1
00:00:16,266 --> 00:00:17,934
[door opens]
2
00:00:18,018 --> 00:00:20,020
[footsteps]
3
00:00:35,744 --> 00:00:36,953
Kogiku.
4
00:00:37,037 --> 00:00:38,705
We are beyond words now.
5
00:00:44,044 --> 00:00:45,211
[Arikoto gasps]
6
00:00:45,295 --> 00:00:46,463
[poignant music]
7
00:00:50,467 --> 00:00:51,593
[Arikoto shivers]
8
00:00:54,929 --> 00:00:56,347
[birdsong]
9
00:01:03,813 --> 00:01:04,814
[gasps]
10
00:01:07,358 --> 00:01:08,610
[sighs]
11
00:01:08,693 --> 00:01:10,111
[whimpers]
12
00:01:10,862 --> 00:01:13,114
Let us grow our hair.
13
00:01:13,198 --> 00:01:16,117
[wails] Abbot, no!
14
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[sobbing]
15
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[man] So you are firmly set
in this decision, Arikoto.
16
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The point of return has passed.
17
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Shaving one's head is not a thing
to be easily undone.
18
00:01:28,421 --> 00:01:29,964
Well, as a father,
19
00:01:30,048 --> 00:01:32,926
I find it tragic to have a son
well-versed in both culture
20
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and the academics
who would choose to renounce them.
21
00:01:36,429 --> 00:01:38,098
- [sighs]
- [Arikoto] Father.
22
00:01:38,932 --> 00:01:41,601
This is how I wish to live my life.
23
00:01:41,684 --> 00:01:45,105
Through this choice, I access
not only the Buddhist studies,
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but the Zen teachings at the temple,
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as well as Chinese classics and poetry.
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More so, thanks to this choice,
27
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I got to glimpse into the lives of people
who suffered such as I had never known.
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The capital was filled with destitution,
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00:02:01,788 --> 00:02:05,125
And when I saw a girl covered in scabs
which rags barely hid
30
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suck the mucus out of her little brother's
nose so that he might breathe,
31
00:02:09,712 --> 00:02:12,966
I knew I would never be able
to return to life as a court noble.
32
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- Arikoto...
- I still have dreams to pursue.
33
00:02:18,388 --> 00:02:20,765
One day, I'll become
the Abbot of Keiko-in,
34
00:02:20,849 --> 00:02:24,727
and with my own two hands,
I will save as many lives as I can.
35
00:02:26,271 --> 00:02:29,858
[Arikoto] All of it...
it was only ever a dream.
36
00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,445
My resolve was an illusion.
37
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I couldn't even save those in front of me.
38
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The life of Myokei,
the life of a courtesan.
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I gave in to coercion,
ended up breaking my chastity.
40
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I was absolutely powerless.
41
00:02:49,335 --> 00:02:51,212
Were my sensibilities so fragile?
42
00:02:51,296 --> 00:02:53,923
[Gyokuei] I'm coming to the Ōoku with you!
43
00:02:54,007 --> 00:02:56,217
I will renounce my monastic vows!
44
00:02:56,301 --> 00:02:58,678
I will go to the Ōoku with you, Master!
45
00:02:59,679 --> 00:03:02,307
You... Do you know
what you're saying, Gyokuei?
46
00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:05,852
If you do that, you would
never be able to go back to Kyoto.
47
00:03:05,935 --> 00:03:08,271
You could still return to Keiko-in
and resume your...
48
00:03:08,354 --> 00:03:09,189
No!
49
00:03:09,272 --> 00:03:12,650
The only reason I took those vows
was to remain by your side!
50
00:03:13,276 --> 00:03:16,029
You, who saved me
when I was on the brink of death!
51
00:03:16,654 --> 00:03:20,783
After my parents died, you were the one
who saved me from starvation and squalor!
52
00:03:21,284 --> 00:03:23,703
It was never the Buddha, it was only you!
53
00:03:23,786 --> 00:03:26,206
- [breathing shakily]
- [Gyokuei sobs]
54
00:03:26,289 --> 00:03:28,041
[foreboding music]
55
00:03:29,042 --> 00:03:30,835
Arikoto-dono is requesting
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00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:33,963
that he take that little monk
into the Ōoku alongside him?
57
00:03:34,547 --> 00:03:37,550
Yes. What do you wish me to do,
Lady Kasuga?
58
00:03:38,051 --> 00:03:39,177
[Kasuga scoffs]
59
00:03:40,303 --> 00:03:41,554
I guess it's fine.
60
00:03:42,096 --> 00:03:44,974
I would rather not have more trouble
from him complaining.
61
00:03:45,558 --> 00:03:48,102
Moreover, what of the wenches
from last night?
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00:03:48,186 --> 00:03:52,273
I trust you have disposed of the other two
with a burial befitting their status?
63
00:03:53,316 --> 00:03:54,442
It is done.
64
00:03:55,985 --> 00:04:01,074
[Kasuga] Anyone involved in this incident
must be immediately silenced for good.
