[door opens]
[footsteps]
Kogiku.
We are beyond words now.
[Arikoto gasps]
[poignant music]
[Arikoto shivers]
[birdsong]
[gasps]
[sighs]
[whimpers]
Let us grow our hair.
[wails] Abbot, no!
[sobbing]
[man] So you are firmly set in this decision, Arikoto.
The point of return has passed.
Shaving one's head is not a thing to be easily undone.
Well, as a father,
I find it tragic to have a son well-versed in both culture
and the academics who would choose to renounce them.
- [sighs] - [Arikoto] Father.
This is how I wish to live my life.
Through this choice, I access not only the Buddhist studies,
but the Zen teachings at the temple,
as well as Chinese classics and poetry.
More so, thanks to this choice,
I got to glimpse into the lives of people who suffered such as I had never known.
The capital was filled with destitution,
And when I saw a girl covered in scabs which rags barely hid
suck the mucus out of her little brother's nose so that he might breathe,
I knew I would never be able to return to life as a court noble.
- Arikoto... - I still have dreams to pursue.
One day, I'll become the Abbot of Keiko-in,
and with my own two hands, I will save as many lives as I can.
[Arikoto] All of it... it was only ever a dream.
My resolve was an illusion.
I couldn't even save those in front of me.
The life of Myokei, the life of a courtesan.
I gave in to coercion, ended up breaking my chastity.
I was absolutely powerless.
Were my sensibilities so fragile?
[Gyokuei] I'm coming to the Ōoku with you!
I will renounce my monastic vows!
I will go to the Ōoku with you, Master!
You... Do you know what you're saying, Gyokuei?
If you do that, you would never be able to go back to Kyoto.
You could still return to Keiko-in and resume your...
No!
The only reason I took those vows was to remain by your side!
You, who saved me when I was on the brink of death!
After my parents died, you were the one who saved me from starvation and squalor!
It was never the Buddha, it was only you!
- [breathing shakily] - [Gyokuei sobs]
[foreboding music]
Arikoto-dono is requesting
that he take that little monk into the Ōoku alongside him?
Yes. What do you wish me to do, Lady Kasuga?
[Kasuga scoffs]
I guess it's fine.
I would rather not have more trouble from him complaining.
Moreover, what of the wenches from last night?
I trust you have disposed of the other two with a burial befitting their status?
It is done.
[Kasuga] Anyone involved in this incident must be immediately silenced for good.
ŌOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS
[narrator] Around this time, red-face smallpox
was spreading in Kansai like wildfire,
and the population of men in Japan was half that of women.
[girls sobbing]
Papa! [wails]
Yasuke! Yasuke!
How dare you do this to me?
You've left your poor old mother all alone!
Tadzu! Just what kind of wife are you?
Your husband lies dead on the ground in front of you,
yet you shed not a single tear?
Mother-in-law.
The only thought that fills my head
is what the future of this family will become now.
Future?
Now that our Yasuke-don is no more,
we face a grave time in the Kanbara family
where there is not a single man that remains alive.
How will we survive when we have no one to work our fields for food
or protect our land?
Well, that should be obvious.
We will do as we have always done until Sotaro here comes of age.
- You and I will... - We will what?
The remaining men alive who were the sharecroppers
that knew how to till the fields and are still able-bodied are dwindling.
Yasuke-don ended up doing the field work himself.
It wasn't even work he knew how to do, which is why he got so sick and...
[sobbing]
I have a favor to ask of you, Mother. [breathing shakily]
I know it is unheard of, but I would ask that you please give me your blessing
to till the field of the Kanbara family in place of Yasuke-don.
How ridiculous!
You are the wife of a landowner of the Kanbara family.
You have your vocation!
Your function is to raise the children and take care of the household!
That is why I ask you.
- [girl] Mother, I will till the field too. - [both gasp]
My health is fine, and I'm strong enough.
Even if it's just a little, I can help!
I... I can help too!
Sato, Sotaro...
Kae gets to help too!
- [chuckles] - [gasps]
Not until you're older, Kae.
Sato! Sotaro is one thing.
But the young daughter of the landowners working the field?
The women from the sharecroppers should take on that sort of labor!
Grandmother!
Have you not looked out to see who works in the fields already?
Every day the women of the sharecroppers go out with hoes in their hands as it is!
We no longer have anyone left that we could ask!
We may cry and wail, but there are no men left anymore!
Sato...
