Characters
Chichu, actually Spider Spirit
A demon who aims to kill Minamoto Raiko and convert Japan into a devil’s world. He disguises himself as a monk from Mt Hiei and slips into the Raiko’s mansion in the darkness of night. He pretends to cure his illness while aiming to assassinate him, but he is discovered and attacked. He reveals his identity and escapes into a mound behind a temple. His name Chichu comes from the word for spider.
Minamoto Raiko
A real-life character whose name is usually read Yorimitsu. He is a renowned warrior with a number of legends to his credit, including a battle over a sake-loving demon living on Mt Oe. In this play, he is in recovery from malaria.
Hirai Yasumasa
One of Raiko’s retainers along with the Four Guardians. He is known as the “lone warrior”. Upon his arrival at Raiko’s mansion, he encounters Chichu’s attack and chases away the spider spirit. In history, he was not a retainer but a friend of Raiko.
Kocho
A servant working for Raiko. She delivers medicine from the imperial doctors. She performs a dance depicting famous autumn sites in the capital to cheer Raiko’s spirits.
Otowaka
A young servant who carries Raiko’s precious sword. He notices that Chichu’s shadow is the form of a spider and alerts Raiko.
Watanabe Tsuna
One of the Four Guardians. He chases away the spider spirit, confronting it without fear. He appears as a main character in the Kabuki dramas Modoribashi and Ibaraki.
Sakata Kintoki
One of the Four Guardians. He is a hot-blooded youth. He is the grown-up version of the famous Kintaro from Japanese folklore.
Usui Sadamitsu
One of the Four Guardians. Folklore says that he discovered Kintaro and presented him to Raiko.
Urabe Suetake
One of the Four Guardians.
Bansotsu
Characters who appear in the comic-relief dance to the stone god. Their names are Taro, Jiro and Tonai.
Sakaki
A female priest who appears in the dance to the stone god. Asked by the bansotsu characters, she dances a prayer to the stone god for victory over the spider.
Shirogo
A peasant in the dance to the stone god. He puts on the mask of the shrine god and teases the bansotsu characters.
