Atsumori is a play riddled with Reshnō's struggle with forgiveness. Reshno murdered Atsumori, a young nobleman, on the shores of Ichi-no-tani; the site of a battle that took place during the civil wars between the Genji and the Heike factions. The civil wars took place in the 1180's (Norton, 1496). Reshno, formally known as Kumagai renounces his former name and becomes a Buddhist monk after the murder of Atsumori. Forgiveness for one's past sins is a major universal theme present in the work, and Reshnō must come to terms with his reasoning for killing Atsumori. Atsumori is a Japanese Noh play. These plays are native to Japan and tend to be warrior tales. Mikoto Zeami was an influential author of Japanese literature, and author of Atsumoi. Atsumori has been dated to the early 15th century. Zeami defined…show more content… (Norton 1494). He lived from 1363-1443, and was the son of Kan'ami, who was also a prominent founder of the current foundation of Noh plays take today (Norton 1494). Mikoto zeami was exiled by Shogun Yoshinori, and was sent to Sado Island. Noh plays are a type of play that originated in Japan in around (insert year here). They were characterized by their lack of set decoration. The stage is depicted with only one pine tree painted on the wall behind the actor. Often one actor would portray multiple parts, such as a character, an opposing character, or a narrator; not unlike modern western forensics performances. Noh plays also integrate a chorus, although they do not function the same way as a Greek chorus, rather than providing