1
00:00:13,972 --> 00:00:18,268
Never speak of what you see or hear
inside the Ōoku to anyone,

2
00:00:18,351 --> 00:00:22,856
- not least to your parents or siblings.
- From The Ōoku Code

3
00:00:29,279 --> 00:00:32,031
Sadakichi!
Wait, where are you going?

4
00:00:32,115 --> 00:00:34,075
A secret spot for my eyes only!

5
00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:36,119
You watch yourself, Sadakichi!

6
00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:38,830
The wilderness is no place
for a lone child!

7
00:00:38,913 --> 00:00:41,416
Return home
before the sun sets, all right?

8
00:00:41,499 --> 00:00:43,209
Don't worry, I will!

9
00:00:44,419 --> 00:00:47,839
That child! Playing doesn't
help him learn to work the fields.

10
00:00:57,807 --> 00:01:01,269
I found it! It's an otsugatake!

11
00:01:01,352 --> 00:01:03,354
The very first mushroom of the season!

12
00:01:03,438 --> 00:01:06,441
They say that eating the first find
will prolong your life.

13
00:01:06,524 --> 00:01:08,943
So I'll make sure my ma eats it.

14
00:01:09,444 --> 00:01:11,112
- Who's there?

15
00:01:18,703 --> 00:01:19,871
Oh!

16
00:01:20,788 --> 00:01:21,623
Oh!

17
00:01:29,464 --> 00:01:31,216
Sadakichi!

18
00:01:32,759 --> 00:01:35,303
As Sadakichi drew
his last breath,

19
00:01:35,386 --> 00:01:39,432
abnormalities began cropping up through
the village in the days that followed.

20
00:01:46,564 --> 00:01:48,024
- Hey, Pa?
- Hmm?

21
00:01:48,107 --> 00:01:50,526
I feel terribly weak, and I'm burning up.

22
00:01:50,610 --> 00:01:53,488
First, Otokichi,
the eldest brother of Sadakichi,

23
00:01:53,571 --> 00:01:56,532
came down with a high fever
of unknown cause.

24
00:01:57,367 --> 00:02:01,204
Shortly after,
red pustules spread over his entire body.

25
00:02:01,788 --> 00:02:03,289
Four days later, he died.

26
00:02:03,373 --> 00:02:07,168
Sadakichi's mother, Seki,
and his little sister Tei were spared,

27
00:02:07,252 --> 00:02:09,337
but Seki knew what was happening.

28
00:02:09,879 --> 00:02:13,049
The god of the mountain must have
punished Sadakichi with a plague,

29
00:02:13,132 --> 00:02:14,842
and her son brought it
back to the village.

30
00:02:16,469 --> 00:02:19,222
The plague rapidly spread
to the neighboring village.

31
00:02:19,722 --> 00:02:22,308
Shortly after,
it swept to the village beyond.

32
00:02:23,184 --> 00:02:27,939
Only the men, and the young men at that,
were affected by this terrible disease.

33
00:02:28,022 --> 00:02:30,650
Eight out of every ten perished in agony.

34
00:02:31,317 --> 00:02:33,736
In a few years, this plague
from a mountain village

35
00:02:33,820 --> 00:02:35,738
spread to all of the Kanto region.

36
00:02:36,614 --> 00:02:38,866
It continued its devastation westward.

37
00:02:39,367 --> 00:02:42,245
And, as there were no means
to combat this disease,

38
00:02:42,328 --> 00:02:45,456
the population of men
declined at a frightening rate.

39
00:02:48,418 --> 00:02:51,713
The plague came to be known
as "red-face smallpox,"

40
00:02:51,796 --> 00:02:53,548
and took root in the country.

41
00:02:53,631 --> 00:02:54,841
DEITY OF RED-FACE SMALLPOX

42
00:02:57,927 --> 00:03:01,222
After nearly 80 years
of ravaging the country,

43
00:03:01,305 --> 00:03:05,935
the population of men slowly
stabilized at one-fourth that of women.

44
00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:08,604
The institution of marriage collapsed.

45
00:03:09,313 --> 00:03:12,442
Instead, women paid for men
in the pleasure district

46
00:03:12,525 --> 00:03:14,777
if they had any desire to bear children.

47
00:03:15,319 --> 00:03:19,073
Getting your own husband became a symbol
of privileged status,

48
00:03:19,157 --> 00:03:22,744
reserved only for samurai,
rich merchants, and village headmen.

49
00:03:22,827 --> 00:03:26,164
I can't believe it! It sounds like
I'll actually be able to get a husband!

50
00:03:26,247 --> 00:03:28,833
- You're so lucky, I wish I could have one!

51
00:03:29,333 --> 00:03:32,587
Ever since the reign
of the third shogun Iemitsu,

52
00:03:32,670 --> 00:03:35,673
women have inherited
the powerful position of shogun.

53
00:03:38,885 --> 00:03:41,971
Due to the bureaucratization
of the samurai society,

54
00:03:42,054 --> 00:03:46,559
inverting the roles previously
held by men to women was a simple feat.

55
00:03:51,856 --> 00:03:56,277
Our liege has arrived! She will grace us
with her presence for a morning audience!

56
00:04:01,532 --> 00:04:05,745
Bow in reverence!
Her Highness has arrived!

57
00:04:23,679 --> 00:04:25,473
In a time of male scarcity,

58
00:04:25,556 --> 00:04:28,601
only the ruler of the land
and supreme leader of the country

59
00:04:28,684 --> 00:04:30,603
was allowed the highest luxury...

60
00:04:30,686 --> 00:04:31,562
Men.

61
00:04:32,355 --> 00:04:37,109
Inside the castle was a palace, wherein
3,000 young, beautiful men lived,

62
00:04:37,193 --> 00:04:40,071
all of which were
off-limits to any other woman.

63
00:04:40,154 --> 00:04:43,616
The Inner Chambers, or the Ōoku.

64
00:04:46,494 --> 00:04:52,083
ŌTHE INNER CHAMBERS

65
00:04:52,166 --> 00:04:53,292
Get out my way!

66
00:04:53,376 --> 00:04:56,921
It is now the reign
of the seventh shogun, Ietsugu.

67
00:04:57,004 --> 00:04:58,089
APRIL, 1716

68
00:05:00,174 --> 00:05:02,843
I... I yield!

69
00:05:02,927 --> 00:05:05,846
I surrender, Yunoshin.
I give up, so have mercy!

70
00:05:05,930 --> 00:05:06,847
Come on now!

71
00:05:06,931 --> 00:05:10,101
Mitamura-san, I know
you dropped your wooden sword on purpose.

72
00:05:10,184 --> 00:05:11,852
I have no doubt you could keep going.

73
00:05:11,936 --> 00:05:13,145
- Ready?

74
00:05:13,229 --> 00:05:14,605
- Just let me lose!

75
00:05:14,689 --> 00:05:16,607
- I believe that's enough, sir.
- Huh?

76
00:05:16,691 --> 00:05:21,112
Not everyone wants to push themselves
so hard! Be careful not to fall ill.

77
00:05:21,195 --> 00:05:22,738
What was that, O-Nobu?

78
00:05:23,322 --> 00:05:25,491
Unless you have a reason
for me to stop, then I--

79
00:05:25,574 --> 00:05:28,119
- Hooray! Training's over!

80
00:05:30,788 --> 00:05:31,706
A shame.

81
00:05:31,789 --> 00:05:35,543
Mitamura-san has a good aptitude for
it. He just lacks the zeal. Or rather...

82
00:05:35,626 --> 00:05:36,585
Mmm!

83
00:05:36,669 --> 00:05:39,005
He doesn't really take
swordsmanship seriously.

84
00:05:39,088 --> 00:05:40,589
Does that surprise you at all?

85
00:05:40,673 --> 00:05:42,717
We are far removed from a time of war.

86
00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,678
Now swordsmanship is
little more than a hobby for samurai.

87
00:05:45,761 --> 00:05:49,348
Is that so? You're likely sitting there
thinking I should dance or sing,

88
00:05:49,432 --> 00:05:51,934
since that'll make me
more popular with the ladies?

89
00:05:52,018 --> 00:05:53,019
Oh, no, not at all.

90
00:05:54,020 --> 00:05:57,023
Watching you practice there,
with a sword... I liked it.

91
00:05:59,108 --> 00:06:01,986
It-- it's just that,
while men are stronger than women,

92
00:06:02,069 --> 00:06:03,988
your constitution is weaker than ours.

93
00:06:04,071 --> 00:06:06,490
I worry you might push yourself too hard
and get sick.

94
00:06:06,574 --> 00:06:08,826
I guess I'm an exception, then.

95
00:06:08,909 --> 00:06:10,119
Mmm! Mmm.

96
00:06:10,703 --> 00:06:13,581
Even so, you are already popular.

97
00:06:15,124 --> 00:06:17,001
It happens all the time.

98
00:06:17,084 --> 00:06:19,795
I've seen women flock to you,
asking for your seed,

99
00:06:19,879 --> 00:06:22,048
and you haven't refused a single one.

100
00:06:24,133 --> 00:06:27,136
Even in this day and age,
you don't ask for payment.

101
00:06:27,219 --> 00:06:31,140
You know that's why they all come to me,
right? It's not that I'm popular. Mmm.

102
00:06:34,894 --> 00:06:36,812
You would say that, wouldn't you?

103
00:06:36,896 --> 00:06:40,858
With features such as yours, you could
have your pick of any woman you desired.

104
00:06:40,941 --> 00:06:43,277
Yet you only choose to help poor women.

105
00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,071
It is a great kindness.

106
00:06:47,490 --> 00:06:51,160
If my dear childhood friend had any wish
that I would bed her,

107
00:06:51,243 --> 00:06:52,578
I wouldn't mind it at all.

108
00:06:53,162 --> 00:06:54,080
Hmm...

109
00:06:59,710 --> 00:07:03,255
Enough of that! Such an option
is out of the question, as you know.

110
00:07:03,339 --> 00:07:05,174
Course I do.

111
00:07:05,257 --> 00:07:08,219
The heiress of Tajima-ya,
the medicinal herb seller.

112
00:07:08,302 --> 00:07:11,222
Your only choice for a husband
is another well-to-do merchant.

113
00:07:11,305 --> 00:07:15,309
You can't be caught foolin' around with
the son of a poor hatamoto like myself.

114
00:07:18,521 --> 00:07:19,897
Listen, O-Nobu.

115
00:07:19,980 --> 00:07:24,109
Those women who come to me, they're not
sleeping with me out of love or affection.

116
00:07:24,193 --> 00:07:26,111
The only thing they want is a child.

117
00:07:26,195 --> 00:07:29,031
On their hands and knees,
they beg me with tears in their eyes.

118
00:07:29,114 --> 00:07:30,908
All because they want a purpose in life.

119
00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:34,995
How could I say no?
How could I not lend them my help?

120
00:07:37,206 --> 00:07:39,500
There's a name
for someone who acts like that.

121
00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,170
A womanizing lecher
who cannot keep it in his pants.

122
00:07:43,254 --> 00:07:45,422
- Are-- are you kidding me?
- Hmph!

123
00:07:45,506 --> 00:07:48,634
I'm doing this out of mercy
and compassion! I'm basically Buddha...

124
00:07:48,717 --> 00:07:51,428
- Mmm-mmm!
- Young master!

125
00:07:53,514 --> 00:07:55,558
Oh. It's O-Take-san.

126
00:07:55,641 --> 00:07:57,518
Nanny O-Take. Is somethin' wrong?

127
00:07:58,018 --> 00:08:00,938
Yunoshin! This is amazing!

128
00:08:01,021 --> 00:08:03,941
You have received
a fantastic marriage proposal!

129
00:08:06,026 --> 00:08:07,236
Why?

130
00:08:07,319 --> 00:08:08,696
- What's that attitude?
- Huh?

131
00:08:08,779 --> 00:08:11,532
When your mother tells you such a thing,
you are to react graciously

132
00:08:11,615 --> 00:08:14,952
and say, "Yes, Mother, thank you for
taking care of me," and do as I say.

133
00:08:15,786 --> 00:08:19,248
The offer is coming from Governor
Miura's daughter of the Hizen province,

134
00:08:19,331 --> 00:08:21,208
who commissions temples and shrines.

135
00:08:21,792 --> 00:08:23,544
You've already reached 19.

136
00:08:23,627 --> 00:08:26,630
A good match such as this one
will not come around twice.

137
00:08:26,714 --> 00:08:28,465
Do you object to the proposal?

138
00:08:31,302 --> 00:08:33,053
It's not that I'm against it.

139
00:08:33,137 --> 00:08:34,471
I find it all dull...

140
00:08:34,555 --> 00:08:37,141
How you happen to "find it"
has no bearing on the matter!

141
00:08:37,224 --> 00:08:39,685
Your job is to marry
into a respectable family,

142
00:08:39,768 --> 00:08:42,021
where you are to produce
as many children as you can

143
00:08:42,104 --> 00:08:43,397
and be grateful for a good life!

144
00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:45,232
I'm not disagreeing with you, Mother.

145
00:08:45,316 --> 00:08:48,277
But shouldn't you look for a
decent husband for my older sister first?

146
00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:49,236
Gah!

147
00:08:50,154 --> 00:08:52,865
You need not concern yourself
with your sister's prospects.

148
00:08:52,948 --> 00:08:56,744
Finding Shino a suitable gentleman to
marry is a task I will handle in due time.

149
00:08:56,827 --> 00:08:59,246
- Even though we have no money?

150
00:08:59,330 --> 00:09:02,750
Yunoshin, you don't need to worry
about what I'll do.

151
00:09:02,833 --> 00:09:06,420
A husband might be a stretch. Though I'm
sure we could pay someone for his seed...

152
00:09:06,503 --> 00:09:07,421
Shut your mouth!

153
00:09:07,504 --> 00:09:11,759
A daughter of a respectable vassal family
of the shogun should not say such things!

154
00:09:12,343 --> 00:09:14,845
- Hmm?
- The only concerns you need care about

155
00:09:14,928 --> 00:09:16,638
are the ones regarding yourself.

156
00:09:16,722 --> 00:09:17,765
Mother.

