Hōkazō

放下僧 The Performer-Priests

1 Source and/or Related Material

unknown

2 Author

Unknown

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Komparu, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

Makino no Saemon was murdered by Tone no Nobutoshi after a quarrel. Makino’s younger son Kojirō (tsure) decides to kill Nobutoshi in revenge and goes to meet his elder brother (shite), who is now a Zen monk. Because of his status as a monk, the elder brother hesitates to join the vendetta, but Kojirō criticizes him for being unfilial, so he decides he wants in. The Makino brothers disguise themselves as street preachers (hōkazō) who song, dance, and do acrobatics while preaching Buddhist sermons. They set off for Tone, the domain of their father’s killer Nobutoshi, and before long they find him (waki) on vacation to Mishima Shrine (Kanagawa). They ply him with Zen riddles and other games, and Tone decides to take on these entertaining strangers as travelling companions. The “street preachers” play their party tricks and music, including the double-sided kakko drum. Thus caught off guard, Tone is easily dispatched.