Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/405

Rh he was influenced by some powerful court nobles who were in traitorous communication with the Northern Court, and were plotting to destroy Yoshi-oki. The latter therefore had no choice but to reluctantly undertake the battle.

His brother Yoshiminé, a young and finely built warrior, had secretly taken to visiting the gay quarters of the Capital. There, he fell in love with a celebrated beauty named Utena, with whom he had exchanged vows of fidelity. One of his boon companions was a samurai named Takezawa Kemmotsu, who was a great villain. His father had been one of Nitta Yoshisada's retainers, but he was like a weathercock, and had early gone over to Taka-uji. He resolved to make an end of Yoshi-oki, in order to court the favour of the chieftain. He found out that Yoshiminé had begun to lead a gay life, so he also often visited the pleasure quarters incognito, and succeeded in obtaining access to him. The crafty rascal wormed his way into Yoshiminé's good graces, through whose recommendations he had treacherously become one of General Yoshi-oki's retainers. In his favour he had speedily risen, until he was now the captain of a regiment.