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

History (from Tsuge Gen'ichi)
This kumiuta was composed by Kitajima Kengyo, the ablest disciple of Yatsuhashi Kengyo and the teacher of Ikuta Kengyo.

The present song cycle consists of six short songs, the texts of which are based on the chapter entitled 'The Shell of the Locust' (Utsusemi) from 'The Tale of Genji.' Utsusemi was the wife of Iyo-no-suke a provincial governor, and was courted in vain by Genji. While the third and fifth songs in the cycle describe Utsusemi's feelings, all the others speak of Genji's attraction to her. The name Utsusemi literally means the 'cast-off shell of the locust or cicada.'

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
Can it be that
Utsusemi is here?
No it is only
A meaningless vision-
Yet her scent lingers
On the bed quilt,
An empty cocoon.
How I long for her!

I visit her, but
She is reluctant,
She refuses to see me,
She never shows herself.
What a miserable thing
This life can be!
My lonely heart
Burns with desire.

Night after night
My sleeves are
Drenched with tears.
I long for him,
Yet he does not know
He is in my every thought.
In my position, how
Lonely can it get!

How I yearn for her!
It is hard to live
In this world of disappointments!
My feelings for her
Are as patient as
The steadfast pines of Sumiyoshi.
Shall I not, then, grow old
Waiting for her?

As the years go by
My longing increases,
And the memories
Grow sweet.
But tonight
As I think of him,
My tears start to fall
Like a sudden rain.

And yet,
And yet,
If I remain true,
Though we are separated
By the tossing waves,
Shouldn't we be able
To meet again someday?