Settai
Summary
After leading the military campaign that brought about the downfall of the Taira clan at the Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185), commander Minamoto no Yoshitsune soon finds himself pursued by his elder brother, the sh?gun Yoritomo, and is forced to flee to the northern province of ?sh?. Yoshitsune and his retainers, including his bodyguard Musashib? Benkei, Masuo J?r? Kanefusa, and Washio J?r?, form a party of twelve men disguised as yamabushi (mountain priests). During their journey, the group notices a house with a sign announcing Yamabushi Settai, offering free hospitality to mountain priests. The residence belongs to the family of the brothers Sat? Tsugunobu and Tadanobu, two of Yoshitsune’s other retainers.
The group of disguised warriors visits the residence, where they are guided by Tsugunobu’s son, Tsuruwaka, to meet the brothers’ elderly mother, who was now become a Buddhist nun. The woman implores them to reveal their true identities. However, as fugitives, the men cannot readily disclose who they are. Benkei challenges her to identify them herself. Judging by their ages and manner of speaking, the woman correctly identifies Masuo, Washio, and Benkei, one after another. Yoshitsune then asks the young Tsuruwaka to guess who Yoshitsune may be. Without hesitation, the child runs straight to Yoshitsune’s knees. The warriors are deeply impressed that Tsuruwaka, despite his young age, has been able to recognize his lord. At last, they reveal their true identities. The elderly nun then asks about her sons and their deeds on the battlefield. Benkei recounts the final moments of Tsugunobu, who sacrificed his life to protect Yoshitsune during the Battle of Yashima, and the military exploits of Tadanobu, who avenged his elder brother’s death. At daybreak, Tsuruwaka expresses his wish to join Yoshitsune and his followers. However, the men depart after making an impossible promise to return for him the following day. The woman embraces Tsuruwaka as they watch the party leave.
Highlights
Settai is set against the backdrop of the Genpei War (1180 - 1185), a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans that ended with the defeat of the Taira and the rise of warrior rule in Japan. Minamoto no Yoshitsune, one of the most celebrated military heroes in Japanese history, played a decisive role in this victory but subsequently fell into conflict with his elder brother Yoritomo, who sought to consolidate his political power. Forced to flee with a small group of loyal retainers, Yoshitsune became the subject of numerous legends, plays, and literary works. Settai offers a particularly intimate perspective on these events, shifting attention from the battlefield to the families left behind and the personal cost of loyalty and warfare.
The word settai (“hospitality”) refers to the practice of providing pilgrims and religious practitioners with food and lodging free of charge. A sign announcing Yamabushi Settai (“Hospitality for Mountain Priests”) is displayed in the hope that Yoshitsune and his retainers, disguised as yamabushi, would stop at the residence. The elderly nun’s sons, Sat? Tsugunobu and Tadanobu, were loyal retainers who had served Yoshitsune since the time he had sought refuge with Fujiwara no Hidehira in ?sh?. A distinctive feature of this play is that it presents the war and the heroic deeds of the two brothers from the perspective of their mother and the surviving child, who await their return.
The play contains no dance sequences. Instead, the story unfolds primarily through dialogue between the characters and Benkei’s narrative recitation. In a performance characterized by relatively little physical movement, the actors must convey the characters’ emotions through chant and spoken dialogue. Their ability to bring these feelings to life is a particular test of their artistry.
First Act: Recognizing Yoshitsune and His Retainers
One of the highlights of the first act is the scene in which the elderly nun correctly identifies Yoshitsune’s followers one after another. This episode reveals both her intelligence and the depth of her maternal feelings, shaped by the stories she has treasured about her deceased sons.
Second Act: Benkei’s Account of the Battle of Yashima
The dramatic climax of the second half comes when Benkei recounts Tsugunobu’s death at the Battle of Yashima and Tadanobu’s heroic achievement in avenging his brother. Tsugunobu’s death while protecting Yoshitsune represents an exemplary act of loyalty worthy of praise. Yet those listening to this account are a mother who has lost her son and Tsuruwaka, a child who has lost his father. The dramatic tension arises from the intersection of three perspectives: that of the person recounting the events, those listening to the account, and the deceased whose fate is being narrated.
The play is thought to have been dramatized from episodes found in the medieval military narrative Gikeiki (The Chronicle of Yoshitsune) and related sources. A similar story can also be found in Yashima (Yashima Ikusa), a work belonging to the k?waka-mai tradition of narrative dance, which flourished during the medieval period.