65
00:04:06,412 --> 00:04:09,165
ŌOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS
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00:04:09,749 --> 00:04:12,252
[narrator] Around this time,
red-face smallpox
67
00:04:12,335 --> 00:04:14,796
was spreading in Kansai like wildfire,
68
00:04:14,879 --> 00:04:18,258
and the population of men in Japan
was half that of women.
69
00:04:19,259 --> 00:04:20,677
[girls sobbing]
70
00:04:24,430 --> 00:04:26,224
Papa! [wails]
71
00:04:26,307 --> 00:04:28,601
Yasuke! Yasuke!
72
00:04:28,685 --> 00:04:30,436
How dare you do this to me?
73
00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,314
You've left your poor old mother
all alone!
74
00:04:38,736 --> 00:04:41,447
Tadzu! Just what kind of wife are you?
75
00:04:41,531 --> 00:04:44,158
Your husband lies dead on the ground
in front of you,
76
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yet you shed not a single tear?
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00:04:46,202 --> 00:04:47,453
Mother-in-law.
78
00:04:47,537 --> 00:04:49,747
The only thought that fills my head
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00:04:49,831 --> 00:04:52,458
is what the future of this family
will become now.
80
00:04:52,542 --> 00:04:53,960
Future?
81
00:04:54,711 --> 00:04:56,879
Now that our Yasuke-don is no more,
82
00:04:56,963 --> 00:04:59,132
we face a grave time in the Kanbara family
83
00:04:59,215 --> 00:05:01,718
where there is not a single man
that remains alive.
84
00:05:02,218 --> 00:05:05,346
How will we survive when we have
no one to work our fields for food
85
00:05:05,430 --> 00:05:06,723
or protect our land?
86
00:05:06,806 --> 00:05:09,434
Well, that should be obvious.
87
00:05:09,517 --> 00:05:12,895
We will do as we have always done
until Sotaro here comes of age.
88
00:05:12,979 --> 00:05:15,106
- You and I will...
- We will what?
89
00:05:15,189 --> 00:05:17,650
The remaining men alive
who were the sharecroppers
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00:05:17,734 --> 00:05:21,279
that knew how to till the fields
and are still able-bodied are dwindling.
91
00:05:21,362 --> 00:05:23,781
Yasuke-don ended up
doing the field work himself.
92
00:05:23,865 --> 00:05:27,368
It wasn't even work he knew how to do,
which is why he got so sick and...
93
00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:29,495
[sobbing]
94
00:05:34,584 --> 00:05:37,462
I have a favor to ask of you, Mother.
[breathing shakily]
95
00:05:37,545 --> 00:05:40,798
I know it is unheard of, but I would ask
that you please give me your blessing
96
00:05:40,882 --> 00:05:44,010
to till the field of the Kanbara
family in place of Yasuke-don.
97
00:05:44,093 --> 00:05:45,720
How ridiculous!
98
00:05:45,803 --> 00:05:48,931
You are the wife of a landowner
of the Kanbara family.
99
00:05:49,015 --> 00:05:50,516
You have your vocation!
100
00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,770
Your function is to raise the children
and take care of the household!
101
00:05:53,853 --> 00:05:55,980
That is why I ask you.
102
00:05:56,064 --> 00:05:59,275
- [girl] Mother, I will till the field too.
- [both gasp]
103
00:05:59,359 --> 00:06:01,903
My health is fine, and I'm strong enough.
104
00:06:01,986 --> 00:06:04,155
Even if it's just a little, I can help!
105
00:06:04,238 --> 00:06:05,531
I... I can help too!
106
00:06:05,615 --> 00:06:08,034
Sato, Sotaro...
107
00:06:08,618 --> 00:06:10,411
Kae gets to help too!
108
00:06:10,495 --> 00:06:11,496
- [chuckles]
- [gasps]
109
00:06:11,579 --> 00:06:13,289
Not until you're older, Kae.
110
00:06:13,373 --> 00:06:16,042
Sato! Sotaro is one thing.
111
00:06:16,125 --> 00:06:19,295
But the young daughter
of the landowners working the field?
112
00:06:19,379 --> 00:06:22,048
The women from the sharecroppers
should take on that sort of labor!
113
00:06:22,131 --> 00:06:23,591
Grandmother!
114
00:06:23,674 --> 00:06:26,803
Have you not looked out to see
who works in the fields already?
115
00:06:26,886 --> 00:06:30,681
Every day the women of the sharecroppers
go out with hoes in their hands as it is!
116
00:06:30,765 --> 00:06:33,559
We no longer have anyone
left that we could ask!
117
00:06:33,643 --> 00:06:37,563
We may cry and wail,
but there are no men left anymore!
118
00:06:37,647 --> 00:06:38,647
Sato...
119
00:06:41,150 --> 00:06:42,860
[birdsong]
120
00:06:50,660 --> 00:06:51,911
Master Arikoto.
121
00:06:51,994 --> 00:06:55,581
We have finally arrived.
This is the Ōoku of Edo Castle.
122
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Thank you, Gyokuei.
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[thinks] It's odd.
124
00:07:22,191 --> 00:07:25,862
Since entering the castle,
I haven't seen a single woman.
125
00:07:26,529 --> 00:07:30,241
Everywhere I look, there are only samurai.
126
00:07:30,324 --> 00:07:33,494
Could this really be
the Ōoku of Edo Castle?
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00:07:34,078 --> 00:07:36,497
Bow in reverence,
for our liege has arrived.
128
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[grunts softly]
129
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Enough with all that. Raise up your head.
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Oh...
131
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This is gonna be the last time I say it.
Raise up your head!
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00:07:52,096 --> 00:07:53,347
[door closes]
133
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Oh? So I take it this new guy is
that one monk that Kasuga found?
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00:08:00,354 --> 00:08:03,274
You are correct. This is him. My liege.
135
00:08:03,357 --> 00:08:04,400
Oh!
136
00:08:04,484 --> 00:08:05,818
[thinks] "My Liege"?
137
00:08:05,902 --> 00:08:06,902
[sighs]
138
00:08:08,237 --> 00:08:09,655
Pleasure to see you again...
139
00:08:10,573 --> 00:08:13,993
I am the son of Madenokoji Arizumi.
My name is Arikoto.
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00:08:14,619 --> 00:08:16,037
- O-Man!
- Huh?
141
00:08:17,663 --> 00:08:21,167
I'll take the first letter of
"Madenokoji" and call you O-Man.
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00:08:21,250 --> 00:08:24,462
You have a pale face, and I think
you look like a dainty little girl,
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00:08:24,545 --> 00:08:26,422
so I'll give you a girl's name.
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00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:27,548
Answer, O-Man!
145
00:08:28,132 --> 00:08:29,132
Uh...
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00:08:30,593 --> 00:08:33,304
Does my liege find that "Arikoto"
147
00:08:33,387 --> 00:08:36,307
is a name that is displeasurable
to say or hear?
148
00:08:36,390 --> 00:08:39,310
[gasps] You disregard him? Our liege?
149
00:08:43,022 --> 00:08:44,065
O-Man!
150
00:08:46,150 --> 00:08:47,150
Hmph!
151
00:08:47,902 --> 00:08:49,070
[threatening music]
152
00:08:52,907 --> 00:08:55,326
I just gave you a new name. Answer to it!
153
00:08:56,410 --> 00:08:57,411
Answer!
154
00:08:57,912 --> 00:08:59,038
Answer!
155
00:08:59,664 --> 00:09:00,831
Answer me!
156
00:09:00,915 --> 00:09:02,083
Answer!
157
00:09:14,095 --> 00:09:15,930
[breathing shakily]
158
00:09:18,266 --> 00:09:19,850
My sport is spoiled.
159
00:09:19,934 --> 00:09:22,311
Masakatsu! Get this man out of my sight.
160
00:09:22,395 --> 00:09:23,980
You will not bring him in front of me
161
00:09:24,063 --> 00:09:26,649
until his swollen face
has completely healed.
162
00:09:26,732 --> 00:09:28,276
Kasuga, we're going!
163
00:09:28,359 --> 00:09:29,443
My liege.
164
00:09:37,660 --> 00:09:40,454
You are now free to raise
your head, Arikoto.
165
00:09:41,789 --> 00:09:42,707
[sighs]
166
00:09:42,790 --> 00:09:46,460
Who was that? Who was that person
I was just speaking with?
167
00:09:46,544 --> 00:09:49,463
I have no idea what
you mean to say by that.
168
00:09:49,547 --> 00:09:53,634
Lord Iemitsu is supposed to be
37 years old as of this year!
169
00:09:53,718 --> 00:09:57,013
Why do you act as though
that was the shogun? That was...
170
00:09:57,638 --> 00:09:59,056
Whoever was just here,
171
00:09:59,557 --> 00:10:01,475
that was a young girl!
172
00:10:02,852 --> 00:10:08,399
And the Lord Iemitsu I spoke to when
I reported my succession, that was you.
173
00:10:09,859 --> 00:10:12,820
My name is Inaba Masakatsu.
174
00:10:12,903 --> 00:10:15,948
But beyond the walls of Edo Castle,
in the outside world,
175
00:10:16,032 --> 00:10:18,576
I am considered dead,
and have been for some time.
176
00:10:18,659 --> 00:10:22,079
So please consider me a body double
for our liege in the meantime.
177
00:10:23,539 --> 00:10:27,001
If you are a body double, then
who was the young lady I just saw?
178
00:10:27,668 --> 00:10:28,669
[sighs]
179
00:10:29,629 --> 00:10:34,508
She is the daughter of the deceased
Lord Iemitsu, our previous shogun.
180
00:10:34,592 --> 00:10:35,593
[gasps]
181
00:10:36,093 --> 00:10:39,513
The sequence of events
began 17 years ago.
182
00:10:39,597 --> 00:10:42,016
It was shortly after Lord Iemitsu
had succeeded
183
00:10:42,099 --> 00:10:45,227
in receiving the title
of the third shogun.
184
00:10:46,312 --> 00:10:50,524
My liege, you mustn't!
I beg we return to the castle!
185
00:10:50,608 --> 00:10:53,903
Why? I merely wish to test
the sharpness of my sword
186
00:10:53,986 --> 00:10:56,530
on a homeless beggar before I return home.
