Oshio

小塩 Mt. Oshio

1 Source and/or Related Material

medieval commentaries on Tales of Ise 76

2 Author

Komparu Zenchiku

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

A man (waki) from the southern part of the capital comes with his attendants (wakitsure) for a cherry-blossom viewing party on the plain of Ōharano, by the foot of Mt. Oshio in the West. There, they meet an old man (maeshite) with a sprig of cherry blossoms in his hand. He tells them about a poetic exchange between Empress Nijō and Ariwara no Narihira (of Tales of Ise fame) here in Ōharano. As night falls, the old man vanishes into thin air. A villager (ai) comes to tell about Ariwara no Narihira in plain speech. Just then, Ariwara no Narihira (nochishite) comes riding up on an oxcart modified for cherry blossom viewing, and he performs a graceful dance under the moonlit blossoms, then disappears as the petals begin to fall in the light of dawn.