This play was written by Namiki Senryu and Miyoshi Shoraku, was first performed in 1749 as a puppet play. It made a big hit, so that it was performed as a kabuki play in 1767. It has five acts, and 'Sanemori Monogatari' is its third act.

'The Tale of Heike' is the war chronicle about Taira-Minamoto War, 1156-1185. We can know a history of Taira family, the rise and the fall, by it. 'The Tale of Heike' was very popular, and it was made into many kabuki plays, movies, and TV-dramas. However, it isn't wrong to say that 'The Tale of Heike' became very popular for Japanese because of many kabuki plays based to it. And also this play 'Sanemori Monogatari' isn't an exception.

According to 'The Tale of Heike', this play's hero, Saito Sanemori was killed by Teduka-no Taro Mitsumori at the battle of Shinohara. Sanemori dyed his hair black, and wore red clothes and yellow-green armor suit, and put the gold saddle on his horse then. He thought that it wasn't an adult attitude to vie with young warriors to reach the enemy, but that he didn't want to be thought light as an old warrior. So he mde himself into young warrior. There were many bushi/samurai who thought how to die, but Sanemori was one of the rare men who could think directly his own old age. This episode gave an inspiration to the two playwrights. Sanemori's spirit was made into the new kabuki play, and he appeared on the stage as a hero.

Shinnosuke performed Sanemori this time. He got a very good reputation by the TV-drama this year, but he seemed too young as Sanemori. However, he showed very fine performance at the last scene. The second floor seats of Kabukiza Theater project over on the side stage called 'hanamichi'. At the ending of this play, ordinarily Sanemori leaves from hanamichi on a horse slowly. Shinnosuke made his horse rush on hanamichi, and he turned down on the horse quickly to avoid clashing into the second floor. Shinnosuke did it wonderfully.

Although Minamoto-no Yoshinaka got a big victory at the battle of Shinohara, he lost at the battle of Ujigawa after that. Yoshinaka was accompanied by only five warriors then. Teduka-no Taro Mitsumori was one of them. Taro who became the first retainer of Komaomaru/later Yoshinaka was with Yoshinaka until he died in battle.

'Teduka-no Taro died in battle.'

A lovely boy in this play 'Snemori Monogatari' lived to rush to that sentence in 'The Tale of Heike'. I felt sad a little, when I watched Taro who rode on the horse with Snemori. (2003,12,6)