Religion in Noh Dramas and Haikus
Religion in Japan has always been a big part of daily life, and that idea has strongly influenced their literature. Noh dramas are essentially plays, but have a very unique style. When a closer look is given to the diction of the Noh dramas, one will find many different religious symbols. The same goes for haikus, in every haiku, there is a word or idea about religion. In the Noh drama “Dojoji,” written by Kanze Kojiro Nobumitsu, the ideas of Buddhism flow strong through the lines of the drama.
First of all, this story takes place in the Dojoji temple in the province of Kii. Knowing that the story takes place in a temple already shows you the strong religions backbone the story has. The first idea that this drama gives you is one of holiness. You are immediately taken to a sacred temple filled with abbots and servants. This abbot tells the servants not to let any women into the bell’s dedication ceremony. A woman comes by asking to be let into the ceremony, and the servants refuse but then the woman says, “but I’m not like other women, I’m only a dancer. I live nearby and I am to perform a dance at the dedication of the bell. Please let me see the ceremony.”(72-75) And the first servant says, “A dancer? That’s right, I suppose she doesn’t count as an ordinary woman. [To the Dancer] Very well, I’ll let you into the courtyard on my own, but in return you must dance for me.”(75-78) The servants chose to ignore the Abbot’s orders and let this woman in just because they wanted to see her dance. In Buddhism, one must not give into one’s desires, especially if it means that one must forego one’s responsibilities to do so. This is exactly what the servants did. They were told not under any circumstance to let a woman in to the dedication ceremony, and they disobeyed the Abbot for their personal gain. The woman in this instance represents desire. The woman only had to make up some small excuse, and the servants found a way to accommodate her. Many men fall for the temptation that a woman presents, but Buddhists believe that one must be able to resist these temptations. The Abbot in this story symbolizes our conscience. The Abbot knows better that to let a woman into the bell dedication ceremony, and warns the servants about it. This is much like when our conscience tells us that something is wrong, but we still want to do it anyway. The Buddhists tell us that we have to force ourselves to listen to our “inner Abbots” and do what we know is right.
The ideas presented in haikus are very similar to the ones presented in the Noh dramas, in the sense that they have strong religious backbones. For example, one of Kobayashi Issa’s haikus says, “Far-off mountain peaks/ Reflected in its eyes/ The dragonfly.” The haiku starts off by showing you vast mountaintops in the distance. Then it says that you are suddenly looking from the eyes of a dragonfly. You are immediately taken from an idea of extreme vastness, to the eyes of a small dragonfly. Buddhists believe that one should always put things into perspective, and make sure all perceptions are taken into account before passing judgment. This makes sure that rash decisions are eliminated and much more accurate ones are made. If someone were to take the first line of the poem and only think about the huge mountains before them, then they would not even have the chance to see that those huge mountains were only reflections in minute eyes.
Religion plays such a big part in the Japanese people’s way of life that their literature has a strong religious influence. These pieces of literature prove that in Japan, religion gives the people some guidelines to live their lives by. If they do live by these guidelines, then they will life happy and successful lives. Whether it is in a Noh Drama or a short and concise haiku, religion will always influence the literature of Japan.
