Sumizomezakura

墨染桜 The Ink-Dyed Cherry Blossoms

1 Source and/or Related Material

Kokinshū 832, 847, etc

2 Author

Unknown

3 Repertoire

Kongō

4 Synopsis

Kamitsuke no Mineo (waki) was in the service of Emperor Ninmyō but is now a monk. On his way to visit the emperor’s tomb in the village of Fukakusa, Mineo sees the cherry blossoms in full bloom and composes a poem. Just then, a village woman (maeshite) appears and asks him to change one line of his verse, expresses a desire to become a nun, then vanishes. A local man (ai) arrives and tells Mineo about various kinds of cherry blossoms. That night, as Mineo is reciting sutras, the spirit of the Ink-Dyed Cherry Blossoms (nochishite) appears in the form of a nun. She sings of Emperor Ninmyō’s love for her and how she turned the color of black ink because of her sadness when the emperor died, then she performs a dance. Reciting Mineo’s poem, the spirit disappears into the early-morning mist.