京都で英会話を習うなら!四条烏丸より徒歩5分 イングリッシュバフェ

2022-06-11 Mom's dance performance

Last Sunday, I went back to my hometown, Sendai to see my mom’s Japanese traditional dance（日舞） performance. My mom, 71, announced that it would be her last performance so almost all the family members, relatives and lots of mom and dad’s friends gathered to celebrate the occasion.

My mom performed “長唄『汐汲』”（Shiokumi）. Shiokumi means "salt-scooper", who carries seawater for making salt. She carries a pair of buckets, painted with waves, on a pole across her back. One of her garments, a courtier's gold hat (烏帽子) belongs to her lover, Ariwara no Yukihira(在原行平).
Yukihira was a Heian period courtier and a poet. He had a love affair with two shiokumi sisters, Matsukaze and Murasame. Matsukaze dances to the memory of the poet and expresses her love for him.

I got very excited when my mom appeared in an elaborate costume and proceeded to walk on the runway（花道）. She was so beautiful!!
I enjoyed watching her dance, spectacular stage art, and live music. The performance was about 20 minutes long. I had heard that she had a pain in her knee, but her performance went all very well, regardless. Bravo!!

After the stage, I dropped by my parent’s house for a couple of hours and flew back to Itami airport at night. My mom said it would be her last performance, but I do not think it would be possible for her to stop dancing completely. (Actually, it is the second time she announced her retirement from dancing. She tried to quit once before, but she restarted dancing only a few months later!)

Anyway, I felt really happy and at the same time relieved to see her on the stage. It was a wonderful weekend.