Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi) : PhotoStory

Lady Aoi, exhausted by a vengeful spirit, takes the form of a kosode (a type of women's kimono). Teruhi, a sorceress, summons the spirit by plucking a catalpa bow.

Dream or reality? The catalpa bow rings out, filling the air with mystery. Drawn by the sound, the form of a female phantom appears.

The living spirit is Lady Rokujo, a former crown princess. She has passed beyond dreams of days of splendor with Hikaru Genji, and now there is only bitterness toward young Lady Aoi.

Driven by bitterness without end, the phantom takes a step forward, then another.

It is toward Lady Aoi that the female spirit advances. Consumed by envy, she moves to strike the young second wife.

The jealousy is no less than fire. In her raging grief, the phantom conceals her form and awaits the time of change. Her still-noble visage is left behind.

The bitterness of envy changes the beautiful and elegant woman into a demon.

The female phantom has become a vengeful spirit, a terrifying hannya.

The priest of Yokawa, a mountain ascetic living under Buddhist law, confronts the female demon that the spirit of Lady Rokujo has become.

The time has come to attempt the secret arts.

Words from the teachings of Buddhism ring out. The blessing brings relief even to the endless bitterness of the phantom.