Matsukaze, The Longing That Goes Beyond Death

Summary

Matsukaze, a Noh play by Kan’ami, explores themes of eternal love, death, and poetic tradition through the story of two ghost sisters pining for their lost love, Yukihira.

Abstract

Matsukaze is a traditional Japanese Noh drama that fuses Shinto and Buddhist elements, presenting a tale of enduring affection and sorrow. The play centers on two sisters, Matsukaze and Murasame, who are ghosts still enamored with the poet Yukihira after death. Their tragic tale unfolds as a traveling monk encounters their gravesite and stays with the spectral sisters, learning of their unending yearning. The narrative is rich with poetic imagery and symbolism, emphasizing the sisters' honor and eternal grief, culminating in Matsukaze's haunting final dance. The play, which has been part of the Noh repertoire since the 15th century, continues to be performed, showcasing the timeless nature of its themes and the power of Noh theatre to convey deep emotion through music, characterization, and chorus.

Opinions

The play is seen as an embodiment of the Noh tradition, with its themes of honor, poetry, and tragic dance.
Matsukaze's final dance is interpreted as a representation of madness and unresolved love.
The sisters' inability to host the priest in their humble abode reflects their sense of propriety and dignity.
The text is heavily intertwined with poetic origins, with explanations provided to enhance the audience's understanding of its lyrical nature.
The enduring performance of Matsukaze since the 15th century speaks to its profound impact and the enduring relevance of its exploration of life, death, and love.

The Noh sentiment of poetry and love

Matsukaze written by Kan’ami is a play from the Noh repertoire, a type of traditional Japanese drama that developed from ‘Shinto rites’, a religion dating back to prehistoric times. The faith worships spirits of nature and ancestors and in the sixth century incorporated Buddhist beliefs.

Visiting Suma Bay, a travelling monk comes across a pine tree. Learning that the tree marks the grave of two sisters Matsukaze and Murasame, the monk prays for their souls. Needing somewhere to stay for the night, he asks two young women if he could lodge at their salt-making hut. It is here that he learns that the two women are the ghosts of the departed sisters. (The-noh, 2021 [online])

Matsukaze and Murasame were in love with the poet Yukihira, and even in death long for him.

In a contemporary context, Shinto is regarded as the religion of life and Buddhism the religion of death. Matsukaze conveys both these aspects of life and death in its text, the fisher girls Matsukaze (Wind in the pines) and Murasame (Autumn rain) were in love with the poet and scholar Yukihira, and even in death long for him.

The girls were not able to follow Yukihira when he returned to court after his exile; all they have in his memory is his hunting cloak and court hat. Driven nearly to madness with her eternal grief, Matsukaze puts on Yukihira’s cloak and hat for her final dance. — College Cengage, 2001, online

Murasame tells the priest that ‘The house is too wretched to put anyone up’, this conveys the honour of the girls and that they can not let the priest see inside of the salt shed. The whole text reiterates poetry; there are explanations at the bottom of every page, which inform of the poetic origin of the line. (Worthen, 2002, 113–120)

The plays words themselves invoke poetic imagery, ‘The late moon is so brilliant — What we dip is its reflection’, brings to mind the girls bathed in bright moonlight.

‘Pray for us! Pray for our rest!’

Noh theatre brings together music through drums and flute, beautiful characterisation and gesture and a unified chorus to heighten the mood and atmosphere of their plays. Matsukaze has been in their repertoire since the fifteenth century and is still performed today. (Worthen, 2002, 113)

The end of the play has a sense of tragedy, Matsukaze declares she still loves Yukihira, she dances suggesting madness as the chorus chant ‘Pray for us! Pray for our rest!’ The play clearly embodies the Noh tradition with reference to honour, poetry and a tragic dance at the end. All that is left once the tragic sisters have left is the sound of the wind ‘singing’ through the pine trees.

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Matsukaze, The Longing That Goes Beyond Death

The Noh sentiment of poetry and love