Matsukaze (Murasame)

松風（村雨） Pining Wind

1 Source and/or Related Material

Kokinshū, “Suma” in the Tale of Genji

2 Author

Kannami, revised by Zeami

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

A travelling monk (waki) visits Suma Bay in Settsu Province (Hyogo). He asks a villager (ai) about the history of the pine tree on the shore. The villager explains that it is a grave maker for the diver sisters Matsukaze and Murasame, who were loved by a Heian poet, Ariwara no Yukihira, when he stayed in Suma. The monk decides to say prayers for Matsukaze and Murasame. The sun sets while he is praying, so he starts to look for a place to spend the night. He finds a salt-making hut and waits there for the owner to return. Two women (shite, tsure) appear, on their way home after collecting sea water to make salt. They allow the monk to stay the night, and he asks them about the pine tree at the shore. When he recites Yukihira’s poem, tears start to well up in the eyes of two women. They tell the monk that they are the ghosts of Matsukaze and Murasame, and they confess how they miss Yukihira. Matsukaze dances in Yukihira’s court dress. Eventually, the sisters ask the travelling monk for further prayers and disappear.