Flying Hairpin of Kocho

The Flying Hairpin of Kocho was a play written by Shosuro Kanzashi. The beautiful Kocho killed herself because of false accusations of adultery. Her avenger sought in vain for the villain responsible. In the end, the dead woman's hairpin turned into a beautiful white butterfly and guided the avenging samurai to the masked villain, assuring his demise. Since its debut a dance called the Kocho-Mai (Butterfly Dance) had been performed annually at the Imperial Palace.