Kogō

小督 Lady Kogō

1 Source and/or Related Material

The Tale of the Heike 6

2 Author

attributed to Komparu Zenchiku

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

Lady Kogō, favored consort of Emperor Takakura, disappears from the court, fearing the power of Taira no Kiyomori, the empress’s father. Hearing that she has gone to Sagano (present-day Kyoto ), the Emperor dispatches a messenger (waki) to the courtier Nakakuni (shite), telling him to find Lady Kogō. Riding on the Emperor’s horse, Nakakuni heads to Sagano. In Sagano, the mistress (ai) of Lady Kogō’s temporary residence asks Lady Kogō to play the zither for her. Lady Kogō plays a song expressing her yearning for Emperor Takakura. Nakakuni, having just arrived in Sagano, hears the familiar sound of Lady Kogō’s zither and goes to the house from which he hears the music playing. Learning about Nakakuni’s arrival, Lady Kogō at first refuses to meet him, but eventually, her maidservant (tomo) convinces her to see him. Nakakuni gives her a letter from Emperor Takakura, to which she composes a reply. He then dances to comfort Lady Kogō before returning to the capital.