Aoi no Ue (play)

Aoi no Ue was the first of many Noh plays based on The Tale of Genji.

Lady Rokujo had been married to the crown prince, but his death had left a much less powerful widow.

Genji begins ignoring Rokujo, and in her jealousy her living spirit leaves her body and possesses Lady Aoi, resulting in Aoi's falling sick – the starting-point of the play.

[1] Rokujo initially appears in a sympathetic vein, lamenting the transience of life and beauty: “We are brittle as the leaves of the bashō / As fleeting as foam on the sea...now I wither like the Morning Glory”.

[7] Then, seized with anger, she renews her attack on Aoi, whose deteriorating condition leads to the summoning of the priest/saint and his incantations finally lay Rokujo’s angry spirit to rest.