187
00:10:56,614 --> 00:10:59,283
Such acts are beneath you.
My liege, please!
188
00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:02,411
If not that, then what of the rare disease
going around Edo?
189
00:11:02,495 --> 00:11:06,040
Young men are the most likely to catch it.
We risk exposure.
190
00:11:06,749 --> 00:11:11,045
I'm sick of O-Fuku. Every second
I'm in the castle, it's endless nagging.
191
00:11:11,128 --> 00:11:12,213
[gasps]
192
00:11:12,296 --> 00:11:14,048
I've no love for women.
193
00:11:14,131 --> 00:11:18,427
My mother never bothered to find any love
in her heart to share with her eldest son.
194
00:11:18,511 --> 00:11:21,013
While on the other hand,
my wet nurse, O-Fuku, annoys me,
195
00:11:21,097 --> 00:11:23,557
always saying,
"Everything is for the sake of my lord."
196
00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:25,601
Hmm?
197
00:11:29,021 --> 00:11:31,524
Masakatsu, we found a winner.
198
00:11:31,607 --> 00:11:32,817
My liege, please!
199
00:11:36,445 --> 00:11:37,445
Oh...
200
00:11:40,157 --> 00:11:43,327
[sighs] It's just a woman. Too bad.
201
00:11:43,411 --> 00:11:46,997
It's no sport to slice through a frail
little woman with no meat on her bones.
202
00:11:47,081 --> 00:11:50,835
But even in this darkness, you can
tell how beautiful she is by her figure.
203
00:11:51,419 --> 00:11:53,754
Surely you can appreciate that much?
204
00:11:53,838 --> 00:11:57,341
The grace, beauty, and
delightful nature of women like that one.
205
00:11:57,925 --> 00:12:00,636
I find their softer disposition
to be enjoyable.
206
00:12:01,512 --> 00:12:02,638
[scoffs]
207
00:12:03,472 --> 00:12:04,472
Hmm...
208
00:12:04,932 --> 00:12:07,268
[woman screaming]
209
00:12:07,935 --> 00:12:09,520
- I beg of you, sir, please!
- [grunts]
210
00:12:09,603 --> 00:12:11,856
- Let me go!
- I said be quiet, wench, and I meant it!
211
00:12:11,939 --> 00:12:13,399
[woman sobbing]
212
00:12:14,483 --> 00:12:17,611
You said women were enjoyable,
so I'm going to try this one.
213
00:12:17,695 --> 00:12:20,364
Keep watch so no one
comes around to bother us.
214
00:12:20,448 --> 00:12:21,866
My liege, please.
215
00:12:22,450 --> 00:12:24,243
If she doesn't agree to do what I say,
216
00:12:24,326 --> 00:12:27,580
then I'll just slit her throat
and dump her body on the way home.
217
00:12:27,663 --> 00:12:28,956
You know I'll do it.
218
00:12:29,039 --> 00:12:30,374
Help me, please!
219
00:12:31,959 --> 00:12:34,378
I'm sorry. Please bear it quietly.
220
00:12:34,462 --> 00:12:38,382
Look, O-Fuku!
I can lie with women if I want to!
221
00:12:38,466 --> 00:12:42,303
Since I'm the shogun now, there is nothing
in this world I cannot do!
222
00:12:42,386 --> 00:12:43,888
[cackles]
223
00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:46,307
[continues cackling]
224
00:12:49,935 --> 00:12:51,020
[narrator] A year later,
225
00:12:51,103 --> 00:12:55,065
a woman with a baby in her arms
approached the entrance of Edo Castle.
226
00:12:55,733 --> 00:12:59,570
[growls] Stop with all of your nonsense!
You are not allowed!
227
00:12:59,653 --> 00:13:02,072
But, sir, it was in fact
the samurai lord himself
228
00:13:02,156 --> 00:13:04,408
who professed that he was the shogun.
229
00:13:04,492 --> 00:13:07,912
And before he left,
his retainer gave me this wakizashi.
230
00:13:07,995 --> 00:13:11,415
Now that I gave birth to this child,
I will never be a bride!
231
00:13:11,499 --> 00:13:15,878
I beg you, please, sir! Allow me
to have an audience with our liege!
232
00:13:18,047 --> 00:13:21,383
But my liege insisted he had
no idea who the woman was.
233
00:13:21,467 --> 00:13:23,844
She was not allowed
to live in the safety of the Ōoku,
234
00:13:23,928 --> 00:13:25,930
and the whole incident stayed a secret.
235
00:13:26,889 --> 00:13:29,141
The Honored Kasuga arranged
for a wet nurse,
236
00:13:29,225 --> 00:13:31,101
and a house on the outskirts of Edo.
237
00:13:31,727 --> 00:13:33,813
There, she lived a quiet life.
238
00:13:33,896 --> 00:13:36,023
She raised her daughter there in peace.
239
00:13:37,525 --> 00:13:42,446
And so then, Lord Iemitsu passed away
without ever producing a rightful heir...
