Sakata Tōge
坂田峠
This play opens with Miyamoto Samonnosuke Yoshiaki visiting the Kameido Tenmangu Shrine. At the shrine, he prays to be able to avenge his father and receives a message from the god enshrined there, saying that he shall face many minor struggles and three major difficulties on the path to revenge, but the god of the Tenmangu Shrine will be there to help him avenge his father.
In Sakata Pass that lies between the border of Kaga Province (current southern Ishikawa Prefecture) and Echizen Province (current northern Fukui Prefecture), Miyamoto builds a stone cave and learns the whereabouts of his sword enemy, Suzuki Gengō, as well as mountain bandit Ōyama Tarō Hatashige. He faces them in battle and, with the help and protection of the god of Tenmangu, triumphs over both of them and avenges his father.