It depicts an anecdote that MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune and his servants were stopped at the Ataka barrier station by a barrier keeper on the way they fled to the Oshu area, and Benkei read out a false kanjincho (a prospectus to gather donation for establishing a temple), which led them to get away from the situation.
源義経主従が奥州に落ちる途中、安宅の関で関守にとめられ、弁慶がいつわりの勧進帳（寺院などの建立にあたって寄進を集めるための公認の趣意書）を読んでその場を逃れた逸話を描く。