[birdsong]
Master Arikoto.
We have finally arrived. This is the Ōoku of Edo Castle.
Thank you, Gyokuei.
[thinks] It's odd.
Since entering the castle, I haven't seen a single woman.
Everywhere I look, there are only samurai.
Could this really be the Ōoku of Edo Castle?
Bow in reverence, for our liege has arrived.
[grunts softly]
Enough with all that. Raise up your head.
Oh...
This is gonna be the last time I say it. Raise up your head!
[door closes]
Oh? So I take it this new guy is that one monk that Kasuga found?
You are correct. This is him. My liege.
Oh!
[thinks] "My Liege"?
[sighs]
Pleasure to see you again...
I am the son of Madenokoji Arizumi. My name is Arikoto.
- O-Man! - Huh?
I'll take the first letter of "Madenokoji" and call you O-Man.
You have a pale face, and I think you look like a dainty little girl,
so I'll give you a girl's name.
Answer, O-Man!
Uh...
Does my liege find that "Arikoto"
is a name that is displeasurable to say or hear?
[gasps] You disregard him? Our liege?
O-Man!
Hmph!
[threatening music]
I just gave you a new name. Answer to it!
Answer!
Answer me!
Answer!
[breathing shakily]
My sport is spoiled.
Masakatsu! Get this man out of my sight.
You will not bring him in front of me
until his swollen face has completely healed.
Kasuga, we're going!
My liege.
You are now free to raise your head, Arikoto.
[sighs]
Who was that? Who was that person I was just speaking with?
I have no idea what you mean to say by that.
Lord Iemitsu is supposed to be 37 years old as of this year!
Why do you act as though that was the shogun? That was...
Whoever was just here,
that was a young girl!
And the Lord Iemitsu I spoke to when I reported my succession, that was you.
My name is Inaba Masakatsu.
But beyond the walls of Edo Castle, in the outside world,
I am considered dead, and have been for some time.
So please consider me a body double for our liege in the meantime.
If you are a body double, then who was the young lady I just saw?
[sighs]
She is the daughter of the deceased Lord Iemitsu, our previous shogun.
[gasps]
The sequence of events began 17 years ago.
It was shortly after Lord Iemitsu had succeeded
in receiving the title of the third shogun.
My liege, you mustn't! I beg we return to the castle!
Why? I merely wish to test the sharpness of my sword
on a homeless beggar before I return home.
Such acts are beneath you. My liege, please!
If not that, then what of the rare disease going around Edo?
Young men are the most likely to catch it. We risk exposure.
I'm sick of O-Fuku. Every second I'm in the castle, it's endless nagging.
[gasps]
I've no love for women.
My mother never bothered to find any love in her heart to share with her eldest son.
While on the other hand, my wet nurse, O-Fuku, annoys me,
always saying, "Everything is for the sake of my lord."
Hmm?
Masakatsu, we found a winner.
My liege, please!
Oh...
[sighs] It's just a woman. Too bad.
It's no sport to slice through a frail little woman with no meat on her bones.
But even in this darkness, you can tell how beautiful she is by her figure.
Surely you can appreciate that much?
The grace, beauty, and delightful nature of women like that one.
I find their softer disposition to be enjoyable.
[scoffs]
Hmm...
[woman screaming]
- I beg of you, sir, please! - [grunts]
- Let me go! - I said be quiet, wench, and I meant it!
[woman sobbing]
You said women were enjoyable, so I'm going to try this one.
Keep watch so no one comes around to bother us.
My liege, please.
If she doesn't agree to do what I say,
then I'll just slit her throat and dump her body on the way home.
You know I'll do it.
Help me, please!
I'm sorry. Please bear it quietly.
Look, O-Fuku! I can lie with women if I want to!
Since I'm the shogun now, there is nothing in this world I cannot do!
[cackles]
[continues cackling]
[narrator] A year later,
a woman with a baby in her arms approached the entrance of Edo Castle.
[growls] Stop with all of your nonsense! You are not allowed!
But, sir, it was in fact the samurai lord himself
who professed that he was the shogun.
And before he left, his retainer gave me this wakizashi.
Now that I gave birth to this child, I will never be a bride!
I beg you, please, sir! Allow me to have an audience with our liege!
But my liege insisted he had no idea who the woman was.
She was not allowed to live in the safety of the Ōoku,
and the whole incident stayed a secret.
