ABSTRACT
In the Nō play Aoi no Ue we are shown, limp and enigmatic in the middle of the stage, a single folded robe. It represents the prostrate form of the Princess Aoi, lying mortally sick of a malignant possession. To cure her condition two figures are summoned. The first is a woman called Teruhi, a sibyl gifted with the power of causing the spirits of both the living and the dead to manifest themselves and speak. She beats on a small drum, twangs her bow of catalpa wood, and recites the summoning spell:
Ten shōjō chi shōjō Naige shōjō rokkon shōjō Yoribito wa Ima zo yorikuru Nagahama no Ashige no koma m Tazuna yurikake.
