1
00:00:19,185 --> 00:00:20,562
- Ihei!

2
00:00:20,645 --> 00:00:22,313
- Ihei!

3
00:00:27,402 --> 00:00:30,280
It seems that O-Rui's son
has now passed away as well.

4
00:00:30,363 --> 00:00:31,448
What's going on here?

5
00:00:31,531 --> 00:00:34,826
Boys around 14 or 15 years of age
are dying one after the other...

6
00:00:34,909 --> 00:00:36,911
Just when our war has finally ended,

7
00:00:36,995 --> 00:00:40,790
now we have to worry about this
strange new disease that's going around.

8
00:00:40,874 --> 00:00:44,002
- Namu-amida-butsu, namu-amida-butsu...
- Namu-amida-butsu, namu-amida-butsu...

9
00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:49,591
I hear that the people are all
calling this plague red-face smallpox.

10
00:00:49,674 --> 00:00:52,552
Because the face swells up
all red like a tengu, you know?

11
00:00:52,635 --> 00:00:54,471
Yes, you're right, it does.

12
00:00:54,554 --> 00:00:58,600
And since it's a tengu, it only goes after
young men like Ushiwaka, isn't that right?

13
00:00:58,683 --> 00:01:00,602
Oooh, good one, Toku-don!

14
00:01:00,685 --> 00:01:02,020
You think so, Jiro-don?

15
00:01:05,148 --> 00:01:07,400
It's fine.
An outbreak is called an outbreak

16
00:01:07,484 --> 00:01:10,862
because there is a time when it stops
and doesn't break out anymore.

17
00:01:10,945 --> 00:01:15,116
There's no way men are going
to disappear from this world...

18
00:01:17,410 --> 00:01:18,453
However...

19
00:01:21,498 --> 00:01:26,628
the disease took the lives of countless
young men, regardless of social status.

20
00:01:30,757 --> 00:01:32,592
- Te...
- Stop your crying.

21
00:01:32,675 --> 00:01:35,678
- Terutsuna!
- You're in a samurai family!

22
00:01:35,762 --> 00:01:37,639
We can have another child.

23
00:01:37,722 --> 00:01:40,350
What a thing to say, Nobutsuna-dono!

24
00:01:40,433 --> 00:01:44,646
No matter how many children we may
have, they can't replace Terutsuna!

25
00:01:44,729 --> 00:01:47,023
Anyway, if they happen to be born boys,

26
00:01:47,106 --> 00:01:49,901
they just might die from
red-face smallpox again!

27
00:01:52,570 --> 00:01:54,906
Also, in Edo Castle...

28
00:01:59,869 --> 00:02:03,915
Uh-- The Honored Kasuga,
our liege, he has...

29
00:02:04,457 --> 00:02:08,294
Our liege, the shogun Lord Iemitsu,
has passed away from smallpox.

30
00:02:12,882 --> 00:02:14,092
It can't be.

31
00:02:16,886 --> 00:02:18,596
I do not believe it!

32
00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,349
When our liege contracted smallpox
just last year,

33
00:02:21,432 --> 00:02:23,726
he recovered without incident!

34
00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:26,521
It's not possible
to contract smallpox twice!

35
00:02:26,604 --> 00:02:31,401
With respect, this was red-face smallpox,
not regular smallpox...

36
00:02:31,901 --> 00:02:35,571
I heard red-face smallpox is a disease
that only strikes young men.

37
00:02:35,655 --> 00:02:37,824
Our liege is 31 years of age!

38
00:02:37,907 --> 00:02:41,786
Correct, but there are rare cases of grown
men contracting the disease as well.

39
00:02:41,869 --> 00:02:44,747
The symptoms are usually
much lighter in those cases,

40
00:02:44,831 --> 00:02:47,375
but with our liege
having been so sickly since childhood,

41
00:02:47,458 --> 00:02:48,668
the plague simply overcame him,

42
00:02:48,751 --> 00:02:50,586
- There was nothing that could...
- Shut up, now!

43
00:02:50,670 --> 00:02:53,506
Shut up, shut up! Out of my way!

44
00:02:53,589 --> 00:02:54,924
My liege, it's Kasuga...

45
00:02:55,008 --> 00:02:57,468
No, it's O-Fuku. Please answer me.

46
00:02:57,552 --> 00:02:59,345
My liege, can you hear me?

47
00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,766
Remember your nurse, O-Fuku,
my liege. Do you?

48
00:03:03,850 --> 00:03:05,810
This is your O-Fuku, my liege!

49
00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:07,311
My liege...

50
00:03:13,192 --> 00:03:15,445
My liege!

51
00:03:23,161 --> 00:03:26,122
ŌTHE INNER CHAMBERS

52
00:03:26,789 --> 00:03:28,416
Six years later.

53
00:03:31,002 --> 00:03:31,961
Oh!

54
00:03:32,462 --> 00:03:33,880
Young master, young master!

55
00:03:34,589 --> 00:03:36,883
We can finally see Edo Castle from here!

56
00:03:36,966 --> 00:03:38,551
Hey now, Gyokuei.

57
00:03:38,634 --> 00:03:41,179
It's not "young master,"
anymore, it's "Abbot."

58
00:03:41,262 --> 00:03:43,431
- How many times do I have to tell you?
- Oh...

59
00:03:43,514 --> 00:03:45,433
It's fine, Myokei.

60
00:03:46,225 --> 00:03:49,562
I asked Gyokuei to tell me
when Edo Castle came into view.

61
00:03:50,188 --> 00:03:51,230
But, Abbot--

62
00:03:51,314 --> 00:03:53,483
Could you please stop
the palanquin for a moment?

63
00:03:53,566 --> 00:03:54,525
Certainly!

64
00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,162
Wow. So that's the Edo Castle
I've heard so much about.

65
00:04:06,954 --> 00:04:09,624
The resident castle of the Tokugawa clan.

66
00:04:09,707 --> 00:04:11,667
It is incredibly beautiful.

67
00:04:11,751 --> 00:04:13,044
Do you really think so?

68
00:04:13,127 --> 00:04:17,089
To me it looks like an overly ostentatious
attempt at appearing sophisticated

69
00:04:17,173 --> 00:04:18,716
by the country bumpkins of Kanto.

70
00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:22,094
Master Myokei, with the way you talk,
are you saying you despise the shogun?

71
00:04:22,178 --> 00:04:23,888
Isn't it obvious? Of course!

72
00:04:23,971 --> 00:04:25,640
It's one thing for our abbot
to be summoned

73
00:04:25,723 --> 00:04:29,685
to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto to report
his succession to His Imperial Majesty,

74
00:04:29,769 --> 00:04:32,980
but to be asked to travel all the way
to Edo to thank the shogun?

75
00:04:33,064 --> 00:04:34,857
How arrogant of the Tokugawa clan!

76
00:04:34,941 --> 00:04:37,944
What's more, a mere nanny
of the current shogun, Lord Iemitsu,

77
00:04:38,027 --> 00:04:41,155
had the audacity to attend an audience
with His Imperial Majesty

78
00:04:41,239 --> 00:04:42,365
on behalf of the shogun!

79
00:04:42,448 --> 00:04:45,451
How infuriating! How deplorable!

80
00:04:45,535 --> 00:04:47,453
But I think all that that really proves

81
00:04:47,537 --> 00:04:50,206
is that the Imperial court currently does
not have the power

82
00:04:50,289 --> 00:04:52,583
to oppose the Tokugawa clan, does it not?

83
00:04:53,167 --> 00:04:56,003
The weak will always submit to the strong,
that's the law of nature.

84
00:04:56,087 --> 00:04:59,340
So I find no fault in how
the Tokugawa is handling this matter.

85
00:05:03,386 --> 00:05:05,263
He got you there, Myokei.

86
00:05:05,763 --> 00:05:07,557
But we are in service of the Buddha,

87
00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,685
and it is not fitting for us to speak ill
of someone in such a manner,

88
00:05:10,768 --> 00:05:12,311
no matter who it may be.

89
00:05:12,395 --> 00:05:13,938
- Agreed?
- Uh-- Y-- yes.

90
00:05:14,438 --> 00:05:16,607
I humbly beg your pardon, Abbot.

91
00:05:16,691 --> 00:05:19,360
Good. You are forgiven, then.

92
00:05:20,111 --> 00:05:21,362
And you, Gyokuei.

93
00:05:21,904 --> 00:05:23,656
We have seen a great many people

94
00:05:23,739 --> 00:05:27,076
along our journey
from Kyoto to Edo, have we not?

95
00:05:27,702 --> 00:05:31,122
Many of those people were terribly poor
and often ailing,

96
00:05:31,580 --> 00:05:34,667
they were those who are most powerless
and lost in this world.

97
00:05:34,750 --> 00:05:35,626
Mmm.

98
00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:37,545
It is a monk's job, you see,

99
00:05:37,628 --> 00:05:41,966
to be the one who provides salvation
to the people who truly need it the most.

100
00:05:42,049 --> 00:05:45,803
But your way of thinking is more like
a samurai of the warring period,

101
00:05:45,886 --> 00:05:47,138
rather than that of a monk.

102
00:05:47,221 --> 00:05:49,056
Uh-- Please forgive me.

103
00:05:49,140 --> 00:05:51,350
I myself was once such a child,

104
00:05:51,434 --> 00:05:53,853
covered in filth, with no parents
to care for me

105
00:05:53,936 --> 00:05:55,604
before you saved me.

106
00:05:56,188 --> 00:05:58,399
You are a clever lad, Gyokuei.

107
00:05:58,482 --> 00:06:01,360
Since you've seen the inner workings
of society sooner than most,

108
00:06:01,444 --> 00:06:03,946
it's natural that you're
slightly more worldly than you should be.

109
00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:06,657
"Slightly" is an understatement,
wouldn't you say, Abbot!

110
00:06:09,243 --> 00:06:10,995
Abbot, do you see that? It's

111
00:06:11,078 --> 00:06:12,538
It's a dead body.

112
00:06:13,497 --> 00:06:16,625
It is red-face smallpox, Abbot!

113
00:06:16,709 --> 00:06:17,710
Please stay back!

114
00:06:17,793 --> 00:06:19,295
Yes, and what about it?

115
00:06:19,378 --> 00:06:22,548
It is an epidemic that has
recently spread even so far as Kyoto!

116
00:06:22,631 --> 00:06:25,676
And it only strikes young men.
Please stay as far away as possible!

117
00:06:26,260 --> 00:06:27,470
Yes. I know.

118
00:06:27,553 --> 00:06:30,806
But it is my duty to assist
in matters such as these.

119
00:06:31,390 --> 00:06:34,935
Pardon. I wonder if I may offer
the sutra for the departed soul?

120
00:06:35,019 --> 00:06:37,438
Would you really do that for him, sir?

121
00:06:37,521 --> 00:06:39,273
I'd be so grateful.

122
00:06:39,356 --> 00:06:40,900
He was my only son.

123
00:06:40,983 --> 00:06:44,945
But for fear of the pox, I couldn't find a
monk who would dare come near the body.

124
00:06:47,364 --> 00:06:49,784
Hey, you should thank him too, okay?

125
00:06:51,660 --> 00:06:54,205
Thank you kindly, sir. Great and wise one.

126
00:06:54,288 --> 00:06:55,206
Huh?

127
00:06:55,289 --> 00:06:56,916
This is my daughter.

128
00:06:56,999 --> 00:06:59,794
Please excuse the poor state of her hair.

129
00:06:59,877 --> 00:07:04,048
This poor thing was attacked
recently by a street slasher.

130
00:07:04,131 --> 00:07:05,216
A street slasher?

131
00:07:05,299 --> 00:07:07,802
- As of late, there is a samurai in Edo

132
00:07:07,885 --> 00:07:12,473
who slashes maidens' hair,
as if to test the sharpness of his sword.

133
00:07:13,015 --> 00:07:15,392
Many young women have met the same fate.

134
00:07:16,143 --> 00:07:17,520
Truly awful...

135
00:07:19,563 --> 00:07:22,024
It may only be a sport for this man,

136
00:07:22,107 --> 00:07:27,071
but it is indeed a horrible thing to have
happened to all these young girls.

137
00:07:27,613 --> 00:07:28,489
Hm?

138
00:07:29,073 --> 00:07:33,202
I am so sorry you had to go through that,
on top of the loss of your family.

139
00:07:33,285 --> 00:07:34,245
Truly, I am.

140
00:07:34,328 --> 00:07:37,456
Uh-- oh, no sir. Please, I...

141
00:07:39,583 --> 00:07:41,836
Our Abbot is completely oblivious.

142
00:07:41,919 --> 00:07:46,006
He's the only one in the whole world who
doesn't know how handsome he truly is,

143
00:07:46,090 --> 00:07:49,260
even despite having
the shaven head of a monk.

144
00:07:50,052 --> 00:07:52,721
If he realized it,
he'd be a lady-killer...

145
00:07:54,890 --> 00:07:57,893
The next day,
the new Abbot of Keiko-in

146
00:07:57,977 --> 00:08:01,689
presented himself at Edo Castle,
accompanied only by Myokei.

147
00:08:02,356 --> 00:08:04,817
The attendant monk shall wait here.

148
00:08:05,484 --> 00:08:07,903
Ah, I will be off then, Myokei.

149
00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:08,904
Abbot.

150
00:08:12,366 --> 00:08:14,910
The Abbot of Keiko-in
has presented himself

151
00:08:14,994 --> 00:08:17,538
to report his succession
and pay his respects!

152
00:08:18,330 --> 00:08:24,044
My name is Arikoto, the son of Madenokoji
Arizumi, the new Abbot of Keiko-in.

153
00:08:24,753 --> 00:08:27,339
Today, I have come to express my gratitude

154
00:08:27,423 --> 00:08:30,593
for being allowed to succeed
such an honorable position.

155
00:08:31,552 --> 00:08:33,220
You may raise your head.

156
00:08:37,308 --> 00:08:39,518
- My word...
- Such beauty!

157
00:08:39,602 --> 00:08:40,978
His face is like that of a woman...

158
00:08:41,562 --> 00:08:44,315
This is your first time
visiting the Kanto region?

159
00:08:44,398 --> 00:08:47,234
- Yes.
- Then you should stay in Edo for a while.

160
00:08:47,318 --> 00:08:49,361
Take this opportunity to see the sights.

161
00:08:49,945 --> 00:08:54,450
Such a kind invitation,
but I must regretfully decline.

162
00:08:56,327 --> 00:09:00,622
I am still new to the position,
and therefore, inexperienced as the Abbot.

163
00:09:00,706 --> 00:09:04,752
There are many duties at the temple that
I must return for and begin to tend to.

164
00:09:04,835 --> 00:09:07,004
As a novice with much to learn,

165
00:09:07,087 --> 00:09:09,965
it would not be appropriate
for me to enjoy the sights of Edo,

166
00:09:10,049 --> 00:09:13,010
and if I have your leave,
I hope to depart in a day or two.

167
00:09:14,762 --> 00:09:19,141
Kasuga! The abbot of Keiko-in
has traveled all this way to Edo.

168
00:09:19,224 --> 00:09:21,477
Treat him with the utmost hospitality.

169
00:09:22,144 --> 00:09:23,020
My lord.

170
00:09:38,994 --> 00:09:42,289
Abbot, if I may show you
to another chamber to rest?

171
00:09:50,380 --> 00:09:53,258
Abbot, please allow me
to congratulate you

172
00:09:53,342 --> 00:09:55,385
on a smooth audience with the shogun.

173
00:09:55,886 --> 00:09:57,679
Thank you.

174
00:09:57,763 --> 00:10:00,808
And the Honored Kasuga is on her way here
to join us.

175
00:10:00,891 --> 00:10:02,643
The Honored Kasuga?

176
00:10:03,936 --> 00:10:06,897
If you'll allow me,
I would like to introduce myself.

177
00:10:06,980 --> 00:10:09,274
I am Kasuga, Head of the Ōoku.

178
00:10:17,199 --> 00:10:21,245
Oh my!
What a beautiful young man you are!

179
00:10:21,328 --> 00:10:25,290
And your noble lineage
is evident in your elegant bearing,

180
00:10:25,374 --> 00:10:28,001
something we of the warrior class lack!

181
00:10:28,085 --> 00:10:31,922
This old woman
could not help but admire it!

182
00:10:32,005 --> 00:10:33,131
Uh...

183
00:10:33,674 --> 00:10:36,385
Such a pity. Must you depart so soon?

184
00:10:36,468 --> 00:10:38,720
Is the city of Edo not to your liking,
Abbot?

185
00:10:38,804 --> 00:10:41,473
Oh, no, no,
that is not what I meant at all.

186
00:10:41,557 --> 00:10:43,600
I only caught glimpses it of it
on my way here,

187
00:10:43,684 --> 00:10:45,894
but found it to be a bustling city.

188
00:10:45,978 --> 00:10:48,480
And I saw that the women
of Edo are hard working.

189
00:10:48,564 --> 00:10:49,606
I noticed many of them.

190
00:10:51,984 --> 00:10:54,236
Well, I am quite relieved to hear it.

191
00:10:54,319 --> 00:10:58,156
Then the Abbot shall stay right here
in Edo, just for the time being.

192
00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,617
- As our noble liege desires.
- Uh...

193
00:11:00,701 --> 00:11:04,121
Your response to our liege's
invitation earlier was so brilliant!

194
00:11:04,204 --> 00:11:09,501
Our liege found it so refreshing. that you
were honest and straightforward, Abbot.

195
00:11:11,712 --> 00:11:14,464
I hear people
have called you a genius,

196
00:11:14,548 --> 00:11:17,801
as you memorized
the Doctrine of the Means, the Analects,

197
00:11:17,884 --> 00:11:20,137
and Mencius as a boy.

198
00:11:20,220 --> 00:11:23,640
And I myself have been truly impressed

199
00:11:23,724 --> 00:11:26,893
by your displays
of intelligence and wisdom.

200
00:11:26,977 --> 00:11:29,896
Still, I'm afraid
that staying here any longer

201
00:11:29,980 --> 00:11:32,399
will be difficult for me to accommodate.

202
00:11:32,482 --> 00:11:36,111
Unfortunately, I do need to get back
to the temple as soon as possible

203
00:11:36,194 --> 00:11:38,739
and start my duties as the new abbot.

204
00:11:38,822 --> 00:11:39,781
I must refuse.

205
00:11:39,865 --> 00:11:44,911
I appreciate that, Abbot,
but this is the express wish of our liege.

206
00:11:45,704 --> 00:11:48,749
I humbly and sincerely
ask you to reconsider.

207
00:11:48,832 --> 00:11:52,419
Please stay in Edo,
just a little while longer, Abbot.

208
00:11:56,673 --> 00:11:59,426
It surely wouldn't hurt to stay
a bit longer, would it, Abbot?

209
00:11:59,509 --> 00:12:00,677
Mmm.

210
00:12:02,262 --> 00:12:04,014
Master Myokei, are you just saying that

211
00:12:04,097 --> 00:12:06,892
because you've developed a taste
for those sweets that you're eating?

212
00:12:06,975 --> 00:12:07,976
Mmm... Huh?

213
00:12:08,060 --> 00:12:11,813
Oh, the sweets are tasty, all right,
but that's not the reason why I said it

214
00:12:11,897 --> 00:12:13,440
It's the Honored Kasuga.

215
00:12:13,523 --> 00:12:16,610
She was much more subservient
than I had expected her to be.

216
00:12:17,277 --> 00:12:19,613
It was so satisfying to see that woman,

217
00:12:19,696 --> 00:12:23,784
who must be bossing people around in
the Ōoku of Edo Castle on a daily basis,

218
00:12:23,867 --> 00:12:26,328
bowing and scraping to our Abbot!

219
00:12:26,411 --> 00:12:28,455
That country bumpkin!

220
00:12:28,538 --> 00:12:32,000
She must have been awestruck
by the innate nobility of our Abbot!

221
00:12:32,084 --> 00:12:33,460
- Abbot.

222
00:12:33,543 --> 00:12:36,713
A messenger from the Honored Kasuga
has left something for you.

223
00:12:37,631 --> 00:12:40,217
They said it is a gift
from our liege the shogun.

224
00:12:42,302 --> 00:12:43,845
And what is this for?

225
00:12:43,929 --> 00:12:47,349
Because I have already received
a celebratory gift from the shogun.

226
00:12:47,432 --> 00:12:48,809
I am not sure, Abbot.

227
00:12:48,892 --> 00:12:51,353
Only that our liege would like
for you to accept this.

228
00:12:51,436 --> 00:12:52,979
My goodness,

229
00:12:53,063 --> 00:12:57,567
Abbot, is it not a truly wonderful thing
that our generous liege is so pious?

230
00:12:57,651 --> 00:12:58,985
Well...

231
00:12:59,611 --> 00:13:02,489
Mmm. I suppose you're right.
This is a blessing.

232
00:13:02,572 --> 00:13:05,242
It wouldn't be possible to provide
salvation for people

233
00:13:05,325 --> 00:13:09,037
if all we do is wear silk robes
and chant sutras at the temple.

234
00:13:09,121 --> 00:13:12,457
Though I do agree that helping
the lives of the living

235
00:13:12,541 --> 00:13:15,210
must come
before we talk about saving their souls.

236
00:13:15,293 --> 00:13:18,630
And to do that, I can't deny
that money is necessary.

237
00:13:18,713 --> 00:13:20,882
Let us gratefully accept this gift.

238
00:13:21,591 --> 00:13:23,218
I see...

239
00:13:23,301 --> 00:13:26,513
So our Abbot does have ambition
as the head of his domain,

240
00:13:26,596 --> 00:13:29,683
to succeed in improving
the lives of everyone around him.

241
00:13:34,980 --> 00:13:37,524
Abbot, where are you off to, if I may ask?

242
00:13:37,607 --> 00:13:40,569
Oh, I was just going
to take in some sights.

243
00:13:41,069 --> 00:13:44,281
I wanted to pay my respects
to Zojoji and Ueno Toshogu

244
00:13:44,364 --> 00:13:45,532
while I am here in Edo.

245
00:13:45,615 --> 00:13:47,784
- I'm afraid you may not.
- Huh?

246
00:13:47,868 --> 00:13:50,328
Currently, there is a rare disease
going around in Edo,

247
00:13:50,412 --> 00:13:53,039
called red-face smallpox,
which strikes only young men.

248
00:13:53,123 --> 00:13:54,958
For your safety, our liege has asked

249
00:13:55,041 --> 00:13:57,794
that you refrain from leaving the premises
for the time being.

250
00:13:57,878 --> 00:13:59,546
Hey, what is the meaning of this?

251
00:13:59,629 --> 00:14:03,008
When the shogun told our Abbot to stay
in Edo for a while and see the sights,

252
00:14:03,091 --> 00:14:06,011
did he mean that he should sit
still in this place and do nothing?

253
00:14:06,094 --> 00:14:08,138
That's what is expected of the Abbot.

254
00:14:08,221 --> 00:14:09,973
Please explain the meaning of this.

255
00:14:10,056 --> 00:14:12,100
What exactly is it that's going on here?

256
00:14:12,767 --> 00:14:16,313
I promise, you will hear
further instructions soon from our liege.

257
00:14:16,897 --> 00:14:18,189
I ask that you await them.

258
00:14:18,773 --> 00:14:19,900
Hmm.

259
00:14:20,942 --> 00:14:24,070
What do you think
is going on here, Gyokuei?

260
00:14:24,154 --> 00:14:27,824
Shh! Our Abbot is in the next room,
and I do not wish him to overhear us,

261
00:14:27,908 --> 00:14:29,409
So please lower your voice.

262
00:14:29,910 --> 00:14:32,579
Master Myokei, may I ask,
do you happen to know

263
00:14:32,662 --> 00:14:35,582
what sort of place
the Ōoku of Edo Castle is?

264
00:14:35,665 --> 00:14:37,167
Of course I do.

265
00:14:37,250 --> 00:14:39,628
It's the women's quarters
in the back of Edo Castle,

266
00:14:39,711 --> 00:14:42,005
where they keep all the women
who serve the shogun.

267
00:14:42,088 --> 00:14:45,216
The thing about that is,
there is a strange rumor going around.

268
00:14:45,300 --> 00:14:49,596
And according to the rumor, it's said
that there are only men in the Ōoku.

269
00:14:49,679 --> 00:14:52,349
- Huh?
- And if it's true, why is that?

270
00:14:52,432 --> 00:14:54,934
It is well-known that our current shogun,
Lord Iemitsu,

271
00:14:55,018 --> 00:14:56,394
prefers young men over maidens.

272
00:14:56,478 --> 00:14:59,856
Supposedly, that's why the Honored Kasuga
has collected beautiful young men

273
00:14:59,939 --> 00:15:02,609
as servant pages for Lord Iemitsu
in the Ōoku.

274
00:15:02,692 --> 00:15:04,611
It can't be...

275
00:15:05,236 --> 00:15:09,449
The beauty of our Abbot stands out even
amongst the young court nobles of Kyoto.

276
00:15:09,949 --> 00:15:14,079
Compared to the rough, burly warriors
of Edo, he is simply extraordinary.

277
00:15:14,162 --> 00:15:16,665
I doubt it, but it could be possible.

278
00:15:22,962 --> 00:15:25,131
- I ask you to move aside.
- I cannot, sir.

279
00:15:25,215 --> 00:15:27,008
It's been four days now.

280
00:15:27,509 --> 00:15:30,595
The fact that we have not
received word from our liege

281
00:15:30,679 --> 00:15:34,307
must mean that he is done with me,
and so I'm free to leave this place

282
00:15:34,391 --> 00:15:37,060
and get back to Kyoto as
soon as possible, as planned.

283
00:15:37,143 --> 00:15:40,355
- Move aside and let us pass.
- That we cannot do, Abbot.

284
00:15:40,438 --> 00:15:41,981
- Deepest apologies

285
00:15:45,485 --> 00:15:48,279
No, you're no longer
the Abbot of Keiko-in.

286
00:15:48,363 --> 00:15:52,158
You're Arikoto-dono,
the son of Lord Madenokoji Arizumi.

287
00:15:52,242 --> 00:15:55,578
In fact, you may not ever return to Kyoto
from this point on,

288
00:15:55,662 --> 00:15:57,414
or serve the Buddha any longer.

289
00:15:57,497 --> 00:16:02,419
You shall enter the Ōoku of Edo Castle,
where our liege anxiously awaits you.

290
00:16:02,502 --> 00:16:03,420
What ?

291
00:16:04,003 --> 00:16:07,215
Yes, you shall renounce your monastic life
here in Edo,

292
00:16:07,298 --> 00:16:10,593
and become a servant page
for the shogun, Lord Iemitsu.

293
00:16:11,511 --> 00:16:14,472
However, you will not be permitted
to serve our liege

294
00:16:14,556 --> 00:16:17,767
with the unsightly shaven head
you currently have.

295
00:16:17,851 --> 00:16:21,438
You shall stay hidden away in
the government residence I have prepared

296
00:16:21,521 --> 00:16:23,189
while your hair grows out.

297
00:16:23,273 --> 00:16:25,692
Now, let us be on our way, Arikoto-dono.

298
00:16:29,571 --> 00:16:31,906
What a silly thing to say, Kasuga-dono!

299
00:16:31,990 --> 00:16:34,367
You know I am already 18 years of age.

300
00:16:34,450 --> 00:16:37,704
I do believe that makes me
a bit too old to be a servant page.

301
00:16:37,787 --> 00:16:40,999
Exactly! It is rude, even if for a jest!

302
00:16:41,082 --> 00:16:44,377
Our Abbot is the scion of the head
of the Madenokoji family,

303
00:16:44,460 --> 00:16:45,879
a high noble house in court!

304
00:16:45,962 --> 00:16:47,964
How rude of you to suggest such a thing!

305
00:16:48,047 --> 00:16:50,466
- Who is the rude one here?

306
00:16:51,176 --> 00:16:54,554
How dare you impugn our liege
by calling his request silly?

307
00:16:54,637 --> 00:16:59,726
Rejoice in the honor of being chosen
to serve the shogunate and Lord Iemitsu!

308
00:17:00,435 --> 00:17:04,856
Compared to that, the position
of the abbot of a temple is nothing!

309
00:17:04,939 --> 00:17:07,609
Renounce your monastic vows right now!

310
00:17:07,692 --> 00:17:08,735
- Oh...

311
00:17:13,573 --> 00:17:15,992
- Oh, no. My Abbot...

312
00:17:16,075 --> 00:17:19,704
Please know that this is in no way a jest.

313
00:17:19,787 --> 00:17:23,166
Do not even dream of trying
such a stupid thing

314
00:17:23,249 --> 00:17:25,501
as to force your way out of here.

315
00:17:30,131 --> 00:17:32,759
Watched
by such burly warriors of Edo,

316
00:17:32,842 --> 00:17:35,011
there's no way we can get out of here!

317
00:17:35,094 --> 00:17:38,348
If our Abbot truly will be forced
into serving in the Ōoku,

318
00:17:38,431 --> 00:17:39,766
what will become of us?

319
00:17:39,849 --> 00:17:42,268
No, that shall never ever come to pass!

320
00:17:42,352 --> 00:17:45,271
When he saved me, and ever so gently
stroked my lice-ridden hair,

321
00:17:45,355 --> 00:17:46,814
hair that no one else dared touch,

322
00:17:46,898 --> 00:17:49,525
it was then that I was sure,
I knew it to be true.

323
00:17:50,234 --> 00:17:52,528
I knew he was the Buddha reincarnate!

324
00:17:52,612 --> 00:17:55,448
Our Abbot was born into this world for one
specific purpose.7

325
00:17:55,531 --> 00:17:57,951
He is here to save more people
just like me!

326
00:17:58,034 --> 00:17:59,786
You can't take that away from him!

327
00:18:00,703 --> 00:18:03,331
Gyokuei... Thank you for that.

328
00:18:04,123 --> 00:18:06,292
I don't feel that I deserve such praise.

329
00:18:06,376 --> 00:18:09,045
But it is indeed true,
there is no other path for me

330
00:18:09,128 --> 00:18:10,922
other than that of being a monk.

331
00:18:11,005 --> 00:18:13,424
I believe my only option
is to ask my father

332
00:18:13,508 --> 00:18:16,469
to write to His Imperial Majesty
and intervene on my behalf.

333
00:18:16,552 --> 00:18:19,055
Ah, Lord Madenokoji Arizumi, your father!

334
00:18:19,138 --> 00:18:22,266
That is indeed a splendid plan!
A splendid plan indeed!

335
00:18:22,350 --> 00:18:23,267
Yes, that should work!

336
00:18:23,351 --> 00:18:25,853
If His Imperial Majesty learns
of these circumstances,

337
00:18:25,937 --> 00:18:28,815
there is no way he will be silent
about this outrageous act!

338
00:18:28,898 --> 00:18:31,234
Exactly, so no need for us to fear.

339
00:18:31,317 --> 00:18:35,029
And of course, Keiko-in will also realize
that something must have happened

340
00:18:35,113 --> 00:18:37,156
if I fail to return in a day or two.

341
00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,868
So all I need to do is simply
hold my ground until help arrives,

342
00:18:40,952 --> 00:18:43,371
no matter how much
they threaten or wheedle us.

343
00:18:43,454 --> 00:18:44,539
That's our plan

344
00:18:46,165 --> 00:18:49,293
Even if our Abbot writes a letter
to his lord father,

345
00:18:49,377 --> 00:18:51,337
would it even ever really reach him?

346
00:18:51,921 --> 00:18:53,381
And what if the Honored Kasuga

347
00:18:53,464 --> 00:18:56,134
has already made preemptive moves
to block that plan?

348
00:19:00,555 --> 00:19:02,473
My name is Yotsuba.

349
00:19:02,557 --> 00:19:04,183
My name is Kikyo.

350
00:19:04,267 --> 00:19:05,727
And my name is Kogiku.

351
00:19:05,810 --> 00:19:09,397
We were given special permission
to leave the district of Yoshiwara

352
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,190
and come here to this residence.

353
00:19:11,274 --> 00:19:14,861
We hope that you kind sirs
will enjoy our company tonight.

354
00:19:14,944 --> 00:19:16,487
My word!

355
00:19:16,571 --> 00:19:19,615
Abbot, I have never seen
courtesans so up close before.

356
00:19:19,699 --> 00:19:22,326
I see what
the Honored Kasuga has planned here.

357
00:19:22,410 --> 00:19:24,829
She's trying to cajole me
into changing my mind

358
00:19:24,912 --> 00:19:26,747
with the company of these three women.

359
00:19:26,831 --> 00:19:28,875
Shameful, what a shallow mind she has...

360
00:19:28,958 --> 00:19:32,712
I know that you have come
a great distance, and I appreciate that.

361
00:19:32,795 --> 00:19:35,131
But please accept a gratuity
and return home.

362
00:19:35,214 --> 00:19:36,883
Please spare us, sir.

363
00:19:36,966 --> 00:19:40,052
We have been strictly instructed
that we must not leave

364
00:19:40,136 --> 00:19:42,388
until you have fully enjoyed our company.

365
00:19:43,097 --> 00:19:44,474
I thought as much.

366
00:19:44,557 --> 00:19:46,309
What shall we do about it, Abbot?

367
00:19:46,893 --> 00:19:47,894
Well, then...

368
00:19:48,519 --> 00:19:50,146
We shall enjoy their company.

369
00:19:50,229 --> 00:19:51,439
Huh?

370
00:19:52,231 --> 00:19:53,399
Hmm.

371
00:19:53,483 --> 00:19:57,069
No thank you. As I have said before,
I do not wish to drink.

372
00:19:57,153 --> 00:19:59,363
Please feel free to finish the sake
amongst yourselves.

373
00:19:59,447 --> 00:20:00,948
- What?
Isn't it amazing?

374
00:20:01,032 --> 00:20:04,076
That a person can be this merry
without getting a bit drunk?

375
00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:05,411
- Oh, I...

376
00:20:05,995 --> 00:20:09,665
I had assumed that we were called here
because monks couldn't openly visit

377
00:20:09,749 --> 00:20:12,376
the pleasure district of Yoshiwara,
or anywhere else,

378
00:20:12,460 --> 00:20:14,170
without fear of being spotted.

379
00:20:14,253 --> 00:20:17,548
Oh, you couldn't be more wrong!
May I share something in secret?

380
00:20:17,632 --> 00:20:20,927
Exactly like you, I have no idea
why I was summoned to this place,

381
00:20:21,010 --> 00:20:24,263
or why it is we're supposed to be
enjoying your company like this.

382
00:20:24,347 --> 00:20:26,557
- I truly have no idea what's going on.
- Oh!

383
00:20:26,641 --> 00:20:29,769
What a strange story, huh?
Come now, let me pour you a cup.

384
00:20:29,852 --> 00:20:32,563
I'm sure this is expensive sake,
so please enjoy.

385
00:20:34,148 --> 00:20:35,066
Ahem.

386
00:20:35,149 --> 00:20:37,360
Goodness, you're so funny, sir!

387
00:20:37,443 --> 00:20:39,820
You say the most absurd things
with such a beautiful face.

388
00:20:39,904 --> 00:20:42,782
- Ah, I see I finally got you to laugh.
- Eh?

389
00:20:42,865 --> 00:20:45,243
You said your name was Kogiku,
isn't that right?

390
00:20:45,326 --> 00:20:47,536
How long have you been
working in Yoshiwara?

391
00:20:47,620 --> 00:20:49,997
I apologize for being so awkward.

392
00:20:50,081 --> 00:20:53,084
I've only recently started
to get a couple of regular customers.

393
00:20:53,751 --> 00:20:54,961
You must think it odd,

394
00:20:55,461 --> 00:20:59,757
for a woman past her prime at 23,
to be so inexperienced.

395
00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:03,344
I only came here in place
of a younger lass. who caught a cold.

396
00:21:05,096 --> 00:21:08,808
I may not look like it,
but until recently, I was a married woman.

397
00:21:09,684 --> 00:21:11,602
My husband sold me to Yoshiwara.

398
00:21:12,186 --> 00:21:13,354
Your husband?

399
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,149
Yes, as payment for his gambling debts.

400
00:21:17,233 --> 00:21:21,112
However, I still feel so grateful
that a woman like me

401
00:21:21,696 --> 00:21:25,491
got to be someone's wife in this day,
even for a little while.

402
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,869
- That is because you are so beautiful!
- Huh?

403
00:21:29,745 --> 00:21:32,039
Truly, you have the beauty
of a bodhisattva.

404
00:21:32,123 --> 00:21:33,457
Bodhisattva?

405
00:21:33,958 --> 00:21:35,584
Oh, please, sir!

406
00:21:35,668 --> 00:21:38,879
- You flatter me too much!
- The ladykiller strikes again!

407
00:21:39,463 --> 00:21:41,632
- One, two, and three!
- Three!

408
00:21:41,716 --> 00:21:44,719
You chose the village headman!
That means you win again.

409
00:21:44,802 --> 00:21:46,971
You're really good
at this game of fox fist.

410
00:21:47,054 --> 00:21:49,390
And if you have your hands like this,
that's fox,

411
00:21:49,473 --> 00:21:51,684
and the fox is stronger
than the village headman, right?

412
00:21:51,767 --> 00:21:53,978
Right!
And the hunter is stronger than the fox,

413
00:21:54,061 --> 00:21:56,147
and the village headman
is stronger than the hunter,

414
00:21:56,230 --> 00:21:57,648
to create a three-way deadlock.

415
00:21:57,732 --> 00:21:59,108
I see!

416
00:21:59,191 --> 00:22:02,653
So this is the game
that's so popular in Yoshiwara, huh?

417
00:22:02,737 --> 00:22:05,489
If you are trying to make me breach
my vow of celibacy

418
00:22:05,573 --> 00:22:09,410
to force me to renounce my monastic life,
Kausga-dono, it is a waste of time.

419
00:22:09,493 --> 00:22:12,621
I wouldn't be so sure.

420
00:22:15,499 --> 00:22:18,210
I am quite certain
there are many monks out there

421
00:22:18,294 --> 00:22:20,421
who lie with women in secret.

422
00:22:20,504 --> 00:22:25,426
And here you are, advocating for a
pure ideal to the extent it's ridiculous.

423
00:22:26,761 --> 00:22:28,679
Bed with one of those wenches now.

424
00:22:28,763 --> 00:22:29,930
I refuse to!

425
00:22:30,014 --> 00:22:32,183
Why must you be so stubborn?

426
00:22:32,266 --> 00:22:34,894
A woman's body is a pleasurable thing.

427
00:22:34,977 --> 00:22:36,937
Allow yourself to enjoy it.

428
00:22:37,021 --> 00:22:38,772
Who is the one being stubborn here?

429
00:22:38,856 --> 00:22:40,441
Why must you go to such lengths

430
00:22:40,524 --> 00:22:43,444
to make one renounce vows
that have been willingly taken?

431
00:22:43,527 --> 00:22:45,738
Becoming a monk is something
you're supposed to do

432
00:22:45,821 --> 00:22:48,741
after you tire of a secular life,
it's quite common.

433
00:22:48,824 --> 00:22:51,952
But you chose the life of a monk at such a
young age,

434
00:22:52,036 --> 00:22:55,581
without having experienced
any of the earthly pleasures.

435
00:22:55,664 --> 00:22:57,458
Indeed, I pity you, sir.

436
00:22:58,792 --> 00:23:01,879
That was the first time
I saw you truly angered.

437
00:23:01,962 --> 00:23:04,840
Splendid. It is proof
that you are indeed a man.

438
00:23:05,341 --> 00:23:07,551
Now, I shall ask you once again.

439
00:23:07,635 --> 00:23:10,763
- Bed one of these wenches, Arikoto-dono.
- I refuse!

440
00:23:10,846 --> 00:23:13,015
- You will not change your mind?
- I will not!

441
00:23:13,098 --> 00:23:14,975
I see. Very well, then.

442
00:23:15,059 --> 00:23:17,520
- Take out the monk sitting to my left.

443
00:23:17,603 --> 00:23:18,646
Ma'am.

444
00:23:30,115 --> 00:23:32,201
- Master Myokei!
- Sir? No!

445
00:23:32,284 --> 00:23:33,661
- Ugh, be quiet!

446
00:23:33,744 --> 00:23:35,329
Slay that wench too!

447
00:23:40,584 --> 00:23:42,586
Yotsuba-chan? Yotsuba-chan!

448
00:23:43,712 --> 00:23:46,340
Time to choose.
Unless you agree immediately,

449
00:23:46,423 --> 00:23:48,592
the little monk will get it next.

450
00:23:57,059 --> 00:23:58,602
- Do it.

451
00:23:59,395 --> 00:24:00,229
Wait!

452
00:24:00,312 --> 00:24:03,190
No. Stop it. Don't do it, please.

453
00:24:03,274 --> 00:24:06,485
Then you will lie with a wench
and renounce your monkhood?

454
00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:10,114
Abbot! No! You shall not!

455
00:24:10,197 --> 00:24:12,533
I do not care what happens to me, Abbot!

456
00:24:12,616 --> 00:24:16,495
That woman should never be granted
the power to be able to shake your faith!

457
00:24:19,456 --> 00:24:20,749
Do not consent!

458
00:24:22,167 --> 00:24:26,880
You must know this well by now that
those of us in Kanto are short-tempered.

459
00:24:26,964 --> 00:24:28,382
So know this.

460
00:24:28,465 --> 00:24:32,261
If you don't say yes,
another will die because of you.

461
00:24:32,344 --> 00:24:34,388
This is exactly how they get to you!

462
00:24:34,471 --> 00:24:36,890
I beg you! Do not consent to it, Abbot!

463
00:24:36,974 --> 00:24:38,892
Give me your word!

464
00:24:40,310 --> 00:24:42,646
- Abbot!
- Your word.

465
00:24:49,236 --> 00:24:52,239
Abbot!

466
00:25:00,122 --> 00:25:01,957
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY

467
00:26:34,091 --> 00:26:37,469
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY