Matsukaze Blog Post #1

The names of the characters, Matzukase and Murasame, communicate that "emotional attachment" (or love/infatuation) is a mortal sin, stemming from Buddhist beliefs. The story communicates that mortal sin kills and then remains with the souls of the deceased. "Matzu" means pine, which is defined as nostalgic desire, grief, mourn, or longing. All of the definitions characterize Matzukase in the play. "Murasame" means Autumn Rain, which refers to a type of rainfall that is heavy and then gentle. The reader can see why Kan'ami chose this name for the tsure. Murasame also longs, or pines, for Yukihira. However, she remains rational, and does not become delusional and believe a tree is Yukihira as Matsukaze does. Murasame is deeply infatuated with Yukishira but retreats from sinful passion and tries to bring back Matsukaze.

The passage that expresses this is as follows (247-262)

Both drenched their sleeves with tears

Of hopeless love beyond their station,

Fisher girls of Suma

Our sin is deep, O priest.

Pray for us, we beg of you!

Our love grew rank as wild grasses;

Tears and love ran wild.

It was madness that touched us.

Despite spring purification,

Performed in your old robes,

Despite praters inscribed on paper streamers,

The gods refused us their help.

We were left to melt away

Like foam on the waves

And, in misery, we died.

Sin is a word the reiterates the point. In the context of the passage, the characters realize that their sin is deep because it is a continuous act. For instance, it wasn't just swearing once or lying once. The girls are in love, and that is an affection that is continuous and hard to get rid. In this particular story, it is everlasting. Misery is another word that helps explain the point of the play. The ghosts are miserably bringing carts, resorting back to what they did before Yukihira gave them "damask robes" and stripped them of their "salt making clothes" (239). The ghosts are miserably waiting around for the return of Yukihira. The girls died in misery as they were abandoned by Yukihira.  Basically, the ghosts are miserably in love and it is because "emotional attachment" is a sin. Another important word in this passage is love, or "emotional attachment". It is because of this emotional attachment that the girls have committed sin. Because there is no cure for love, it is a sin that is committed every day, with every breath. The girls let the love (and longing) they have for Yukishira kill them, allowing their sin to follow them into the afterlife.

In the context of the story, the passage tells us that love and/or emotional attachment is the sin. However, taking the passage out of context, one would think that love drove the girls to act sinfully or commit a sinful act that left their ghosts begging for mercy and the repose of their souls. A modern reader would not think that solely love is a sin, especially since for many Christians love is equitable  to God. Thus, it's only natural for a modern reader to think the girls committed an irrational (and sinful) act in the name of love.