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This is a Sokyoku piece in the Kumiuta style from the Ikuta Ryű school . Yuki no Ashita is also known as: Aoi No Kyoku, Nahi No Kyoku. This piece was composed for koto by Yatsuhashi Kengyo .

History (from Tsuge Gen'ichi)
Yuki no ashita ('Morning of Fresh-fallen Snow'), one of the 'Thirteen Yatsuhashi Song Cycles,' is classified into the omote category.

The texts of the second and sixth songs refer to episodes from 'The Maiden' (Otone) and 'Heartvine' (Aoi) chapters of 'The Tale of Genji.' Hence this song cycle is sometimes called 'Aoi no kyoku' ('Song of Aoi'), The rest of the songs, however, are not related to 'The Tale of Genji.'

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
A morning wind
Blowing over the fresh snow
Scatters white flowers
From the trees.
I am sad to see them fall
But sadder still to see you leave
After our night together
So long awaited.

Oh, the wretched state
To which I (1) have fallen!
Will I ever be able
To forget the look
Of condescension
She cast on me:
Kumoinokari (2),
To whom my love aspires.

In the shallow sleep
Of a short summer night,
Images of my love
Appeared and reappeared.
Regrettably, but auspiciously
The dream was broken
By the first song
Of the hototogisu.

The lovely autumn moon
Causes me to
Pine for my lover
All the more.
I don't mind
If clouds interfere,
For then I will feel
No bitterness against it.

Is it wind
Blowing around the mountain peaks,
Or is it the flow
Of a valley stream?
Heard upon waking
The wind in the pines deceives,
As if it were
A distant koto.

At the height of her glory
On an excursion to view
The Kamo festival,
Aoi caused a struggle
Between carriages (3).
Her heartlessness
Brought deep resentment
From the Rokujo Lady.

(1) Yugiri, the son of Genji and Aoi, was denied the full promotion he had expected in court appointments.
(2) A court woman of great pride who later becomes Yugiri's wife.
(3) This song describes the famous scene from 'The Tale of Genji' in which Aoi, Genji's formal wife, has a struggle with the Rokujo Lady, one of his former lovers. The struggle occurs at the Kamo festival when Rokujo's carriage is pushed away to make room for Aoi's. This humiliating incident was the cause of bitterness which turned Rokujo's soul into a wraith of living vengeance.