Nezame

寝覚 Nezame

1 Source and/or Related Material

Unknown

2 Author

Unknown

3 Repertoire

Kanze

4 Synopsis

An envoy (waki) of Emperor Daigo and his attendants (wakitsure) arrive at a canyon called Nezame-no-toko (“Sleepless Bed”) in Shinano Province (Nagano) hoping to obtain an elixir of youth from an old man called Mikaeri, whose name means “Three Returns” because he has supposedly regained his youth three times already by drinking his Daoist elixir. The courtiers meet an old man carrying brushwood, who tells them the story of Old Man Mikaeri and the canyon where he lives. Revealing that he is in fact Mikaeri, promises to bring the famous elixir, then disappears. A mountain God (ai) enters and retells the story in plain speech. Late that night, celestial maidens (nochitsure) come in dancing, followed by Old Man Mikaeri appears in his true form as Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha (nochishite). Two dragon Gods (nochitsure) also appear on the waves of a mountain river. Old Man Mikaeri presents the elixir to the Imperial envoy, and he and his divine attendants depart.