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This is a Sokyoku piece in the Kumiuta style from the Ikuta Ryû school . This piece was composed for koto by Mitsuhashi Kengyo .

History (from Tsuge Gen'ichi)
The original composer of this kumiuta is unknown. The song-texts are based on the last ten chapters of ‘The Tale of Genji.’ They deal mainly with the life of Kaoru, the son of the Third Princess and Kashiwagi, but thought by all to be Prince Genji’s son. The title of ‘Hashihime’ (‘The Lady at the Bridge’) is derived from the first song, which is based on the chapter of the same name. The second song is derived from a waka (1) poem by Kaoru in the chapter ‘Beneath the Oak’ (Shiigamoto).

The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth songs are based respectively on the chapters ‘Early Ferns’ (Sawarabi), ‘The Ivy’ (Yadorigi), ‘A Boat upon the Waters’ (Ukifune) and ‘At Writing Practice’ (Tenarai).

This piece is often sung at memorial services.

(1) Court poetry of thirty-one syllables.

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
Like froth
On the water,
Or lightning
In a dew drop,
Where all is uncertain,
The lady stands
At the bridge
Over the Uji River.

The oak tree
Beneath whose boughs
I would rest
When I am sad,
Is gone.
The village is empty,
Our fate
Sorrowful.

Fern-shoots
On the hilltop
Make it hard to forget
Her flowery form.
For a keepsake
I pluck them
And bring them as an offering
To her deserted house.

Was it destiny
In a former life?
Or passion
Of this life?
To the deserted house
In the Uji village
He used to come
Visiting ceaselessly.

In love with
Two
I am a boat
Drifting aimlessly-
A butt of gossip.
Ever since I went
To the Islet of Tachibana
I have been consumed with love.

At Ono
The autumn flowers
By the bedchamber,
Red plum blossoms,
Reminding me
Of the flower gardens
And the longed-for
People of old.

Hashihime appears on the following albums:

Album	Shakuhachi	Koto	Shamisen
Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 06  (Listen)		Koshino Eisho I