Gion sairei Shitennō

Gion sairei shitennō 祇園祭礼四天王　

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Commentary by Mutō Junko

Posted January 7, 2018

Original unedited text in Japanese follows
 

Gion sairei shitennō (The ‘four heavenly kings’ of the Gion festival) belongs to the literary genre known as kusazōshi (草双紙), a type of short, illustrated novel that placed greater emphasis on imagery than on the text. The illustrations by Torii Kiyotsune deal with the exploits of the Yorimitsu shitennō (頼光四天王), or the “four heavenly kings” (retainers) of the warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu 源頼光 (944–1021). They include Watanabe no Tsuna (渡辺綱), Sakata no Kintoki (坂田金時), Urabe no Suetake (浦部末武), and Usui Sadamitsu (臼井定光).

The figures of the shitennō are identified by the crests on their kimono: the character ichi 一(one) with three dots for Tsuna, the character kin (金) for Kintoki, the charactersada (定) for Sadamitsu, and the character sue 未for Suetake. Also among Yorimitsu’s loyal vassals was the valiant warrior Hirai Yasumasa (平井保昌), who becomes the protagonist in the second half of the tale. In the story, following the defeat of Taira no Masakado (平将門) in the peaceful Genji clan domain of Tanba, Masakado’s orphaned son Yoshikado (良門) constructs a castle and plots a rebellion. Yoshimitsu and his shitennō lay seige to the castle and behead Yoshikado. Meanwhile, on Mount Ōe (Ōeyama) a magician named Tanba Tarō (丹波太郎) is involved in evil acts. The lone warrior Hirai Yasumasa hatches a plot, and together with the assistance of the shitennō they enter the residence on Mount Ōe and vanquish the monster (bakemono) there. With the order of the Minamoto clan within the realm now safely restored, the shitennō offer thanks and carry the portable Gion festival shrine; this provides the reference to the Gion sairei (Gion festival 祇園祭礼) in the title. The above demonstrates that while the basic framework of the tale is preserved, the text re-arranges some elements in an effort to heighten the novelty and entertainment value of the narrative.


The inscription on the inside back cover of volume 2 reads: “The exact year is unknown, but this [appeared] during the Hōreki era. Murata Misue of Ushigome-dōri in Teramachi” (年号不知宝暦世代なるべし牛込通寺町末三田村氏). This independent work is not listed in the Japanese catalogue of books, Kokusho sōmokuroku (国書総目録).

書名                     祇園祭礼四天王

執筆者                 武藤純子

本書は頼光四天王と一人武者の活躍を描いた草双紙である。草双紙とは絵入り短編小説で、文章よりも挿絵に重点が置かれている。題名の「祗園祭礼」とは源家の秩序が回復したのは祗園社のお陰とする結末に起因する。「四天王」とは源頼光の忠臣であった渡辺綱、坂田金時、浦部末武、臼井定光である。挿絵には綱を示す三つ星に一の字、金時を示す金、定光を示す定、末武を示す未の印しがある。頼光には一人武者の忠臣もおり、それが後半の主役である平井保昌である。あらすじは以下の通りである。平将門を滅ぼして平和な源氏の御世、丹波国では将門の遺児良門が城を作り謀反を企てていた。頼光と四天王は城に攻め込み良門の首をとる。一方、大江山では丹波太郎という魔術師が悪事を働いていた。一人武者の平井保昌は計略をたて屋敷に入り込み加勢する四天王とともに化け物を退治する。世の中の秩序が無事回復したのは祇園社のおかげと四天王が御輿を担ぎ感謝する。以上、伝説を踏まえながらもアレンジを加えて新奇性と娯楽性を深めている。なお中之巻裏表紙に「年号不知　宝暦世代なるべし　牛込通寺町末三田村氏」との書き入れがある。本書は『国書総目録』に未掲載の孤本である。