箱王丸と工藤祐経の図

Right panel of tryptich

At the age of thirteen, Gorō Tokimune (called Hakoō as a child) first met his father’s cousin, and murderer, Kudō Suketsune. Kudō had accompanied the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo to worship at the shrine where Hakoō had been sent to become a priest. Wishing to avenge his father’s murder, Hakoō looked for a chance to get close enough to Kudō. The wily Kudō boldly had the boy brought to him. He falsely treated Hakoō with tenderness, speaking as a concerned relative, and even presented the youth with a dagger. But as shown here, all the while Kudō was on his guard, eyeing the boy warily. Kudō departed unharmed with the shogun’s entourage the following morning. Six years later, however, in a famous vendetta, Hakoō and his brother were able to slay Kudō, using the same dagger he had received as a present.