５月２６日（月曜日）２０２５
　心配された雨も昼前には上がり、東京からシテ方二人、大阪方面から囃子方四人の皆さんを迎えて、多賀あさひやでの能楽イベントが無事開催できました。当日参加の方もいらっしゃり、会場は大勢の観客でいっぱいになりました。

　今回は「高砂（たかさご）」がテーマで、最初に鵜澤久先生、光先生による分かりやすい解説と実践がありました。また今年初めてお囃子に太鼓が加わったため、能における太鼓の意味や魅力なども話していただきました。鵜澤両先生、囃子方の先生方のユーモアを混じえたお話と観客を巻き込んでの体験実習で、会場は能の一般的なイメージとは違って和気藹々とした雰囲気に包まれました。２部で披露していただいた「高砂」の躍動感あふれる力強い舞囃子に観客は息を呑み圧倒され、最後の質疑応答では、お客様からの例えば何故能が約７００年に渡って生き延びてきたか、能における「間（ま）」とは何か、所属もそれぞれ違う能楽師たちが何故少しの打ち合わせだけでリハーサルもなく併せられるのか、など興味深い質問にも応えていただき、能についての知識や興味も深まりました。

　肌寒いお天気でお客様の体調に支障がなかったか心配ですが、能楽師の皆様、観客の皆様、そして会場の設営から休憩時間、後片付けまで力を貸してくださったスタッフの皆様のお陰で、今年も大盛り上がりで能の会を終了できました。皆様、本当にありがとうございました。

Fortunately the rain which had been falling until the morning stopped at noon, and we could hold the Noh event with two Shite actors who were from Tokyo and four Hayashi-kata (musicians) from Osaka area. We had a full audience adding several participants who joined at site.

The theme of the event of this year was Takasago (one of the classic noh plays by Zeami) and noh master Hisa Uzawa and Hikaru Uzawa gave explanations and demonstrations about the theme. For several years, the musical instruments were flute (Noh pipe), small hand drum (kotsuzumi) and big drum (ohkawa), but this year, side drum (taiko) joined them. Therefore, they also explained the specific role of taiko and its appeal in the noh performance. Both Uzawa's and musicians' talk were sometimes funny and easy to understand to the audience. At the end of the first part, participants received lessons of noh chanting and several ways of interjected changing of small hand drum from noh players. In the second part, we appreciated the part of Takasago with full members. It was so energetic and overwhelming. Audience had a chance to ask questions to the noh players. There were many interesting questions, for example, why noh existed for almost seven hundred years in Japan, what "ma (pose)" means in noh play, why noh players are able to perform in perfect timing without rehearsing beforehand even though each one came from a different school and different place. The noh players answered those questions. We learned a lot of things about noh and drew more attention to it.

It was a little bit cold and I wished it didn't affect the audience's health. I thank all the noh players who gave such a great performance, I also thank all participants who gathered for this event. Lastly, I will express my gratitude to the staff who helped setting up the event place, working at the break time and returning the furniture to the original state. I couldn't have had such a successful event without those people's efforts.

５月１５日（木曜日）２０２５
　午前９時半の予約のために市立病院まで愛のりタクシーを予約しようかどうしようか迷った末、帰りの買い出しを考えて自転車で出かけました。片道５０分ぐらい。年齢を考えるとちょっと遠いかなと思いながらも無事到着。病院の中は相変わらず高齢者でいっぱいでしたが患者数の割には待ち時間も苦にならずスムーズに診療を終えて、帰り道は４箇所で買い物をしてお昼過ぎに我が家に帰りつきました。

　午後は役場と銀行で用事を済ませて今日の予定をこなせたことに一安心。役場の帰りに多賀大社へ寄って、今が満開のナンジャモンジャの花を眺めました。横に広がる新緑のもみじと線香花火の白色版とでも言えそうなナンジャモンジャの花が枝のそこかしこでパァーッと弾けて美しかったです。

　このナンジャモンジャの木はまもなく御歳９０におなりになる多賀大社の名誉宮司のN様が多賀に赴任なさった時に頂かれた小さな苗が大きくなったものだそうで、先日ご本人から伺いました。

I wondered how I should go to the hospital where I had an appointment at 9:30 a.m.by taxi or by bicycle. After all, I chose bicycling because I could drop by several grocery stores on the way back home. Almost an hour of riding to get to the hospital from my house was a little bit far for me concerning my age, but I could arrive at the hospital safely. Many elderly patients were in the hospital as I expected, but the waiting time did not bother me and I finished meeting with the doctor. I went back home early in the afternoon, visiting several stores.

I also visited the town hall and bank in the afternoon which made me satisfied to finish my schedule for the day. On the way back home from the town hall, I visited Taga Taisha to see the Snow-flower-Fringe tree. The white flowers were in full bloom. Fresh green maple leaves which spread horizontally were well matched with the white flowers and they were so beautiful.

Recently I heard the story about this Snow-flower-Fringe tree from Mr.N who is almost 90 years old and he is Emeritus priest of Taga Taisha now. It was planted when he came to the shrine as a chief priest.

５月２５日（日）の多賀あさひやでの能の会が近づきました。
「能」といえば、神社や能楽堂で能面や装束をつけて披露される舞台を想像する方が多いと思います。然し乍ら、多賀あさひやは古民家ですので、主役が面や装束をつけずに紋付・袴で地謡と囃子を従えて、能のハイライトとなる部分を披露する舞囃子（まいばやし）の形式となります。

観世流シテ方の鵜澤久氏と鵜澤光氏は、能の動きや見どころを初心者にも分かるように解説しながら実践をまじえて見せてくださいます。更に、今年はこれまでなかった太鼓が囃子方に加わるので、能における太鼓の役割や魅力についても解説が入り、具体的には「葵上」の祈りの場面や、「三輪」における神楽を仕舞、地謡、囃子で鑑賞することができます。能楽師の方々を間近で見るのは古民家ならではの良さで、非常に迫力があり、能楽を肌で感じる贅沢で楽しい機会だと思います。

チケットの前売りは一枚４５００円ですが、ペアでのお申し込みは８０００円とさせていただきます。
また、６月１５日（日）のマリンバコンサートと併せてのお申し込みはセット券（７８００円）で受け付けております。お席に限りがございますので、ご予約はお早目にお願いいたします。

Noh performance day at Taga Asahiya, May 25th, is coming soon. When you hear "Noh", you may imagine the noh actor dancing in a mask with a heavy costume on the noh stage. However, the noh performance at Taga Asahiya will be more simple. It's called "Mai-bayashi" in which the main character dances with noh-chorus and musical accompaniment without mask and costume.

Noh actors, Hisa Uzawa and Hikaru Uzawa will talk and demonstrate the movement and parts worth seeing of noh. Since this year drum will be added to other instruments which haven't been appeared before,
Master Uzawa will give an explanation of the role and appeal of a drum. In the second part, the audience will appreciate highlights of a couple of noh plays with dance, song and musical accompaniment. It will be powerful and fun because they will show their performance just in front of the audience.

The advanced ticket is 4500 yen, and if you buy two, it will be at a discounted price. The Marimba concert will be held on June 15th and it is cheaper to buy set tickets of Noh and Marimba than to buy individual tickets.

Please reserve the ticket before it sells out.