Matsukaze

'Matsukaze' ('Wind in the Pines') is a Noh play dramatizing the spirits of two sisters, Matsukaze and Murasame, who pine for the courtier-poet Ariwara no Yukihira at Suma Bay. The print likely depicts one or both sisters in patterned robes — perhaps holding salt-gathering pails (shio-kumi-guruma) or wearing the courtier's hat and cloak left behind as a memento. The melancholic mood that defines the play suits a restrained palette and refined linework rather than bold contrast. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation can render the atmospheric pine forest and seashore setting evoked in the libretto. Within Takahashi Hiromitsu's apparent catalog of theatrical-subject prints, this work extends the artist's evident engagement with classical Japanese theater from kabuki into the austere world of Noh. The use of mokuhanga, with its capacity for delicate keyblock impression and subtle gradation, suits the play's restrained aesthetic.