Aoi no Ue (play)
Encyclopedia
Aoi no Ue is a Noh
play based on an episode in the Tale of Genji and named for Lady Aoi, one of the novel's characters. It is an example of the fourth category of "miscellaneous" Noh plays. Aoi no Ue was the first of many Noh plays based on the Tale of Genji. It is sometimes attributed to Zeami Motokiyo
; the extant version of the text is likely a reworking of a version by a contemporary, Inuō.
In the backstory, Prince Genji, who was married to his wife Lady Aoi at a young age, has taken a mistress, Lady Rokujo
. Lady Rokujo had been married to the crown prince, and had been next in line to become empress. The death of her husband robbed her of the chance to become empress and left her powerless. Following an episode in which she is humiliated in public by Lady Aoi, Rokujo is enraged to discover that Aoi is pregnant. Genji begins ignoring Rokujo, and in her jealousy her living spirit leaves her body and possesses Lady Aoi, resulting in Aoi's death.
The action of the play focuses on a miko
(female shaman) and a priest exorcising the spirit of Lady Rokujo from the body of Lady Aoi. Aoi does not appear on stage - rather, an empty kimono serves to represent her.
Noh roles being historically played by men, the first woman to play the lead role in Aoi no Ue was Uzawa Hisa.
Victor Turner
, in The Anthropology of Performance, wrote about the relationship between the Tale of Genji and Aoi no Ue, calling them different kinds of metaperformance and discussing the difference between the story in a novel and in a theatre.
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
play based on an episode in the Tale of Genji and named for Lady Aoi, one of the novel's characters. It is an example of the fourth category of "miscellaneous" Noh plays. Aoi no Ue was the first of many Noh plays based on the Tale of Genji. It is sometimes attributed to Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami Motokiyo , also called Kanze Motokiyo , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor and playwright.-Acting:...
; the extant version of the text is likely a reworking of a version by a contemporary, Inuō.
In the backstory, Prince Genji, who was married to his wife Lady Aoi at a young age, has taken a mistress, Lady Rokujo
Lady Rokujo
Lady Rokujo is a fictional character in The Tale of Genji . She is the widow of Prince Zembo and a longtime mistress of Genji. She has great pride, and her jealousy is so strong that her wandering spirit kills Yugao, Lady Aoi and attacks Murasaki....
. Lady Rokujo had been married to the crown prince, and had been next in line to become empress. The death of her husband robbed her of the chance to become empress and left her powerless. Following an episode in which she is humiliated in public by Lady Aoi, Rokujo is enraged to discover that Aoi is pregnant. Genji begins ignoring Rokujo, and in her jealousy her living spirit leaves her body and possesses Lady Aoi, resulting in Aoi's death.
The action of the play focuses on a miko
Miko
is a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
(female shaman) and a priest exorcising the spirit of Lady Rokujo from the body of Lady Aoi. Aoi does not appear on stage - rather, an empty kimono serves to represent her.
Noh roles being historically played by men, the first woman to play the lead role in Aoi no Ue was Uzawa Hisa.
Victor Turner
Victor Turner
Victor Witter Turner was a British cultural anthropologist best known for his work on symbols, rituals and rites of passage...
, in The Anthropology of Performance, wrote about the relationship between the Tale of Genji and Aoi no Ue, calling them different kinds of metaperformance and discussing the difference between the story in a novel and in a theatre.