1
00:00:35,744 --> 00:00:36,953
Kogiku.

2
00:00:37,036 --> 00:00:38,705
We are beyond words now.

3
00:00:57,307 --> 00:00:59,559
Let us grow our hair.

4
00:00:59,642 --> 00:01:02,562
Abbot, no!

5
00:01:06,441 --> 00:01:09,360
So you are firmly set
in this decision, Arikoto.

6
00:01:09,903 --> 00:01:11,279
The point of return has passed.

7
00:01:11,362 --> 00:01:14,782
Shaving one's head is not a thing
to be easily undone.

8
00:01:14,866 --> 00:01:16,409
Well, as a father,

9
00:01:16,493 --> 00:01:19,370
I find it tragic to have a son
well-versed in both culture

10
00:01:19,454 --> 00:01:22,790
and the academics
who would choose to renounce them.

11
00:01:22,874 --> 00:01:24,542
- Father.

12
00:01:25,376 --> 00:01:28,046
This is how I wish to live my life.

13
00:01:28,129 --> 00:01:31,549
Through this choice, I access
not only the Buddhist studies,

14
00:01:31,633 --> 00:01:33,885
but the Zen teachings at the temple,

15
00:01:34,385 --> 00:01:36,638
as well as Chinese classics and poetry.

16
00:01:37,138 --> 00:01:40,266
More so, thanks to this choice,

17
00:01:40,350 --> 00:01:44,562
I got to glimpse into the lives of people
who suffered such as I had never known.

18
00:01:44,854 --> 00:01:48,274
- Arikoto...
- I still have dreams to pursue.

19
00:01:49,275 --> 00:01:51,653
One day, I'll become
the Abbot of Keiko-in,

20
00:01:51,736 --> 00:01:55,615
and with my own two hands,
I will save as many lives as I can.

21
00:01:57,158 --> 00:02:00,745
All of it...
it was only ever a dream.

22
00:02:03,248 --> 00:02:05,333
My resolve was an illusion.

23
00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,920
I couldn't even save those in front of me.

24
00:02:09,003 --> 00:02:12,215
The life of Myokei,
the life of a courtesan.

25
00:02:13,549 --> 00:02:16,844
I gave in to coercion,
ended up breaking my chastity.

26
00:02:17,971 --> 00:02:20,139
I was absolutely powerless.

27
00:02:20,223 --> 00:02:22,100
Were my sensibilities so fragile?

28
00:02:22,183 --> 00:02:24,811
I'm coming to the Ōoku with you!

29
00:02:24,894 --> 00:02:27,105
I will renounce my monastic vows!

30
00:02:27,188 --> 00:02:29,565
I will go to the Ōoku with you, Master!

31
00:02:30,566 --> 00:02:33,194
You-- Do you know
what you're saying, Gyokuei?

32
00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:36,739
If you do that, you would
never be able to go back to Kyoto.

33
00:02:36,823 --> 00:02:39,158
You could still return to Keiko-in
and resume your--

34
00:02:39,242 --> 00:02:40,076
No!

35
00:02:40,159 --> 00:02:43,538
The only reason I took those vows
was to remain by your side!

36
00:02:44,163 --> 00:02:46,916
You, who saved me
when I was on the brink of death!

37
00:02:47,542 --> 00:02:51,671
After my parents died, you were the one
who saved me from starvation and squalor!

38
00:02:52,171 --> 00:02:54,590
It was never the Buddha, it was only you!

39
00:02:59,929 --> 00:03:01,723
Arikoto-dono is requesting

40
00:03:01,806 --> 00:03:04,851
that he take that little monk
into the Ōoku alongside him?

41
00:03:05,435 --> 00:03:08,438
Yes. What do you wish me to do,
Lady Kasuga?

42
00:03:11,190 --> 00:03:12,442
I guess it's fine.

43
00:03:12,984 --> 00:03:15,862
I would rather not have more trouble
from him complaining.

44
00:03:16,446 --> 00:03:18,990
Moreover, what of the wenches
from last night?

45
00:03:19,073 --> 00:03:23,161
I trust you have disposed of the other two
with a burial befitting their status?

46
00:03:24,203 --> 00:03:25,329
It is done.

