Characters
Seishin (later Seikichi)
A monk at Kakamura’s Gokuraku Temple. He has been expelled after his affair with the courtesan Izayoi is discovered. His name literally means “pure heart”, but he undergoes a personality change after a suicide attempt and his accidental killing of a farmer. He becomes a thief under the name Oni-azami (Devil Thistle) Seikichi.
Izayoi (later Osayo)
A courtesan and Seishin’s lover. Pregnant with Seishin’s child, she attempts suicide, but is rescued by Hakuren, who takes her as his mistress. She goes on a pilgrimage to pray for the soul of Seishin, who she thinks dead, only to reencounter him through a series of events.
Hakuren (actually Odera Shobei)
A master poet living luxuriously in Kamakura. He rescues Izayoi and kindly looks after her. He is in reality a thief who stole a fortune from the Gokuraku Temple, and turns out also to be Seishin’s older brother.
Koizuka Motome
Izayoi’s younger brother. On his way to take money to Seishin, who he has never met, he is killed accidentally in a struggle over the cash. His murderer turns out to be the unsuspecting Seishin himself.
Hanauri Sagobei (later the monk Saishin)
Father of Izayoi and Motome. To pray for Motome’s soul, he enters a temple and becomes a monk.
Hakuren’s wife Ofuji
Hakuren’s wife, aware of her husband’s true past. She has never complained about his mistress Izayoi.
Mokusuke (actually Terasawa Tojuro)
Pretending to be a servant in Hakuren’s household, but actually a detective inspecting the robbery at the temple.
