Page:The Surviving Works of Sharaku (1939).djvu/193

 Hata Rokurōzayemon, who is Yoshisada’s retainer, assumes a different name and through the “go-between” O-Roku arranges to marry Sakurai, the sister of Kusunoki Masashige, who is posing as the country girl O-Toma. At this point, however, Ōyamada Tarō who is in league with the disloyal plotters, appears and with the aid of a supposed landlord tries to marry the same girl. These two men seem to have been Ashikaga spies who were attempting to kill Yoshisada, but the faithful Rokurōzayemon disposes of Ōyamada Tarō, the villain; the palace of the Emperor is saved from attack, and once again virtue is triumphant. The five characters in the part of the action which we have just described are represented in the pentaptych, numbers 73 to 77.

Nitta Yoshisada was the father of Nitta Yoshioki, some of whose adventures, historical and legendary, we have recounted in the outline of the action of.

Yoshida no Kaneyoshi, who is better known as Kenkō Hōshi, was a person of considerable social and literary prominence whose compilation of original observations and maxims, Tsurezura-gusa, is one of the most famous and enduring books in Japanese literature. Among his reflexions is one which seems apposite: “Lovers who wish to meet and are prevented from doing so often are happier than those who do meet.” In the Kabuki theater Kaneyoshi’s younger sister, Chihaya, is represented as loved by Kusunoki Masashige, whose family name became because of him a symbol of loyalty, so that the phrase “female Kusunoki” was equivalent to “loyal women.” Some part of the action of the present play seems to have had to do with the wanderings of Chihaya in search of Masashige. Sharaku’s portrait of her is number 70. Sakurai, the sister of Masashige, was played by the same actor and she is shown in numbers 75, 78 and 79.

We might add that in addition to the rôles depicted here it is known that Matsumoto Kōshirō played the parts of Masashige and of Bingo Saburō, and that the part of Ashikaga Takauji was taken by Onoye Matsusuke.