58. Does the cuckoo too announce its name from above the clouds?

Minamoto no Yorimasa (1106-1180) made his fame when he shot a mythological nue-monster that was disturbing the Emperor, and was given a sword, and Lady Shobu for a wife. At the rewarding ceremony a cuckoo calls, and Minister Yorinaga asks: "Does the cuckoo too announce its name from above the clouds?" Yorimasa replies: "I only bent my bow, and the arrow shot itself." The insert shows a 1884 Chikanobu print that is crowded with all actors, including the cuckoo, the nue, and Lady Shobu. (March 1888)