Manjū

満仲 Lord Manjū / The Retainer Nakamitsu

1 Source and/or Related Material

Muromachi tales, kōwaka on Tada no Manjū

2 Author

Unknown

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

Tada no Manjū (tsure) discovers that his daughter Bijomaru (kokata), whom he sent to Nakayama Temple to study, has not been a diligent student. He orders the retainer Fujiwara no Nakamitsu (shite) to bring the girl back from the mountain. They arrive back home, where Manjū grills Bijomaru on topics related to her studies. The girl is unable to answer any of his questions, and Manjū is so enraged that he tells Nakamitsu to have her executed. Not wanting to kill her, however, Nakamitsu has his own son Kōjumaru (kokata) executed instead and allows her to escape. Nakamitsu tells Manjū that Bijomaru has been executed, and Manjū holds a memorial service for the girl. One day, the Monk Eshin (waki) appears with Bijomaru. The monk speaks of Nakamitsu’s and Kōjumaru’s loyalty, then asks for Bijomaru’s forgiveness. Learning later that Manjū has indeed pardoned his daughter, Nakamitsu performs a celebratory dance, thinking sadly about his own son whom he lost.