Who Is The Little Monkey (Baby Monkey)?
An innocent monkey who rows an oar
Kozaru
The Little Monkey is the small monkey lovingly raised by a monkey trainer in the kyogen play Utsubozaru. A daimyo admires its splendid fur and wants its life, so he can use its skin to decorate a quiver, the case that holds arrows.
Threatened by the daimyo's bow and arrow, the trainer tearfully prepares to strike the monkey with his own hand. But the unsuspecting Little Monkey takes the raised staff and begins the trick it was taught, rowing a boat with an oar. The trainer collapses in tears, and the daimyo, moved as well, spares its life. In the end it dances to a monkey song, and even the daimyo gets carried away.
The role is often played by a kyogen performer's child making their stage debut. The saying "it begins with the monkey and ends with the fox" describes the path of a kyogen performer's training.
