Birds of Sorrow
[Utō] by Seami Motokiyo
The original title of the play, “Utō,” is usually written in Japanese with three ideographs which may be loosely translated as “virtue-knowing bird.” The utō or utōyasukata of early legends is a species of sea bird found in northern Japan and widely hunted for the delectability of its flesh. According to tradition, the parent bird of the species hides its young so well in the sand that even it cannot find them and, when bringing them food, calls them with the cry “Utō,” to which they reply with the cry “Yasukata.” Hunters catch both parent birds and the young by imitating these cries. It is also said that the parent birds weep tears of blood upon seeing their young taken, and that hunters must wear large hats and raincloaks to protect themselves from the falling tears, the touch of which causes sickness and death. Because of its traits the bird becomes an apt symbol for the Buddhist tenet that the taking of life in any form whatsoever is a sin.
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Persons
- A Buddhist Monk
- The Ghost of a Dead Hunter
- The Hunter’s Wife
- The Hunter’s Child
- A Villager
- Chorus
Part I
Place: Tateyama, a high mountain in Central Honshū, near the Sea of Japan.
Time: The month of April.
