Bringing the catfish under control with a keystone was originally a role of the Kashima Daimyojin (The Kashima Deity) and there was no scene like that in "Shibaraku" in kabuki, so the composition is judged as the combined features of both.
要石による大鯰の制圧は本来は鹿島大明神の役割で、歌舞伎の『暫』にはこのような場面は登場せず、両者の特徴を組み合わせた構図とみられる。