Noh: The Well-Curb

On a chilly autumn night under the full moon, a traveling monk (waki) visits the ruins of Ariwara Temple, where, according to legend, Ariwara no Narihira long ago lived with his wife, Ki no Aritsune's daughter. He offers prayers for the repose of their souls. Then, an unfamiliar village woman (mae-shite) ) appears, places flowers upon an old mound, and begins to pray. When the monk asks if she has some connection to Narihira, the woman replies that she has neither connection nor karma, and proceeds to tell him the tale of the ancient lovers. There were once two youngsters who were secretly in love with each other, and they would often come and stand together by the well-curb and gaze at their reflections in the water. When they grew up, they exchanged poems and experienced the bliss of first love. When she finishes relating the tale, she confesses that she herself is the ghost of Ki no Aritsune's daughter (nochi-shite), the lady of the well-curb-and then disappears. That night, after the monk falls asleep, she appears to him in a dream, in her true form as Ki no Aritsune's daughter. She then dons a court robe and cap, keepsakes of Narihira, and looks at her own reflection in the well―which reminds her of Narihira, for whom she longs. As the sky begins to brighten with the coming dawn, the dream comes to an end and she fades away.

* From: Introduction to Viewing Noh: Watching "The Well-Curb" (A film planned by the National Noh Theatre and produced by Nippon Eiga Shinsha Co., Ltd.)

Main Cast: Shite : Umewaka Rokuro; Waki : Hosho Kan; Flute: Matsuda Hiroyuki; Shoulder drum: Okura Genjiro; Stick drum: Kunikawa Jun; Chorus: Yamamoto Nobuyuki, et al.