A poster created in the early 20th century was presented to Eisenstein by the actors of the Kabukiza troupe in 1928. ‘Suzugamori’ or ‘The Grove of Suzugamori’ was one of plays performed for the Moscow public. The characters depicted on the poster are the young samurai Gonpachi and the legendary merchant and the first Yakuza Banzui Chobei (‘chieftain of the people’s squad, ” as indicated in the Soviet program of 1928). Raising the lantern, Chobei examines the sword of the young man with whom he had just dispersed the enemy. Not a single notch on the sword: Chobei is fascinated by the art of Gonpachi. The scene of the enemies’ flight (one of the culminations of the play) was solved in a grotesquely comic vein; the audience was rolling with laughter.