# Shite Cho — Plays character guide

> Shite Cho in Plays by Zeami Motokiyo.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Shite, the Shite

**First appearance:** 0006-act-i

## Snapshot

An ancient who sweeps fallen leaves beneath Takasago's pine and speaks to the tree as a comrade, he is the mortal-seeming presence of a spirit.

## Who they are

He appears on the strand of Takasago as a humble old man, companion to a Dame, gathering leaves beneath the gnarled pine and answering a travelling warden's questions about which tree is the famous Pine of Takasago. His tenderest bond is with the tree itself, which he hails as an ancient friend when no human comrade remains, and with the Dame beside him whose long companionship mirrors the wedded pines of Takasago and Suminoye. His quiet, reverent intimacy with place and memory draws the traveller—and the audience—toward the revelation of what he truly is.

## Relationships

### [Wife](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/plays_2_se/characters/wife)

_family_

Shite Cho and the Wife share a marital bond, though their interactions are strained by external pressures.

### [Priest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/plays_2_se/characters/priest)

_professional_

The Priest and Shite Cho have a formal relationship, with the Priest often directing or blessing Cho's actions.

## In the story

### [Act II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/plays_2_se/chapters/act-ii)

The Singer is surprised by the Yamauba's appearance and is compelled to sing for her. He performs a song about the mountain and sea, witnessing the Yamauba's supernatural nature.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/plays_2_se/characters/shite_cho
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/plays_2_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/plays_2_se/characters