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From 'Gosho Zakura Horikawa Youchi'

Background Information

'Gosho Zakura Horikawa Youchi' is a five-act play, but only the third act 'Benkei Joshi' is performed now. This play was written by Bunkodo and Miyoshi Syotraku in 1737 as a puppet play. Its Kabuki version was first performed in 1755.

This play is based to the legend of Minamoto-no Yoshitsune who was a younger brother of Minamoto-no Yoritomo who was the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate government. Benkei was the loyal retainer of Yoshitsune. Both of Yoshitsune and Benkei have been popular very much for a long time.

Although Heike clan and Genji clan had fought each other for a long time, Heike clan was extinct at the battle of Dannoura in 1185. Yoshitsune is a commander of the Genji clan at that time. Yoshitsune was very able as a combat commander, but his elder brother Yoritomo thought that he was dangerous. This play starts after the battle of Dannoura.

Cast

Story

Yoritomo of the Genji clan has defeated the Heike clan, and he is planning to open the shogunate government. His younger brother Yoshitsune is an able combat commander, but Yoritomo thinks that Yoshitsune has finished his job already. Yoritomo decides to exclude Yoshitsune.

Yoshitsune's wife Kyonokimi is a daughter of Taira-no Tokitada who is one of the main members of the Heike clan. Kajiwara Kagetoki who is a retainer of Yoritomo suspected that Yoshitsune would rebel with Tokitada against Yoritomo. Yoritomo accepted it, and ordered Benkei to bring her severed head as an evidence that Yoshitsune is innocent. Benkei goes to Jiju Taro's mansion as an messenger of Yoritomo. Kyonokimi is pregnant, and lives there now.

Jiju Taro and his wife Hananoi listen to the message that Benkei brought there. Even if it made the innocent of Yoshitsune clear, Jiju Taro can't accept it because Kyonokimi is a wife of his lord Yoshitsune. Both of Jiju Taro and Benkei think to kill someone as a substitute of Kyonokimi.

Shinobu is a lady-in-waiting of Kyonokimi. Her mother Osawa comes to the mansion to meet her. When mother and a daughter are talking, Jiju Taro and Hananoi come there. Jiju asks Osawa to give him Shinbu's life instead of the life of Kyonokimi. Of course Shinobu is surprised very much, but she accept it, because she is a retainer of Kyonokimi.

Osawa is surprised very much, and refuses his request. She has a husband who is Shinobu's father, but she doesn't know even his face and name. Osawa says that she can't kill her daughter Shinobu until Shinobu meet to her father. Jiju Taro gets angry with her very much, because he thinks it is her bad excuse. Then, Osawa talks about her life.

18 years ago, when Osawa was waiting for the moon to rise, she and someone made love in the dark. Her lover fled hurriedly, because some people came near them. He left only his red left sleeve to her. After that, she found that she was pregnant, and the baby was named Shinobu. Osawa has been searching for her lover for 18 years. Osawa shows the red left sleeve wearing under her kimono to them.

Jiju Taro understand Osawa's talking, but he can't give up killing Shinobu. He tries to slash Shinobu with his sword. Although Osawa protects her daughter, Shinobu is cornered to the front of the paper door, fusuma. Shinobu is stabbed through the fusuma, then. The murderer was Benkei.

Benkei appears there bringing a bloody sword. And he shows his red right sleeve wearing under his kimono. It and the red left sleeve that Osawa has make a pair. After he lost its red left sleeve, he always has been wearing it like before, because it was sewed by his mother. Benkei was Osawa's lover of that night.

Osawa tries to make Shinobu know that Benkei is her father. But Shinobu has become unconscious already. She accepts to die as an substitute of Kyonokimi. Shinobu has died without realizing that she is killed by her real father. Benkei says that if he had met Shinobu as father and daughter, he couldn't have killed her. He cries the first time after he was born.

Jiju Taro severs Shinobu's head. After that, Jiju Taro commits suicide, harakiri. All of them are surprised, and Hananoi asks why he should die. Jiju Taro says that Kajiwara Kagetoki is a suspicious man, and that he will suspect the severed head isn't Kyonokimi. If Jiju Taro died to follow Kyonokimi, Kajiwara would believe that Kyonokimi were killed. Then Jiju Taro has died. Benkei severs Jiju Taro's head. Benkei leaves from the mansion carrying two severed heads. Benkei's mission has accomplished.

The End.