ある日、流祖飯篠長威斎家直先生の道場に一人の少年が入門してきました。少年は早速、長威斎先生から木剣を授かり、表之太刀の最初の五津之太刀から稽古に入りました。少年の気合は蚊の鳴くほどに小さく、剣も定まらず、弱弱しいものでした。少年は多くの見知らぬ先輩剣士が見つめる道場で圧倒され、赤面し、声が出ず、萎縮してしまいました。
３ヶ月後、その少年の気合は大きく、剣は鋭さを得て、自信に満ちておりました。長威斎先生はその姿を見て、”自分の弱さを克服し、経津主大神の技を会得するには稽古あるのみ”と少年を褒め称えました。その少年は、その言葉を肝に銘じ、来る日も来る日も稽古に明けくれました。どんなに多くの見知らぬ先輩剣士が見ていようと、赤面することなく、臆することなく、堂々と表之太刀をこなせるようになりました。
私は初めて落語を見たときに、その落語家のプロ魂に心を動かされました。周りの観客はその落語家の噺の軽妙さとおかしな素振りを見て、大いに笑い、楽しんでおりました。私は１時間余りも一字一句間違わず、感情を込め噺し、羞恥心を克服し、おかしな素振りを演じ、観客の笑いを取るプロの姿に深い感銘を受けました。その日々の厳しい稽古は容易に想像がつきます。凡人であれば、3分間スピーチでさえ空で話すことは難しく、多くの人前では恥ずかしさが襲い、感情を込めることなど出来ません。その落語家から一流の領域になるには稽古、精進あるのみと学びました。
One day, a boy has been initiated into Katori Shintoryu's exercise hall of the founder.
Instantly, the boy received the wooden sword from the founder, and went into exercise from Itsutsu-No-Tachi, the first sword techinique of Omote-No-Tachi.
His shouting was so small like a mosquito cried, and his sword did not become settled, either, and the boy's concentration was weak-looking. The boy was overwhelmed in the exercise hall which many unknown senior swordsmen gaze at, was ashamed, and his voice did not come out, and he has shrunk.
The boy's concentrated shouting was large enough three months afterward, and his sword obtained sharpness and was filled with confidence. When the founder caught the sight and said to him, "Your weakness is conquered and the sword technique of Katori' God is obtained through only hard training". And the boy were applauded by the founder for his hard training. The boy took what founder said to heart, and did hard training day after day. He did Omote-N o-Tachi dignifiedly, without fearing, without being ashamed, while many unknown senior swordsmen's looking.
I had been moved by the comic storyteller's professional soul, when I saw a comic storyteller for the first time. The surrounding spectators looked at the cleverness of the comic storyteller's comic story and funny gestures, and was greatly laughing and was enjoying themself. I was so impressed with that he did not make a mistake in every word for around one hour, but did the comic story with the feeling and funny gestures, while conquered being ashamed. I memorized deep impression in the figure of the professional who takes a spectator's laughting. I can easily imagine the severe training everyday. It is difficult for an ordinary people to memorize even a 3 minute-speech and manage himself in public by controlling being ashamed and perform it while putting feeling. I have learned only hard training leads us to professional from the comic storyteller.
落語家 柳家小三治 ： Comic storyteller Kosanji Yanagiya
