序破急

• 読み: じょはきゅう
• ローマ字: johakyu
• 漢字の分解: 序 (jo) — introduction, prelude; 破 (ha) — break, development; 急 (kyū) — urgency, speed
• 発音: /dʑo.ha.kʲɯː/

意味

Three-part dramatic structure of introduction (jo), development (ha), and climax (kyū). A foundational compositional principle in Japanese classical arts.

Originally a musical tempo structure from gagaku court music — slow (jo), middle (ha), fast (kyū) — it was adopted into nō theatre by Zeami Motokiyo to describe the pacing of a play's movements. The concept was later generalised to describe the structural rhythm of any artistic or narrative work. It remains influential in Japanese aesthetics, dramaturgy, and compositional criticism.

例文

1. 能の構成は序破急の原理に基づいており、緩急が計算されている。
2. 序破急の流れを意識することで、文章に自然なリズムが生まれる。
3. 彼の講演は序破急の構成で聴衆を最後まで引きつけた。

使い方ガイド

場面: nō theatre, literary theory, music

トーン: scholarly

起源と歴史

序 (jo — prelude), 破 (ha — development/rupture), 急 (kyū — fast/urgent). Originates in gagaku court music theory and was systematised as an aesthetic principle by Zeami Motokiyo (1363–1443) in his treatises on nō theatre.

文化的背景

時代: Medieval

世代: Scholars, arts students

社会的背景: Educated