157
00:09:18,349 --> 00:09:22,353
Long have I wanted to express
my sincerest gratitude to you.

158
00:09:22,436 --> 00:09:23,520
- Hmm?

159
00:09:24,188 --> 00:09:26,899
When the son
of a poor samurai household becomes a man,

160
00:09:26,982 --> 00:09:28,567
it is all too common in this day and age

161
00:09:28,650 --> 00:09:31,445
to rent them to rich families
by the night to survive.

162
00:09:31,528 --> 00:09:33,030
So I am grateful to you.

163
00:09:33,113 --> 00:09:36,366
You, my mother,
never sold my body to anyone.

164
00:09:36,450 --> 00:09:37,785
Not a single time.

165
00:09:38,494 --> 00:09:42,122
I am truly grateful
for the protection you gave me.

166
00:09:47,169 --> 00:09:51,548
And this is why I would ask that you allow
me to repay that kindness in turn, Mother.

167
00:09:53,175 --> 00:09:56,261
There is an option
that will provide a greater reward

168
00:09:56,345 --> 00:09:58,097
than marrying to become a husband.

169
00:09:58,931 --> 00:10:00,307
You're not saying--

170
00:10:01,016 --> 00:10:02,059
Hmph!

171
00:10:02,643 --> 00:10:04,436
To serve at the Ōoku.

172
00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,231
The Inner Chamber of Edo Castle,
under our shogun.

173
00:10:07,314 --> 00:10:09,900
It is said that 3,000
beautiful men serve her

174
00:10:09,983 --> 00:10:11,902
where no other woman may enter its halls.

175
00:10:11,985 --> 00:10:15,823
So I ask your permission that I be allowed
to enter service at the Ōoku.

176
00:10:15,906 --> 00:10:18,075
- At the Ōoku?

177
00:10:18,700 --> 00:10:21,370
If I work in the Ōoku,
you would have one less mouth to feed,

178
00:10:21,453 --> 00:10:23,747
as well as the compensation
for my service.

179
00:10:23,831 --> 00:10:25,415
I could send the money home.

180
00:10:25,916 --> 00:10:29,086
Then it would be simple
for my dear sister to have a husband.

181
00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:34,091
Please, I humbly beg of you.
Allow my wish to be granted.

182
00:10:35,384 --> 00:10:37,094
Yunoshin, I...

183
00:10:37,678 --> 00:10:41,849
'Cause I kind of already asked my uncle
in Akasaka to put a word in for me.

184
00:10:53,944 --> 00:10:56,113
So it's true you're going to the Ōoku...

185
00:10:56,196 --> 00:10:57,865
I'm rather dashing, aren't I?

186
00:10:58,782 --> 00:11:00,200
You truly are going.

187
00:11:01,243 --> 00:11:03,120
I've heard that upon entering service,

188
00:11:03,203 --> 00:11:05,372
you will sooner die
than be able to leave again.

189
00:11:06,248 --> 00:11:07,124
Hmm.

190
00:11:07,207 --> 00:11:08,625
You got that right.

191
00:11:08,709 --> 00:11:11,962
I intend to advance through the ranks
and serve for the rest of my life.

192
00:11:12,045 --> 00:11:13,714
Know how women aren't allowed in there?

193
00:11:13,797 --> 00:11:16,466
I can only imagine how refreshing it'll be
not to stick around

194
00:11:16,550 --> 00:11:19,261
and deal with noisy women
like you and Mother all the time.

195
00:11:19,344 --> 00:11:21,221
I see! So you're just a scoundrel

196
00:11:21,305 --> 00:11:24,766
who wants to wear beautiful robes
and live in the lap of luxury, is that it?

197
00:11:24,850 --> 00:11:28,145
Of course that isn't it.
It's hard to see you every day...

198
00:11:28,228 --> 00:11:29,730
Huh?

199
00:11:30,981 --> 00:11:32,816
...knowing the divide between us.

200
00:11:33,317 --> 00:11:36,153
Because we don't live in a world
where you and I could be together.

201
00:11:38,447 --> 00:11:39,698
Find happiness.

202
00:11:57,090 --> 00:11:59,051
Yunoshin!

203
00:12:05,682 --> 00:12:09,519
So these are the men's quarters
of Edo Castle. Wow.

204
00:12:17,110 --> 00:12:19,654
Today, I begin as a Page
in the Inner Chambers.

205
00:12:19,738 --> 00:12:21,865
My name is Mizuno Yunoshin. Sir.

206
00:12:21,948 --> 00:12:24,743
I am Matsushima,
a Groom of the Bedchamber.

207
00:12:24,826 --> 00:12:28,372
We have received a letter
of recommendation from your Uncle Mikumo.

208
00:12:29,164 --> 00:12:30,248
Follow me.

209
00:12:31,958 --> 00:12:34,753
- Wow...

210
00:12:34,836 --> 00:12:37,756
Seems as though rumors of
the Ōoku Grooms were true.

211
00:12:37,839 --> 00:12:39,758
That's a good-looking man.

212
00:12:39,841 --> 00:12:44,513
Rumors have circulated that
the Ōoku is home to 3,000 beautiful men,

213
00:12:44,596 --> 00:12:47,766
but in reality, the number of men
who serve here at Edo Castle

214
00:12:47,849 --> 00:12:49,726
doesn't even come close to 800.

215
00:12:50,852 --> 00:12:54,356
There are primarily two groups
that divide up that 800 sum.

216
00:12:54,439 --> 00:12:57,901
Those who are considered omemie,
or worthy of Her Highness's sight,

217
00:12:57,984 --> 00:12:59,111
and those who are not.

218
00:12:59,194 --> 00:13:01,613
From that division, there are ranks.

219
00:13:02,697 --> 00:13:06,118
Whether I look to the right,
or look to the left...

220
00:13:06,701 --> 00:13:09,621
everywhere, men, men, men.

221
00:13:10,705 --> 00:13:13,083
I've never seen so many in one place.

222
00:13:14,501 --> 00:13:15,627
- Huh?
- My hem.

223
00:13:16,211 --> 00:13:18,421
Oh! I beg your pardon, sir.

224
00:13:19,464 --> 00:13:22,676
Know this.
Among these men who serve in the Ōoku,

225
00:13:22,759 --> 00:13:25,971
there is one who holds more power
than the rest of us combined.

226
00:13:26,054 --> 00:13:30,100
And he is the Senior Chamberlain.
His name is Master Fujinami.

227
00:13:30,725 --> 00:13:34,563
The Senior Chamberlains are in charge
of every aspect, great and small,

228
00:13:34,646 --> 00:13:36,398
that happen within the Ōoku.

229
00:13:36,481 --> 00:13:38,900
Master Fujinami supersedes us all.

230
00:13:38,984 --> 00:13:40,402
That's intense!

231
00:13:40,485 --> 00:13:43,488
Guess being the Senior Chamberlain
would be a pretty difficult position.

232
00:13:43,572 --> 00:13:45,907
Especially for someone who's so elderly.

233
00:13:45,991 --> 00:13:48,869
Senior Chamberlain is nothing but a title.

234
00:13:48,952 --> 00:13:51,413
Master Fujinami is still in his 40s!

235
00:13:51,496 --> 00:13:52,706
The fault is mine.

236
00:13:52,789 --> 00:13:56,626
Although I suppose that means that
the Senior Councilors aren't all grannies?

237
00:13:56,710 --> 00:13:58,920
Regardless,

238
00:13:59,504 --> 00:14:03,466
a Page is beneath omemie rank, but it is
still the highest among the unworthy.

239
00:14:03,550 --> 00:14:05,927
Only sons of hatamoto
are allowed to work here.

240
00:14:06,511 --> 00:14:08,847
- You should remember that.
- Yes, sir!

241
00:14:09,389 --> 00:14:13,101
Also, you shall henceforth be called
by your surname, Mizuno.

242
00:14:14,352 --> 00:14:16,688
From this moment on,
you are strictly forbidden

243
00:14:16,771 --> 00:14:19,691
from speaking of anything
you experience in the Ōoku.

244
00:14:19,774 --> 00:14:22,986
If your tongue slips, your head will fly.

245
00:14:23,069 --> 00:14:24,779
- Remember that.

246
00:14:31,286 --> 00:14:32,829
Did you see that?

247
00:14:32,913 --> 00:14:34,205
Good day to you all!

248
00:14:34,289 --> 00:14:35,206
Hmm?

249
00:14:35,290 --> 00:14:38,960
My name is Mizuno, and I'll be
joining you here in the Pages' Quarters.

250
00:14:39,044 --> 00:14:40,462
A pleasure to meet you.

251
00:14:50,305 --> 00:14:51,598
Hey, newcomer.

252
00:14:51,681 --> 00:14:54,601
Please allow me to teach you
the intricacies of this place.

253
00:14:55,185 --> 00:14:57,854
The very first thing you must do is
shave your legs.

254
00:14:57,937 --> 00:15:00,899
- To shave... my legs?
- Quite so.

255
00:15:00,982 --> 00:15:04,110
In the Ōoku, personal appearance is
of utmost import.

256
00:15:04,194 --> 00:15:07,530
Our current shogun is only a young maiden
at seven years old,

257
00:15:07,614 --> 00:15:10,575
and as such, she finds great disdain
among hairy men.

258
00:15:10,659 --> 00:15:13,912
Ah. That does makes sense.
This is the Inner Palace.

259
00:15:13,995 --> 00:15:15,163
- He's joking.
- Huh?

260
00:15:15,246 --> 00:15:16,873
They're just making fun of you.

261
00:15:16,956 --> 00:15:19,250
- Come now, Sugishita.

262
00:15:19,334 --> 00:15:22,379
Don't be a spoilsport!
You ruined the game far too early.

263
00:15:22,462 --> 00:15:26,299
What a shame! We were hoping to have
a show of him shaving every last hair.

264
00:15:26,383 --> 00:15:29,386
It's always amusing
to toy with ignorant country hicks.

265
00:15:29,469 --> 00:15:32,472
I wager he must be
from a poor hatamoto household,

266
00:15:32,555 --> 00:15:35,433
pushed into service
so they had one less mouth to feed.

267
00:15:35,517 --> 00:15:37,644
The way he dresses all but screams it.

268
00:15:37,727 --> 00:15:40,647
His kimono resembles
that of a fetid sewer-rat!

269
00:15:40,730 --> 00:15:42,565
Not to mention his topknot...

270
00:15:42,649 --> 00:15:46,653
It's narrow, while his tonsure is
large and wide. How unbecoming!

271
00:15:46,736 --> 00:15:49,155
Attempting to hide
a receding hairline, hmm?

272
00:15:51,991 --> 00:15:55,412
What the hell? You really think
I'm the unbecoming one, buttface?

273
00:15:55,495 --> 00:15:58,540
Back in times of war,
real samurai tonsured their heads

274
00:15:58,623 --> 00:16:00,750
to keep them cool
underneath the iron helmets.

275
00:16:00,834 --> 00:16:03,420
The way I've styled my hair
is the mark of a samurai!

276
00:16:03,503 --> 00:16:04,671
But look at you!

277
00:16:04,754 --> 00:16:08,425
Wearing a topknot in the style of a young
man at your age lacks far more in taste!

278
00:16:08,508 --> 00:16:11,970
Before you go yammerin' about youth,
why don't you look in the mirror?

279
00:16:12,053 --> 00:16:14,931
How dare you say such things?

280
00:16:15,014 --> 00:16:18,268
Hah! Just so you know,
my topknot is slender on purpose.

281
00:16:18,351 --> 00:16:21,146
Guess you're out of touch,
'cause this is the latest style in Edo.

282
00:16:21,229 --> 00:16:23,523
While my kimono might not
be the highest quality,

283
00:16:23,606 --> 00:16:27,068
everyone and their brother in the capital
are after this brownish-gray.

284
00:16:27,152 --> 00:16:29,320
So who's the unsophisticated one now?

285
00:16:29,404 --> 00:16:30,447
Gah!

286
00:16:30,530 --> 00:16:33,366
Rude!

287
00:16:34,075 --> 00:16:35,577
I shan't stand for this!

288
00:16:35,660 --> 00:16:36,953
Oh, you wanna go?

289
00:16:37,036 --> 00:16:38,621
No skin off my nose, so bring it!

290
00:16:38,705 --> 00:16:41,291
I think that's quite enough bickering,
you two.

291
00:16:41,374 --> 00:16:43,209
Our afternoon duties start soon.

292
00:16:43,293 --> 00:16:45,837
- Soejima. You are aware of the rules.

293
00:16:46,421 --> 00:16:49,674
Disputes from personal grudges
are strictly forbidden.

294
00:16:49,757 --> 00:16:50,884
What would happen

295
00:16:50,967 --> 00:16:55,054
if Master Kaburagi, the First Page,
happened to come upon a scene like this?

296
00:17:00,435 --> 00:17:02,729
If anyone should be tsking,
it definitely ain't you!

297
00:17:02,812 --> 00:17:05,732
Come now.
You must also practice restraint.

298
00:17:05,815 --> 00:17:08,568
- Almost everyone starts out this way.

299
00:17:08,651 --> 00:17:10,528
Oh. I beg your pardon.

300
00:17:10,612 --> 00:17:12,363
I have not introduced myself.

301
00:17:13,031 --> 00:17:15,408
Well, then. My name is Sugishita.

302
00:17:15,491 --> 00:17:18,786
I have served here in the Pages' Quarters
for around ten years.

303
00:17:19,787 --> 00:17:22,207
Come now, you should change. This way.

304
00:17:24,459 --> 00:17:28,046
Pages all wear the same
blue kimono and hakama shirt.

305
00:17:28,129 --> 00:17:29,672
No carrying swords.

306
00:17:30,465 --> 00:17:34,385
The only ones who are allowed
are those ranked as the worthy omemie,

307
00:17:34,469 --> 00:17:36,387
and the fire guards who are on patrol.

308
00:17:37,305 --> 00:17:41,309
Now, then. Our first task at hand is
to clean the apartments of the omemie.

309
00:17:41,851 --> 00:17:44,687
The aim is to finish before they return
from their own duties,

310
00:17:44,771 --> 00:17:46,397
so their rooms are ready.

