Also Tsutsu izutsu 筒井筒. Lit. a well curb. A painting subject associated with Episode 24 of Ise monogatari 伊勢物語 (The Tales of Ise) where a boy and girl grow up together, and finally marry despite her father's interference. The story was further popularized by its dramatization by Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443) in a *noh 能 play, where the girl is identified as the daughter of Ki no Aritsune 紀有常 and the boy as Ariwara no Narihira 在原業平 (825-80), the protagonist of the Tales of Ise. In the story the boy recites a poem:
つついづ (つついづつ)の Tsutsuizu (or Tsutsuizutsu) no
いづつにかけし izutsu ni kakeshi
まろがたけ maro ga take
すぎにけらしな suginikerashi na
妹見ざるまに imo mizaru ma niMy height that we measured
At the well curb
Has, it seems,
Passed the old mark
Since last I saw you— translated by McCullough
The theme was a popular one in yamato style painting *yamato-e やまと絵 and can also be found in woodblock prints *ukiyo-e 浮世絵.