Hatakeyama Shigetada
(1164-1205), with a fan on his hand, is seated under a cherry in blossom,
with a go board near him, the pieces
scattered around him.
Shigetada
fought along with Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no
Yoritomo in the war between the Minamoto and Taira clans,
that ended with the destruction of the Taira. Confidant of
Yoritomo, the first shogun, e become later adviser and
confidant of his young son Yoriie, the second shogun.
With the rise to power of the Hojo regents, he ended in
disgrace and was killed in result of a palace intrigue.
The
important role he played in the war between the Taira and
the Minamoto made him a character in countless kabuki
plays which plot happens in those times.
The
relation with the initial chapter of the Tale of Genji,
which describes Genji education, can be established by his
role the tutor of Yoriie, who like Genji was considered era
considered a man of culture, refined and given to
the pleasures of the flesh.