311
00:17:46,481 --> 00:17:48,566
Afterward, we tend to their needs,

312
00:17:48,650 --> 00:17:51,319
such as bringing hot and cold water
to their chambers.

313
00:17:51,402 --> 00:17:54,405
Our duties include running errands
and handling odd jobs.

314
00:18:01,454 --> 00:18:04,707
You mustn't use the feather duster
like a rag and beat it like that.

315
00:18:04,791 --> 00:18:07,210
Their personal belongings are kept
in these chambers.

316
00:18:07,293 --> 00:18:09,921
You wouldn't want to risk
knocking down or breaking anything.

317
00:18:10,004 --> 00:18:12,256
So you'll need to gently wipe
the dust away.

318
00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:17,637
Yes, hold it carefully.

319
00:18:18,137 --> 00:18:20,765
This is how we incense
the robes of our masters.

320
00:18:21,766 --> 00:18:22,725
Hmm?

321
00:18:24,268 --> 00:18:28,356
Goodness, these chambers are filled with
all kinds of cats, goldfish, and critters.

322
00:18:28,439 --> 00:18:30,316
You will say "honorable cat."

323
00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:31,776
- That's the rule.

324
00:18:31,859 --> 00:18:32,694
Hmm.

325
00:18:35,780 --> 00:18:38,366
Once the masters return to their chambers,

326
00:18:38,449 --> 00:18:40,451
it is time for them to have
their evening meals.

327
00:18:40,535 --> 00:18:43,454
You will bring their dinner
to a chamber as instructed.

328
00:18:43,538 --> 00:18:45,331
As the treasured son of a hatamoto,

329
00:18:45,415 --> 00:18:48,167
you might not be used to doing
all these menial tasks.

330
00:18:48,251 --> 00:18:51,295
But not all jobs in the Ōoku are pleasing
or glorious.

331
00:18:51,796 --> 00:18:54,757
Well, I actually came from a poor family.

332
00:18:54,841 --> 00:18:58,511
It's nothing to boast about, but I've done
bathhouse and sewage board work.

333
00:18:58,594 --> 00:19:01,973
Aside from selling my body to women,
I've done just about everything.

334
00:19:02,056 --> 00:19:04,225
This stuff is easy by comparison.

335
00:19:06,978 --> 00:19:08,312
Master Matsushima.

336
00:19:08,396 --> 00:19:10,440
I have brought you this evening's meal.

337
00:19:18,281 --> 00:19:20,992
My dinner was delivered to me
quite some time ago.

338
00:19:23,578 --> 00:19:24,579
Hmm?

339
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:27,248
Anything else?

340
00:19:27,331 --> 00:19:30,209
Nothing, sir.
Please excuse my mistake.

341
00:19:31,836 --> 00:19:32,962
You fool!

342
00:19:33,045 --> 00:19:36,090
You were supposed to go to the third wing,
not the second wing!

343
00:19:36,174 --> 00:19:38,509
- I instructed Soejima to tell you where!

344
00:19:38,593 --> 00:19:41,512
- Deliver this! Don't you dare dawdle!
- So <i>disgustingly petty!

345
00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:46,767
Aww!

346
00:19:47,477 --> 00:19:50,021
You better get going!

347
00:19:51,355 --> 00:19:54,358
If you weren't so slow,
we would all be done already!

348
00:19:54,442 --> 00:19:56,277
- How inconsiderate.

349
00:19:59,071 --> 00:20:00,281
Listen here.

350
00:20:00,364 --> 00:20:03,951
Doesn't it bring a tear to your eye
with just how petty you all are?

351
00:20:04,035 --> 00:20:05,620
No? Well, I'll help you with that--

352
00:20:05,703 --> 00:20:08,748
Mizuno, you should focus on
cleaning up this mess, first!

353
00:20:08,831 --> 00:20:12,793
I will take care of bringing a new tray
of dinner to the third wing in your stead.

354
00:20:14,879 --> 00:20:17,173
Fire guards passing through!

355
00:20:17,965 --> 00:20:21,052
Fire guards are making the rounds!

356
00:20:21,135 --> 00:20:23,471
Be mindful and vigilant!

357
00:20:23,554 --> 00:20:26,057
Keep watch over your embers!

358
00:20:34,148 --> 00:20:35,816
- What do you lot want?

359
00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:37,068
Hold him down!

360
00:20:39,862 --> 00:20:40,947
Uh-oh.

361
00:20:41,030 --> 00:20:43,783
You won't be able to wiggle away
with two men holding you down.

362
00:20:45,117 --> 00:20:46,786
They're gonna beat me!

363
00:20:47,954 --> 00:20:50,122
That's my tooth!

364
00:20:54,961 --> 00:20:56,420
Are you insane?

365
00:20:56,504 --> 00:20:58,214
Drawing a sword in the Ōoku is strictly--

366
00:20:58,297 --> 00:20:59,423
- Shut up!

367
00:21:00,257 --> 00:21:02,843
If seppuku is the punishment that I face,

368
00:21:02,927 --> 00:21:06,097
then I will send all of you
to your graves before I go to hell.

369
00:21:06,180 --> 00:21:07,598
This is a promise.

370
00:21:07,682 --> 00:21:09,934
If you ever try this on me again,

371
00:21:10,017 --> 00:21:13,020
I will cut the three of you down
without a second thought.

372
00:21:15,231 --> 00:21:17,942
- What's going on?
- Who's talking at this hour?

373
00:21:18,025 --> 00:21:21,028
You heard me. Now get back
in your beds and lay down.

374
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:35,543
Oh, O-Nobu...

375
00:21:35,626 --> 00:21:39,088
I... I think I may have ended up
in a horrible place.

376
00:21:49,056 --> 00:21:51,726
It is commonplace
in the Inner Chambers.

377
00:21:51,809 --> 00:21:53,853
I have bedded with men
more than once myself.

378
00:21:54,437 --> 00:21:55,938
- What?

379
00:21:57,106 --> 00:21:58,649
That is mind-blowing.

380
00:21:58,733 --> 00:22:01,861
In Edo, a man has enough on his plate
trying to meet women's needs!

381
00:22:01,944 --> 00:22:05,781
You go without sleeping with a woman
for a month, and it makes more sense.

382
00:22:05,865 --> 00:22:08,284
Soejima's entourage
are out of the question.

383
00:22:08,367 --> 00:22:11,328
But it's easy to be tempted,
when it's a beautiful youth.

384
00:22:11,412 --> 00:22:13,205
This is insane...

385
00:22:13,289 --> 00:22:17,168
One step out of Edo Castle, and there are
multitudes of women wanting children

386
00:22:17,251 --> 00:22:18,961
but lack the seed to have one.

387
00:22:19,670 --> 00:22:22,339
They don't have enough
money for even a single night.

388
00:22:22,965 --> 00:22:26,177
- Ah, thank you so much!
- Oh, no, no. You don't need to.

389
00:22:26,260 --> 00:22:30,389
You were the only person kind enough to
grant such a wish for a person like me.

390
00:22:30,848 --> 00:22:33,642
Our current shogun is
only seven years of age.

391
00:22:33,726 --> 00:22:35,811
Not to mention, the population in the Ōoku

392
00:22:35,895 --> 00:22:37,980
is reverse of the outside,
with men to spare.

393
00:22:38,564 --> 00:22:39,440
Hmm.

394
00:22:40,024 --> 00:22:42,985
We have a lot in common
with that goldfish you saw earlier.

395
00:22:43,569 --> 00:22:44,487
What?

396
00:22:45,738 --> 00:22:47,573
Our lives are vain and wasteful.

397
00:22:48,073 --> 00:22:51,202
The Ōoku is the glass goldfish bowl
we will spend our days in.

398
00:22:51,285 --> 00:22:52,995
We are kept as pets.

399
00:22:53,078 --> 00:22:57,041
Locking these men away,
their seeds spilt, wasted.

400
00:22:57,124 --> 00:22:59,502
That deliberate wastefulness,

401
00:22:59,585 --> 00:23:01,337
that needless luxury,

402
00:23:01,837 --> 00:23:03,964
is it not proof of Her Highness's might?

403
00:23:06,509 --> 00:23:07,718
O-Nobu...

404
00:23:08,886 --> 00:23:10,429
this place is...

405
00:23:15,851 --> 00:23:17,770
- Hmm?

406
00:23:22,858 --> 00:23:23,776
You're open!

407
00:23:24,568 --> 00:23:25,569
Hardly!

408
00:23:26,862 --> 00:23:27,947
- Huh?
- Yaah!

409
00:23:31,325 --> 00:23:33,160
Well, well...

410
00:23:33,244 --> 00:23:36,455
I expected to see a bunch of wimps
whacking swords around, but...

411
00:23:38,332 --> 00:23:39,500
- Your thoughts?
- Hmm?

412
00:23:39,583 --> 00:23:42,628
The pride of the Ōoku
holds full training every 12 days.

413
00:23:42,711 --> 00:23:44,255
Quite the swordsmen, are they not?

414
00:23:46,340 --> 00:23:47,258
Hey, Mizu--

415
00:23:50,386 --> 00:23:52,221
- Huh?
- Sir! I apologize!

416
00:23:52,304 --> 00:23:53,889
Please pardon this discourtesy!

417
00:23:54,390 --> 00:23:59,103
No, no, I think it is commendable
to have an interest in the martial arts.

418
00:23:59,186 --> 00:24:01,647
You two are
Pages of the Inner Chambers, yes?

419
00:24:01,730 --> 00:24:03,399
- Names?
- Yes, sir!

420
00:24:03,482 --> 00:24:07,278
To my side is Mizuno,
and kneeling before you is Sugishita, sir!

421
00:24:07,361 --> 00:24:08,654
Mizuno...

422
00:24:08,737 --> 00:24:12,283
You must be the new Page of the Inner
Chambers that I've heard so much about.

423
00:24:13,033 --> 00:24:15,119
I've heard of your exploits.

424
00:24:15,202 --> 00:24:17,496
They say you got into a scuffle
against three others

425
00:24:17,579 --> 00:24:20,958
when they pressed upon you to perform
the newcomer's "duty of the night."

426
00:24:21,041 --> 00:24:24,420
And not only did you fight them off,
but you came out unscathed.

427
00:24:24,503 --> 00:24:26,046
Excellent indeed.

428
00:24:26,130 --> 00:24:27,297
M-- my lord... I--

429
00:24:27,381 --> 00:24:29,049
Say, Mizuno.

430
00:24:29,133 --> 00:24:31,802
How would you like to cross swords
with someone at the dojo?

431
00:24:31,885 --> 00:24:34,638
My-- my lord... The rules...

432
00:24:34,722 --> 00:24:36,015
I'll allow it.

433
00:24:36,098 --> 00:24:38,809
Your interest tells me
you have considerable skill.

434
00:24:38,892 --> 00:24:40,060
Am I wrong?

435
00:24:40,144 --> 00:24:44,732
Consider this a request from Fujinami,
the Senior Chamberlain of the Ōoku.

436
00:24:44,815 --> 00:24:47,693
I would ask that whatever skill
you possess as a swordsman

437
00:24:47,776 --> 00:24:49,403
be shown here today.

438
00:24:56,744 --> 00:24:59,913
That was Master Fujinami,
the Senior Chamberlain?

439
00:25:01,540 --> 00:25:02,958
Indeed it was.

440
00:25:03,042 --> 00:25:04,835
Best of luck, Mizuno.

441
00:25:05,419 --> 00:25:06,920
Where did this guy come from?

442
00:25:07,004 --> 00:25:09,548
I hear he's the new
Page of the Inner Chamber.

443
00:25:09,631 --> 00:25:11,300
Oh! It's Mizuno, right?

444
00:25:11,383 --> 00:25:13,343
I heard about his brawl
in the middle of the night!

445
00:25:13,427 --> 00:25:16,722
Well what I heard was that he hurled
all the men in the Page's Quarters

446
00:25:16,805 --> 00:25:18,390
across the room with his bare hands.

447
00:25:18,474 --> 00:25:20,726
But he's so beautiful,
you never would have guessed it.

448
00:25:20,809 --> 00:25:22,853
I suppose you can't
judge a book by its cover.

449
00:25:23,437 --> 00:25:26,398
They're makin' the whole thing
sound like a bigger deal than it was.

450
00:25:26,940 --> 00:25:29,193
Who here is the most skilled?

451
00:25:29,276 --> 00:25:31,361
- Sir, I don't think that...
I'll allow it.

452
00:25:31,445 --> 00:25:33,155
Hmm. Tsuruoka!

453
00:25:33,238 --> 00:25:34,865
- Face your opponent.
- Sir!

454
00:25:37,451 --> 00:25:38,535
No way...

455
00:25:40,954 --> 00:25:43,373
The young man
with Master Matsushima...

456
00:25:43,457 --> 00:25:45,375
Master Tsuruoka is sparring him?

457
00:25:45,459 --> 00:25:49,004
I heard he was strong,
but is Mizuno that strong?

458
00:25:58,472 --> 00:26:01,391
He didn't even look
at the opening I created for him.

459
00:26:01,975 --> 00:26:02,976
He's strong.

460
00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,687
His body is slight, but solid as steel.

461
00:26:06,438 --> 00:26:08,899
The only way to get that result is
daily practice.

462
00:26:10,025 --> 00:26:13,403
Look at that. He's still as a stone
with that sword above his head.

463
00:26:14,404 --> 00:26:15,531
All right, then!

464
00:26:20,369 --> 00:26:21,954
Hai-yah!

465
00:26:23,455 --> 00:26:24,831
I see.

466
00:26:24,915 --> 00:26:29,086
Glad to know looks and lineage aren't the
only things that are prized in this place.

467
00:26:30,170 --> 00:26:31,004
Oh!

468
00:27:05,497 --> 00:27:06,915
Mizuno is the winner!

469
00:27:11,003 --> 00:27:12,421
Oh-ho!

470
00:27:12,504 --> 00:27:14,506
Master Tsuruoka was defeated!

471
00:27:15,007 --> 00:27:17,467
- He's strong.

472
00:27:17,968 --> 00:27:20,887
You all right? I hope you're not hurt,
Master Tsuruoka

473
00:27:20,971 --> 00:27:22,431
Please forgive the intensity.

