The above incidents afford the material for the attack scene in the third act of the _Chushingura_, and are the true cause of the vendetta of the Ako retainers. The story of Moronao’s love for Kaoyo is taken from the twenty-first book of the _Taiheiki_, which gives a romantic history of the wars and other events during fifty years from 1318 to 1367. The names of Kono Moronao and Enya Hangwan, which were first used by Chikamatsu in his play, were taken from that book. The story told in that work is briefly as follows:— The daughter of Prince Hayata, a connection by marriage of the Emperor Godaigo, was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time. She was given in marriage to Enya Hangwan Takasada in the province of Izumo; but Kono Musashi-no-Kami Moronao was also deeply in love with her. He made love to her, but was rejected. Piqued at her refusal, he pretended to the Shogun that Enya was plotting against him. The Shogun believed his words, and Enya was compelled to fly for his life to his province. He revolted in self-defence, but was attacked by the Shogun’s forces, and finally put an end to himself. The first act of the play treats only of the collision between Moronao and Wakasanosuke; it is merely a byplay to prepare the spectator for an exhibition of the respective characters of Moronao, Enya, and Wakasanosuke. The second act presents Honzo in his lord’s house and makes Wakasanosuke an indirect cause of Enya’s ruin. As Wakasanosuke corresponds to Sakyo-no-Suke, Honzo is made to act as the latter’s councillors did and offer valuable presents to Moronao. And to economise the characters of the play, Honzo takes Kajikawa Yosobei’s place and stops Enya when he pursues Moronao, and his daughter Konami is promised in marriage to Oboshi’s son Rikiya, all which leads to the tragedy in the ninth act. TAKUMI-NO-KAMI’S DEATH. Takumi-no-Kami had caused a disturbance in the Palace by giving vent to private resentment although he was on duty as officer for the entertainment of the Imperial envoys, and thereby shown great disrespect to the Imperial House; and on those grounds he was given in charge to Tamura Sakyo-dayu, Lord of Ichinoseki, in Mutsu, and ordered to commit _seppuku_ on the same day. The inspectors and others to be present at the self-immolation were appointed on the spot. At Lord Tamura’s mansion, mattings were spread on the ground in front of a small reception-room, and upon them were laid mats, which were then covered with a rug, and curtains were hung all around. Takumi-no-Kami’s head-page, Kataoka Gengoemon, who had attended his lord to the Palace and waited for his return at the gate, ran back immediately to his lord’s mansion when he heard of the attack in the Palace; and after reporting it there, he went to Lord Tamura’s mansion and was permitted to be present at his lord’s death. Takumi-no-Kami composed an ode which ran:—