Hanjo : PhotoStory

A yūjo called Hanago is in love with a man from Kyoto, Yoshida no Shōshō, and does no work. The mistress of the inn in Nogami, Mino Province, is unhappy with her.

Hanago exchanged fans with the Shōshō and now does nothing but hold it and think of him. Eventually, she is banished from the inn. She breaks down in tears.

Driven mad by love, Hanago wanders around and ends up at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto. Praying with all her heart, she tells the gods she wishes to be reunited with her love.

In fact, the Shōshō has returned to Kyoto and has come to worship at the very same shrine. Hanago does not know this.

In a crazed state, Hanago holds the fan. She has been given the nickname Hanjo after a story from Chinese legend.

Hanjo spends the nights alone with no news from her love, discarded in autumn like a fan.

Lost in thought, Hanjo stares at the fan. He said he would return in autumn without fail, and she had believed him.

More than the fan, the human heart has two sides. Absence makes love grow.

Hanjo's fan catches the attention of the Shōshō and he asks to see it more closely. He also wants to show her his own fan.

The two exchange fans once more. In the twilight, the lovers’ fans float full with joy.