Kiso
Summary
To defeat Minamoto no Yoshinaka (tsure), the Taira clan sent an army of one hundred thousand and established their camp at Mount Tonami (Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture). Though Yoshinaka’s army was only half that size, he divided his forces into seven groups to encircle the mountain. Yoshinaka himself set up camp at Hanyū at the foot of the mountain, devising a plan to drive the Taira troops into the ravine of Kurikara behind them.
Noticing Hanyū Hachiman Shrine to the north of his camp, Yoshinaka rejoiced—Hachiman being the guardian deity of warriors—at the auspicious coincidence of encamping nearby. He ordered his secretary, the priest Kakumei (shite), to dedicate a written petition to the shrine, praying for the prosperity of the Minamoto clan and victory in the battle to be fought the next day.
Kakumei composed the petition and read it aloud before the deity. He began by recounting that the god of Hachiman is the divine ancestor of the imperial line and the guardian of Japan, and went on to denounce the tyranny of Taira no Kiyomori, the current Chancellor. Declaring that Yoshinaka, descended from the distinguished warrior Minamoto no Yoshiie, had taken up arms not for selfish gain but for the sake of the realm, Kakumei implored the god to grant them victory.
Moved by Kakumei’s eloquence, all in the camp were deeply impressed. Yoshinaka added one of his own decorative arrows to the petition and had it offered at the shrine. The warriors then held a celebratory banquet for the anticipated triumph, during which Kakumei performed a dance to pray for victory. At that moment, a flock of wild doves—messengers of the Hachiman deity—rose into the air, circling above the Minamoto banners. Certain of their divine favor, Yoshinaka and his men bowed in reverence. Thanks to the protection of Hachiman, they went on to achieve a brilliant victory in the Battle of Kurikara Pass.
Highlights
The nō play Kiso is transmitted only in the Kanze school of noh and is based on the “Kiso Gansho” episode from The Tale of the Heike. The ensuing Battle of Kurikara Pass is famous from The Chronicle of the Rise and Fall of the Genji and the Heike (Genpei Seijō-ki), which describes the dramatic scene of several hundred oxen with flaming torches tied to their horns being driven toward the Taira forces.
The “Petition (Gansho)” that Kakumei recites is regarded as one of the “Three Great Ricitation” chants of the nō repertoire, alongside Benkei’s Kanjinchō in Ataka and the Kishōmon in Shōzon. Unlike those two, which involve deceit to outwit the enemy, the petition in Kiso is a sincere and powerful prayer addressed to the gods themselves.
Kakumei’s costume consists of a monk’s shwal (kesa) and a hood (zukin), signifying an armed priest. Yoshinaka wears a nashiu-uchi eboshi hat, a white headband, and a happi coat of gold patterned fabric with its sleeves tucked up to represent an armour.
A highlight of the play is Kakumei’s vigorous dance (otoko-mai) performed during the banquet. When he recites “The wild doves spread their wings (yamabato tsubasa wo narabetsutsu),” he looks around the front of the stage, expressing their flight. Later, at the words “driven down the ravine of Kurikara (Kurikara-ga-tani ni oi otoshi),” he stamps his feet and gestures downward with his fan in a bold display of martial energy. It is also unusual that, at the end, Kakumei bows and respectfully precedes Yoshinaka as they exit.