Naniwa

難波 Naniwa

1 Source and/or Related Material

medieval commentaries on the Kokinshū

2 Author

Zeami

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō

4 Synopsis

A courtier (waki) returns to the capital after a trip to the sacred mountains of Kumano with by his attendants (wakitsure). When they stop at Naniwa in Settsu Province (Osaka) they see an old man (maeshite) and his young companion (maetsure) sweeping the area around the famous plum trees, while appreciating their blossoms. He asks the old man about the meaning of the poem he is reciting, and he explains that it was composed at the birth of Emperor Nintoku, who was later advised by the scholar-minister Wani from the Korean kingdom of Baekje. Hinting that he is in fact the ghost of Wani and that the young man is the spirit of the plum trees, the old man tells the courtiers to wait under the trees and vanishes from sight. In the middle of the night, the ghost of Wani (nochishite) appears with the spirit of the plum, who is named Princess Konohana Sakuya (nochitsure) after the opening words of a famous poem (Naniwazu ni sakuya kono hana…) used for writing practice, and they present a dance in praise of the Emperor’s peaceful reign.