Aya no Tsuzumi

Infobox Noh
name = Aya no Tsuzumi
name_ja =
name_en = The Damask Drum
author = unknown
revisor =
category = 4
mood =
style =
chars = "maeshite" Old Man, a gardener
"ai", Attendant
"waki" Court Official
"tsure" Imperial Consort
"nochijite" Phantom
place = Asakura, Fukuoka
time = 7th Century
sources = Heike monogatari
Genji monogatari
Ise monogatari
Kokinshū
schools =

Aya no Tsuzumi ("The Damask Drum") is a Japanese Noh play by an unknown author which depicts the evil consequences of unrequited desire.

Plot

The gardener ("maeshite") at the Palace of Chikuzen has fallen in love with the Imperial Consort ("tsure"). She sends a message to the gardener that she will meet him at the pond if he beats the drum which she has placed in a tree in the garden. He tries but the drum has been made with damask ("aya") and so cannot sound. Realising that he has been made a fool of, the gardener drowns himself in the pond and returns as an evil ghost ("nochijite") who torments the princess.

References

*Tyler, Royall (ed. & trans.)(1992). "Japanese Nō Dramas." London: Penguin Books, pp.49-57. ISBN 0-14-044539-0