Sumiyoshi mōde
Summary
Following a temporary residence in Suma, a desolate seaside locality West of the Kyoto, Prince Genji regains his power and influence in the capital and decides to fulfill his vow by visiting Sumiyoshi Shrine. Kikuzono, the shrine priest, instructs an attendant to clean the grounds and prepare for his arrival. Genji and his entourage arrive at Sumiyoshi Shrine. The retinue includes Genji’s wet nurse, his attendant Koremitsu, a pageboy, and other attendants. Koremitsu requests a that the priest hold a purification ritual for their arrival.
Then, a pageboy performs a dance, and the group celebrates the visit with a party. At this point, the Lady of Akashi, who had once formed a bond with Genji in Suma, arrives by boat accompanied by her maids. Embarrassed by her appearance, the Lady of Akashi hesitates to meet Genji and remains by the inlet, keeping her boat hidden. Seeing her, Genji calls out, and the two reunite. They exchange cups of sake, and the Lady performs a dance. When the feast concludes, the two part ways reluctantly, cherishing the moments of their reunion.
Highlights
Sumiyoshi mōde is a nō play based on the “Miotsukushi” chapter of The Tale of Genji.
The performance is set at Sumiyoshi Shrine, a historical Shintō shrine in Osaka Prefecture. The deity enshrined here has long been revered as a god of poetry and maritime safety. The Lady of Akashi’s father was a devout believer in the Sumiyoshi Deity. Trusting a divine dream that foretold, “A ruler of the nation will be born from your lineage,” he arranged for his daughter to marry Genji. True to the prophecy, the child born of this union would later become an empress and give birth to a prince.
The first half of the play highlights Prince Genji’s grand pilgrimage to Sumiyoshi Shrine. Genji rides in a prop carriage, and the large cast of about ten actors—a rare spectacle in nō—portrays his magnificent entourage, symbolizing his glory and prosperity. Additionally, when the Lady of Akashi’s group arrives on stage on a boat prop via the bridgeway, the scene becomes even more elaborate.
In The Tale of Genji, the Lady of Akashi, upon seeing Genji’s entourage, is painfully reminded of their difference in social status, and the two merely exchange poems. In contrast, the nō play has them reunite, share rice wine, and features the Lady of Akashi performing a dance. This alteration likely aims to emphasize the divine power of the god of Sumiyoshi, and it may have been inspired by interpretations from Muromachi-period summaries of The Tale of Genji, which suggest that the two reunited at Sumiyoshi Shrine. Additionally, some performances include an aimai dance, where Genji and the Lady of Akashi perform together.
After the dance, the Lady of Akashi sings lines drawn from the poems in the Miotsukushi chapter:
“Proof of my unchanging devotion has brought us together again; our bond runs deep.”
And “Uncounted as they may be, my thoughts have found no worth; why did I come to love with all my heart?”
In The Tale of Genji, these were part of a poetic exchange between Genji and the Lady of Akashi, but in the nō play, the Lady of Akashi sings them alone, highlighting her unwavering love and intensifying the joy of their reunion.