The Honored Kasuga arranged for a wet nurse,
and a house on the outskirts of Edo.
There, she lived a quiet life.
She raised her daughter there in peace.
And so then, Lord Iemitsu passed away without ever producing a rightful heir...
[melancholy music]
Masakatsu.
I need you to dispose of the doctor. Do it quickly.
Mother, listen!
Keeping others out...
We accomplish nothing by silencing the doctor in this manner.
[panting] It is impossible to keep the passing of our liege
a secret from the outside world forever!
Inaba Masakatsu, Governor of Tango.
[gasps]
You are a samurai! How unseemly of you to be so upset!
How many times must I tell you not to call me "Mother"?
[gasps]
Do you understand the situation that we face
if Lord Iemitsu were to be dead right now?
If he were to pass away without having an heir?
The Tokugawa reign would end.
Then war and chaos would return to these lands once more!
Only 30 years have passed
since the deified Lord Ieyasu established the shogunate in Edo.
Some provincial lords have not given up on the ambition to rule the entire country.
Our liege must remain alive, no matter what the cost!
Be that as it may, he no longer lives...
- You will be the one to die in his stead. - Huh?
[Kasuga] The corpse lying here
Is that of the Honored Kasuga's firstborn son, Governor Inaba Masakatsu,
who suddenly died from red-face smallpox!
For the sake of the Tokugawa clan, today was your last!
[gasps]
[narrator] That night, she secretly summoned the Senior Councilor
to the Outer Chambers.
Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the Governor of Izu.
How, though?
What plan could you feasibly use to keep our liege's death a secret?
There is no way to wait for a successor for the fourth shogun.
He never saw fit to have an heir.
I don't see...
But he did, Nobutsuna-dono.
He laid with a wench in the town of Edo and secretly had a daughter.
Huh?
She is only eleven years of age at present,
but in due time, I can make sure she has a son to take the title,
so he may become the successor for the lineage.
Even if you accomplished that,
it would mean that the male bloodline of the Tokugawa clan
would be forever broken!
That is why every step we take should be done in secrecy.
Without this option, there's not a hair's-breadth of hope to cling to.
Every last son of Lord Hoshina Masayuki,
The only remaining brother of Lord Iemitsu,
perished from red-face smallpox!
Drastic times need drastic measures.
This illegitimate daughter I speak of is the only person
who can pass down the blood of the Tokugawa line to the next generation!
[gasps]
Additionally, you will limit the entry of foreign ships to only Nagasaki,
and enact a ban on voyages for Japanese people to foreign countries from now on.
What?
[Kasuga] This epidemic has lasted longer than it should.
The male population of this country will continue to decrease for some time.
If foreign states learn of this, it would cause domestic trouble
and invite external threats.
We must nip any potential for threat in the bud while we can.
[gasps]
The pretext can be called an exclusion of the Christians.
And a government-enforced monopoly on foreign trade so it won't be questioned.
Then we can effectively close off the country.
[gasps]
Those events took place six years ago and are still in progress.
Oh!
Then the reason why I was brought to the castle...
You are here to serve as seed stock.
That is your only part to play.
The sole purpose for which you were brought into the Ōoku
is to provide our liege with a male heir.
Why do you keep saying that she is your liege?
If she is the daughter of a lord, she should be a lady!
There is no other option of a name or title for her.
There should never be a woman's name
listed in the family tree of the Tokugawa clan.
For the sake of our government, Lord Iemitsu must be alive.
She is someone who should not have existed in this world in the first place.
Therefore, I would ask that you refer to that person as our liege.
[sighs]
I heard that the Ōoku of Edo Castle was the women's quarters
for those that were in the service of the reigning shogun.
- [Inaba chuckles] - But no women live here!
Correct. We have instead gathered young lordless samurai
from all over the country #to reside in the Inner Chambers.
With the number of men declining in Kanto due to red-face smallpox,
how do we make sure there are enough warriors to raise an army?
If the truth should get out and the country fall into chaos,
Edo would quickly be facing an attack.
The Ōoku would be our final line of defense.
The last stand within the fortress of Edo Castle to protect our liege.
Now the Ōoku is our final hope
if we should ever need to protect the Tokugawa dynasty.
The fact that the current shogun is a woman is classified information.
Even within the government,
only a handful of ministers are privy to this information.
Our liege wears the clothing and hairstyle of a man to keep this secret.
