Famous Plays

A mountain priest (shite) is on his way back from training and is hungry. He climbs up a persimmon tree and eats a persimmon. Just then the owner of the farm comes to check up on it. The farm owner sees the mountain priest hide behind the tree but pretends not to see him. He shouts out that he sees a crow and then a monkey, which forces the mountain priest to imitate the sound of a crow and a monkey. When the owner says if it is a hawk it should be able to fly, the mountain priest is lured into thinking he can fly and makes an attempt but falls and cannot get up. Seeing the owner laughing and about to leave, the mountain priest calls him back by claiming to have spiritual powers. He has the owner carry him on his back but is immediately thrown onto the ground.

The mountain priest had supposedly gained dharmic power. However, because of his own shameful act, he becomes subject to severe teasing by the farm owner and suffers a bitter experience. The audience is sent into laughter by the way the mountain priest is panic-stricken by the difficult tasks placed on him, his foolishness in thinking that he could fly, and his presumptuousness in suddenly changing his attitude and becoming aggressive towards the owner.