HAGOROMO
HAGOROMO (The Feather Mantle) is among the most performed Japanese NOH plays.
The earliest recorded version of the legend, Tango Fudoki, dates from the eighth century.
Apparently, the play combines two legends, one concerning the origins of the Suraga Dance and the other the decent of an angel.
In the play, a poem by the 11th century poet Noin is quoted. The authorship of the NOH play Hagoromo is unknown.
PLOT: A fisherman is walking with his companions when he finds the Hagoromo, the magical Feather Mantle of a Tennin (an aerial spirit or celestial dancer) hanging in the trees. The Tennin sees him taking it and demands its return. Without The Feather Mantle she cannot return to Heaven! The fisherman argues with her, and finally promises to return it, if she will show him her special dance. In the end, the Tennin disappears like a mountain slowly hidden in the mist.