240
00:13:44,532 --> 00:13:46,534
[melancholy music]
241
00:13:52,581 --> 00:13:53,958
Masakatsu.
242
00:13:54,542 --> 00:13:57,920
I need you to dispose of the doctor.
Do it quickly.
243
00:13:58,546 --> 00:13:59,922
Mother, listen!
244
00:14:00,005 --> 00:14:01,382
Keeping others out...
245
00:14:01,465 --> 00:14:05,052
We accomplish nothing by
silencing the doctor in this manner.
246
00:14:05,553 --> 00:14:08,472
[panting] It is impossible
to keep the passing of our liege
247
00:14:08,556 --> 00:14:10,474
a secret from the outside world forever!
248
00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:15,312
Inaba Masakatsu, Governor of Tango.
249
00:14:17,648 --> 00:14:18,648
[gasps]
250
00:14:19,275 --> 00:14:23,362
You are a samurai!
How unseemly of you to be so upset!
251
00:14:24,029 --> 00:14:27,491
How many times must I tell you
not to call me "Mother"?
252
00:14:27,575 --> 00:14:28,575
[gasps]
253
00:14:29,577 --> 00:14:31,871
Do you understand
the situation that we face
254
00:14:31,954 --> 00:14:34,331
if Lord Iemitsu were to be dead right now?
255
00:14:34,415 --> 00:14:37,001
If he were to pass away
without having an heir?
256
00:14:38,669 --> 00:14:41,755
The Tokugawa reign would end.
257
00:14:42,339 --> 00:14:45,885
Then war and chaos would
return to these lands once more!
258
00:14:45,968 --> 00:14:47,761
Only 30 years have passed
259
00:14:47,845 --> 00:14:51,473
since the deified Lord Ieyasu
established the shogunate in Edo.
260
00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:57,021
Some provincial lords have not given up on
the ambition to rule the entire country.
261
00:14:57,104 --> 00:15:00,900
Our liege must remain alive,
no matter what the cost!
262
00:15:00,983 --> 00:15:03,694
Be that as it may, he no longer lives...
263
00:15:03,777 --> 00:15:06,655
- You will be the one to die in his stead.
- Huh?
264
00:15:07,239 --> 00:15:08,657
[Kasuga] The corpse lying here
265
00:15:08,741 --> 00:15:13,662
Is that of the Honored Kasuga's
firstborn son, Governor Inaba Masakatsu,
266
00:15:13,746 --> 00:15:16,165
who suddenly died from red-face smallpox!
267
00:15:16,248 --> 00:15:19,460
For the sake of the Tokugawa
clan, today was your last!
268
00:15:19,543 --> 00:15:20,669
[gasps]
269
00:15:21,295 --> 00:15:24,006
[narrator] That night,
she secretly summoned the Senior Councilor
270
00:15:24,089 --> 00:15:25,215
to the Outer Chambers.
271
00:15:25,299 --> 00:15:27,676
Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the Governor of Izu.
272
00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:29,053
How, though?
273
00:15:29,762 --> 00:15:33,432
What plan could you feasibly use
to keep our liege's death a secret?
274
00:15:33,515 --> 00:15:36,936
There is no way to wait for a successor
for the fourth shogun.
275
00:15:37,561 --> 00:15:39,355
He never saw fit to have an heir.
276
00:15:39,438 --> 00:15:40,606
I don't see...
277
00:15:40,689 --> 00:15:42,942
But he did, Nobutsuna-dono.
278
00:15:43,025 --> 00:15:46,946
He laid with a wench in the town of Edo
and secretly had a daughter.
279
00:15:47,029 --> 00:15:48,447
Huh?
280
00:15:48,530 --> 00:15:50,950
She is only eleven years of age
at present,
281
00:15:51,033 --> 00:15:54,328
but in due time, I can make sure
she has a son to take the title,
282
00:15:54,411 --> 00:15:56,956
so he may become
the successor for the lineage.
283
00:15:57,039 --> 00:15:58,707
Even if you accomplished that,
284
00:15:58,791 --> 00:16:01,377
it would mean that the male
bloodline of the Tokugawa clan
285
00:16:01,460 --> 00:16:02,962
would be forever broken!
286
00:16:03,045 --> 00:16:06,632
That is why every step we take
should be done in secrecy.
287
00:16:06,715 --> 00:16:10,094
Without this option, there's not
a hair's-breadth of hope to cling to.
288
00:16:10,177 --> 00:16:12,304
Every last son of Lord Hoshina Masayuki,
289
00:16:12,388 --> 00:16:14,640
The only remaining
brother of Lord Iemitsu,
290
00:16:14,723 --> 00:16:16,725
perished from red-face smallpox!
291
00:16:16,809 --> 00:16:19,436
Drastic times need drastic measures.
292
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,523
This illegitimate daughter I speak of
is the only person
293
00:16:22,606 --> 00:16:25,985
who can pass down the blood of
the Tokugawa line to the next generation!
294
00:16:26,068 --> 00:16:27,361
[gasps]
295
00:16:28,779 --> 00:16:32,783
Additionally, you will limit the entry
of foreign ships to only Nagasaki,
296
00:16:32,866 --> 00:16:36,996
and enact a ban on voyages for Japanese
people to foreign countries from now on.
