Seiobo (Noh play) (西王母 (能))

"Seiobo" is a Noh play (classical Japanese dance theater). It is categorized into the category of Waki-noh Mono featuring a goddess.

Synopsis

A beautiful noblewoman appears in front of King Mu of Zhou to dedicate a peach tree branch with blossoms bloomed by the prestige and virtues of the emperor, which is said to bloom and bear fruit only once in three thousand years.

The woman, who is an incarnation of Seiobo (Queen Mother of the West), returns to the heavens to bring the peach to the king.

The emperor has orchestral music played while waiting for Seiobo to come down to visit him; Seiobo comes down amidst a flock of birds of the Buddhist paradise – peacocks, phoenixes and Karyobinnga (birds having a face of a beautiful woman and a sweet voice) – flying about.

After dedicating the peach fruit to the emperor, Seiobo goes back up into the heavens, dancing beautifully.

[Original Japanese]