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This work is based on the folk tale "An island girl and the man from Echigo (old name for Niigata prefecture)" from Sado Island, Japan.
"On Sado Island there once lived Oben, a fisherman's daughter. She fell in love with the shipwright Fujikichi, from Echigo region. Each day after work was completed the shipwright needed to go back to his house. Oben decided to use a tub made for night fishing. She visited him every night. Fujikichi was happy at first, but as he saw her attention day after day, he became afraid of her devotion. Moreover, he was a married man with a child. One night, he darkened the lighthouse that Oben used as a guide. Losing her way, Oben drowned and her body washed on shore. With uncontrollable guilt and remorse, Fujikichi took his life by drowning himself in the ocean where Oben drowned."
The introduction of the piece foreshadows the tragic ending of the story. The composition depicts the purity of Oben's love for Fujikichi, disheartening sorrow, grief, and anguish. Many emotions are reflected. The melody has this emotional character. Utilize maximum musical and artistic expression.
(Tomohito Matsushita)