297
00:16:37,079 --> 00:16:38,079
What?
298
00:16:39,081 --> 00:16:41,500
[Kasuga] This epidemic has lasted
longer than it should.
299
00:16:41,583 --> 00:16:46,296
The male population of this country
will continue to decrease for some time.
300
00:16:46,380 --> 00:16:49,216
If foreign states learn of this,
it would cause domestic trouble
301
00:16:49,299 --> 00:16:51,010
and invite external threats.
302
00:16:51,093 --> 00:16:54,013
We must nip any potential for
threat in the bud while we can.
303
00:16:54,096 --> 00:16:56,015
[gasps]
304
00:16:56,098 --> 00:16:58,934
The pretext can be called
an exclusion of the Christians.
305
00:16:59,018 --> 00:17:02,896
And a government-enforced monopoly on
foreign trade so it won't be questioned.
306
00:17:02,980 --> 00:17:05,274
Then we can effectively
close off the country.
307
00:17:05,858 --> 00:17:07,317
[gasps]
308
00:17:09,111 --> 00:17:12,740
Those events took place six
years ago and are still in progress.
309
00:17:12,823 --> 00:17:13,949
Oh!
310
00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,703
Then the reason why I
was brought to the castle...
311
00:17:18,328 --> 00:17:20,581
You are here to serve as seed stock.
312
00:17:21,081 --> 00:17:22,958
That is your only part to play.
313
00:17:23,042 --> 00:17:25,461
The sole purpose for which
you were brought into the Ōoku
314
00:17:25,544 --> 00:17:27,755
is to provide our liege with a male heir.
315
00:17:27,838 --> 00:17:30,674
Why do you keep saying
that she is your liege?
316
00:17:30,758 --> 00:17:34,094
If she is the daughter of a lord,
she should be a lady!
317
00:17:35,345 --> 00:17:38,223
There is no other option
of a name or title for her.
318
00:17:38,766 --> 00:17:40,350
There should never be a woman's name
319
00:17:40,434 --> 00:17:42,895
listed in the family tree
of the Tokugawa clan.
320
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,274
For the sake of our government,
Lord Iemitsu must be alive.
321
00:17:48,025 --> 00:17:51,779
She is someone who should not have
existed in this world in the first place.
322
00:17:52,279 --> 00:17:56,784
Therefore, I would ask that
you refer to that person as our liege.
323
00:17:58,077 --> 00:17:58,911
[sighs]
324
00:17:58,994 --> 00:18:02,790
I heard that the Ōoku of Edo Castle
was the women's quarters
325
00:18:02,873 --> 00:18:05,334
for those that were
in the service of the reigning shogun.
326
00:18:05,417 --> 00:18:08,295
- [Inaba chuckles]
- But no women live here!
327
00:18:08,378 --> 00:18:11,882
Correct. We have instead gathered
young lordless samurai
328
00:18:11,965 --> 00:18:14,885
from all over the country
#to reside in the Inner Chambers.
329
00:18:16,136 --> 00:18:19,681
With the number of men declining in Kanto
due to red-face smallpox,
330
00:18:19,765 --> 00:18:23,060
how do we make sure there are enough
warriors to raise an army?
331
00:18:23,143 --> 00:18:26,563
If the truth should get out
and the country fall into chaos,
332
00:18:26,647 --> 00:18:28,565
Edo would quickly be facing an attack.
333
00:18:29,650 --> 00:18:32,528
The Ōoku would be
our final line of defense.
334
00:18:32,611 --> 00:18:36,573
The last stand within the fortress
of Edo Castle to protect our liege.
335
00:18:36,657 --> 00:18:39,201
Now the Ōoku is our final hope
336
00:18:39,284 --> 00:18:42,162
if we should ever need to protect
the Tokugawa dynasty.
337
00:18:43,705 --> 00:18:47,334
The fact that the current shogun is
a woman is classified information.
338
00:18:48,168 --> 00:18:50,087
Even within the government,
339
00:18:50,170 --> 00:18:53,590
only a handful of ministers
are privy to this information.
340
00:18:54,174 --> 00:18:58,303
Our liege wears the clothing and
hairstyle of a man to keep this secret.
341
00:18:58,887 --> 00:19:02,599
Arikoto-dono, now that you have
been made aware of this truth,
342
00:19:02,683 --> 00:19:04,643
- you may never leave the Ōoku again.
- [whimpers]
343
00:19:04,726 --> 00:19:08,605
You will never set foot outside of
these walls for the rest of your life.
344
00:19:09,231 --> 00:19:10,232
Mmm.
345
00:19:11,191 --> 00:19:14,111
Was the young noble I found for you
to your liking?
346
00:19:14,194 --> 00:19:15,404
Mmm.
347
00:19:16,530 --> 00:19:19,950
Hmph. Train him to answer faster
and be more obedient
348
00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:21,952
by the next time he comes near me.
349
00:19:22,035 --> 00:19:24,121
He is annoyingly strong-willed.
350
00:19:24,204 --> 00:19:25,247
Hah.
