Oshimodoshi refers to the both the role and the play. The aim of the repeller is to push back some demon or evil spirit from the hanamichi to the stage proper. He always carries a thick length of green bamboo in one hand and wears a stylized aragoto costume ñ red facial make-up (sujiguma), a jerkin with gold rivets, the upswept hishikawa wig, a hat of woven bamboo, a straw raincoat, and three huge swords.

The play was revived in 1934 by Ichikawa Sansho, with a script written by Oka Onitaro. The same character sometimes appears at the climax of plays such as Narukami and Maiden at Dojo Temple (Musume Dojoji).