Abe no Yasuna (Spring)

This work refers to a kabuki dance about the 10th-century nobleman Abe no Yasuna. As a young man, Yasuna became engaged to Sakaki-no-mae, the beautiful daughter of the famous astronomer Kamo no Yasunori. Unfortunately the astronomer died and Sakaki-no-mae was driven to commit suicide by her cruel step-mother. Yasuna went mad with grief and, as in this painting, he began to wear Sakaki-no-mae's beautiful short-sleeved silk robe and a purple headband (a symbol for insanity), wandering aimlessly in the countryside during spring. Mentally mixing his past happiness with his present sorrow, he dreams that the robe is Sakaki-no-mae herself, but in the end he sadly realizes it is an illusion.