Moritsuna

The Play

The complete title of this play is « "Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata" (The camp of the Genji Advance Guard at Ômi). The original play was in 9 acts. Only the 8th act survived, entitled "Moritsuna Yakata" and commonly called "Moritsuna Jin'ya" (Moritsuna’s fort). The play was originally created for the bunraku puppet theater in 1769 and was adapted to kabuki theater the following year in 1770 in Osaka. The play is based on the fight between the Toyotomi and the Tokugawa clans at the Siege of Osaka. The drama was set during the Kamakura Period (13^th century) and names were changed to disguise the protagonists' identity and avoid the Shogunate censorship.

Main characters

• Sasaki Moritsuna: A lord, fighting for the Shogun

• Sasaki Takatsuna: Moritsuna's brother, fighting for the rebels

• Sasaki Koshiro: Takatsuna's son, prisoner as hostage at Moritsuna

• Tokimasa: Shogun's envoy

The plot

War has broken out between Minamoto no Yoriie in Kyoto and the Shogun in Kamakura. The Sasaki brothers Moritsuna and Takatsuna fight on opposite sides, Moritsuna for the Shogun and Takatsuna for the Minamoto clan. Takatsuna's son Koshiro is held prisoner as hostage by Moritsuna. Soon, the news of Takatsuna's death is reported and Tokimasa, an old warrior arrives with Takatsuna's head in a box.

Moritsuna has to verify that the head is really that of his brother. Slowly his gaze travels down to look at the head. It is the moment the audience has been waiting for and the subject of this print. There is a slight start when his eyes rests on the face, an imperceptible surprise and a slight smile. This head is not his brother’s. However, he decides to hide the truth, takes the head in his arms, address a lament to it and declares it to be his brother.

Koshiro wants to lead Tokimasa in the belief that it was his father’s head and commits ritual suicide saying he will follow his father to the grave. There is not a dry eye in the audience when the boy says the traditional farewell to his family.

The actor

Ichikawa Ebiso IX (1909-1965) was awarded the name Ichikawa Danjuro IX in 1962, the most prestigious name in the kabuki world. This print shows a performance at the Mitsukoshi Gekijo Theatre in Tokyo in October 1948. It represents the moment when Moritsuna looks at his supposed brother’s head.

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