Arikoto-dono, now that you have been made aware of this truth,
- you may never leave the Ōoku again. - [whimpers]
You will never set foot outside of these walls for the rest of your life.
Mmm.
Was the young noble I found for you to your liking?
Mmm.
Hmph. Train him to answer faster and be more obedient
by the next time he comes near me.
He is annoyingly strong-willed.
Hah.
If he is someone who can be trained,
Should I take that to mean he could become pleasing enough
for my liege to care to see him again?
[sighs]
[groans]
[winces]
Does it hurt?
[sighs] What could have happened? What injured you so severely?
Who could have done such...
[gasps]
Master Arikoto... Was it...
Did Lord Iemitsu do this? He didn't try anything, did he?
Ah... You see... There's...
I'm unsure of what to say.
How much I can divulge...
[man] I would endeavor to say
- that you tell him the truth, sir. - [gasps]
He will eventually find out all there is to know.
My name is Murase Masasuke. A pleasure, sir.
I am here by the order of the Honored Kasuga.
I have been commanded to serve you, my lord,
as your personal attendant within the Inner Chambers.
Huh?
There is no need for such a thing!
I can attend to all of Master Arikoto's needs without any of your aid!
Gyokuei...
Come, now, there is no need to be so protective anymore.
There are many customs in the Ōoku to be aware of.
All I ask is that you consider my role as your guide to the ways of this place.
I welcome it.
Gyokuei and I are quite lost in maneuvering around a new space,
So I will rely on your counsel.
You have my gratitude.
My heart will be at ease.
I will no doubt have many failings, but will do my best to serve you.
If it is within your power, I do have something I should like to ask of you.
What would that be, sir?
I wrote some letters for Kyoto and Keiko-In.
I only wish to let my family and the temple
know my whereabouts and of my health.
I'm afraid I cannot.
Huh? And why not?
Any intention of running away was put behind me.
I only wish to inform those who care for me,
and must be concerned about me, that I am safe and well.
The Madenokoji family in Kyoto
has been notified of the turn of events from the government already.
At the same time, a small gift of gold was delivered to your household,
and that seemed to suffice as proper notice.
Apparently your father, Lord Arizumi,
was quite pleased to have received that small gesture.
I heard he said it was absolutely no inconvenience whatsoever.
- You liar! - Please, Gyokuei.
[mournful music]
[thinks] I'm sure that's the truth.
I know my father is a good person at heart,
but there is a calculating side to him.
- [Murase] Oh, and... - Huh?
Keiko-in has been informed of this new development as well.
I was told the new Abbot who succeeds you has been appointed.
Is there anything else I may be able to assist you with?
Then I now have a request of my own.
Huh?
You reside within Edo Castle now.
Please refrain from using the repugnant court language of Kyoto here
whenever words leave your lips.
[splutters]
[chuckles] So, Masasuke, how was his reaction?
I can only imagine how crestfallen he was.
No. Not at all.
He gave a response instantly with a smile on his face.
Understood, makes sense. I'll comply with the request you've made,
and will start using the language of the samurai.
He shifted his speech almost immediately.
There was not a trace of the court language still there.
Hmph.
[Arikoto] That brings us to the present.
I have been brought here to serve as a stallion,
in the hopes that my seed might be able
to help save the Tokugawa clan from going fully extinct.
I have no doubt that this story is hard to fathom...
[thinks] No, Master Arikoto would make a perfect consort for the shogun's daughter.
That's what she was doing.
Why the Honored Kasuga urged him to lie with a courtesan.
She needed to know if Master Arikoto could handle a woman's body.
Gyokuei.
What pains me the most is that I dragged you into this situation.
You share my sorry fate.
[gasps]
Your life path is set.
You may never again take a single step out of this Ōoku,
nor may you ever return to Kyoto.
Gyokuei, I'm so sorry.
You are truly mistaken.
It could seem strange to you,
but I was actually surprised by how lucky everything turned out.
Huh?
[Gyokuei] I know this to be true.
If you hadn't brought me to the Inner Chambers alongside you,
I would have been killed immediately.
I have no desire to die yet.
I will follow you wherever you decide to go, Master Arikoto.
That is the only true path my life will ever follow.
Gyokuei...
[cicadas chirping]
- [door opens] - Huh?
What is it, my liege?
Take it. [grunts]
[gasps]
Uh... - [meows]
Huh?
It was mewling outside of my bedchamber, and so I give it to you.
Take it.
[footsteps receding]
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY