Kannyōkyū

咸陽宮 The kannyō Palace

1 Source and/or Related Material

The Tale of the Heike 5

2 Author

Unknown

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

In ancient China, Jing Ke of Yan (waki) and his sidekick Qin Wuyang (tsure) are on a mission to assassinate King Zheng of Qin, the future First Emperor of China. They arrive at Xianyang Palace bearing peace offerings: the severed head of the traitorous Qin general Fan Wuji and a map of Yan, which King Zheng was about to invade. These gifts get the assassins an audience with the King, and the moment they get close enough they draw the blades they had hidden inside the map scroll. Admitting defeat, King Zheng asks only to hear his favorite wife, Madame Huayang (tsure), play the zither one last time, and Jing Ke agrees. The lady begins to play, and Jing Ke and Qin Wuyang are so captivated by her performance that they doze off, and King Zheng dispatches them handily.