47
00:03:30,793 --> 00:03:33,546
ŌTHE INNER CHAMBERS

48
00:03:34,130 --> 00:03:36,632
Around this time,
red-face smallpox

49
00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:39,177
was spreading in Kansai like wildfire,

50
00:03:39,260 --> 00:03:42,638
and the population of men in Japan
was half that of women.

51
00:03:48,811 --> 00:03:50,605
Papa!

52
00:03:50,688 --> 00:03:52,982
Yasuke! Yasuke!

53
00:03:53,065 --> 00:03:54,817
How dare you do this to me?

54
00:03:54,901 --> 00:03:57,695
You've left your poor old mother
all alone!

55
00:04:03,117 --> 00:04:05,828
Tadzu! Just what kind of wife are you?

56
00:04:05,912 --> 00:04:08,539
Your husband lies dead on the ground
in front of you,

57
00:04:08,623 --> 00:04:10,500
yet you shed not a single tear?

58
00:04:10,583 --> 00:04:11,834
Mother-in-law.

59
00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:14,128
The only thought that fills my head

60
00:04:14,212 --> 00:04:16,839
is what the future of this family
will become now.

61
00:04:16,923 --> 00:04:18,341
Future?

62
00:04:19,091 --> 00:04:21,260
Now that our Yasuke-don is no more,

63
00:04:21,344 --> 00:04:23,513
we face a grave time in the Kanbara family

64
00:04:23,596 --> 00:04:26,098
where there is not a single man
that remains alive.

65
00:04:26,599 --> 00:04:29,727
How will we survive when we have
no one to work our fields for food

66
00:04:29,810 --> 00:04:31,103
or protect our land?

67
00:04:31,187 --> 00:04:33,814
Well, that should be obvious.

68
00:04:33,898 --> 00:04:37,276
We will do as we have always done
until Sotaro here comes of age.

69
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,487
- You and I will--
- We will what?

70
00:04:39,570 --> 00:04:42,031
The remaining men alive
who were the sharecroppers

71
00:04:42,114 --> 00:04:45,660
that knew how to till the fields
and are still able-bodied are dwindling.

72
00:04:45,743 --> 00:04:48,162
Yasuke-don ended up
doing the field work himself.

73
00:04:48,246 --> 00:04:51,749
It wasn't even work he knew how to do,
which is why he got so sick and...

74
00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:01,842
I have a favor to ask of you, Mother.

75
00:05:01,926 --> 00:05:05,179
I know it is unheard of, but I would ask
that you please give me your blessing

76
00:05:05,263 --> 00:05:08,391
to till the field of the Kanbara
family in place of Yasuke-don.

77
00:05:08,474 --> 00:05:10,101
How ridiculous!

78
00:05:10,184 --> 00:05:13,312
You are the wife of a landowner
of the Kanbara family.

79
00:05:13,396 --> 00:05:14,897
You have your vocation!

80
00:05:14,981 --> 00:05:18,150
Your function is to raise the children
and take care of the household!

81
00:05:18,234 --> 00:05:20,361
That is why I ask you.

82
00:05:20,444 --> 00:05:23,656
- Mother, I will till the field too.

83
00:05:23,739 --> 00:05:26,284
My health is fine, and I'm strong enough.

84
00:05:26,367 --> 00:05:28,536
Even if it's just a little, I can help!

85
00:05:28,619 --> 00:05:29,912
I-- I can help too!

86
00:05:29,996 --> 00:05:32,415
Sato, Sotaro...

87
00:05:32,999 --> 00:05:34,792
Kae gets to help too!

88
00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:37,670
Not until you're older, Kae.

89
00:05:37,753 --> 00:05:40,423
Sato! Sotaro is one thing.

90
00:05:40,506 --> 00:05:43,676
But the young daughter
of the landowners working the field?

91
00:05:43,759 --> 00:05:46,429
The women from the sharecroppers
should take on that sort of labor!

92
00:05:46,512 --> 00:05:47,972
Grandmother!

93
00:05:48,055 --> 00:05:51,183
Have you not looked out to see
who works in the fields already?

94
00:05:51,267 --> 00:05:55,062
Every day the women of the sharecroppers
go out with hoes in their hands as it is!

95
00:05:55,146 --> 00:05:57,940
We no longer have anyone
left that we could ask!

96
00:05:58,024 --> 00:06:01,944
We may cry and wail,
but there are no men left anymore!

