Noh play
is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...
of the fifth category attributed to
Zeami Motokiyo
(c. 1363 – c. 1443), also called , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright.
His father, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, introduced him to Noh theater performance at a young age, and found that he was a skilled actor. Kan'ami was also skill ...
. Its central character is the legendary mountain hag,
Yama-uba
, Yamamba or Yamanba are variations on the name of a ''yōkai'' found in Japanese folklore.
Description
The word can also be written as 山母, 山姫, or 山女郎, and in the town of Masaeki, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki Prefecture (no ...
.
A female dancer, called "Hyakuma Yamanba" because of her frequent performances of songs about the character, embarks on a pilgrimage to Zenkōji in
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...
, accompanied by her attendants.
While travelling north-east on the Koshi road, they arrive at the river boundary between Etchu Province and
Echigo Province
was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...
. The road beyond diverges in three directions, and they ask for directions from a local, who advises them that Agero Pass is far too steep for a litter, as it is "the path Amida himself takes as he descends to receive souls." The dancer decides that, as she is a pilgrim, it is fitting that she descend from her litter and proceed on foot, taking that very path.
They have not gone far when the sun sets unexpectedly, and they are offered lodgings by a mysterious old woman, who, after they accept, demands that the dancer perform the Yamanba song. The attendants are indignant, but become afraid when they realise she is a supernatural being.
Suddenly the darkness vanishes, and it is once again the middle of day. They meet the same local man, who tells them tall tales of the origin of Yama-uba. On his departure, the dancer dares not refuse Yama-uba's request — but it is the
crone
In folklore, a crone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructive. The Crone is also an archetypal fig ...
herself who performs the long dance which ends the play.
References
*Karen Brazell, ed. ''Traditional Japanese Theater.'' Columbia University Press, New York, 1998.
* Tyler, Royall (ed. & trans.)(1992). ''Japanese Nō Dramas'', London:
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Noh plays