findings were summarized using descriptive analysis. The results indicated the following:

(1) Shunmitsumaru (the lord character) suffered from the death of his father. He was concerned that his late parents would go to Abaipomi, the undesirable land, after death. Shunmitsumaru decide to solve the suffering by becoming a monk to express his gratitude to his parents.

(2) Takashi (the vassal character) suffered due to his separation from Shunmitsumaru, the lord’s son. The cause of his suffering came from his desire to get back with his lord’s son. Takashi solved the suffering by trying to find him and to convince him to come back.