Background Information

'Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura' was written by Takeda Izumo, Miyoshi Shoraku, and Namiki Senryu, based on 'The Tale of Heike', and was first performed in 1747 as a puppet play. In the next year, it was performed as a kabuki play and made a big hit. Just after the Minamoto-Taira clan war finished, this drama started. Its hero is Minamoto-no Yoshitsune, a warrior of the Minamoto family. However, its third act was presented in Kabukiza Theater this time, but Yoshitsune didn't appear on the stage.

Story

Scene-1; The Acorn Scene

Taira-no Koremori's wife lady Wakana-no Naiji and his son Rokudai are on the way to search for Koremori to Koyasan mountain, and they are accompanied by Koremori who was a retainer of Koremori. They dropped by a small teashop near the tree to take a rest, because Rokudai, a little boy had a stomach ache suddenly. Lady Wakaba asked a teashop owner Kosen to give her a medicine for her son. Kosen doesn't have any medicine, so that she goes to a drug store near there to buy it instead of lady Wakaba.

There are many acorns, and Rokudai starts taking them. A traveler, Gonta comes there, and throw a stone to the tree. Then many acorns fall to the ground, and Rokudai is glad of Gonta's kindness very much. Just after Gonta left there, Kokingo found a travel package instead of his one. Kokingo suspected Gonta stole it, so that he opened it. Gonta came back there then, and he apologized to have taken a different package instead of his one. Kokingo opened it, and found thatbhis package was no problem. However, Gonta said that there wasn't money 20ryo in his package that he left behind, and that Kokingo must have stolen it. Kokingo gets angry with Gonta, but Gonta doesn't stop demanding his money. It was his trick, but Kokingo had no way, because he wasn't alone. Kokingo shouldn't make a trouble, because he must protect lady Wakaba and Rokudai. So Kokingo gave money to Gonta, and left there with lady Wakaba and Rokudai as soon as possible.

Kosen came back there, and found Gonta, her husband instead of lady Wakaba. Kosen suspected that Gonta could have made a something wrong matter to lady Wakaba, because he always stole the others' possession. Kosen was a prostitute before, and Gonta was her guest at that time. Gonta stole money from his parents in order to meet Kosen, and as the result, Kosen was pregnant, so that Gonta became a gambler in order to buy her from her boss. After that, Gonta and Kosen got married, but he didn't stop being a hooligan. Although Gonta is a hooligan, he becomes very kind father for his son Zentaro who seems the same age as Rokudai. Gonta puts Zentaro on his back and comes home with Kosen like a happy family.

Scene-2; Kokingo's death

Kokingo is fighting alone against pursuers to protect lady Wakaba and Rokudai, and he is injured seriously finally. Lady Wakaba and Rokudai caught up him, and found him who lied on the ground. Kokingo said them to leave as soon as possible, and they leave from him unwillingly. And Kokingo has died. After that, Yazaemon who is a sushi shop owner is on the way to home, and finds Kokingo's dead body. Yazaemon thinks up an idea, and he cut Kokingo's severed head.

Scene-3; Yazaemon's sushi shop in Yoshino

Gonta came to Yazaemon's sushi shop to meet his mother. Yazaemon is his father, and Gonta stole money from the sushi shop often, so that Yazaemon disowned Gonta. Gonta told a lie to ask his mother to give him money, and his mother accepted his lie. Then there was a sound that Yazaemon came home, and Gonta hid the money that his mother gave him into an empty sushi bucket, and left from there and hid himself right away.

Yazaemon came home carrying Kokingo's severed head, and hid it into an empty sushi bucket. And Yazaemon called Yasuke an employee of his sushi shop, and started talking.

Yazaemon was helped by Taira-no Shigemori who was a master of the Taira family before, and felt indebted to Shigemori very much, so that he hid Koremori, Shigemori's son, into his house as a worker Yasuke. Yazaemon was called by a warrior Kajiwara Heiza Kagetoki who was ordered to find Koremori at that day. Kajiwara demanded to Yazaemon to take Koremori there. Although Yazaemon said that he knew nothing, Kajiwara seemed to know everything. So Yazaemon recommended Koremori to leave from the sushi shop, and to go to Yazaemon's second house.

Koremori accepted everything that Yazaemon said. He survived, but he doesn't have any wish or hope now. The other side, he have a sexual relationship with Yazaemon's daughter Osato. Osato intends to marry with Yasuke/Koremori in the near future.

At that night, lady Wakaba and Rokudai dropped by the sushi shop to ask to give lodging, and they found Koremori there. They all were surprised, but they were glad of the unexpected meeting. Koremori introduced his wife and son to Osato, and she found that her wish was disappeared. Then a messenger comes to the sushi shop to notify that Kajiwara would come there soon. Osato makes Koremori's family go to Yazaemon's second house as soon as possible. Just after that, Gonta appeared suddenly, and took a sushi bucket, and chased to Koremori right away.

Kajiwara Heiza Kagetoki and his party arrived. Kajiwara demanded Koremori to Yazaemon right away. Yazaemon put a sushi bucket front of Kajiwara, and opened it. There must have been Kokingo's severed head, but there was money that Gonta hid before. Yazaemon intended to give Kokingo's severed head as Koremori to Kajiwara, so that he was surprised very much. Gomta comes back bringing the sushi bucket with a woman and a boy who are tied with rope.

Gonta said that he killed Koremori, and that caught his wife and son. Gonta opened the sushi bucket, and showed Kokingo's severed head as Koremori. Kajiwara watched Kokingo's severed head, and accepted it as Koremori. And Kajiwara gave a coat to Gonta as reward. That coat belongs to the shogun Yoritomo, so that it will be exchangeable for money whenever Gonta brings it to the government office. Kajiwara departed with those woman and boy.

Just after that, Yazaemon stabbed Gonta suddenly with a short sword. Yazaemon was furious. The dying Gonta said that Koremori and his family hadn't died. And Koremori and his family appeared. Those woman and boy who were taken with Kajiwara were Kosen and Zentaro. When Gonta stole  Kokingo's travel package, he found a photo of Shigemori that looked like Yasuke. So he realized that Yazaemon was cornered. Gonta came to the sushi shop, because he wanted to hear about Yasuke from his mother. He took the different sushi bucket, and found Kokingo's severed head. So he thought up an idea, and asked his wife Kosen  to give her life to him. As the result, Kosen and Zentaro were taken away with Kajiwara. Everyone there was crying.

Yazaemon recommended to Koremori to cut that coat instead of Yoritomo himself. Then there are a priest's surplice and prayer beads in the coat. It suggested that Yoritomo didn't intend to kill Koremori from beginning, and recommended to Koremori to become a priest. Yoritomo didn't forget that Koremori's father Shigemori had helped his life. Kajiwara was a messenger of it from Yoritomo. Koremori accepts everything. And Gonta died thinking that everything that he did meant nothing.

The End (2004,3,6)