Azusa Miko

...The Middle Counselor said that he had heard the old story first-hand because of the suspicious painting on the fan, and that he would pray for the soul of the deceased in the afterlife. He then asked about the secrets of the Tale of Genji, and the story weaved in the names of the volumes in order as he recounted them. This playful kyogen tale struck everyone as odd, and he gave them many rewards. The Tale of Ise and the Tale of Genji are strongly colored as educational books, and the story itself lacks consistency, but the idea of ​​having an azusa miko tell a story during the fan-fighting is very much in the Muromachi period. The Genji and Ise notes are assumed to be the source material, and it is also interesting that the lifestyle of the azusa miko at that time is vividly depicted. ...

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Azusa Miko" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…中納言は，扇の絵の不審からまのあたりに昔語りを承ったから後世菩提を弔おうと言って，さらに《源氏物語》の秘事を問うと，巻名を順に織り込みつつ語るので，狂言綺語の戯れに接した一同は奇特に思い多くのほうびを与えた。《伊勢物語》《源氏物語》の啓蒙書としての色が濃く，物語としては一貫性に欠けるが，扇合の場をかりて梓巫（あずさみこ）に昔語りをさせる趣向がいかにも室町風である。素材として源氏注や伊勢注が想定され，また当時の梓巫の生態が活写されているのも興味深い。…

※「梓巫」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報