Tied a knot of twigs,
Out of a pine tree on the beach,
Halfway o’er there ―
There to Ki-no-Yu, a brig,
Wishin’ a luck to come back free…
(Vol.2-141)

Among the song-writers in Man-Yoh-Shuh, there are some who might be called heroes of tragedy, and Prince Arima is one.  He was a son left behind by Emperor Kohtoku who had to die an indignant and tragic death due to the tyrannical plots by Naka-no Ohe-no Ohji (eventually Emperor Tenchi). Prince Arima, as he grew up, always remained the target of unfounded suspicions by Naka-no Ohe in relation to the Imperial succession matters.  Documents (“Saimei-Ki” or “Chronicles of Emperor Saimei”) show that Arima even tried to disguise insane to avoid a possible assault.

One may be reminded of “Hamlet” here. Eventually, Arima was caught under custody of Naka-no Ohe’s side, and was taken to Kino-Yu Onsen (Shirahama Hot Spring, Wakayama Pref. of present day), where he faced a severe interrogation by Naka-no Ohe himself.  The same documents state, however, that this case was not all groundless plots coming out of rivalry, but was just short of reality in that a certain plan was under way on the part of Prince Arima.

Arima was hanged to death on the way back from Kino-Yu, the place of interrogation, hence not being able to see the knot he had tied in the hope of seeing it again.

Man-Yoh Shuh placed his songs at the top of “Elergy” section.
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“Photos of pine trees in an old temple, 5/2020 by HM”

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