by Yuko Yuasa

The purpose of this paper is to seek a change of perspective for men and women: from hierarchical to egalitarian, from judgmental to endearing. The pivot for this transformation is Hannya, a female demon in Noh drama. By expressing the voice of hidden rage, Hannya transforms a negative outlook into a positive one.

The main concern of this paper is a methodological search for a bridge between historically opposing value systems in order to understand and appreciate both. These opposing factors include the principles of female and male, Eastern culture and Western culture, and Japanese religions and Christianity. Previously, the relationship between these systems was hierarchical; one subordinate to the other and without mutuality. Now, a hope of a more egalitarian attitude is emerging, thanks to such efforts as the “dialogical approach”1 and “doing theology with Asian resources”.2 Hisako Kinukawa’s Josei Shingaku (The perspective of Japanese feminist theologies: Women and Jesus in Mark)3 supports the theological grounding of this paper.

In search of a bridge between Noh drama and the Bible, this paper follows Lefty M. Russell’s spiral method, which consists of four stages: experience, analysis, tradition and transformation. First, stories are studied as people’s experience. Two stories, a Noh drama and a Biblical narrative, are juxtaposed. The analyses will explore the appropriate disciplines such as psychology, literature, history, etc. The third stage is a theological reflection which tries to understand both Noh drama and the Bible. The spiral’s final stage integrates these three stages. A new Noh drama with Christian images is created in the final stage of transformation.

Hannya, a female demon, is the heroine of the second act of a type of Noh drama, a role revealing the voice of silenced inner truth. As a foreground, a historical study on the value of “the irrational,” some basics of Noh dramaturgy, and important concepts such as Ma (silence and space) are discussed.

The principle of matching a Noh drama and a Biblical story is based on the deeper level of common themes, rather than the superficial similarity of motifs. The three sets are (1) Kurozuka (A Black Mound) / Rahab, (2) Dojoji (Dojo Temple) / Miriam, and (3) Izutsu (The Well-Cradle) / Mary Magdalene.

Certain findings emerge from an exploration of common themes. The first set reveals a message of hope. The strong will of both the woman in Kurozuka and Rahab to cling to life in a dire situation, succeeds in exposing the contradiction of “holy war.” The second set, the Dojo Temple and Miriam, exposes the importance of an unappreciated value, which is often covered by the officially recognized treasure of the stone tablet and the scrolls of sutra. The third set, Izutsu (The Well-cradle) and Mary Magdalene, addresses the issue of eros and God. The heroines of both stories share the role of a mediator between the transient and the eternal. Both women understand the eternal being through eros.

The Hannya voice, a voice of suppressed rage, springs from the unconscious layer of the mind. It is the place where one encounters God. Through anger, God speaks.

Because Japanese life consists of many cultures, a study bridging Noh drama and Christian faith is important. It hopes to bring about three outcomes as a contribution to ministry: an invitation to live as a neighbor of people of other faiths, an awareness of integrated self that values both Japanese culture and Christian faith, and a reconfirmation of loyalty to one’s faith. Respecting others without falling into either exclusivism or inclusivism, a study which bridges Noh drama and the Bible will help establish the identity of Japanese Christian women.

1. Kwok Pui-lan, Discovering the Bible in the Non-Biblical World, Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1995.
2. C. S. Song, Jesus, The Crucified People, New York: Crossroad, 1990.
3. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1994.