97
00:06:02,028 --> 00:06:02,945
Sato...

98
00:06:15,041 --> 00:06:16,292
Master Arikoto.

99
00:06:16,375 --> 00:06:19,962
We have finally arrived.
This is the Ōoku of Edo Castle.

100
00:06:20,046 --> 00:06:22,048
Thank you, Gyokuei.

101
00:06:44,945 --> 00:06:46,489
It's odd.

102
00:06:46,572 --> 00:06:50,242
Since entering the castle,
I haven't seen a single woman.

103
00:06:50,910 --> 00:06:54,622
Everywhere I look, there are only samurai.

104
00:06:54,705 --> 00:06:57,875
Could this really be
the Ōoku of Edo Castle?

105
00:06:58,459 --> 00:07:00,878
Bow in reverence,
for our liege has arrived.

106
00:07:07,092 --> 00:07:09,637
Enough with all that. Raise up your head.

107
00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:10,888
Oh...

108
00:07:10,971 --> 00:07:14,391
This is gonna be the last time I say it.
Raise up your head!

109
00:07:20,397 --> 00:07:24,652
Oh? So I take it this new guy is
that one monk that Kasuga found?

110
00:07:24,735 --> 00:07:27,655
You are correct. This is him. My liege.

111
00:07:27,738 --> 00:07:28,781
Oh!

112
00:07:28,864 --> 00:07:30,199
"My Liege"?

113
00:07:32,618 --> 00:07:34,036
Pleasure to see you again...

114
00:07:34,954 --> 00:07:38,374
I am the son of Madenokoji Arizumi.
My name is Arikoto.

115
00:07:38,999 --> 00:07:40,417
- O-Man!
- Huh?

116
00:07:42,044 --> 00:07:45,548
I'll take the first letter of
"Madenokoji" and call you O-Man.

117
00:07:45,631 --> 00:07:48,843
You have a pale face, and I think
you look like a dainty little girl,

118
00:07:48,926 --> 00:07:50,803
so I'll give you a girl's name.

119
00:07:50,886 --> 00:07:51,929
Answer, O-Man!

120
00:07:52,513 --> 00:07:53,430
Uh...

121
00:07:54,974 --> 00:07:57,685
Does my liege find that "Arikoto"

122
00:07:57,768 --> 00:08:00,688
is a name that is displeasurable
to say or hear?

123
00:08:00,771 --> 00:08:03,691
You disregard him? Our liege?

124
00:08:07,403 --> 00:08:08,445
O-Man!

125
00:08:10,531 --> 00:08:11,490
Hmph!

126
00:08:17,288 --> 00:08:19,707
I just gave you a new name. Answer to it!

127
00:08:20,791 --> 00:08:21,792
Answer!

128
00:08:22,293 --> 00:08:23,419
Answer!

129
00:08:24,044 --> 00:08:25,212
Answer me!

130
00:08:25,296 --> 00:08:26,463
Answer!

131
00:08:42,646 --> 00:08:44,231
My sport is spoiled.

132
00:08:44,315 --> 00:08:46,692
Masakatsu! Get this man out of my sight.

133
00:08:46,775 --> 00:08:48,360
You will not bring him in front of me

134
00:08:48,444 --> 00:08:51,030
until his swollen face
has completely healed.

135
00:08:51,113 --> 00:08:52,656
Kasuga, we're going!

136
00:08:52,740 --> 00:08:53,824
My liege.

137
00:09:02,041 --> 00:09:04,835
You are now free to raise
your head, Arikoto.

138
00:09:07,171 --> 00:09:10,841
Who was that? Who was that person
I was just speaking with?

139
00:09:10,924 --> 00:09:13,844
I have no idea what
you mean to say by that.

140
00:09:13,927 --> 00:09:18,015
Lord Iemitsu is supposed to be
37 years old as of this year!

141
00:09:18,098 --> 00:09:21,393
Why do you act as though
that was the shogun? That was...

142
00:09:22,019 --> 00:09:23,437
Whoever was just here,

143
00:09:23,937 --> 00:09:25,856
that was a young girl!

144
00:09:27,232 --> 00:09:32,780
And the Lord Iemitsu I spoke to when
I reported my succession, that was you.

145
00:09:34,239 --> 00:09:37,201
My name is Inaba Masakatsu.