474
00:27:23,056 --> 00:27:25,559
Because your strength
far outmatched my own,

475
00:27:25,642 --> 00:27:27,811
I couldn't stop my wooden sword in time.

476
00:27:28,854 --> 00:27:30,439
I would also like to thank you.

477
00:27:31,106 --> 00:27:33,233
This is by far the happiest day
I've experienced

478
00:27:33,317 --> 00:27:35,944
since I entered into
studying the way of the sword.

479
00:27:36,653 --> 00:27:39,740
I never expected to see
a swordsman of your caliber here.

480
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:42,326
- I felt like a rat biting a cat--
- Enough!

481
00:27:42,409 --> 00:27:43,410
Uh--

482
00:27:44,411 --> 00:27:46,496
"A swordsman of your caliber"?

483
00:27:46,997 --> 00:27:48,832
Do not be full of yourself!

484
00:27:48,915 --> 00:27:51,334
No matter how good
or deft you are with swords,

485
00:27:51,418 --> 00:27:54,087
in the Ōoku,
our priorities are far different.

486
00:27:54,171 --> 00:27:58,133
It is better to have a beautiful face
and know the graces of social politics.

487
00:27:58,216 --> 00:28:01,678
In the competitions
that truly matter,

488
00:28:01,762 --> 00:28:03,930
I am far above you in every aspect!

489
00:28:05,599 --> 00:28:06,600
O-Nobu.

490
00:28:07,601 --> 00:28:09,019
This place is grim.

491
00:28:10,187 --> 00:28:14,608
Even though it's filled with beautiful men
who are capable of incredible talents,

492
00:28:16,193 --> 00:28:17,861
their hearts are empty.

493
00:28:21,406 --> 00:28:23,366
What's with that dour expression?

494
00:28:23,950 --> 00:28:25,160
You've got it all wrong.

495
00:28:25,243 --> 00:28:27,412
I'm overjoyed with the results
from my bout.

496
00:28:27,496 --> 00:28:29,414
Guess I misread.

497
00:28:33,376 --> 00:28:37,798
My family is gokenin,
worth 30 bales of rice, which feeds three.

498
00:28:37,881 --> 00:28:40,842
That's the lowest stipend
there is among the gokenin.

499
00:28:40,926 --> 00:28:44,721
My parents never gave it a thought,
selling their son's body.

500
00:28:44,805 --> 00:28:47,974
I was forced to every single night
since I was 14 years old.

501
00:28:52,395 --> 00:28:54,981
When I was married off
at the age of 18,

502
00:28:55,065 --> 00:28:58,985
I was ecstatic, thinking that I was
finally able to get out of that hellhole.

503
00:28:59,486 --> 00:29:03,406
But in all the years we slept together,
we were never blessed with a child.

504
00:29:03,490 --> 00:29:07,327
I was eventually divorced, and
they had stopped feeding me in the end.

505
00:29:08,495 --> 00:29:10,497
Going home was out of the question,

506
00:29:10,580 --> 00:29:12,332
so I had no other place to go.

507
00:29:12,833 --> 00:29:17,879
I came here at 23. I began my service
as the lowest ranking houseboy.

508
00:29:20,507 --> 00:29:22,217
Grunt work was no issue.

509
00:29:22,300 --> 00:29:26,429
Even being violated by my superiors,
it was nothing new to me.

510
00:29:29,015 --> 00:29:29,933
Listen, Mizuno.

511
00:29:31,184 --> 00:29:35,814
From your perspective, the Ōoku could seem
like a sick, twisted, rotten place,

512
00:29:35,897 --> 00:29:38,108
filled with those who feel broken.

513
00:29:38,191 --> 00:29:41,444
But there are those of us here
who have nowhere else we can live.

514
00:29:44,281 --> 00:29:47,325
April 30th
in the sixth year of Shotoku.

515
00:29:47,409 --> 00:29:51,329
The seventh shogun Ietsugu
had been sickly for some time.

516
00:29:51,413 --> 00:29:54,457
Her condition turned critical,
and she passed away.

517
00:29:55,375 --> 00:29:57,961
It appears to have been decided
that our next shogun

518
00:29:58,044 --> 00:30:00,463
will be one Lord Yoshimune
from the Kii province.

519
00:30:02,257 --> 00:30:03,967
Say, Matsushima.

520
00:30:04,050 --> 00:30:06,511
Did you know that,
with our liege on her deathbed,

521
00:30:06,595 --> 00:30:10,181
Lord Yoshimune was the first of
the three branches of the Tokugawa house

522
00:30:10,265 --> 00:30:11,474
to attend to the castle?

523
00:30:12,058 --> 00:30:16,229
They say Lord Tsugutomo of Owari province,
her main rival,

524
00:30:16,313 --> 00:30:18,898
didn't even have her palanquin
ready for travel yet.

525
00:30:19,399 --> 00:30:22,569
From the whispers I've heard,
they used bribery.

526
00:30:22,652 --> 00:30:25,739
The Kii side approached
one of the chief retainers in Owari.

527
00:30:26,573 --> 00:30:31,828
Reports of our liege's critical condition
were intentionally delayed to their Lord.

528
00:30:31,911 --> 00:30:34,998
Hmph. Women are terrifying, aren't they?

529
00:30:35,081 --> 00:30:39,002
Regardless, Lord Yoshimune
is yet unmarried and is in good health.

530
00:30:39,544 --> 00:30:42,589
It surely will liven up here
for the first time in years.

531
00:30:42,672 --> 00:30:46,343
Although I do feel sorry for
whoever is chosen as her secret swain.

532
00:30:47,177 --> 00:30:49,846
The secret swain has a poor lot, indeed.

533
00:30:49,929 --> 00:30:52,640
Lord Yoshimune is a woman
of vigor and valantry,

534
00:30:52,724 --> 00:30:55,018
who herself has studied the martial arts.

535
00:30:55,602 --> 00:30:59,647
I'm sure she will not fancy a man who
is soft, no matter how beautiful he is...

536
00:30:59,731 --> 00:31:01,900
Oh! I was just struck with an idea.

537
00:31:01,983 --> 00:31:05,028
I've just met someone who I think
would be a most suitable swain.

538
00:31:05,779 --> 00:31:06,988
On the first of May,

539
00:31:07,072 --> 00:31:10,450
the day after the young shogun Ietsugu
passed away,

540
00:31:10,533 --> 00:31:14,120
the reign of the eighth shogun,
Yoshimune, began.

541
00:31:15,705 --> 00:31:17,874
How do you fancy your
new robe, Your Highness?

542
00:31:17,957 --> 00:31:20,668
It is a "tuck-up" robe made
from black nerinuki fabric

543
00:31:20,752 --> 00:31:22,545
with a pattern of cintamani jewels.

544
00:31:22,629 --> 00:31:25,673
An uchikake over-robe is considered
a "tuck-up"?

545
00:31:25,757 --> 00:31:27,175
Yes, my liege.

546
00:31:27,258 --> 00:31:29,761
It is customary to call it so
in the Castle,

547
00:31:29,844 --> 00:31:32,305
because one tucks up the long hem to walk.

548
00:31:34,140 --> 00:31:35,266
It is beautiful.

549
00:31:36,351 --> 00:31:37,560
But, Manabe.

550
00:31:38,436 --> 00:31:41,940
I told you the other day that
I do not need lavish garments,

551
00:31:42,023 --> 00:31:46,277
as I have always worn plain cotton kimonos
back when I lived in the Kii province.

552
00:31:47,028 --> 00:31:48,905
Mmph. With all due respect,

553
00:31:48,988 --> 00:31:52,325
I trust I have followed your instruction
where your garments are concerned.

554
00:31:52,408 --> 00:31:55,537
You stated that you wished
for them to be kept simple, my liege.

555
00:31:55,620 --> 00:31:58,581
A black fabric with a few modest patterns.

556
00:31:58,665 --> 00:32:00,834
If I were to use anything
more simple than this,

557
00:32:00,917 --> 00:32:04,587
I fear it will tar my liege's prestige
as the supreme ruler of this domain.

558
00:32:05,421 --> 00:32:06,464
This is the capital.

559
00:32:06,548 --> 00:32:08,591
- Not the backwaters of Kii.
- Hmm.

560
00:32:11,511 --> 00:32:15,348
If that's how it must be,
I suppose the matter is settled.

561
00:32:15,431 --> 00:32:17,141
I am grateful you agree, Highness.

562
00:32:17,225 --> 00:32:20,103
You are dismissed.
Pack your things and leave by tonight.

563
00:32:20,186 --> 00:32:21,145
Huh?

564
00:32:21,688 --> 00:32:24,607
The shogunate faces
tremendous financial hardship.

565
00:32:24,691 --> 00:32:28,361
So if my priorities are to dress
myself in lavish garments as the ruler,

566
00:32:28,444 --> 00:32:31,906
all while tackling the task
of rebuilding the nation and its finances,

567
00:32:31,990 --> 00:32:36,703
those decisions would strike me as an act
only a lunatic would choose to carry out.

568
00:32:36,786 --> 00:32:41,124
And in ignoring my wishes, it seems
to me that you are one such lunatic.

569
00:32:41,207 --> 00:32:43,251
Surely a lunatic like that could never

570
00:32:43,334 --> 00:32:46,129
assume the great responsibility
of a privy councilor?

571
00:32:46,212 --> 00:32:48,131
Uh--

572
00:32:49,215 --> 00:32:51,926
Did you not hear me?
I said you are dismissed!

573
00:32:52,010 --> 00:32:54,387
- Now, begone!
- My liege!

574
00:32:55,847 --> 00:32:59,142
That was quite
the first impression, honorable Nobu...

575
00:32:59,225 --> 00:33:00,935
I mean, Your Highness.

576
00:33:01,019 --> 00:33:05,315
It was always my intention to dismiss
the privy councilors of my predecessor.

577
00:33:06,232 --> 00:33:09,819
Even so, I am no stranger
to contempt or disapproval.

578
00:33:09,902 --> 00:33:12,363
Originally, I was never
in line for succession,

579
00:33:12,447 --> 00:33:15,158
being that I was the third
daughter of the Lord of Kii.

580
00:33:15,241 --> 00:33:19,329
A few snide remarks and insinuations
could hardly raise my ire.

581
00:33:19,412 --> 00:33:20,788
Um--

582
00:33:20,872 --> 00:33:23,207
You plan to dismiss all the councilors?

583
00:33:23,291 --> 00:33:27,170
Were you also intending on abolishing
the post in its entirety, my liege?

584
00:33:27,253 --> 00:33:28,504
You guess correctly.

585
00:33:28,588 --> 00:33:30,923
And in the place of having
multiple Privy Councilors,

586
00:33:31,007 --> 00:33:33,676
I shall create a post
of a single intermediary.

587
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:37,472
It is this person who will mediate
between the Senior Councilors and myself.

588
00:33:37,555 --> 00:33:41,184
Their primary concern will be dealing
with that troublesome lot in the Ōoku.

589
00:33:41,267 --> 00:33:44,395
Oh! That sounds like a difficult position!

590
00:33:45,438 --> 00:33:49,609
If you think so, then it's hardly time to
be laughing, as it is your job, Hisamichi.

591
00:33:49,692 --> 00:33:53,196
Wait, you really think
that I should do it?

592
00:33:53,279 --> 00:33:54,447
Yes, I do.

593
00:33:54,530 --> 00:33:58,159
It's just, Your Highness, I may have
served you ever since we were little,

594
00:33:58,242 --> 00:34:00,161
and you know my loyalty for you.

595
00:34:00,244 --> 00:34:03,206
But that is a lofty position,
and I am merely a retainer.

596
00:34:03,289 --> 00:34:05,249
Knowing you for as long as I have

597
00:34:05,333 --> 00:34:08,044
has no bearing on why
I'm assigning you this post.

598
00:34:08,544 --> 00:34:11,714
I did so because I believe you
have what it takes to fill this role.

599
00:34:12,882 --> 00:34:14,801
Hear me, Kano Hisamichi.

600
00:34:15,510 --> 00:34:18,012
The only thing that changed is
where we are.

601
00:34:18,096 --> 00:34:22,100
Continue to serve me, and be my right
hand as you were in the Kii province.

602
00:34:23,309 --> 00:34:24,477
My liege.

603
00:34:25,311 --> 00:34:27,980
Although I'm afraid
the stipend will be meager,

604
00:34:28,064 --> 00:34:30,066
as we are facing financial crisis.

605
00:34:33,069 --> 00:34:34,237
What was that?

606
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,824
Are you truly telling me Her Highness
will not hold an audience in the Ōoku

607
00:34:37,907 --> 00:34:39,242
for a month at earliest?

608
00:34:39,325 --> 00:34:42,537
Her Highness will be extremely busy
with the affairs of the state,

609
00:34:42,620 --> 00:34:45,832
which is why she cannot visit
the Inner Chambers for some time.

610
00:34:45,915 --> 00:34:50,461
Lord Kano, we are ten days
into Her Highness's reign as shogun,

611
00:34:50,545 --> 00:34:54,048
and that she has yet to hold a
general audience with the Inner Chambers

612
00:34:54,132 --> 00:34:56,634
is something I find
exceedingly outlandish.

613
00:34:56,717 --> 00:34:59,720
I understand,
but it is not her intention to abstain

614
00:34:59,804 --> 00:35:01,764
- from appearing here eventually, sir.

615
00:35:01,848 --> 00:35:03,307
I should think not!

616
00:35:03,391 --> 00:35:04,892
Whoa! Scary.

617
00:35:04,976 --> 00:35:09,272
A man raising his voice when it's already
so deep and loud is unsettling.

618
00:35:09,355 --> 00:35:12,275
What is our liege thinking,
throwing tradition to the wind?

619
00:35:13,526 --> 00:35:15,778
Likely about the future of this nation.

620
00:35:20,158 --> 00:35:21,784
She's sharp as a knife.

621
00:35:22,869 --> 00:35:23,995
What?

622
00:35:24,078 --> 00:35:25,830
My Lord says he wants me to be

623
00:35:26,873 --> 00:35:28,624
a Groom of the Bedchamber?

624
00:35:29,375 --> 00:35:31,294
Do you have objections?

625
00:35:31,377 --> 00:35:33,462
No! It would be my honor!

626
00:35:33,546 --> 00:35:34,505
But I...

627
00:35:34,589 --> 00:35:39,302
Your performance at the dojo the other
day... I must say, I was truly impressed.

628
00:35:41,596 --> 00:35:43,723
You defeated Tsuruoka fair and square.

629
00:35:43,806 --> 00:35:47,351
So it stands to reason that you'll be
promoted to a higher position than him,

630
00:35:47,435 --> 00:35:48,311
wouldn't you say?

631
00:35:48,853 --> 00:35:50,313
It's rather straightforward.

632
00:35:50,396 --> 00:35:53,900
A Groom of the Bedchamber is
a personal attendant to the shogun,

633
00:35:53,983 --> 00:35:55,318
as well as a consort.

634
00:35:55,401 --> 00:35:58,529
From this rank,
men are presented to the shogun

635
00:35:58,613 --> 00:36:00,698
from which she will choose her concubine.

636
00:36:01,198 --> 00:36:04,911
Within the Ōoku, it is considered
a massive promotion.

637
00:36:04,994 --> 00:36:06,037
Who knows

638
00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:08,748
It could be that
Master Fujinami wants to push you

639
00:36:08,831 --> 00:36:11,792
as a potential candidate
for our new liege's concubine.

640
00:36:12,919 --> 00:36:15,129
I heard she is
accomplished in martial arts.

641
00:36:15,212 --> 00:36:17,548
She is said to be a strong woman of valor

642
00:36:17,632 --> 00:36:19,508
who fought a sumo wrestler and won.

643
00:36:20,009 --> 00:36:23,346
She what?
A woman defeated a male sumo wrestler?

644
00:36:25,181 --> 00:36:27,600
And I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Mizuno.

645
00:36:28,225 --> 00:36:29,185
Gratitude?

646
00:36:29,268 --> 00:36:33,105
I have been ordered by Master Fujinami
to serve you as your personal attendant.

647
00:36:33,689 --> 00:36:35,524
From today on,
I will work in the Large Hall,

648
00:36:35,608 --> 00:36:37,985
one rank higher than the Pages' Quarters.

649
00:36:38,069 --> 00:36:40,946
I was fully prepared
to spend the rest of my days here.

650
00:36:41,822 --> 00:36:43,616
This is more than I could dream of.

651
00:36:44,408 --> 00:36:45,576
Thank you.

652
00:36:46,702 --> 00:36:49,622
Now, I ask that you would allow me
to carry your belongings

653
00:36:49,705 --> 00:36:51,123
to your new chamber, Master.

654
00:37:02,009 --> 00:37:03,844
M-- Master?

655
00:37:04,345 --> 00:37:05,805
- Hmm?
- I--

656
00:37:05,888 --> 00:37:08,140
I have come to serve you some tea.

657
00:37:09,433 --> 00:37:12,353
Yes of course, thank you.
You may come in.

658
00:37:13,729 --> 00:37:15,147
Thank you for allowing me in.

659
00:37:15,231 --> 00:37:16,315
Uh--

660
00:37:21,070 --> 00:37:22,696
Right. Thanks for the tea.

661
00:37:22,780 --> 00:37:24,824
You can just leave the tray over there.

662
00:37:24,907 --> 00:37:26,158
S-- Sir ?

663
00:37:26,242 --> 00:37:27,201
Hmm?

664
00:37:27,743 --> 00:37:32,915
I'd like to, um, express my utmost
congratulations for your promotion, sir.

665
00:37:32,998 --> 00:37:34,750
And-- Well, about--

666
00:37:34,834 --> 00:37:38,921
It is in regards to my improper behavior
when I had bothered you the other night.

667
00:37:39,004 --> 00:37:40,423
I am so sorry.

668
00:37:41,006 --> 00:37:43,342
Yeah well, it's not a big deal,
so forget it.

669
00:37:43,426 --> 00:37:46,095
If you've finished with your errand,
you can go ahead and leave now.

670
00:37:46,178 --> 00:37:47,471
- Does that mean--
- Uh--

671
00:37:47,555 --> 00:37:51,809
Do you really? Has your Grace
truly forgiven my impudent behavior?

672
00:37:51,892 --> 00:37:53,519
Are you telling the truth?

673
00:37:53,602 --> 00:37:56,230
I said I did, didn't I? I promise
you are not going to be punished.

674
00:37:56,313 --> 00:37:57,440
Are you happy now?

675
00:37:57,523 --> 00:37:59,442
Heh!

676
00:37:59,525 --> 00:38:04,447
You know that color of your jacket, that
brownish-gray, looks very elegant on you.

677
00:38:06,282 --> 00:38:08,784
I will leave the Master to his tea.

678
00:38:19,670 --> 00:38:23,215
Everyone, this is the newest
member of your rank, Mizuno.

679
00:38:23,924 --> 00:38:25,593
Make yourselves acquainted.

680
00:38:25,676 --> 00:38:27,887
I am still a novice
in these halls.

681
00:38:27,970 --> 00:38:30,598
Any guidance you would give
would be greatly appreciated.

682
00:38:30,681 --> 00:38:32,808
There are seven
Grooms of the Bedchamber.

683
00:38:32,892 --> 00:38:36,896
All of them are young, handsome,
and accomplished, from good families.

684
00:38:36,979 --> 00:38:39,023
Among the lot of them, one stood out.

685
00:38:39,106 --> 00:38:40,232
My name is Kashiwagi.

686
00:38:40,316 --> 00:38:42,526
Kashiwagi distinguished himself
from the rest

687
00:38:42,610 --> 00:38:45,779
not only for his beauty,
but also his intellect.

688
00:38:49,325 --> 00:38:51,118
I am honored to make your acquaintance.

689
00:38:51,202 --> 00:38:55,122
My name is Kakizoe, and it is
a distinct pleasure to serve you, sir.

690
00:38:55,206 --> 00:38:57,791
I have been entrusted
to tailor your formal attire.

691
00:38:57,875 --> 00:38:58,751
Mmph...

692
00:38:58,834 --> 00:39:00,961
- Uh, what's the matter?
- I...

693
00:39:01,045 --> 00:39:02,338
I am delighted.

694
00:39:02,421 --> 00:39:06,467
There is not one person in the Ōoku
that doesn't admire you, Master Mizuno.

695
00:39:06,550 --> 00:39:10,179
In fact, we drew lots,
and I am here through unbelievable luck.

696
00:39:10,262 --> 00:39:12,765
- Ah, I'm so embarrassed, I could die!
- Uh...

697
00:39:13,682 --> 00:39:16,769
Now, which of these fabrics
do you prefer?

698
00:39:17,353 --> 00:39:19,146
If I may suggest, Master Mizuno,

699
00:39:19,229 --> 00:39:22,483
a strong color such as this
suits your complexion very well.

700
00:39:22,566 --> 00:39:26,278
Especially If the base color was
an indigo blue, or deep crimson...

701
00:39:27,738 --> 00:39:29,865
Not that. The black.

702
00:39:30,366 --> 00:39:31,784
You want black?

703
00:39:32,368 --> 00:39:35,204
Then, how about I create a design
that would fit the dark tone?

704
00:39:35,287 --> 00:39:38,791
A single, sweeping line of water
across the back in smoked silver thread.

705
00:39:38,874 --> 00:39:41,794
It would invoke a somber,
yet bold feeling on the black.

706
00:39:41,877 --> 00:39:44,797
Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
I like it.

707
00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:46,632
I like it a lot!

708
00:39:46,715 --> 00:39:48,258
You've got pretty good taste.

709
00:39:48,342 --> 00:39:51,845
I'll leave the rest to you.
Do as you see fit, I trust you.

710
00:39:51,929 --> 00:39:53,389
Of course!

711
00:39:53,472 --> 00:39:55,599
I promise I shall do my best, Master!

712
00:39:58,477 --> 00:39:59,687
Hey, now, Kakizoe!

713
00:39:59,770 --> 00:40:00,813
Yes, sir!

714
00:40:00,896 --> 00:40:02,773
You should be moving your hands, you know!

715
00:40:02,856 --> 00:40:05,317
- Yes, sir! On it, right away!

716
00:40:06,068 --> 00:40:07,027
Master.

717
00:40:08,404 --> 00:40:11,156
Your formal attire was supposed
to be ready today,

718
00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:13,742
but I was informed
it will be delayed for a while.

719
00:40:14,410 --> 00:40:16,995
Oh? I'm not too worried either way.

720
00:40:17,496 --> 00:40:18,747
But do you know what happened?

721
00:40:18,831 --> 00:40:21,667
Come on!
You still haven't found it yet?

722
00:40:21,750 --> 00:40:23,085
I am so sorry.

723
00:40:23,168 --> 00:40:24,586
I am so... Oh!

724
00:40:25,295 --> 00:40:26,630
Master Mizuno.

725
00:40:27,131 --> 00:40:30,509
Oh dear. So, is it true
that someone lost a needle?

726
00:40:31,427 --> 00:40:33,053
I am so, so sorry!

727
00:40:33,137 --> 00:40:36,181
If it wasn't lost,
your formal attire would be finished.

728
00:40:36,724 --> 00:40:37,891
That must be tough.

729
00:40:38,475 --> 00:40:40,269
I heard that when a needle is misplaced,

730
00:40:40,352 --> 00:40:43,355
the tailors aren't allowed to leave
the room until it's found, is that right?

731
00:40:43,439 --> 00:40:47,359
It is all my fault, since I was
the one who misplaced the needle earlier...

732
00:40:48,152 --> 00:40:51,363
Now that the sun has already set,
it will be even harder to find.

733
00:40:51,447 --> 00:40:54,324
I feel so terrible for my fellow tailors...

734
00:40:54,408 --> 00:40:56,160
Is this how you've been looking for it?

735
00:40:56,243 --> 00:40:58,370
Everyone just looking around,
here and there?

736
00:40:59,037 --> 00:41:01,373
Well, yes. That would be correct, sir.

737
00:41:01,457 --> 00:41:03,917
Hmm. There is this one method
that could work.

738
00:41:04,001 --> 00:41:05,878
You'd have to humor me
and follow my directions.

739
00:41:07,963 --> 00:41:10,966
Well, he told us to put all the furniture
on one side of the room

740
00:41:11,049 --> 00:41:12,926
and line up side-by-side
near the back wall...

741
00:41:13,010 --> 00:41:15,387
What is Master Mizuno
gonna tell us to do next?

742
00:41:15,471 --> 00:41:17,473
- Dunno.
- Listen up, everyone!

743
00:41:17,556 --> 00:41:21,560
Whenever you hear me beat this drum,
I want you all to scoot one pace forward.

744
00:41:21,643 --> 00:41:24,354
Then scan the area in front
of you closely for the needle!

745
00:41:25,481 --> 00:41:26,315
Forward!

746
00:41:30,402 --> 00:41:31,403
Forward!

747
00:41:34,490 --> 00:41:36,033
- Forward!

748
00:41:39,495 --> 00:41:41,914
Gah! There's no way this'll work...

749
00:41:42,998 --> 00:41:44,041
Forward!

750
00:41:45,500 --> 00:41:46,877
- Forward!

751
00:41:48,921 --> 00:41:50,297
- Forward!
- Hm?

752
00:41:52,382 --> 00:41:54,176
- Oh!

753
00:41:55,761 --> 00:41:56,803
- That's it!

754
00:41:56,887 --> 00:41:59,181
Amazing! We searched all day long
and couldn't find it,

755
00:41:59,264 --> 00:42:00,974
then, just like that, there it is!

756
00:42:01,058 --> 00:42:03,185
I am beyond grateful,
Master Mizuno!

757
00:42:04,186 --> 00:42:05,979
I'm just happy to hear that you found it.

758
00:42:06,063 --> 00:42:08,440
I had a childhood friend
that was from a merchant family.

759
00:42:08,523 --> 00:42:11,193
This was the strategy they would use
for things they couldn't find.

760
00:42:11,276 --> 00:42:14,821
Thanks to you, we will be able
to sleep in our beds tonight.

761
00:42:14,905 --> 00:42:17,115
We are most grateful, Master Mizuno.

762
00:42:17,199 --> 00:42:18,200
Hmm?

763
00:42:18,283 --> 00:42:21,203
- We are most grateful, Master!

764
00:42:21,286 --> 00:42:23,372
We gotta help each other out, ya know?

765
00:42:23,455 --> 00:42:25,874
There ain't nothin'
y'all need to thank me for.

766
00:42:25,958 --> 00:42:26,792
G'night!

767
00:42:27,292 --> 00:42:29,628
- "Ain't nothin' to thank me for. G'night!"
- Oh...

768
00:42:29,711 --> 00:42:32,839
Whew! Now that's what we call a man!

769
00:42:34,299 --> 00:42:37,719
I would never have guessed
that fellow is as interesting as he is.

770
00:42:38,428 --> 00:42:40,430
If the rumors hold any truth,

771
00:42:40,514 --> 00:42:43,600
his popularity is rapidly soaring
among the men.

772
00:42:44,142 --> 00:42:46,228
You sound unhappy, Kashiwagi.

773
00:42:47,312 --> 00:42:48,855
It's not that at all.

774
00:42:48,939 --> 00:42:52,109
It is merely that
my small mind is too mediocre

775
00:42:52,192 --> 00:42:54,861
to fathom your true intentions,
Master Fujinami.

776
00:42:55,362 --> 00:42:56,321
What is this?

777
00:42:56,405 --> 00:43:00,242
I had no idea that someone such as
yourself could ever look so uncertain.

778
00:43:01,827 --> 00:43:03,245
- Oh--

779
00:43:03,328 --> 00:43:05,497
Oh, I hope you weren't waiting too long.

780
00:43:05,580 --> 00:43:08,000
M-- Master Mizuno. Did I--

781
00:43:08,083 --> 00:43:12,004
Was the formal attire I tailored
not up to your expectations?

782
00:43:12,087 --> 00:43:14,673
No, it was quite the opposite, actually.

783
00:43:14,756 --> 00:43:16,258
I loved what you made so much,

784
00:43:16,341 --> 00:43:18,885
I wish I could wear it
and strut down the streets of Edo!

785
00:43:19,386 --> 00:43:21,555
Your needlework was careful
and meticulous,

786
00:43:21,638 --> 00:43:23,265
as expected from an Ōoku tailor.

787
00:43:23,348 --> 00:43:25,684
Oh! My master is too kind!

788
00:43:25,767 --> 00:43:28,437
That design is a classic
called "O-Man's favorite,"

789
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:31,606
and it happened to pop into my head
the day you and I spoke.

790
00:43:33,692 --> 00:43:35,777
- Hmm?
- Uh, nothing!

791
00:43:35,861 --> 00:43:40,532
O-Man once lived in the Ōoku.
He was a concubine of Lord Iemitsu.

792
00:43:41,116 --> 00:43:43,952
He was a man of exquisite taste,
from what I've heard.

793
00:43:44,786 --> 00:43:50,792
I bet that the two of you are alike
with how handsome you are, Master Mizuno.

794
00:43:50,876 --> 00:43:54,212
You can cut that out, all right?

795
00:43:54,296 --> 00:43:57,174
Such brazen flattery
is not going to get you anywhere.

796
00:43:57,257 --> 00:43:59,426
All I wanted to do
is give you a small gift.

797
00:43:59,509 --> 00:44:01,428
It's just a tobacco pouch,
so don't sweat it.

798
00:44:01,511 --> 00:44:02,804
- Master Mizuno.
- Hmm?

799
00:44:02,888 --> 00:44:06,099
I-- I do not-- I do not need a gift.

800
00:44:06,183 --> 00:44:07,809
- But-- but if I could

801
00:44:08,643 --> 00:44:09,811
If you could what?

802
00:44:13,023 --> 00:44:14,524
A memory...

803
00:44:16,985 --> 00:44:19,321
Uh-- Hmm...

804
00:44:21,406 --> 00:44:22,908
Forgive me, O-Nobu.

805
00:44:33,376 --> 00:44:35,921
It is done.
Your preparations are complete.

806
00:44:44,471 --> 00:44:46,473
- Oh!
- What's that guy doing?

807
00:44:47,265 --> 00:44:48,683
- Hm?

808
00:44:50,268 --> 00:44:53,396
I can't recall the last time
I saw such a simple design.

809
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:57,692
The only pattern is on the back.
Just a single stream of flowing water.

810
00:44:57,776 --> 00:45:00,403
You say that,
but not a single head has turned from him

811
00:45:00,487 --> 00:45:02,197
since he entered the room.

812
00:45:03,281 --> 00:45:06,243
The stark black in the sea
of brilliantly colored yuzen.

813
00:45:06,952 --> 00:45:08,620
It's a quiet, but bold look.

814
00:45:09,287 --> 00:45:10,872
Our liege arrives!

815
00:45:10,956 --> 00:45:13,708
Her Highness shall enter the Ōoku
for the morning audience!

816
00:45:15,794 --> 00:45:19,839
Bow your head in reverence!
Her Highness has arrived!

817
00:45:27,555 --> 00:45:31,476
Good grief, what a gaudy bunch
of posturing peac***s they are.

818
00:45:32,102 --> 00:45:35,605
I despise these colorful costumes
that eat from our coffers.

819
00:45:35,689 --> 00:45:38,900
So many chests of gold, wasted on cloth.

820
00:45:39,818 --> 00:45:42,654
Curse these prodigal coin sponges!

821
00:45:42,737 --> 00:45:43,697
Ugh.

822
00:45:43,780 --> 00:45:47,242
This so called "tuck-up" is a nightmare
to maneuver around in.

823
00:45:50,203 --> 00:45:51,871
- Your Highness!

824
00:45:52,664 --> 00:45:55,417
Worry not. I am quite all right. Fujinami.

825
00:45:57,419 --> 00:46:00,880
Whoever decided to laugh
must have incredible nerves of steel.

826
00:46:00,964 --> 00:46:02,882
- Who was it?

827
00:46:04,467 --> 00:46:06,261
- Uh--
- Mm-mmm!

828
00:46:09,514 --> 00:46:11,391
Forgive me, Your Highness!

829
00:46:13,476 --> 00:46:15,937
I offer you humble apologies, my liege.

830
00:46:16,021 --> 00:46:18,398
It was I who had the audacity
to laugh just now.

831
00:46:19,566 --> 00:46:22,861
Hmm. To the gentleman
in the black attire, then.

832
00:46:22,944 --> 00:46:24,404
You can lift your head.

833
00:46:24,988 --> 00:46:25,822
My liege!

834
00:46:26,489 --> 00:46:27,490
Higher!

835
00:46:28,241 --> 00:46:29,284
Well.

836
00:46:30,243 --> 00:46:32,328
Your eyes are clear and unafraid.

837
00:46:32,912 --> 00:46:35,665
I can see that you're a man
with some backbone to you.

838
00:46:37,042 --> 00:46:39,544
If Yoshimune was
well-versed in fashion,

839
00:46:39,627 --> 00:46:42,464
she would have noticed that
Mizuno's flowing water design

840
00:46:42,547 --> 00:46:44,507
was stitched with painstaking care,

841
00:46:44,591 --> 00:46:47,552
and the thread it was embroidered with
was made of silver.

842
00:46:48,344 --> 00:46:49,179
Who are you?

843
00:46:49,262 --> 00:46:52,182
I am honored you asked, my liege.
My name is Mizuno.

844
00:46:52,265 --> 00:46:53,558
Mizuno.

845
00:46:54,142 --> 00:46:56,644
But Yoshimune did not notice any of it.

846
00:46:56,728 --> 00:46:58,688
She merely felt that Mizuno's garment

847
00:46:58,772 --> 00:47:01,733
was more simple
than those of the men surrounding him,

848
00:47:01,816 --> 00:47:04,194
and she found that to be pleasing.

849
00:47:04,778 --> 00:47:05,695
Fujinami.

850
00:47:05,779 --> 00:47:07,197
Uh, my liege?

851
00:47:07,781 --> 00:47:08,698
Hmm.

852
00:47:08,782 --> 00:47:10,867
Uh, yes, Your Highness!

853
00:47:10,950 --> 00:47:14,287
We will see to it that your wishes
be arranged for, as you command.

854
00:47:15,663 --> 00:47:18,208
Did-- did I just--

855
00:47:32,055 --> 00:47:37,018
My liege, was there anything
that pleased you at the morning audience?

856
00:47:37,101 --> 00:47:38,228
There was.

857
00:47:38,311 --> 00:47:42,816
I suppose I am still
as hot-blooded as I used to be, Hisamichi.

858
00:47:42,899 --> 00:47:45,068
- Aah.
- Is something wrong?

859
00:47:45,568 --> 00:47:50,198
Oh! Well, my liege, while I still have yet
to familiarize myself

860
00:47:50,281 --> 00:47:53,076
with the practices
and inner workings of the Ōoku,

861
00:47:53,159 --> 00:47:56,162
I did hear that whoever
the first companion is

862
00:47:56,246 --> 00:47:58,289
that beds an unmarried shogun

863
00:47:58,373 --> 00:48:01,584
takes on a heavy title
called the "secret swain."

864
00:48:01,668 --> 00:48:05,838
And for this secret swain,
it is their final promotion.

865
00:48:06,673 --> 00:48:10,760
As such, the secret swain must
willingly forfeit his life.

866
00:48:11,678 --> 00:48:14,305
While this mantle is required
of the chosen one

867
00:48:14,389 --> 00:48:17,809
to serve the very important function
of introducing the virgin shogun

868
00:48:17,892 --> 00:48:20,353
into the ways of the bedchamber
for her reign,

869
00:48:20,436 --> 00:48:23,982
He commits a great crime
of defiling Her Highness's purity,

870
00:48:24,065 --> 00:48:26,109
while also injuring her honored body.

871
00:48:26,693 --> 00:48:29,904
As such, you will be
beheaded in complete secrecy.

872
00:48:29,988 --> 00:48:32,699
This has been
a sanctified custom of the Ōoku

873
00:48:32,782 --> 00:48:36,953
ever since the honored Kasuga decreed it
during the reign of Lord Iemitsu.

874
00:48:37,453 --> 00:48:41,082
Nevertheless,
to be chosen is a great honor.

875
00:48:41,165 --> 00:48:45,962
Your family's stipend will be increased,
and they will also receive a generous sum

876
00:48:46,045 --> 00:48:48,298
that will be paid
in condolences to them.

877
00:48:49,090 --> 00:48:51,050
And how will my death be explained?

878
00:48:51,134 --> 00:48:54,387
I can see my family asking about
the circumstances surrounding it.

879
00:48:54,470 --> 00:48:56,055
That you fell ill.

880
00:48:56,139 --> 00:48:58,474
Matters pertaining
to Her Highness's bedchamber

881
00:48:58,558 --> 00:49:00,893
cannot be released to the general public.

882
00:49:00,977 --> 00:49:03,146
No one can ever know, for any reason.

883
00:49:06,399 --> 00:49:09,902
Fine. If it is as you say,
then I am fully satisfied.

884
00:49:09,986 --> 00:49:13,156
I humbly accept
my final role within the Ōoku.

885
00:49:13,239 --> 00:49:14,907
That's wonderful!

886
00:49:14,991 --> 00:49:17,201
Your noble gallantry is duly noted.

887
00:49:17,285 --> 00:49:18,411
Gallant, indeed!

888
00:49:18,995 --> 00:49:22,040
The rumors that Mizuno
was chosen to be the secret swain

889
00:49:22,123 --> 00:49:25,501
had spread like wildfire through the Ōoku
by noon of that day.

890
00:49:26,002 --> 00:49:29,547
Forfeit his-- But-- It's far too cruel.
Punished with death?

891
00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:35,053
I don't understand. I've never even heard
of such a tradition in the first place.

892
00:49:36,554 --> 00:49:39,057
So this is the result
of your machinations?

893
00:49:39,640 --> 00:49:43,311
I told you there was no reason
for your nerves to be unsettled, didn't I?

894
00:49:43,394 --> 00:49:46,647
Everything went smoother
than I ever imagined it could.

895
00:49:47,231 --> 00:49:48,983
It is barbaric!

896
00:49:50,193 --> 00:49:53,321
This has been Master Fujinami's plan
since the beginning!

897
00:49:53,404 --> 00:49:55,990
No, what happened at the morning audience,

898
00:49:56,074 --> 00:49:59,327
I can't imagine that there was any way
he could have planned for that in advance.

899
00:49:59,410 --> 00:50:00,703
But still!

900
00:50:00,787 --> 00:50:04,832
Master Fujinami must have promoted you
because he knew this moment was coming!

901
00:50:05,416 --> 00:50:07,585
That man is an egotistical villain!

902
00:50:08,169 --> 00:50:10,088
It is an unreasonable request!

903
00:50:10,671 --> 00:50:13,633
This decree, it is fundamentally absurd!

904
00:50:13,716 --> 00:50:16,135
Lord Yoshimune might not be married.

905
00:50:16,219 --> 00:50:19,514
But I cannot believe
she never bedded a man while in Kii--

906
00:50:19,597 --> 00:50:22,350
That's enough! My soul will be clouded.

907
00:50:22,433 --> 00:50:23,810
I beg you to stop.

908
00:50:28,815 --> 00:50:30,107
Yes, Master.

909
00:50:38,115 --> 00:50:38,991
Uh--

910
00:50:49,001 --> 00:50:52,129
O-Nobu, O-Nobu.
O-Nobu, O-Nobu!

911
00:50:52,255 --> 00:50:56,843
If I had known, I never would have
let you out of my arms that day.

912
00:50:58,803 --> 00:51:03,182
I should have told you that I loved you.
That you were the only one in my heart.

913
00:51:08,271 --> 00:51:11,691
Her Highness shall enter
the chambers at nine o'clock.

914
00:51:12,275 --> 00:51:16,404
In an adjoining room, Matsushima
and I will stand by for the proceedings,

915
00:51:16,487 --> 00:51:18,656
and in the bedchamber,
a monk and Kashiwagi

916
00:51:18,739 --> 00:51:20,199
will lie in each bed, next to you.

917
00:51:22,535 --> 00:51:25,079
Good luck with your duty tonight.

918
00:51:45,016 --> 00:51:46,726
Put yourself at ease.

919
00:51:46,809 --> 00:51:48,227
You may raise your head.

920
00:51:48,311 --> 00:51:49,437
My liege.

921
00:51:50,771 --> 00:51:53,774
That being said,
we aren't the only ones present.

922
00:51:53,858 --> 00:51:56,986
With others nearby,
I would imagine that bedding together

923
00:51:57,069 --> 00:51:59,488
while four men listen to our every move

924
00:51:59,572 --> 00:52:01,991
could hardly put anyone at ease,
now would it?

925
00:52:04,577 --> 00:52:08,247
Even if that is the case, let us endeavor
to make the best of the night.

926
00:52:08,331 --> 00:52:09,498
Let's start.

927
00:52:10,249 --> 00:52:12,418
"My liege" feels a bit too dry.

928
00:52:12,501 --> 00:52:15,254
I would prefer you use
my female name, Nobu.

929
00:52:16,464 --> 00:52:18,758
Mizuno, what was your given name?

930
00:52:20,134 --> 00:52:21,135
Yunoshin.

931
00:52:21,635 --> 00:52:25,514
Mizuno Yunoshin is the original name
I was given by my parents.

932
00:52:25,598 --> 00:52:28,267
Yunoshin, huh? Quite a fine name.

933
00:52:28,351 --> 00:52:31,395
And how about your mother
and father, are they well?

934
00:52:31,479 --> 00:52:35,441
Yes, so far as I am aware,
they are living quite well here in Edo.

935
00:52:35,941 --> 00:52:40,279
I see. Then this will surely cause
great distress for your parents.

936
00:52:41,655 --> 00:52:42,782
Yunoshin.

937
00:52:43,366 --> 00:52:44,492
Yes.

938
00:52:44,575 --> 00:52:48,162
This was all due to my unfamiliarity
with the customs of the Ōoku.

939
00:52:48,245 --> 00:52:50,998
You have every reason
to regard me with contempt.

940
00:52:51,082 --> 00:52:54,460
It is a terrible fate,
but someone had to take on this role.

941
00:52:56,087 --> 00:52:59,632
It is an inhumane tradition. Forgive me.

942
00:53:03,719 --> 00:53:06,972
I am not worthy of such kind words,
Your Highness.

943
00:53:08,099 --> 00:53:11,769
But... there is one thing
I would like to ask you.

944
00:53:11,852 --> 00:53:14,146
Go on. You have my permission to ask.

945
00:53:17,817 --> 00:53:18,901
O-Nobu.

946
00:53:20,986 --> 00:53:24,865
Please, I beg of you,
I beseech you to grant me this one wish.

947
00:53:24,949 --> 00:53:28,285
To call-- to call my liege O-Nobu tonight!

948
00:53:31,872 --> 00:53:34,291
I know all of you can hear me,
so listen well!

949
00:53:34,875 --> 00:53:38,754
While asking for a favor in the bedchamber
is forbidden in the Ōoku code,

950
00:53:38,838 --> 00:53:42,091
what kind of shogun would I be
if I could not grant a small wish

951
00:53:42,174 --> 00:53:44,301
of a man who is staring death in the face?

952
00:53:55,563 --> 00:53:57,189
Where is Her Highness?

953
00:53:57,773 --> 00:54:01,944
Her Majesty has commanded me to let you
sleep in peace until you feel so moved.

954
00:54:07,074 --> 00:54:08,450
Saburoza.

955
00:54:08,534 --> 00:54:09,869
My liege.

956
00:54:11,036 --> 00:54:13,455
There is something I want you to tend to.

957
00:54:14,373 --> 00:54:15,958
Ten days later,

958
00:54:17,042 --> 00:54:19,336
Mizuno's sentence
was carried out discreetly

959
00:54:19,420 --> 00:54:21,964
in a secluded corner
of the castle grounds.

960
00:54:22,047 --> 00:54:23,757
Please cover his face.

961
00:54:25,426 --> 00:54:27,720
Are there any final words you wish to say?

962
00:54:27,803 --> 00:54:30,306
No, no... There are none.

963
00:54:32,057 --> 00:54:33,225
Very well.

964
00:54:39,023 --> 00:54:41,191
I can't even commit seppuku.

965
00:54:42,401 --> 00:54:44,320
So this is how my life will end.

966
00:54:50,326 --> 00:54:53,120
And with the grave now filled,
you have died.

967
00:54:53,203 --> 00:54:54,872
Huh?

968
00:54:55,456 --> 00:54:58,459
The Groom of the Bedchamber
named Mizuno from the Ōoku

969
00:54:58,542 --> 00:55:00,461
has tragically died here today.

970
00:55:00,961 --> 00:55:03,672
From this moment on,
you will have a new life.

971
00:55:03,756 --> 00:55:08,010
You will take on a new name, and start
a new life as a completely different man.

972
00:55:08,594 --> 00:55:11,764
Saburoza. You've done well. I thank you.

973
00:55:11,847 --> 00:55:12,848
My liege.

974
00:55:13,557 --> 00:55:15,851
This fellow is part
of the Oniwaban.

975
00:55:15,934 --> 00:55:18,771
My secret investigator
who reports what goes on in the Ōoku.

976
00:55:19,855 --> 00:55:21,523
You met in the Chamber of Robes.

977
00:55:22,900 --> 00:55:26,987
He also told me of a young woman,
the daughter of Tajima-ya, the merchant.

978
00:55:27,071 --> 00:55:28,489
O-Nobu, I believe it was?

979
00:55:28,989 --> 00:55:32,576
Her parents have been in anguish
as she refuses to take a husband.

980
00:55:33,702 --> 00:55:35,037
So, Yunoshin.

981
00:55:35,120 --> 00:55:37,915
No, Shinkicki the tradesman.

982
00:55:37,998 --> 00:55:40,584
How would you like
to do Tajima-ya a favor?

983
00:55:41,126 --> 00:55:43,796
It would be a great help
if you could marry their daughter.

984
00:55:49,385 --> 00:55:50,386
Mmm.

985
00:55:54,640 --> 00:55:56,850
My liege!

986
00:56:00,646 --> 00:56:04,191
Well, then?
Was my solution not very fair and wise?

987
00:56:04,274 --> 00:56:06,777
If I am being honest, I am not impressed.

988
00:56:06,860 --> 00:56:08,278
Although you are the shogun,

989
00:56:08,362 --> 00:56:10,864
you should not use
the secret investigator services

990
00:56:10,948 --> 00:56:12,533
to address such a small trifle.

991
00:56:12,616 --> 00:56:14,451
While you may not be incorrect,

992
00:56:14,535 --> 00:56:17,287
I don't think there is any harm
in having a bit of flexibility.

993
00:56:17,371 --> 00:56:19,998
Regardless of how
the situation was handled,

994
00:56:20,082 --> 00:56:23,293
the Ōoku is a terrible place,
more so than rumored.

995
00:56:23,377 --> 00:56:26,964
Indeed. It is unthinkable
to treat the life of a young man

996
00:56:27,047 --> 00:56:29,466
as if it were
simply a piece of garbage.

997
00:56:29,550 --> 00:56:32,261
I will certainly see to it
that such heinous practices

998
00:56:32,344 --> 00:56:34,304
will be abolished
during the time of my reign.

999
00:56:35,097 --> 00:56:37,307
Men are already scarce enough
to begin with.

1000
00:56:37,391 --> 00:56:41,353
I find it abhorrent that their lives would
be wasted for such frivolous reasons!

1001
00:56:41,436 --> 00:56:44,314
- Right?
- We are in agreement about this.

1002
00:56:46,567 --> 00:56:48,652
I will have to make drastic cuts.

1003
00:56:48,735 --> 00:56:51,822
The Ōoku is very likely
to see the worst of it all.

1004
00:56:51,905 --> 00:56:54,324
MEDICINE MERCHANT TAJIMA-YA

1005
00:56:56,285 --> 00:56:57,494
Good day, sir.

1006
00:56:57,578 --> 00:56:59,830
Oh. Ohh!

1007
00:57:00,956 --> 00:57:02,833
O-Nobu, O-Nobu!

1008
00:57:02,916 --> 00:57:04,334
Huh?

1009
00:57:05,919 --> 00:57:07,546
What's going on, Father?

1010
00:57:07,629 --> 00:57:10,757
I'm still suffering from my chronic
cramps, headache, stomachache and--

1011
00:57:10,841 --> 00:57:13,427
You're the daughter
of a medicinal herb trader!

1012
00:57:13,510 --> 00:57:15,637
- Stop that nonsense and come on!
- Um...

1013
00:57:17,181 --> 00:57:18,348
O-Nobu!

1014
00:57:18,974 --> 00:57:19,975
Huh?

1015
00:57:21,435 --> 00:57:23,854
Seriously, what is going on here?

1016
00:57:27,441 --> 00:57:29,067
But how is it you're here

1017
00:57:30,444 --> 00:57:33,363
Please accept my apologies,
but I can't tell you that.

1018
00:57:33,447 --> 00:57:38,285
However, I can tell you that I've always
been Shinkichi the tradesman,

1019
00:57:38,368 --> 00:57:42,456
and that you and I have known each other
since childhood, only to end up married.

1020
00:57:51,298 --> 00:57:53,550
I am in shock, Your Highness!

1021
00:57:53,634 --> 00:57:55,344
You look so grand and stern!

1022
00:57:55,427 --> 00:57:57,054
Hmm. I woke up this morning,

1023
00:57:57,137 --> 00:58:00,098
and before I knew it,
my attendants dressed me like this.

1024
00:58:00,182 --> 00:58:04,102
They say it is protocol for me to hold
audience with foreigners in the Ōoku

1025
00:58:04,186 --> 00:58:06,188
while dressed in ceremonial male attire.

1026
00:58:06,271 --> 00:58:07,439
So off I go.

1027
00:58:13,236 --> 00:58:17,658
The Capitão, the head curator
of the Dutch trading house, later wrote,

1028
00:58:17,741 --> 00:58:22,454
"Upon arrival at Edo Castle,
I alone was ushered into the chamber."

1029
00:58:23,580 --> 00:58:27,209
"Unlike the European courts,
there are only men in the castle."

1030
00:58:27,709 --> 00:58:30,504
"Women must be kept elsewhere,
in separate quarters,

1031
00:58:30,587 --> 00:58:32,923
in the way they do in the Turkish palace."

1032
00:58:34,424 --> 00:58:36,051
Enter, Dutch Capitão!

1033
00:58:38,136 --> 00:58:40,138
A question for the Opperhoofd.

1034
00:58:40,222 --> 00:58:41,390
Oh?

1035
00:58:44,351 --> 00:58:49,398
We hear that there are
no women in your party.

1036
00:58:49,481 --> 00:58:50,399
Why?

1037
00:58:51,608 --> 00:58:54,152
Well, you see,
that is because, uh...

1038
00:58:54,236 --> 00:58:55,904
Your Highness, with respect,

1039
00:58:55,987 --> 00:58:58,448
he previously mentioned
they cannot bring women with them

1040
00:58:58,532 --> 00:59:00,575
as the voyage is long and arduous.

1041
00:59:01,201 --> 00:59:02,911
- What do you mean by that?

1042
00:59:02,994 --> 00:59:06,415
Do you mean to tell me
that all Dutch women are weak and sickly?

1043
00:59:06,498 --> 00:59:08,166
Uh, Your Highness!

1044
00:59:09,459 --> 00:59:11,503
Uh, send the foreigner out, right away!

1045
00:59:12,087 --> 00:59:13,422
And you, too!

1046
00:59:13,505 --> 00:59:16,675
How dare an interpreter receive words
directly from Her Highness

1047
00:59:16,758 --> 00:59:18,468
when he should merely translate?

1048
00:59:18,552 --> 00:59:21,179
Mmm. I humbly beg your forgiveness...

1049
00:59:21,263 --> 00:59:23,974
Your Highness,
in an audience with a foreigner,

1050
00:59:24,057 --> 00:59:27,060
protocol dictates that you are not
to address him directly.

1051
00:59:27,894 --> 00:59:30,063
- And why is that?
- I do not know!

1052
00:59:34,067 --> 00:59:35,819
- Omitsu.
- My liege?

1053
00:59:38,488 --> 00:59:39,573
Hisamichi.

1054
00:59:40,157 --> 00:59:43,577
My liege?
Is something bothering you, Your Highness?

1055
00:59:46,455 --> 00:59:48,248
Omitsu and Hisamichi.

1056
00:59:48,331 --> 00:59:50,250
Both of these names refer to you.

1057
00:59:50,333 --> 00:59:52,461
Ever since my succession, yes.

1058
00:59:52,544 --> 00:59:54,838
The shogunate only accepts male names,

1059
00:59:54,921 --> 00:59:58,216
and as I became the head
of the Kano family, the law required one.

1060
00:59:58,300 --> 00:59:59,926
Why do you think that is?

1061
01:00:00,010 --> 01:00:01,136
Hmm?

1062
01:00:02,262 --> 01:00:06,850
Well, perhaps because
"The Governor of Totomi, Kano Omitsu,"

1063
01:00:06,933 --> 01:00:10,437
well, something about it sounds off,
or a bit silly, don't you think?

1064
01:00:12,272 --> 01:00:15,525
I wonder, is it truly
something as simple as that?

1065
01:00:16,234 --> 01:00:20,197
Somehow, the name "Hisamichi" sits well,
while "Omitsu" does not.

1066
01:00:20,280 --> 01:00:22,866
This is a symptom
where the root cause of the matter

1067
01:00:22,949 --> 01:00:26,703
lies in the fact that we somehow feel
that this is the way things should be.

1068
01:00:27,287 --> 01:00:28,705
My liege?

1069
01:00:28,788 --> 01:00:30,707
Oh, never mind.

1070
01:00:30,790 --> 01:00:31,875
It's nothing.

1071
01:00:31,958 --> 01:00:34,461
Pay these words no mind
as I speak to myself.

1072
01:00:34,544 --> 01:00:38,590
So I shall. I will only ever be
your hands and legs, Your Highness.

1073
01:00:39,174 --> 01:00:41,092
I move to your will in silence.

1074
01:00:41,176 --> 01:00:42,135
Hmm.

1075
01:00:42,636 --> 01:00:45,096
Hisamichi, you never fail to impress.

1076
01:00:51,144 --> 01:00:54,105
Listen, everyone!
A garden audience has been called!

1077
01:00:54,189 --> 01:00:55,523
Master Fujinami!

1078
01:00:55,607 --> 01:00:59,110
The day after tomorrow,
our liege is to hold a garden audience.

1079
01:00:59,194 --> 01:01:00,362
Wow...

1080
01:01:00,445 --> 01:01:03,406
I have been ordered to assemble
around 50 men of good looks,

1081
01:01:03,490 --> 01:01:05,867
who are younger than 35 years of age.

1082
01:01:06,576 --> 01:01:09,496
The garden audience is
a ritual in the Ōoku,

1083
01:01:09,579 --> 01:01:12,082
where handsome men
are assembled in the garden.

1084
01:01:12,582 --> 01:01:17,379
It is there that the shogun chooses
a companion to take to her bedchamber.

1085
01:01:17,963 --> 01:01:20,423
As the Senior Chamberlain
of the Ōoku,

1086
01:01:20,507 --> 01:01:23,301
this is where I show my skills!

1087
01:01:23,969 --> 01:01:27,138
Quickly, relay the message
to all other chambers.

1088
01:01:27,222 --> 01:01:29,849
- Sir!
- We have not a moment to lose!

1089
01:01:34,479 --> 01:01:39,401
Bow in reverence!
Her Highness has arrived!

1090
01:01:53,331 --> 01:01:55,583
We have awaited your arrival,
Your Highness.

1091
01:01:55,667 --> 01:01:58,294
The men you requested are
in the nearby garden.

1092
01:01:58,378 --> 01:02:02,215
I pray that you will inspect them
until your heart finds contentment.

1093
01:02:16,146 --> 01:02:17,480
Whoa.

1094
01:02:32,412 --> 01:02:34,289
So that's what he did.

1095
01:02:34,372 --> 01:02:37,333
They are all dressed
in the same black formal attire.

1096
01:02:37,417 --> 01:02:40,670
You have done well
in remembering what catches my eye.

1097
01:02:40,753 --> 01:02:43,089
A memory of when I spoke to Mizuno.

1098
01:02:43,882 --> 01:02:47,093
Indeed, the spirit
of simplicity and frugality

1099
01:02:47,177 --> 01:02:49,471
should be applied in the Ōoku as well.

1100
01:02:54,142 --> 01:02:58,521
That said, it is in this line of thinking
that I have gathered you all here today.

1101
01:02:59,022 --> 01:03:01,107
I hereby dismiss you from service.

1102
01:03:03,943 --> 01:03:07,655
Listen well! The 50 men assembled here are
dismissed immediately,

1103
01:03:07,739 --> 01:03:10,158
and must depart the Ōoku by nightfall.

1104
01:03:10,241 --> 01:03:12,577
As you well know,
the shogunate cannot maintain

1105
01:03:12,660 --> 01:03:15,079
its current financial situation
for much longer.

1106
01:03:15,163 --> 01:03:18,374
Therefore, cutting costs
in the Inner Chambers was inevitable.

1107
01:03:18,458 --> 01:03:20,919
So, why would I choose
the group before me?

1108
01:03:21,002 --> 01:03:21,878
I'll tell you.

1109
01:03:22,462 --> 01:03:26,299
The 50 men who kneel before me are
all young and beautiful with many talents.

1110
01:03:26,382 --> 01:03:30,386
You'll have no problem finding good
prospects in marriage outside the castle.

1111
01:03:30,470 --> 01:03:33,431
- Uh-- But, my liege...
- Tell me, Fujinami.

1112
01:03:33,514 --> 01:03:36,184
- Uh...
- Are we not in agreement on this?

1113
01:03:36,267 --> 01:03:39,479
That we are wasting the blosssoming beauty
of these young men in their prime

1114
01:03:39,562 --> 01:03:41,522
while they are in service of the Ōoku?

1115
01:03:41,606 --> 01:03:44,901
Are they not doomed
to wither away behind castle walls?

1116
01:03:45,485 --> 01:03:46,778
Listen, all of you.

1117
01:03:46,861 --> 01:03:50,782
I want you to find a good family to marry
into while you're young and beautiful,

1118
01:03:50,865 --> 01:03:53,743
so that you may live a happy life
in your hometowns.

1119
01:03:54,285 --> 01:03:57,413
That you all should find happiness
is my sincerest wish.

1120
01:03:58,039 --> 01:03:58,915
Thank you.

1121
01:04:00,166 --> 01:04:02,418
Ah-- Uh, but, please, my liege!

1122
01:04:02,502 --> 01:04:04,671
Please! My liege!

1123
01:04:10,009 --> 01:04:12,136
K-- Kashiwagi...

1124
01:04:12,804 --> 01:04:15,682
How did-- how did it come to this?

1125
01:04:16,391 --> 01:04:17,558
So I lost.

1126
01:04:18,351 --> 01:04:20,520
You have bested us, Lord Yoshimune.

1127
01:04:21,020 --> 01:04:24,607
She is a far more cunning adversary
than any of us gave her credit for.

1128
01:04:28,528 --> 01:04:30,446
- Lord Kano!
- No!

1129
01:04:31,531 --> 01:04:34,283
Oh! Master Fujinami, please calm yourself...

1130
01:04:34,367 --> 01:04:36,661
You have made a fool out of me!

1131
01:04:36,744 --> 01:04:39,706
Downsizing the courtiers in the Ōoku
is out of the question!

1132
01:04:39,789 --> 01:04:42,583
I believe it is high time
that Lord Yoshimune be told

1133
01:04:42,667 --> 01:04:44,961
to stop ignoring
the conventions of the Ōoku!

1134
01:04:46,129 --> 01:04:49,757
Those who remain in the Ōoku
may not be particularly young,

1135
01:04:49,841 --> 01:04:52,552
but they are well trained
in carrying out their duties,

1136
01:04:52,635 --> 01:04:55,013
and they seem unmoved
by the recent changes.

1137
01:04:55,096 --> 01:04:57,265
Concerning the new edict for attire,

1138
01:04:57,348 --> 01:04:59,267
there are very few complaints
against your orders

1139
01:04:59,350 --> 01:05:01,853
to make the formal attire
with plain fabrics,

1140
01:05:01,936 --> 01:05:04,564
now that the number of young men
has decreased.

1141
01:05:04,647 --> 01:05:07,775
That so? Good. I am glad to hear it.

1142
01:05:08,359 --> 01:05:12,613
Yet another male name listed in here,
and it says he has a wife, as well.

1143
01:05:12,697 --> 01:05:14,490
I don't understand.

1144
01:05:14,574 --> 01:05:16,200
Um, my liege?

1145
01:05:16,284 --> 01:05:17,535
Yes, what is it?

1146
01:05:17,618 --> 01:05:21,289
The day is half passed, so perhaps
you should change robes, Your Highness?

1147
01:05:21,372 --> 01:05:23,499
Changing attire is
something I would have done

1148
01:05:23,583 --> 01:05:26,544
had I not been busy
from the moment I awoke this morning.

1149
01:05:26,627 --> 01:05:30,131
I have already had a successful meeting
with Senior Councilor Tsuchiya Masanao

1150
01:05:30,214 --> 01:05:31,299
in my present state.

1151
01:05:32,049 --> 01:05:35,178
Yoshimune spent most of her
time on the affairs of the state,

1152
01:05:35,261 --> 01:05:38,431
and her indifference to appearance
often came as a shock.

1153
01:05:39,265 --> 01:05:44,312
Yoshimune also did not appreciate overly
elaborate ceremonies for her bedchamber.

1154
01:05:44,395 --> 01:05:48,316
Bow in reverence.
Her Highness has arrived!

1155
01:05:48,399 --> 01:05:49,233
Hmm?

1156
01:05:52,528 --> 01:05:53,321
A leaf?

1157
01:05:53,738 --> 01:05:56,365
My name is Sugishita,
serving in the Large Hall.

1158
01:05:56,449 --> 01:05:59,786
Sugishita? Good fortune I found you, then.

1159
01:05:59,869 --> 01:06:02,121
You are dismissed from service
as of today.

1160
01:06:02,205 --> 01:06:04,582
- Await instructions in your quarters.

1161
01:06:04,665 --> 01:06:09,295
Your Highness, with all due respect,
I have served faithfully for many years.

1162
01:06:09,378 --> 01:06:12,924
The Ōoku is my last chance
of a home remaining in this world.

1163
01:06:13,007 --> 01:06:16,093
As such, I have already reached
the age of 35,

1164
01:06:16,177 --> 01:06:17,887
and due to the Ōoku code,

1165
01:06:17,970 --> 01:06:20,848
I am prohibited from being
your companion, my liege.

1166
01:06:20,932 --> 01:06:22,600
I beg for your mercy.

1167
01:06:27,772 --> 01:06:28,731
Uh--

1168
01:06:31,067 --> 01:06:33,819
Well, then. Your name was Sugishita?

1169
01:06:34,570 --> 01:06:37,823
Sorry. To trouble you was not my intent.

1170
01:06:39,825 --> 01:06:41,160
After their encounter,

1171
01:06:41,244 --> 01:06:44,288
Sugishita was promoted
to Groom of the Bedchamber

1172
01:06:44,372 --> 01:06:46,666
to serve as Yoshimune's
personal attendant.

1173
01:06:47,416 --> 01:06:49,544
Master Murase...

1174
01:06:49,627 --> 01:06:51,337
You mean, the Chief Scribe?

1175
01:06:51,837 --> 01:06:55,091
The Chief Scribe is in charge
of writing documents and missives

1176
01:06:55,174 --> 01:06:57,093
addressed to the Outer Chambers
and beyond,

1177
01:06:57,176 --> 01:07:00,263
as well as recording
the daily events in the Ōoku.

1178
01:07:02,056 --> 01:07:04,475
Hmm. From what I've heard thus far,

1179
01:07:04,558 --> 01:07:07,895
he has served as a Scribe since
he was appointed a long time ago.

1180
01:07:07,979 --> 01:07:10,898
The Honorable Kasuga assigned him
the post in the Ōoku,

1181
01:07:10,982 --> 01:07:13,943
where he has remained
throughout the reigns of my predecessors.

1182
01:07:14,026 --> 01:07:16,821
Yes, that is in line
with what I have heard as well.

1183
01:07:17,321 --> 01:07:18,155
He is...

1184
01:07:18,239 --> 01:07:22,076
I wish to meet with him,
as I have a question that needs answering.

1185
01:07:23,661 --> 01:07:24,704
Yes.

1186
01:07:24,787 --> 01:07:29,959
It's just... Master Murase is quite elderly,
as he is currently at the age of 97.

1187
01:07:30,042 --> 01:07:32,503
He is normally sequestered away
in his chambers,

1188
01:07:32,586 --> 01:07:35,339
and as such, I know not
when last he was seen, my liege.

1189
01:07:35,423 --> 01:07:38,843
Hmm. All the more reason
I should meet with him soon.

1190
01:07:42,847 --> 01:07:43,931
Here, Your Highness.

1191
01:07:59,071 --> 01:08:01,490
Pa-- pardon me. Master Murase?

1192
01:08:01,574 --> 01:08:02,742
Hmm?

1193
01:08:02,825 --> 01:08:04,744
Her Highness is here to see you.

1194
01:08:08,581 --> 01:08:11,500
Oh... Well, now, this is interesting.

1195
01:08:19,216 --> 01:08:20,676
I have a request.

1196
01:08:22,595 --> 01:08:27,016
It it my wish to see the records of
the Ōoku that you keep safeguarded here.

1197
01:08:27,099 --> 01:08:30,436
I understand that these records are
only for the eyes of those

1198
01:08:30,519 --> 01:08:33,606
who dwell within the halls of the Ōoku
and the shogun herself.

1199
01:08:33,689 --> 01:08:36,442
It is as you say, my liege.

1200
01:08:36,525 --> 01:08:39,528
You are quite well versed
in the code of the Ōoku...

1201
01:08:39,612 --> 01:08:44,742
So, as the archive spans decades,
which period do you wish to view?

1202
01:08:44,825 --> 01:08:47,328
Every record
that was written by your hand.

1203
01:08:47,411 --> 01:08:50,539
All that the the Honored Kasuga
deemed worthy of writing.

1204
01:08:53,751 --> 01:08:56,712
The inscription of these archives
have been the work of your lifetime,

1205
01:08:56,796 --> 01:08:57,671
have they not?

1206
01:08:58,672 --> 01:09:02,676
And what, pray tell, leads
this recent curiosity, Your Highness?

1207
01:09:03,719 --> 01:09:05,721
When I was just a young child,

1208
01:09:05,805 --> 01:09:08,724
there was a deranged old man
who lived at the edge of the village

1209
01:09:08,808 --> 01:09:10,184
who would rant and rave.

1210
01:09:10,851 --> 01:09:15,189
He would say there used to be as many men
as there were women back in the old days.

1211
01:09:16,232 --> 01:09:18,818
Of course, no one believed his ramblings.

1212
01:09:18,901 --> 01:09:20,778
But there are times where I wonder.

1213
01:09:21,779 --> 01:09:26,200
I wonder if this is the way this country
has always been, ever since the beginning.

1214
01:09:27,535 --> 01:09:31,372
Why do you have to take a male name
if you succeed to the head of the family?

1215
01:09:31,956 --> 01:09:34,124
If you delve into the official records,

1216
01:09:34,208 --> 01:09:37,169
It would seem as though there
are only men in this country.

1217
01:09:37,795 --> 01:09:40,506
Thus presently,
this tradition makes it impossible

1218
01:09:40,589 --> 01:09:43,467
to create an accurate record
of the state of affairs.

1219
01:09:43,551 --> 01:09:48,722
I wish to abolish this custom
of changing names unnecessarily. But...

1220
01:09:48,806 --> 01:09:53,561
But what if there is some logic
behind the custom that requires it?

1221
01:09:59,817 --> 01:10:00,734
Hmm.

1222
01:10:01,318 --> 01:10:05,906
I have waited for a long time.
A very long time, indeed.

1223
01:10:06,407 --> 01:10:08,909
But no one has asked to come and see me

1224
01:10:08,993 --> 01:10:11,328
until you decided to visit me today,
my liege.

1225
01:10:11,412 --> 01:10:12,746
THE CHRONICLES OF THE DYING DAY

1226
01:10:13,330 --> 01:10:16,542
"The Chronicles of the Dying Day."
Has this always been its name?

1227
01:10:17,334 --> 01:10:19,503
The title was mandated by decree.

1228
01:10:19,587 --> 01:10:24,049
It was the Honored Kasuga
that gave the order,

1229
01:10:24,133 --> 01:10:27,011
the sentiment being
that this country shall fall.

1230
01:10:27,094 --> 01:10:31,015
This record was intended to serve
as a chronicle to its doomed fate.

1231
01:10:31,890 --> 01:10:35,644
You were here when he created the Ōoku
all those years ago, correct?

1232
01:10:35,728 --> 01:10:38,022
What sort of man was the Honored Kasuga?

1233
01:10:41,066 --> 01:10:43,736
The Honored Kasuga was no man, my liege.

1234
01:10:43,819 --> 01:10:46,405
The Honored Kasuga was a woman.

1235
01:10:48,115 --> 01:10:51,076
And as for the third shogun, Lord Iemitsu,

1236
01:10:51,160 --> 01:10:55,039
at his birth,
he was not a woman but a man.

1237
01:10:55,122 --> 01:10:56,165
Hmm.

1238
01:10:56,790 --> 01:10:58,042
Very well, then.

1239
01:10:59,126 --> 01:11:03,213
I expect that reading this record will
explain everything in minute detail.

1240
01:11:04,131 --> 01:11:08,385
THE CHRONICLES OF THE DYING DAY

1241
01:11:13,640 --> 01:11:15,434
THE CHRONICLES OF THE DYING DAY

1242
01:12:47,109 --> 01:12:50,654
THE CHRONICLES OF THE DYING DAY