Characters
Akoya
Courtesan in Kyoto’s Gojozaka. She is the lover of the Heike warrior Kagekiyo and pregnant with his child. He has disappeared after the defeat of his clan, but she still loves him. She refuses to give in to torture from the enemy Genji clan, insisting that she does not know his whereabouts.
Hatakeyama Shigetada
A warrior on the Genji side. He is intelligent, brave and compassionate. He calls in Akoya for an interrogation in pursuit of her lover Kagekiyo. He assesses whether she is telling the truth by forcing her to play musical instruments, believing that the music will reveal her state of mind.
Iwanaga Saemon
An assistant to Shigetada attending the interrogation of Akoya. He is pure evil and seeks Kagekiyo in the name of loyalty. When Akoya refuses to confess, he demands she be tortured until she complies.
Hanzawa Narikiyo
Shigetada’s trusted retainer. On Shigetada’s orders, he brings Akoya to the courtroom without tying her up.