146
00:09:37,284 --> 00:09:40,329
But beyond the walls of Edo Castle,
in the outside world,

147
00:09:40,412 --> 00:09:42,956
I am considered dead,
and have been for some time.

148
00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:46,460
So please consider me a body double
for our liege in the meantime.

149
00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,381
If you are a body double, then
who was the young lady I just saw?

150
00:09:54,009 --> 00:09:58,889
She is the daughter of the deceased
Lord Iemitsu, our previous shogun.

151
00:10:00,474 --> 00:10:03,894
The sequence of events
began 17 years ago.

152
00:10:03,977 --> 00:10:06,396
It was shortly after Lord Iemitsu
had succeeded

153
00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,608
in receiving the title
of the third shogun.

154
00:10:10,692 --> 00:10:14,905
My liege, you mustn't!
I beg we return to the castle!

155
00:10:14,988 --> 00:10:18,283
Why? I merely wish to test
the sharpness of my sword

156
00:10:18,367 --> 00:10:20,911
on a homeless beggar before I return home.

157
00:10:20,994 --> 00:10:23,664
Such acts are beneath you.
My liege, please!

158
00:10:23,747 --> 00:10:26,792
If not that, then what of the rare disease
going around Edo?

159
00:10:26,875 --> 00:10:30,420
Young men are the most likely to catch it.
We risk exposure.

160
00:10:31,129 --> 00:10:35,425
I'm sick of O-Fuku. Every second
I'm in the castle, it's endless nagging.

161
00:10:36,677 --> 00:10:38,428
I've no love for women.

162
00:10:38,512 --> 00:10:42,808
My mother never bothered to find any love
in her heart to share with her eldest son.

163
00:10:42,891 --> 00:10:45,394
While on the other hand,
my wet nurse, O-Fuku, annoys me,

164
00:10:45,477 --> 00:10:47,938
always saying,
"Everything is for the sake of my lord."

165
00:10:48,981 --> 00:10:49,982
Hmm?

166
00:10:53,402 --> 00:10:55,904
Masakatsu, we found a winner.

167
00:10:55,988 --> 00:10:57,197
My liege, please!

168
00:11:00,826 --> 00:11:01,785
Oh...

169
00:11:04,538 --> 00:11:07,708
It's just a woman. Too bad.

170
00:11:07,791 --> 00:11:11,378
It's no sport to slice through a frail
little woman with no meat on her bones.

171
00:11:11,461 --> 00:11:15,215
But even in this darkness, you can
tell how beautiful she is by her figure.

172
00:11:15,799 --> 00:11:18,135
Surely you can appreciate that much?

173
00:11:18,218 --> 00:11:21,722
The grace, beauty, and
delightful nature of women like that one.

174
00:11:22,306 --> 00:11:25,017
I find their softer disposition
to be enjoyable.

175
00:11:27,853 --> 00:11:28,812
Hmm...

176
00:11:29,980 --> 00:11:31,064
A year later,

177
00:11:31,148 --> 00:11:35,110
a woman with a baby in her arms
approached the entrance of Edo Castle.

178
00:11:35,777 --> 00:11:39,615
Stop with all of your nonsense!
You are not allowed!

179
00:11:39,698 --> 00:11:42,117
But, sir, it was in fact
the samurai lord himself

180
00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,453
who professed that he was the shogun.

181
00:11:44,536 --> 00:11:47,956
And before he left,
his retainer gave me this wakizashi.

182
00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,460
Now that I gave birth to this child,
I will never be a bride!

183
00:11:51,543 --> 00:11:55,922
I beg you, please, sir! Allow me
to have an audience with our liege!

184
00:11:58,091 --> 00:12:01,428
But my liege insisted he had
no idea who the woman was.

185
00:12:01,511 --> 00:12:03,889
She was not allowed
to live in the safety of the Ōoku,

186
00:12:03,972 --> 00:12:05,974
and the whole incident stayed a secret.

187
00:12:06,350 --> 00:12:11,271
And so then, Lord Iemitsu passed away
without ever producing a rightful heir...

188
00:12:21,406 --> 00:12:22,783
Masakatsu.

189
00:12:23,367 --> 00:12:26,745
I need you to dispose of the doctor.
Do it quickly.

