Aya no Tsuzumi

Aya no Tsuzumi(The Damask Drum)

Introduction

• It is a Japanese Noh play by Kimitake Hiraoka which depicts the evil

consequences of unrequited desire.

• The title comes from the word aya that means twill and tsuzumi a Japanese drum of Chinese and Indian origin

that consists of a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, and it is taut.

Nogaku

• derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of

classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men

playing male and female roles.

• Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and consists of five Noh plays

interspersed with shorter, humorous kyōgen pieces. However, present-day Noh

performances often consist of two Noh plays with one Kyōgen play in between

The Playwright

• Yukio Mishima was the pen name of Kimitake Hiraoka, a Japanese author,

poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by

seppuku after a failed coup d'état.

• He was internationally famous and is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century, whose avant-garde work displayed a blending of modern and traditional

aesthetics that broke cultural boundaries, with a focus on sexuality, death, and

political change.

The Characters

The Old GardenerThe Princess The Courtier

The Plot An old gardener in the palace of Chikuzen,

Fukuoka Prefecture, happens to catch a sight of the Princess, and falls desperately in love with

her. The Princess, having heard of his attachment, mentions that love transcends all class distinctions. She has a drum tied on the branches of a laurel tree by the Laurel Pond,

and conveys a message to the effect that if the sound of the drum can be heard in the palace, she will appear before the old man. Believing

those words to be true and honest, he beats the drum. Somehow it does not sound.

He continues beating it for days and months, thinking that he may have turned

deaf owing to his old age. As it is, the drum is false, damask linen being

stretched where skin should be. The old man, not knowing this, is sorely

distraught with his failure, and flings himself into the pond, and drown his own

self.

In the second part of the play, the old man

comes out of the pond in the form of Avenging Ghost, and appearing near the

Princess, torments her with repeated demands to sound the drum. She grieves over her mockery of the old man, but the

ghost does not hear her. Seeing her in great grief, he disappears into the pond still with

deep grudges not the least appeased.

The Old Gardener near the Laurel Tree.

The Princess approaching the Laurel Tree.

The Old Gardener meets the Princess near the Laurel Tree.

The Old Gardener in a form of an Avenging Ghost.

Project in English II

•Submitted to:Ms. Liezel Baclohan

•Submitted by:Wynne Michael David Gogo