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›The Goblin of Mt. Kurama, The Demon
and the Maple Viewing, The Field Ranger,
The Dragon God of Kasuga Shrine, Minister
of the Left Toru, The Pearl Diver, The Lion
on the Stone Bridge, The Tipster Sprite,
etc.
Fifth-group Noh are called Ending Noh (kiri
no), and all of them have a quick tempo
and employ the large stick drum (taiko).
All the plays in this group have as their
main characters goblins, demons, dragon
gods, or some supernatural beast, although
there are some plays in which the hero is
a nobleman or that contain many auspicious
phrases.
The Tipster Sprite (Shojo) is a play built
upon very auspicious words. It takes place
in a village on the Yangtze in China. An
sprite (shite) who lives in the sea comes
before a man named Gao-feng (waki), a wine
seller with much filial piety. The sprite
gets drunk and enjoys himself by dancing,
after which, the man learns that he has
received a blessing: no matter how much
wine he dips out of the vat, it never runs
dry. When the play is performed with a special
dance called Midare ("Disorder"), the play
is called Shojo Midare (The Disorderly Tipster
Sprite), or just Midare.
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