The Spirit Of The Sisters Matsukaze And Murasame

Object Details

• Artist

  Tsukioka Kogyo 月岡耕漁 (1869-1927)

• Publisher

  Matsuki Heikichi 松木平吉

• Label

  Once the lovers of the exiled courtier Ariwara Yukihira (818–893), the sisters Matsukaze (“pining wind”) and Murasame (“passing rain”) died in agony a short while after news of his death reached them. Because of their attachment to Yukihira, the sisters’ spirits remain in limbo, unable to let go and achieve salvation. The pitfalls of worldly attachment—especially love—comprise a major theme in noh. By way of a view of the stage, this print captures the spirits’ encounter with a traveling monk who learns of their story, which is tied to the place he visits. A summary of the play located outside the right side of the picture frame describes the sisters’ pained hearts, which prevent them from leaving this world behind.

• Provenance

  To 2003

  Robert O. Muller

  From 2003

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution by gift from Robert O. Muller [1]

  Notes:

  [1] Accessioned on December 6, 2003. See Acquisition Consideration Form, in object file. From 2003-2023, the object was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints (March 23 to October 6, 2024)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Robert O. Muller (1911-2003)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Robert O. Muller Collection

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1890s

• Name

  Muller, Robert O.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Pine tree, Art, Robert O. Muller collection, Noh, Ghost, Japanese Art, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), Woman

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints