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From 'Ichinotani Futaba Gunki'

Background Information

'Ichinotani Futaba Gunki' is a play that has five parts that was written by Namiki Sosuke as a puppet play in 1751. It was first performed as Kabuki play in 1752. The story is based to 'The Tale of Heike', and this act 'Kimagai Jinya' is an episode of 'Atsumori' that is one of the most popular parts of the book.

Genji clan and Heike clan had fought each other for long years. Taira-no Atsumori was an officer of the Heike clan, and was killed at the Ichinotani battle. He was 16years old then. Kumagai Naozane was one of the officers of the Genji clan. This play starts at Kumagai's quarters, after the Ichinotani battle has finished.

Cast

Story

Kumagai Naozane has returned in a bad mood from the Ichinotani battle to his quarters. He finds his wife Sagami there. Although she was stopped even writing a letter, she was worried about her son Kojiro, so she couldn't stop coming there. It was the first battle for Kojiro who was only 16 years old.

Naozane says that their son Kojiro was injured at the battle. Sagami is surprised very much, but she says that she would be pleased even if Kojiro was killed by the great warrior. Of course it isn't her real mind, but Naozane is pleased of her words.

Naozane says that he killed Taira-no Atsumori at the battle. Suddenly, a woman enters to the room and tries to kill Naozane with a short sword. Naozane is surprised very much, because she is Fujinokata who worked for the ex-emperor Goshirakawa before. Both of Naoszane and Sagami worked at the Court, and Sagami was a lady-in-waiting of Fjinokata before. They were fallen in love then, but it was a forbidden love. Fujinokata made them free, and they could marry at the east country. So Fujinokata is a benefactor of them.

After Fujinokata left from the court, she married to Taira-no Tsunemori who was one of the influential men of the Heike clan. And she had a son, Atsumori. Fujinokata heard that Atsumori had been killed, and she searched for the murderer to take revenge. She hadn't known that the murderer was Naozane. But now, she has known it, so she orders Sagami to help killing her husband Naozane. Of course Sagami can't accept it. And Naozane starts talking about Atsumori's death.

Naozane found a warrior at the beach near the battlefield. The battle had almost finished already then, and the warrior was trying to take the boat in order to leave from the battlefield. Naozane shouted to the warrior. 'Don't get away!' Then the warrior came back to fight against Naozane. Naozane held the warrior down finally. When Naozane took the warrior's helmet off to cut the head, he found the warrior was Atsumori and was as young as his son Kojiro.

Naozane wanted to save Atsumori, because he thought that the result of the battle wouldn't change by Atsumori's life or death. But a commander Kajiwara Kagetaka was coming there with the Genji army, so Naozane couldn't save Atsumori. Naozane asked Atsumori if he had a will. Atsumori just said to kill him soon. Then Naozane killed Atsumori.

Fujinokata and Sagami cry. Naozane says to Sagami to treat Fujinokata, and he leaves from the room. He must ready the identification of the decapitated head of Atsummori by the general Minamoto-no Yoshitsune.

Then Fijinokata takes out a flute of Atsumori, and starts playing it for him. Suddenly, a shadow is seen on the paper door of the next room. Fujinokata believes that it is Atsumori's shadow, and she opens the paper door. There is just an armor suit that Atsumori wore when he was killed. Two women cry again.

After that, Naozane returns to the room carrying a head casket. Although Naozane is leaving there in order to show it to Yoshitsune, he arrives there then. He is wearing a beautiful armor. The identification of the decapitated head of Atsumori has started. When Naozane opens the head casket, Sagami is surprised very much, because the head is Kojiro. But Yoshitsune identifies that it is Atsumori's severed head immediately.

Several days before, Benkei who was a retainer of Yoshitsune gave a sign to Naozane. It was written that 'One severed branch, one severed finger'. It means that if anyone breaks a branch of the flower tree, he will be punished by having a finger cut off. Naozane had put up the sign near a cherry tree in his garden. The sign connotes other meaning. In Japanese, finger is 指, and child is 子, and both of them are pronounced 'shi'. And there is one more kanji symbol that has the same pronunciation 'shi'. It is 死 that means death. Yoshitsune suggested Naozane to kill his child instead of Atsumori.

Atsumori was a son of the ex-emperor Goshirakawa in really. Yoshitsune wanted to save Atsumori's life. But Yoshitsune is a general of the Genji clan, so he couldn't order it as a regular ordering. Naozane understood it completely. When Naozane's son Kojiro was injured, he took Atsumori to his quarters as Kojiro. After that, Naozane killed Kojiro as Atsumori.

Naozane plucks the sign from the garden, and shows it to everyone who is there. Although Naozane says nothing, everyone understands what he has done. And they all know that they should say nothing about it. Sagami and Fujinokata gasp when they have known that the head isn't Atsumori. After that, a conch shell sounds. Naozane leaves from the room in order to ready fighting.

Kajiwara Kagetoki who is one of the commanders of the Genji clan appears on the stage. He says that there is a plot in order to save Atsumori, and that so he will inform to Yoritomo about it. Minamoto-no Yoritomo is the chief of the Genji clan, and is a older brother of Yoshitsune. Then, a stone-cutter's tool hit Kagetoki directly, and he has been killed.

The stone-cutter Midaroku appears on the stage, and says to Yoshitsune that there is no problem anymore. The tool that killed Kagetoki was thrown by him. Midaroku was taken there, because Kagetoki had thought that Midaroku might have known the plot about Atsumori.

When Midaroku leaves there, Yoshitsune stops him. Yoshitsune says that Midaroku is Taira-no Munekiyo who is a warrior of the Heike clan. Yoshitsune was saved by Munekiyo, when he was a child. Yoshitsune remembered Munekiyo had a mole between the eyebrows, and Midaroku has the same one. Midaroku, Munekiyo accepts it.

Munekiyo saved Yoshitsune and even Yoritomo who is the chief of the Genji clan now. He was a warrior of the Heike clan, but his helping makes his clan go to the ruin. Yoshitsune orders to bring an armor chest, and says that he gives it to Munekiyo. He opens the chest, and he find Atsumori in it. Munekiyo is surprised very much, but he understand what he should do. Munekiyo decides to take the chest and Fujinokata to his home together.

After that, Naozane comes there wearing an armor, and asks Yoshitsune to make him retire. He would like to spend his life praying for Kojiro. Yoshitsune allows it, because Naozane has done his job enough as a warrior of the Genji clan. Naozane takes the armor off, and he is wearing priestly garments already. When Naozane leaves there, Yoshitsune show him the severed head of Kojiro. Naozane says that everything of 16years was a dream.

The End.