Izutsu (The Well Head) : PhotoStory

Isonokami in Yamato is where Ariwara no Narihira and the daughter of Ki no Aritsune once lived. In the eyes of an itinerant monk, there appear few traces of the Ariwara-dera Temple of olden times.

Every dawn, a woman carries water to offer to the Holy Buddha. When asked, the woman says she has no connection to Narihira.

With a poem, she tells of the love of Narihira and the daughter of Aritsune: "When the wind blows, white waves rise in the sea." Their love story as a young boy and girl is conveyed in a poem: "At the well head, the well that tells who is the taller."

The poem is related with sincerity by the woman, the "lady of the well." It is the daughter of Ki no Aritsune. Does this love continue even now?

It is night at Ariwara-dera Temple. The desolate well is lost among the autumn grain. The woman for whom the well is a memento of Narihira appears in the dreams of the monk.

Former times are remembered. The dance is peaceful.

Is the figure, bequeathed body and spirit with Narihira's kimono and headdress, the Narihira of long ago?

The mirror of water reflects the face of Narihira.

Memories build up.

The feelings of nostalgia are overwhelming.