Background Information

This play was written by Kawatake Mokuami, and it was first performed in 1882. It has 7-acts, and two of them were shown this time. Kochiyama Soshun is a monk of Buddhism, but he is a civil servant working between Shogun and local lords at Edo Castle. Local lords couldn't speak with Shogun directly at that time, so a monk like Kochiyama had power.

Story

Act-1

Scene; At the pawnshop Joshuya

One day, Kochiyama comes to the pawnshop Josyuya to borrow money. He showed a wooden sword and said to a manager that he would like to borrow the money 50ryo instead of it. He says that the wooden sword was given by the lord Kishu. The manager refused it of course. Kochiyama says that he will talk with the shop owner Omaki, and demands to meet her. The manager feels him troublesome. Then Omaki comes there, and asks Kochiyama to go back, because she has a problem and she has been talking about it with her relatives today. And Kochiyama is interested in her problem. Omaki wouldn't like to talk about it to him, but she thought that he might do a groundless suspicion. She even thought that he might talk about it later. So Omaki starts talking about her problem.

Omaki has a daughter Namiji who has worked for the lord Izumo as a lady-in-waiting. The lord Izumo loved Namiji, and demanded to become a mistress of him. Namij refused it and was cornered. She is locked up in a room now. And Omaki and her relatives are talking how to get back Namiji.

Kochiyama thought that it was very interesting, and proposed to Omaki that he would get back Namiji. He demands 100ryo as an advance, and after he gets back Namiji he demands 100ryo more as a reward. Omaki was surprised, but she feels that she has no way anyway. Omaki decided to give the 100ryo to Kochiyama. The manager stops Omaki because of the bad reputation of Kochiyama. Izumiya Seibei appears on the scene. Seibei is a relative of Omaki and he is worried about Namiji very much. Seibei gives the 100ryo to Kochiyama. Omaki says that Seibei doesn't need to give money, because she intends to do it. If Kochiyama couldn't get back Namiji, it would be Seibei's failure. So Omaki has no responsibility of it. Omaki understood it, and Seibei asked Kochiyama to get back Namiji.

Kochiyama received the 100ryo, and he promised to get back Namiji until the day after tomorrow.

Act-2

Scene-1; Audience room at Matsue Mansion

Namiji rushes into the audience room suddenly, and the lord Izumo, Matsue comes there after her. He has a Japanese sword. Namiji didn't accept the lord Izumo, so that he intended to kill her. Miyazaki Kazuma who is a retainer of the lord Izumo stops his lord. Kazuma tries to make the lord Izumo be calm, but the lord is still furious. Then Kitamura Daizen comes there, and he starts talking his strange theory. A retainer shouldn't refuse any order of his lord, but he stopped the lord killing Namiji. So Kazuma and Namiji must have loved each other. Kazuma is surprised very much, but he has no evidence to clear the suspicion. Tkagi Kosaemon who is a chief retainer of the lord Izumo appears on the scene. Kosaemon remonstrates with his lord. The lord Izumo is still excited, so that Kosaemon made him be furious more. Everyone tensed higher. A messenger comes there, and says that a monk has visited from the Uemno temple. The lord Izumo thinks that it would be troublesome, so he says that he is sick and leaves from the room. After that, Kosaemon promised Namiji that he makes her back home.

Scene-2; Guest chamber of Matsue Mansion

A monk Dokai, whom Kochiyama disguised himself into, comes into the guest chamber. Many retainers wait him there. Dokai is a monk of the Ueno temple which master priest is the prince. Dokai is a messenger of that noble person. It must be very important. Kosaemon says that the lord Izumo is sick in bed now, and that he would like to hear the message from the Ueno temple instead of the lord. Dokai says that he has nothing to say to anyone except the lord Izumo. Kosaemon is in trouble, but the lord Izumo comes into the room then. Dokai demands to the lord Izumo to make his retainers leave from the room.

The Ueno temple's master priest who is the prince likes Igo very much. The prince priest has an Igo friend, Izumiya Seibei, and he told about a problem recently. Seibei has a niece Namiji who works for the lord Izumo. She is locked up in a room now, because she refused her lord's love. And the prince priest decided to make Namiji free. Dokai demands to the lord Izumo to make Namiji free as soon as possible. The lord Izumo refused it. Dokai says that if the lord Izumo didn't make Namiji come home, he would talk about it to the others. Finally the lord Izumo accepted to make Namiji free. The lord Izumo ordered his retainers to treat Dokai. When the lord Izumo left from the room, he recalled that he met the monk Dokai before.

Then the retainers bring dishes to the room. Dokai refused it, and said that he would like to have a cup of bright yellow tea. Kazuma understood what Dokai said. Bright yellow suggests gold, so that Dokai demanded to give him money. And Dokai heard that Kazuma gave money to a young man waiting for Dokai already. Namiji is ready to leave from the mansion, and Dokai is also ready to leave there now.

Scene-3; Entrance of Matsue Mansion

At the entrance hall of the Matsue mansion, Dokai is leaving there now. Then Daizen stopped him. Daizen says that Dokai is Kochiyama in real, and he isn't a messenger of the prince priest. The lord Izumo recalled who he was, and told it to Daizen. Dokai is surprised, but he finished his job already, so he introduced himself as Kochiyama wildly. And Kochiyama asks Daizen what he will do next. Daizen says that he intends to accuse Kochiyama to the authority. Kochiyama laughed it. Kochiyama's attitude made Daizen get angry with him. Daizen takes a sword out to kill Kochiyama.

Kosaemon appeared on the scene, and made Daizen go away. Kosaemon asks Kochiyama to leave there as Dokai as soon as possible. He knew that if Dokai wasn't a real messenger from the prince priest, it must become a terrible trouble. Kochiyama accepts Kosaemon's intelligent suggestion. When Kochiyama leaves there as Dokai, the lord Izumo comes there to see Kochiyama. Kochiyama says to everyone there, 'FOOLS!!'

The End (2003,9,6)