Yamanba (Noh play)
A Noh play about a dancer and a mountain hag.
Yamanba (山姥) is a fifth-category Noh play, often staged, and credited to Zeami Motokiyo. Its main figure is the mythical mountain crone, Yama-uba.
A dancer known as "Hyakuma Yamanba" for her many renditions of songs about the character travels with attendants on a pilgrimage to Zenkōji in Shinano Province. Heading northeast along the Koshi road, they reach a river marking the border between Etchu and Echigo provinces. The road splits into three paths, so they ask a local for directions. He warns that Agero Pass is too steep for a litter, calling it "the path Amida himself takes as he descends to receive souls." The dancer, seeing herself as a pilgrim, decides it is proper to leave her litter and walk that route.
Soon after, night falls unexpectedly. An unknown old woman offers them lodging, and once they accept, she insists the dancer perform the Yamanba song. The attendants grow angry, then fearful when they realize she is a supernatural being. The darkness lifts, and it is midday again. They encounter the same local man, who spins exaggerated stories about Yama-uba’s origins. After he leaves, the dancer dares not refuse the crone’s request—but it is the old woman herself who performs the long dance that concludes the play.
Quick Facts
- Name En
- The Mountain Crone
- Author
- Zeami Motokiyo
- Category
- 5
- Chars
- shite Yamanba / tsure a dancer called / Hyakuma Yamanba / waki her attendant / wakizure attendants / aikyōgen local man
- Place
- Mount Agero, Echigo province
- Sources
- Japanese folklore
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The play follows a female dancer called 'Hyakuma Yamanba' because of her frequent performances of songs about the character. She embarks on a pilgrimage to Zenkoji in Shinano Province, accompanied by her attendants. While travelling north-east on the Koshi road, they arrive at the river boundary between Etchu Province and Echigo Province. 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.
Reader's Guide
Yamanba is a notable example of a fifth-category Noh play, a genre often featuring supernatural or demonic characters. The play's structure includes a journey, a mysterious encounter, and a dance performed by the mountain hag herself, rather than the human dancer. The work is attributed to Zeami Motokiyo, one of the most important figures in Noh theatre. The play's plot involves a dancer who is compelled to perform for the supernatural Yama-uba, highlighting themes of fate, pilgrimage, and the boundary between the human and spirit worlds. The play remains frequently performed, indicating its enduring place in the Noh repertoire.
Did You Know?
- The play is attributed to Zeami Motokiyo.
- The central character is the legendary mountain hag, Yama-uba.
- The crone herself performs the long dance which ends the play.
More in Crones and hags 1-24
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