351
00:19:25,330 --> 00:19:27,166
If he is someone who can be trained,
352
00:19:27,249 --> 00:19:29,668
Should I take that to mean
he could become pleasing enough
353
00:19:29,751 --> 00:19:32,129
for my liege to care to see him again?
354
00:19:32,796 --> 00:19:33,881
[sighs]
355
00:19:37,217 --> 00:19:38,093
[groans]
356
00:19:38,177 --> 00:19:39,177
[winces]
357
00:19:39,887 --> 00:19:41,221
Does it hurt?
358
00:19:41,722 --> 00:19:45,142
[sighs] What could have happened?
What injured you so severely?
359
00:19:45,684 --> 00:19:46,894
Who could have done such...
360
00:19:46,977 --> 00:19:47,853
[gasps]
361
00:19:47,936 --> 00:19:50,063
Master Arikoto... Was it...
362
00:19:50,898 --> 00:19:53,817
Did Lord Iemitsu do this?
He didn't try anything, did he?
363
00:19:54,484 --> 00:19:56,904
Ah... You see... There's...
364
00:19:56,987 --> 00:19:59,198
I'm unsure of what to say.
365
00:19:59,281 --> 00:20:00,949
How much I can divulge...
366
00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:02,326
[man] I would endeavor to say
367
00:20:02,409 --> 00:20:04,411
- that you tell him the truth, sir.
- [gasps]
368
00:20:04,494 --> 00:20:07,289
He will eventually find
out all there is to know.
369
00:20:10,834 --> 00:20:13,629
My name is Murase Masasuke.
A pleasure, sir.
370
00:20:13,712 --> 00:20:15,797
I am here by the order
of the Honored Kasuga.
371
00:20:15,881 --> 00:20:17,758
I have been commanded
to serve you, my lord,
372
00:20:17,841 --> 00:20:20,427
as your personal attendant
within the Inner Chambers.
373
00:20:20,510 --> 00:20:21,510
Huh?
374
00:20:22,012 --> 00:20:23,889
There is no need for such a thing!
375
00:20:23,972 --> 00:20:27,434
I can attend to all of Master Arikoto's
needs without any of your aid!
376
00:20:27,517 --> 00:20:28,435
Gyokuei...
377
00:20:28,518 --> 00:20:31,688
Come, now, there is no need
to be so protective anymore.
378
00:20:31,772 --> 00:20:34,524
There are many customs in the Ōoku
to be aware of.
379
00:20:34,608 --> 00:20:38,946
All I ask is that you consider my role
as your guide to the ways of this place.
380
00:20:39,029 --> 00:20:40,364
I welcome it.
381
00:20:40,447 --> 00:20:44,409
Gyokuei and I are quite lost in
maneuvering around a new space,
382
00:20:44,493 --> 00:20:46,703
So I will rely on your counsel.
383
00:20:46,787 --> 00:20:48,330
You have my gratitude.
384
00:20:48,413 --> 00:20:49,957
My heart will be at ease.
385
00:20:50,540 --> 00:20:54,461
I will no doubt have many failings,
but will do my best to serve you.
386
00:20:54,544 --> 00:20:59,299
If it is within your power, I do have
something I should like to ask of you.
387
00:20:59,383 --> 00:21:01,134
What would that be, sir?
388
00:21:01,218 --> 00:21:04,137
I wrote some letters
for Kyoto and Keiko-In.
389
00:21:04,221 --> 00:21:06,515
I only wish to let my family
and the temple
390
00:21:06,598 --> 00:21:08,809
know my whereabouts and of my health.
391
00:21:10,269 --> 00:21:11,979
I'm afraid I cannot.
392
00:21:12,062 --> 00:21:13,814
Huh? And why not?
393
00:21:14,356 --> 00:21:17,359
Any intention of running away
was put behind me.
394
00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:19,820
I only wish to inform those
who care for me,
395
00:21:19,903 --> 00:21:22,489
and must be concerned about me,
that I am safe and well.
396
00:21:22,572 --> 00:21:24,491
The Madenokoji family in Kyoto
397
00:21:24,574 --> 00:21:27,953
has been notified of the turn of events
from the government already.
398
00:21:28,495 --> 00:21:31,748
At the same time, a small gift of gold
was delivered to your household,
399
00:21:31,832 --> 00:21:34,251
and that seemed to suffice
as proper notice.
400
00:21:34,334 --> 00:21:36,211
Apparently your father, Lord Arizumi,
401
00:21:36,295 --> 00:21:39,256
was quite pleased to have
received that small gesture.
402
00:21:39,339 --> 00:21:42,759
I heard he said it was
absolutely no inconvenience whatsoever.
403
00:21:42,843 --> 00:21:45,262
- You liar!
- Please, Gyokuei.
404
00:21:45,345 --> 00:21:46,805
[mournful music]
405
00:21:46,888 --> 00:21:48,807
[thinks] I'm sure that's the truth.
406
00:21:49,391 --> 00:21:52,269
I know my father is
a good person at heart,
407
00:21:52,352 --> 00:21:54,688
but there is a calculating side to him.
