The Life and Death of Old Women in Noh

老女が主人公になっている夢幻能には、檜垣と姨捨の二つの作品がある。本稿は、この二作の主人公の老女に分析の焦点をあて、詞章の中に描かれている彼女たちの生と死について考えてみようとしたものである。檜垣の老女の場合、地獄で業火の苦しみを激しく受けていながらも、この世での晩年に咲かせたある出来事を忘れることができず、それへの最たる執心を向けており、まさに死の世界の苦痛をも乗り越えた強い執着心を見せていると言える。次に姨捨の老女の場合は、檜垣の老女のような激しい執心は見えないものの、死と孤独の恐怖を乗り越えて月下の浄土幻想へ執着し、姨捨山の上に八月十五夜の月が出る度ごとに出現して来ることを放棄しようとしない。いずれの老女の場合も死の世界からの恐怖を乗り越えており、その姿を通して生への強い愛着のメッセージを観客たちに伝えているようで興味深い。

There are two works in Mugen-noh in which the heroine is an old woman: "Higaki" and "Obasute". This paper analyzes the elderly female heroine in the two works, and attempts to reflect on her life and death. In the case of the old woman in "Higaki," it is impossible, even though they suffered violently in the fires of Hell, to forget certain events that bloom in the twilight of life in this world. It can be said that she is facing a prime devotion to this certain event, and is showing a strong obsession that has overcome even the pain of death. Next, in the case of the old woman in "Obasute," she does not appear to have a violent obsession, such as the old woman of "Higaki," but is obsessed with the Pure Land fantasy. To overcome the fear of loneliness and death, she never failed to appear every time the August full moon shone. The content of their obsessions is slightly different, but the old woman who appeared in both works each have to overcome the fear of death. They can be said through the appearance of such, and communicate to the audience the message of strong attachment to life.