Catalog of Shōdan: Main Chants
Kuse
The name Kuse comes from a larger formal notion of Kuse-mai, or ‘Kuse-dance’. The Kuse-mai refers to a sequence of shōdan, the last of which is the Kuse proper. A typical Kuse-mai consists of six shōdan: Shidai, Issei, a short dance such as an Iroe mai, Kuri, Sashi and Kuse, which usually includes two solos lines sung by the shite. Kakitsubata is an example of a play with a full Kuse-mai. Yet, the majority of plays present variations of this model. When performed in the first act, the most common sequence consists of Kuri, Sashi, and Kuse, with the shite singing a single solo line. Kokaji's Kuse follows that model except that the shite has three solo lines. Hashitomi’s Kuse is the most abridged as it is a stand-alone shōdan, with the shite singing a single solo line.
Kuse can be part of either act, which then may change some of its characteristicsis but it is always one of the most important shōdan of a play. There are several reasons for this status. The Kuse is among the most extended of the shōdan, focusing on the main actor, but most importantly, it plays a key role in giving depth to his story, consequently to the play's formal development.
The standard play starts with the waki arriving on stage and introducing himself. Then, the shite enters and sings a song that reveals nothing about his true identity, but sparks the waki's curiosity enough for a dialogue between them to follow. The waki questions the shite, trying to better understand who he is talking to. The Kuse typically describes events related to the shite's story or the context for it. The response is an indirect but rich poetical answer to the waki's questions.
The Kuse is usually the first dance-to-text shōdan of a play, the Kiri being the second and last one. When performed in the first act, often the shite remains seated for its entirety or its first part. A seated Kuse is called an Iguse. Danced Kuse occur more commonly in the second act, when energy and emotional engagement of the unfolded narrative are higher. In both cases though, the shite only starts dancing after having delivered his last solo line.
Regardless of the dance, the Kuse is first and foremost a long thematic chant. Set in hiranori, the rhythm of its poetic text is usually irregular, but can also be regular. The Kuse begins slowly in the lower range and finishes in the higher range, while its overall rhythmic structure moves from unstable to steady. This motion is controlled by the patterns of the two hand-drums whose ratio of mitsuji to tsuzuke patterns, initially favoring the sporadic mitsuji gradually gives way to the regular tsuzuke pattern. At the same time, the declamatory voice setting mitsuji-utai is gradually replaced with the steady tsuzuke-utai. The metric structure (7+5) of the text synchronized with the percussion contributes to the change in overall expression from prosaic to poetic, shifting the emphasis from verbal to non-verbal.
Kuse is sung by the jiutai with the exception of a one or two solos, called ageha, performed by the shite, often followed by a nohkan's pattern that links the end of his verse with the return of the jiutai. For instance, the sole ageha in Hashitomi's Kuse is immediately followed by the nohkan’s takane mi kusari pattern. As for the three verses in Kokaji, the nohkan follows the shite’s first ageha with the takane mi kusari pattern and marks the end of the second one with the hishigi takane mi kusari. The third verse is not followed by a nohkan’s pattern, as it marks the beginning of the dance.
Hashitomi’s Kuse appears in the second act. It is sung in yowagin style by the jiutai and shite, who only sings one verse. It is accompanied by the two hand-percussion instruments and the nohkan.
Kokaji’s Kuse appears in the first act. It is sung in tsuyogin style by the jiutai and shite, who sings three verses. The shite, seated for the first half, starts dancing after the delivery of his last verse. It is accompanied by the two hand-percussion instruments and the nohkan.