A demon confronts the soul of a recently dead man at the Rokudo no Tsuji (the six-way crossing
at which the sou1's fate is decided), and threatens him with his iron rod, but is rebuffed and
defeated by the man.s prayers. The demon acknowledges his defeat and makes to carry the dead-
man.s soul to paradise. But the man has other intentions, those of saving the souls of the
unfortunate sufferers in hell.
This kyogen, which could be called the spoken version of the mimed '.Emma-cho," is lively and
entertaining, and contains many references to old classical and folk poetry.
The demon that appears in the play is known as Shakki, the "Red Demon," and is considered the
Taro-Raja of demons, full of appeal and madcap humour.