Gokan no Rosui Chinmoku Tenko no Rei Akikaze Matsukaze Kyoumeigaku

Inspired by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, the Noh play "Tenko" (also said to be by Zeami) (1701)
A period piece by Chikamatsu Monzaemon.

The Noh play "Tenko" (also said to be by Zeami) is set in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China.

The story is about a "drum that fell from the heavens" and "sound and silence."

The story is about the Later Han Dynasty, the silent drum of the heavens, the autumn winds and the pine winds resonating with music.

Ouhaku and his wife, Ouhaku, have a dream in which a drum falls from the heavens and are blessed with a son. They name the child "Tenko." They are also blessed with a real "Heavenly Drum." Only when Tenko strikes the drum does it produce an otherworldly, beautiful sound (a perfect ensemble). "Chi-chi-chi-turn!" (The delicate hi-hat beats and the clear snare).

The emperor hears rumors about the drum and attempts to seize it. Tenko refuses and flees into the mountains with it, but is captured and drowned in a river called Lusui. The emperor obtains the drum, but no matter who plays it, no matter how skilled the player, it remains silent, "like a borrowed cat" (complete mute/silence). An awkward silence (rest) falls over the palace.

The emperor summons Tenko's father, Wang Bo. "If you're my father, it should ring. If it doesn't, I'll kill you." The elderly father approaches the drum, a memento of his murdered son. Tearfully, he slams his drumstick down, and the drum rings out loudly, as if possessed by his son's spirit. "Stomp!... (silence)... bang!" The sound touches even the emperor's heart, and the father is released.

The emperor decides to hold a concert on the banks of the Lusui River to appease Tenko's spirit. Suddenly, the spirit of Tenko appears from the river's surface. The spirit rejoices, beats the drum, and dances. The sounds of the water, the wind, the father's tears, and the drum all intertwine in a complex, irregular rhythm, and rise to the heavens.

Excerpts from the actual script:
"Sink, Tenko, into the banks of the Rōsui River."
"Disappear like the bubbles in the water."
"A mirror of old age's tears."
"Imagine striking the bones of your child."
"The sound of the drum descends from the heavens."
"When struck, it is wondrous, and no human being can do it."
"The spirit of the Tenko dances and plays!"
"The autumn breeze, the sound of the pine trees!"
"How fascinating! "How interesting!"
"It falls from the sky..."
"The sound of a drum..."
"The tears of old age are like a mirror of water."
"When I imagine hitting the bones of my child..."