Shunzei Tadanori

俊成忠度 Shunzei and Tadanori

1 Source and/or Related Material

Tale of the Heike, Gempei jōsuiki; Kokinshū kana preface

2 Author

Naitō Tōzaemon

3 Repertoire

Kanze, Hōshō, Kongō, Kita

4 Synopsis

After killing the Heike warrior Tadanori at the Battle of Ichinotani, Okabe Rokuyata (waki) finds an original poem among the fallen warrior’s belongings and decides to deliver it to Tadanori’s poetry teacher Fujiwara no Shunzei. At Shunzei’s residence, Rokuyata asks Shunzei’s attendant (tomo) to announce his arrival. Shunzei (tsure) comes to meet Tadanori, who gives him the poem. Just as the two are mourning Tadanori’s death, his spirit (shite) appears before them. The spirit laments that his poem was included in the Senzai wakashū imperial anthology without being attributed to him, as he was declared an Enemy of the Court. He continues to speak about poetry, and as he does so, he is assailed by the tortures of the warrior hell of the Ashura. As day breaks, Tadanori vanishes among the shadows of the trees.