Ugetsu

雨月 Rain and Moon

1 Source and/or Related Material

Senjūshō, Kokon chomonjū

2 Author

Possibly Komparu Zenchiku

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

Monk Saigyō (waki) seeks shelter at a house on his way to Sumiyoshi Shrine, but the couple who live there are in the middle of a debate. The old man (maeshite) wants to thatch the roof so he can hear the sound of the rain falling on it, and his wife (maetsure) wants to leave it open so they can gaze at the moon. The old man tells Saigyō that he may stay the night if he can cap a verse that the old man will now compose. Saigyō finishes the old man’s poem splendidly, so he is allowed inside, where he and the old couple enjoy the autumn evening. As the night deepens, the couple encourage Saigyō to sleep; then, they vanish. During the night, Saigyō is awoken by the deity of a lesser shrine (ai), who reveals that the old man and woman were manifestations of the Gods of Sumiyoshi. Just then, a shrine priest possessed by the chief God of Sumiyoshi (nochishite) appears, extols the virtues of poetry, and performs a dance.