This Noh play "Atsumori" is based on "The Tale of the Heike". In the late 12th century, two large clans fought each other. One was the Minamoto clan (the Genji clan), the other was the Taira clan (the Heike clan). At last the Genji clan won the civil war in 1185, and most of the lords of the Heike clan killed themselves or were executed by the Genji clan. During the civil war, in 1184 at Ichinotani Battlefield (Kobe), Lord Taira no Atsumori of the Heike clan was killed by a warrior Kumagai who was a member of the Genji clan. In that time, Atsumori was very young, 16 years or so, as old as Kumagai's son. Kumagai felt very sad because he had to kill as young a man as his own son. Kumagai didn't like to be a warrior any more and he became a priest named Renjoh. The story of the Noh play "Atsumori" is as follows: The priest Renjoh (formerly the warrior Kumagai) comes back to Ichinotani Battlefield to pray for the salvation of Lord Atsumori's soul. There he is talking with young reapers and only one of them remains there saying to Kumagai, " I am a family of Lord Atsumori. Please pray for the salvation of Lord Atsumori's soul." The reaper disappears. Later when Kumagai is praying all night, the ghost of Lord Atsumori appears. The ghost talks about the golden age of the Heike clan, about the Battle of Ichinotani, and about falling down of the Heike clan. Saying, "You are not an enemy because you are praying for me," the ghost asks Kumagai to go on praying and fades out.
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