Hanjō

班女 Lady Han

1 Source and/or Related Material

Wen Xuan, Book of Han

2 Author

Zeami

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

At the waystation of Nogami in Mino Province (modern Gifu), the madam (ai) is scolding a courtesan named Hanako (maeshite). Hanako has started a relationship with one Captain Yoshida, a noble from the capital, and after exchanging fans with him before his journey to the East, she refuses to leave her room, spending her days looking at her lover’s gift. The madam angrily dismisses Hanako, so she leaves the Nogami waystation in sadness. Just then, the Captain (waki) returns to the inn with his attendants (wakitsure) from his journey, but Hanako is no longer there. Disappointed, he returns to the capital to pray at Tadasu forest near Kamo Shrine (Kyoto). There he meets a weird madwoman (nochishite), who wails aloud, begging the God to reunite her with her lover. An attendant (wakitsure) asks her to dance a “mad” dance and asks about her fan, calling it the fan of Lady Ban (J. Han), a literary woman of Han Dynasty China who, in a poem about losing the emperor’s love, famously compared herself to a fan thrown away with the changing of the seasons. The madwoman recites Lady Ban’s poem and, holding her precious fan, expresses her sadness and passion in song and dance. Captain Yoshida recognizes the fan and calls the lady up. Showing their keepsake fans to each other, they recognise each other and are happily reunited.