This play was written by Okamoto Kido as one of the episodes of “The Tale of Heike.” and was premiered in 1912. This play has two scenes. In February 1185, the Genji army attacked the Heike army at Yashima. Heike showed to Genji a small boat that a long stick was stood, and a fan was putted on the top of it. Nasu-no Yoichi shot it, and it fell into water. The fan seemed as if it was the Heike clan’s destiny. There was a lady on the boat, and she was this play’s heroine Tamamushi.

One month later, the Heike clan was downfall at Dannoura Battle. After that, people found a strange crab near Dannoura beach, and its carapace seemed to be carved a distorted face with grudge of a dead warrior of the Heike clan. They called the crab ‘Heikegani’ Heike crab. This play stars two month later from Dannoura Battle. 

Scene-1; The Heike army took many women together to Dannoura. They jumped into water finally, but the others managed to survive. After that, some of them became prostitutes in order to live, and Tamakoto who was a younger sister of Tamamushi was one of them. Yahyobyoe Munekiyo, a warrior of the Heike clan became a monk Ugetsu after Dannoura Battle. He met Tamakoto accidentally, and heard about two sisters from her. Tamakoto met a man Nasu-no Yogoro as a prostitute, but they became to love each other. Tamakoto asked to permit marriage to Tamamushi, but she furious of it, because Yogoro was a warrior of Genji, moreover he was a younger brother of Nasu-no Yoishi. Ugetsu promised to visit Tamamushi, and ask her to permit Tamakoto’s marriage.

Scene-2; Although Tamakoto became a prostitute to live, her elder sister Tamamushi has continued her life as a court lady at a small old poverty house. Tamamushi gave the warriors’ name of Heike to crabs that came to her small garden, and she cursed the Genji clan everyday. Tamakoto takes Yogoro to her house to meet Tamamushi, because they decided to leave there and go to Yogoro’s hometown, and they ask Tamamushi to go together. Tamamushi asks Tamakoto how they do if she didn’t go together. Tamakoto says nothing, so Tamamushi understands that they leave her there alone. Tamamushi accepts to go with them at the beginning, but she kills them with poison. Ugetsu watched everything. Although Ugetsu intends to help the dead spirit of the warriors of the Heike clan as a monk, he thinks that he can’t help Tamamushi, because she became an evil spirit alive. And Ugetsu leaves there. A crab appears as if it invites Tamamushi to sea. Tamamushi goes into the water, and dies.

It isn’t wrong to say that Tamamushi would die if she had to become a prostitute. She was a prideful lady. The other side, Tamakoto had a practical thought, so she became a prostitute to live with her elder sister. Tamamushi can’t accept Tamakoto’s method, but she had to accept Tamakoto’s money to live unwillingly. However, Tamamushi killed Tamakoto, and she lost living way as the result. Tamamushi had two ways; becoming a prostitute or dead. So she selected death. Shikan acted as Tamamushi this time, and his performance was ghastly.

Prostitution is said the oldest occupation, and every prostitute has its own tragic reason. It isn’t a past problem, because kidnapping, traffic in human beings, rape or another sexual crime happens still now. They all should be eliminated as soon as possible. From the beginning, Tamakoto was unfortunate, because there was a way that she becomes a prostitute. And also Tamabushi was unfortunate, because she didn’t fight as a warrior at Dannoura Battle. I think if the two sisters could do ‘word’ or ‘excel,’ they would live as an office worker.

The Genji-Heike clan war was one of the biggest tragedies in Japanese history for warriors of the Heike clan. But this play showed that it was also the tragedy for many women. (2005,9,3)