This shōdan represents the dramatic highlight of the first act, recounting heroic battles and introducing the play’s first dance-to-text section. The poetic text, which includes the shite's three ageha lines, is set in hiranori. It is sung by the jiutai, who speaks for the boy, and accompanied by the percussion instruments in strict rhythmic setting, and the nohkan with three non-congruent patterns. These bring the Intermedia Index almost to its highest possible value. The points of intermedia interest are in the music articulating the narrative’s meaning and structure, and the use of mimetic movement illustrating the narrative while providing a gradual formal build-up.
The text tells the story of first century Yamato-dake, the son of legendary Emperor Keikō, and the exploits of his sword Kusanagi no tsurugi. Based on the narrative, the kuse can be divided into three parts. The shite remains kneeling in center stage during the first two. He performs mimetic kata during the third part, providing the text, that recounts the exploits of the Kusanagi no tsurugi, with a visual representation.
The first two parts develop its narrative through stages, deliniated by the shite's salient three ageha and two entrances of the nohkan. In the static first part, small and rare movements take on particular significance.
The first lines of text introduce Yamato-dake. It refers to his journey that took him East, where . The nohkan’s first entrance highlights this exploit with the naka no takane pattern. After learning that Yamato-dake yearned to come home, the music slows down as the shite recalls being kept away by battles in his .
The tempo picks up as the jiutai invokes images of with gory details, heightened by the nohkan’s second entrance and the takane mi kusari pattern. As the description concludes, the boy makes his very first move as he to face Munechika, thus reminding the audience that this story is told for his sake. A slow-down and transitional uchikiri prepare for an introduction to the next battle.
We learn at the beginning of the second part, that at the time, the autumnal colors were fading away. The shite, who now stands for Yamato-dake, slides to the right, grabs his forelock, rises to his knee, and at the fading fall colors. But the circumstances will soon become dire. Right after the second ageha, in which Yamato-dake recounts being , we learn that the enemies set the grass around him on fire. His shows him assessing the danger. The intensity of the moment is underscored by the nohkan’s hishigi takane mi kusari pattern, its last entrance. A moment later, as the jiutai refers to the “enemies’ beating war drums”, his , suggests that the warrior is considering his options. Finally, as the jiutai refers to “…the towering flames as the attack blazed forward," Yamato-dake, about to draw his sword, assesses the situation for the last time as he and faces front, then right.
The kuse’s third part showcases Yamato-dake’s sword prowess. Helped by the kotsuzumi's patterns, which incorporate up-beat strokes, the overall tempo is faster than the preceding section, and the mimetic dance reaches its peak.
As the shite sings “the ”, he uses his fan as a sword, pointing it straight in front of him. He then stands up and takes four steps towards the strong Square 4, where he performs two standard kata, often used at the beginning of a dance: Forward Pointing and Open-retreat. Then, he provides the line “As it mowed down the grasses in all directions”, with a visual representation, by lashing his fan , still using it as a sword.
As he performs a sequence of Four Stamps, the shite Opens the Fan, marking the start of the dance’s high point. He takes a series of steps that bring him from front to back-stage (Square 8), temporarily . From this point on, the shite rebuilds momentum by performing a Scooping Point that carries him back to the strong Square 4 where he performs a Right Circlet to mimic the words “”.
Upon hearing the words “”, he moves to the very strong Square 3, glances Left-Right-Left-Right-Down at the enemy, and uses his fan to aim the flames towards the barbarians, Pointing to the Right as he is Taking the Corner. Then, he starts a Large Circle to the Left, but stops on Square 5 to perform a Scooping Point, followed by a Single Right Stamp that marks , announcing the dance’s imminent conclusion. As the jiutai sings “So in later years”, the speed drops, suggesting that the narration of Yamato-dake’s exploits is over. On his way back to Square 8, the shite Closes his Fan, confirming that the dance is coming to an end, and upon reaching his destination, he concludes the dance commemorating Yamato-dake’s exploits with the standard sequence of Scooping Point, and an Open-retreat.
The words “” confirm the narration of Yamato-dake’s story is over. The return to the present also implies that the jiutai is now speaking for the young boy. As it intones “And now, this auspiciously omened blade that you must forge,”, the tempo gradually increases to underline the urgency of the task ahead.
Finally, the boy turns towards Munechika and but, feeling he must stress his point more strongly, he turns back and goes to Square 1. After pivoting to face Munechika, he performs a Scooping Point and, while insistently pointing his fan, he Takes Six Steps towards the swordsmith just as the jiutai sings “Munechika, heir to a house of proud tradition, set your heart at rest and go home now.” By this point, the tempo has gradually slowed to its lowest point, and the boy, standing center-stage, concludes the kuse with an Open-retreat and Kneels. He finishes the shōdan at the same place and in the same position as he started.