408
00:21:54,771 --> 00:21:56,273
- [Murase] Oh, and...
- Huh?
409
00:21:56,356 --> 00:22:00,027
Keiko-in has been informed
of this new development as well.
410
00:22:00,110 --> 00:22:02,946
I was told the new Abbot who
succeeds you has been appointed.
411
00:22:03,447 --> 00:22:06,033
Is there anything else
I may be able to assist you with?
412
00:22:09,453 --> 00:22:12,039
Then I now have a request of my own.
413
00:22:12,122 --> 00:22:13,123
Huh?
414
00:22:13,623 --> 00:22:15,876
You reside within Edo Castle now.
415
00:22:16,376 --> 00:22:19,838
Please refrain from using the repugnant
court language of Kyoto here
416
00:22:19,921 --> 00:22:21,548
whenever words leave your lips.
417
00:22:21,631 --> 00:22:22,966
[splutters]
418
00:22:24,301 --> 00:22:28,305
[chuckles] So, Masasuke,
how was his reaction?
419
00:22:28,388 --> 00:22:30,807
I can only imagine how crestfallen he was.
420
00:22:30,891 --> 00:22:32,601
No. Not at all.
421
00:22:32,684 --> 00:22:35,562
He gave a response instantly
with a smile on his face.
422
00:22:37,356 --> 00:22:40,776
Understood, makes sense.
I'll comply with the request you've made,
423
00:22:40,859 --> 00:22:43,445
and will start using
the language of the samurai.
424
00:22:43,528 --> 00:22:45,614
He shifted his speech almost immediately.
425
00:22:45,697 --> 00:22:47,949
There was not a trace
of the court language still there.
426
00:22:49,785 --> 00:22:50,952
Hmph.
427
00:22:57,250 --> 00:22:58,960
[Arikoto] That brings us to the present.
428
00:22:59,044 --> 00:23:01,421
I have been brought here
to serve as a stallion,
429
00:23:01,505 --> 00:23:03,423
in the hopes that my seed might be able
430
00:23:03,507 --> 00:23:06,885
to help save the Tokugawa clan
from going fully extinct.
431
00:23:06,968 --> 00:23:09,971
I have no doubt that this story
is hard to fathom...
432
00:23:10,555 --> 00:23:14,684
[thinks] No, Master Arikoto would make a
perfect consort for the shogun's daughter.
433
00:23:14,768 --> 00:23:16,228
That's what she was doing.
434
00:23:16,728 --> 00:23:19,564
Why the Honored Kasuga
urged him to lie with a courtesan.
435
00:23:20,065 --> 00:23:24,319
She needed to know if Master Arikoto
could handle a woman's body.
436
00:23:26,154 --> 00:23:27,322
Gyokuei.
437
00:23:27,406 --> 00:23:30,784
What pains me the most is that
I dragged you into this situation.
438
00:23:30,867 --> 00:23:32,744
You share my sorry fate.
439
00:23:32,828 --> 00:23:33,828
[gasps]
440
00:23:34,454 --> 00:23:35,747
Your life path is set.
441
00:23:36,248 --> 00:23:39,543
You may never again
take a single step out of this Ōoku,
442
00:23:39,626 --> 00:23:41,586
nor may you ever return to Kyoto.
443
00:23:41,670 --> 00:23:43,547
Gyokuei, I'm so sorry.
444
00:23:43,630 --> 00:23:45,257
You are truly mistaken.
445
00:23:45,340 --> 00:23:47,008
It could seem strange to you,
446
00:23:47,092 --> 00:23:50,262
but I was actually surprised
by how lucky everything turned out.
447
00:23:50,345 --> 00:23:51,346
Huh?
448
00:23:51,847 --> 00:23:53,557
[Gyokuei] I know this to be true.
449
00:23:54,057 --> 00:23:57,727
If you hadn't brought me
to the Inner Chambers alongside you,
450
00:23:57,811 --> 00:23:59,855
I would have been killed immediately.
451
00:24:02,107 --> 00:24:04,234
I have no desire to die yet.
452
00:24:04,734 --> 00:24:08,905
I will follow you wherever you decide
to go, Master Arikoto.
453
00:24:08,989 --> 00:24:11,950
That is the only true path
my life will ever follow.
454
00:24:12,534 --> 00:24:13,535
Gyokuei...
455
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:15,829
[cicadas chirping]
456
00:24:24,796 --> 00:24:26,298
- [door opens]
- Huh?
457
00:24:31,261 --> 00:24:32,679
What is it, my liege?
458
00:24:33,263 --> 00:24:35,182
Take it. [grunts]
459
00:24:36,766 --> 00:24:37,766
[gasps]
460
00:24:39,519 --> 00:24:41,396
Uh...
- [meows]
461
00:24:42,564 --> 00:24:43,564
Huh?
462
00:24:44,316 --> 00:24:47,652
It was mewling outside of my bedchamber,
and so I give it to you.
463
00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:49,153
Take it.
464
00:24:50,530 --> 00:24:52,199
[footsteps receding]
465
00:24:57,871 --> 00:24:59,748
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY
466
00:26:31,464 --> 00:26:34,968
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY