The play "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi" was originally written for the puppet theater (Bunraku) and staged for the first time in the 1st lunar month of 1737 in Ôsaka at the Takemotoza. It was adapted for Kabuki many years later and staged for the first time in the 4th lunar month of 1762 in Ôsaka at the Naka no Shibai [casting].

"Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi" was a 5-act maruhonmono. Two scenes have survived : "Benkei Jôshi" (kiri of the third act) and "Tôyata Monogatari" (kiri of the fourth act).

Act III, last scene: Benkei Jôshi (Benkei the Emissary)
--> A dedicated summary: "Benkei Jôshi"

As general of the Genji clan, Minamoto Yoshitsune has won fame and glory through his successful pursuit of the enemy Heike but through the vicious slander of Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki, his brother Minamoto Yoritomo becomes suspicious of his brother's true motives. Yoshitsune and his pregnant seishitsu Kyô-no-Kimi are forced to shelter at the house of Jijû Tarô Morikuni ^[2] in Kyôto at Horikawa where she has been brought up as a child. Yoritomo's suspicions, though groundless, are based on the fact that Kyô-no-Kimi is the adopted daughter of Taira no Tokitada, an enemy general of the Heike clan. Moreover, the evil Kajiwara Kagetoki has falsely alleged that Yoshitsune was plotting a rebellion in conclusion with the Imperial Court. Yoshitsune protests his innocence, but Yoritomo demands Kyô-no-Kimi's head as proof of his brother's good faith, and sends Musashibô Benkei as an emissary (jôshi) to Horikawa to deliver the order.

When Jijû Tarô hears of the purpose of Benkei's visit, he consults with his wife the okugata Hananoi and they decide to find a substitute for Yoshitsune's wife. Because of her close physical resemblance to Kyô-no-Kimi, a koshimoto named Shinobu, is chosen, but the girl's mother, Owasa, refuses to allow her daughter to be sacrificed. She reveals, for the first time, a secret connected with her birth. Eighteen years before, Owasa has made love with a young man but has not seen his face because of the dark. Shinobu is the result of that incident. During the succeeding years Owasa has brought her daughter up to be a seamstress and dressmaker. As a keepsake from that meeting, she shows the man's kimono sleeve, that she has treasured ever since. Until she meets her father, Owasa explains that Shinobu cannot be sacrificed. She takes her hand and makes to leave but Shinobu is cut down from behind the sliding doors. Benkei appears. He shows a sleeve identical to the one of Owasa; in other words, Benkei is the father of Shinobu. Owasa is stunned and demands to know why Benkei has killed the girl. He explains that he did it for his master, Minamoto Yoshitsune and manages to convince Owasa and win her approval. He cries the first time in all his life (ôtoshi). Benkei orders Jijû Tarô to decapitate the girl which he does, but Jijû Tarô then commits seppuku himself, reasoning that two heads being better than one, Yoshitsune will stand a better chance of proving his innocence if both are presented to Yoritomo. Benkei expresses his gratitude, takes the heads in both arms and strides off to display them to the Genji leader in Kamakura.

Act IV, last scene: Tôyata Monogatari (Tôyata's Story)
--> A dedicated summary: "Tôyata Monogatari"

In this act Kyô-no-Kimi is disguised as a household maid to keep her identity hidden. To allay Genji suspicions yet further, Yoshitsune has installed his mistress in the household, the beautiful dancer Shizuka Gozen ^[3], and all seems well until Shizuka's brother, Tôyata, comes to visit. Tôyata is a rascal who has been disowned by his father, and although he has recently performed some service for which Yoshitsune is indebted to him, he is still in collusion with the evil general Kajiwara. On his current spying mission he realises the true identity of the maid, (i.e. Yoshitsune's wife), and is in the middle of writing to inform Kajiwara when Shizuka stops him and they fight. This does little good however, and it is not until their mother appears and stabs Tôyata that he has a profound change of heart, confesses his past sins and lets them know of an enemy attack due to take place that night. Tôyata's mother then reinstates him as a full member of the family and, though mortally wounded, Tôyata goes off to do battle with the enemy forces in a grand, tachimawari fight scene.

Act IV is courtesy of Paul M. Griffith

[1] The title "Imperial Palace Cherry Blossoms and the Horikawa Night Attack" comes from Samuel Leiter's "Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre".

[2] Jijû was not a family name but a court title (jijû). The jijû Tarô Morikuni was a fictitious character, which was specifically created for "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi".

[3] Shizuka Gozen was both Minamoto no Yoshitsune's sokushitsu and a talented shirabyôshi dancer.

The actors Ogawa Kichitarô III (top/left), Ichikawa Danzô V (top/right), Nakamura Utaemon III (center/the warrior with the box), Arashi Tomisaburô II and Nakamura Matsue III playing the roles of Yoshitsune, Ise no Saburô, Musashibô Benkei, Shinobu and Owasa in the drama "Gosho Zakura Horikawa no Youchi", which was staged in the 10th lunar month of 1828 at the Naka no Shibai (cover of the illustated banzuke)

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