is among the most-performed Japanese Noh plays. It is an example of the traditional swan maiden motif.

Sources and history

The earliest recorded version of the legend dates to the eighth century. The authorship of the Noh play Hagoromo is unknown. The earliest references to the play in historical records date to 1524, which suggests that it was written well after Zeami's time.

Plot

The plot is as follows: A priest finds the Hagoromo, the magical feather-mantle of a tennin (an aerial spirit or celestial dancer) hanging on a bough. The tennin demands its return. The priest argues with her, and finally promises to return it, if she will teach him her dance or part of it. She accepts his offer. The Chorus explains the dance as symbolic of the daily changes of the moon. The words about "three, five, and fifteen" refer to the number of nights in the moon's changes. In the finale, the tennin disappears like a mountain slowly hidden in mist.

Later adaptations

W.B. Yeats' At the Hawk's Well drew extensively from the Hagoromo legend. Osamu Tezuka based a short story in his Phoenix series on the story of the Hagoromo, but with a sci-fi twist, featuring a time displaced human girl from the distant future instead of a tennin. Recently, the story was adapted into the manga and anime series Ceres, The Celestial Legend.

References

External links

• English translation of the Hagoromo Noh play by Arthur Waley
• English translation of the Hagoromo Noh play by Ezra Pound
• Hagoromo Noh play Photo Story and Story Paper