'Sasaki Takatsuna' was written by novelist-playwright Okamoto Kido (1872-1939), that was first performed in 1914. Kabuki plays that were written after Meiji restoration until the second world war are called New Kabuki. So 'Sasaki Takatsuna' is one of the New Kabuki. Kabuki plays that were written after the second world war are called New Product Kabuki. For example, Mishima's works are included to them.

The Genji clan and the Heike clan had fought each other for long years, and the Genji clan beat the Heike clan finally. After that, Minamoto-no Yoritomo who was a master of the Genji clan started Kamakura shogunate government in 1192. Sasaki Takatsuna was a warrior of the Genji clan.

Takatsuna is well known as a great warrior at the battle of Ujigawa. According to 'The Tale of Heike', Takatsuna competed with Kajiwara Genta Kagesue to reach to enemy first. Yoritomo gave a fine horse Ikezuki to Takatsuna, and the other fine horse Surusumi was given to Kagesue. When they were crossing the river, Ujigawa, Kagesue took a lead in Takatsuna. Takatsuna shouted that Surusumi's saddle belt had become to loose. Kagesue stopped Surusumi to fasten the belt. As a result, Takatsuna could reach to enemy first. Usually, that would be really great, and suitable to getting reward. But in that case, Takatsuna made a trap. He wasn't fair then. However, Takatsuna was proud of it in order to get reward. I think that Takatsuna must have had a strong ambition.

Takatsuna thinks that he isn't estimated fairly. I think that 'estimating' means 'understanding'. Sometimes people feel that a well-meant misunderstanding is understanding. But in his case, I got an impression that Takatsuna wouldn't have wished only to be understood. Yoritomo intended to make a new rule, and he didn't need Takatsuna's strong ambition anymore. But Takatsuna couldn't understand it, and kept his old rule. Takatsuna was too strong to live in sadness as an old warrior, and also he didn't have sensitivity enough to become sentimental. So Takatsuna thought that if he couldn't be understood by the new society, he would throw the new society away.

Buddha said that he threw egoism away, and got awakened spiritually. When Takatsuna became a monk, he didn't awake spiritually, and he didn't intend to get awakened spiritually in the future. As for Takatsuna, egoism meant just his identity. He couldn't think to throw it away, of course. Takatsuna said that Omino was the one who couldn't get awakened spiritually. He could have thought that if he didn't throw everything, he might live like her. Takatsuna might have seen a stupid illusion of himself in Omino.

There are three holly mountains of Buddhism in Japan; Mt. Osore, Mt. Hiei, and Mt. Koya. Every mountain of them has many monks, and priests to study Buddhism there. Takatsuna decided to go to Mt. Koya as a monk, because he thought that nobody understand him. However, he would keep his egoism also after that.

I think that it also would be difficult that monks or priests understand Takatsuna at Mt. Koya unfortunately. (2002,9,7)

The Tale of Heike

'The Tale of Heike' is one of the war chronicles about Taira-Minamoto War, 1156-1185. The title was connected with Taira family that was called Heike. There was a lot of theory about which ages it was written in and who the author was. Almost scholars say it was written in 13th century. Taira-Minamoto War is the most famous incident in Japan. A lot of stories were written about it, and they all were based to “The Tale of Heike”.

'The Tale of Heike' is also a history of Taira family, the rise and the fall. It was recited by blind persons accompanying of the biwa that was one of the string instruments. They were called biwa minstrels. The story recounts in the context of the Buddhism philosophy of impermanence.

Minamoto family has been called Genji. So the incident is called Genji-Heike clan war. It is a similar incident of War of the Roses as a clan war in Britain. But the contents were different very much.

War of the Roses, 1455-1485, was an incident to reorganization of feudalism in England. Many feudal lords fought and killed each other, and they were collapsed. It means that centralization of power had been being built during the incident gradually. Henry�Z was progressing of it, then Elizabeth�T established the absolute monarchy in 16th century.

Taira-Minamoto War was an incident to build feudalism in Japan. Minamoto-no Yoritomo started Kamakura Shogunate Government in 1192. The government had been progressing of feudalism. Muromachi Shogunate Government that started in 1338 heired it. Reorganization of feudalism started when Onin incident happened in 1467. After the incident, the Warring States Period had started.

Oda Nobunaga was one of the feudal lords. He devised new rule to regulate society on a nationwide basis. Nobunaga had been thinking his own central government system. He had almost built it, but he couldn’t finish, because he was killed at Honnoji incident in 1582. Centralization of power in Japan was established, when Ieyasu started Tokugawa Shogunate Government in 1603.

Most foreigners know the title 'The Tale of Genji'. But it wasn’t a war chronicle. It was a fiction about a lot of love affairs of Genji. He was an emperor’s son. He didn't have any relation to Minamoto family. Some people give it a kind of authority. But I think it is porno story. Then 'The Tale of Genji' has been read for a long time.