Eboshi-ori

烏帽子折 The Lacquered Hatmaker

1 Source and/or Related Material

legends of Minamoto Yoshitsune, kōwaka(story- telling with a simple dance) “Eboshi-ori”, The Story of Yoshitsune 2

2 Author

possibly Miyamasu

3 Repertoire

Kanze,Hōshō, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

In his childhood, the renegade Minamoto no Yoshitsune, known as Ushiwaka-maru (kokata), together with his younger brother Kichiroku (wakitsure), joins the merchant Sanjō no Kichiji (waki) on his way to the Northeast. At the Kagami waystation (present-day Shiga), a messenger from the capital (ai) announces that he is searching for Ushiwaka, the child of an enemy of the state. Ushiwaka disguises himself by cutting his hair as if he had just had the coming of age ceremony and thus would appear too old to be Ushiwaka. He also goes to a hatmaker’s shop to buy the kind of left-bending hat worn by the ruling Minamoto clan, and the hatmaker (maeshite) tells stories about this type of hat and congratulates him on his coming of age. Having received a sword in payment, the hatmaker’s wife starts crying and reveals that she is in fact Lady Akoya, the younger sister of Ushiwaka’s father’s old retainer. The hatmaker, his wife, and Ushiwaka, all disclose their true identities, confirm their bonds of master and vassal, and bid each other farewell. When Ushiwaka and the merchants arrive at the Akasaka station in Mino Province (present-day Gifu) the innkeeper (ai) warns that bandits might try to attack them in the night. Ushiwaka decides to await the bandits at the main gate. Their scouts (ai) appear, but Ushiwaka intimidates them, and they flee hastily. Thereupon the famous bandit Kumasaka no Chōhan (nochishite) appears with his men (tachishū) and goes on the attack. Ushiwaka cuts down all the bandits, and then after a dramatic duel he dispatches Kumasaka.