190
00:12:27,371 --> 00:12:28,747
Mother, listen!

191
00:12:28,830 --> 00:12:30,207
Keeping others out--

192
00:12:30,290 --> 00:12:33,877
We accomplish nothing by
silencing the doctor in this manner.

193
00:12:34,378 --> 00:12:37,297
It is impossible
to keep the passing of our liege

194
00:12:37,381 --> 00:12:39,299
a secret from the outside world forever!

195
00:12:41,385 --> 00:12:44,137
Inaba Masakatsu, Governor of Tango.

196
00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:52,187
You are a samurai!
How unseemly of you to be so upset!

197
00:12:52,854 --> 00:12:56,316
How many times must I tell you
not to call me "Mother"?

198
00:12:58,402 --> 00:13:00,695
Do you understand
the situation that we face

199
00:13:00,779 --> 00:13:03,156
if Lord Iemitsu were to be dead right now?

200
00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,826
If he were to pass away
without having an heir?

201
00:13:07,494 --> 00:13:10,580
The Tokugawa reign would end.

202
00:13:11,164 --> 00:13:14,709
Then war and chaos would
return to these lands once more!

203
00:13:14,793 --> 00:13:16,586
Only 30 years have passed

204
00:13:16,670 --> 00:13:20,298
since the deified Lord Ieyasu
established the shogunate in Edo.

205
00:13:20,382 --> 00:13:25,846
Some provincial lords have not given up on
the ambition to rule the entire country.

206
00:13:25,929 --> 00:13:29,724
Our liege must remain alive,
no matter what the cost!

207
00:13:29,808 --> 00:13:32,519
Be that as it may, he no longer lives...

208
00:13:32,602 --> 00:13:35,480
- You will be the one to die in his stead.
- Huh?

209
00:13:36,064 --> 00:13:37,482
The corpse lying here

210
00:13:37,566 --> 00:13:42,487
Is that of the Honored Kasuga's
firstborn son, Governor Inaba Masakatsu,

211
00:13:42,571 --> 00:13:44,990
who suddenly died from red-face smallpox!

212
00:13:45,073 --> 00:13:48,285
For the sake of the Tokugawa
clan, today was your last!

213
00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,831
That night,
she secretly summoned the Senior Councilor

214
00:13:52,914 --> 00:13:54,040
to the Outer Chambers.

215
00:13:54,124 --> 00:13:56,501
Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the Governor of Izu.

216
00:13:56,585 --> 00:13:57,878
How, though?

217
00:13:58,587 --> 00:14:02,257
What plan could you feasibly use
to keep our liege's death a secret?

218
00:14:02,340 --> 00:14:05,760
There is no way to wait for a successor
for the fourth shogun.

219
00:14:06,386 --> 00:14:08,179
He never saw fit to have an heir.

220
00:14:08,263 --> 00:14:09,431
I don't see--

221
00:14:09,514 --> 00:14:11,766
But he did, Nobutsuna-dono.

222
00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:15,770
He laid with a wench in the town of Edo
and secretly had a daughter.

223
00:14:15,854 --> 00:14:17,272
Huh?

224
00:14:17,355 --> 00:14:19,774
She is only eleven years of age
at present,

225
00:14:19,858 --> 00:14:23,153
but in due time, I can make sure
she has a son to take the title,

226
00:14:23,236 --> 00:14:25,780
so he may become
the successor for the lineage.

227
00:14:25,864 --> 00:14:27,532
Even if you accomplished that,

228
00:14:27,616 --> 00:14:30,201
it would mean that the male
bloodline of the Tokugawa clan

229
00:14:30,285 --> 00:14:31,786
would be forever broken!

230
00:14:31,870 --> 00:14:35,457
That is why every step we take
should be done in secrecy.

231
00:14:35,540 --> 00:14:38,919
Without this option, there's not
a hair's-breadth of hope to cling to.

232
00:14:39,002 --> 00:14:41,129
Every last son of Lord Hoshina Masayuki,

233
00:14:41,212 --> 00:14:43,465
The only remaining
brother of Lord Iemitsu,

234
00:14:43,548 --> 00:14:45,550
perished from red-face smallpox!

235
00:14:45,634 --> 00:14:48,261
Drastic times need drastic measures.

236
00:14:48,345 --> 00:14:51,348
This illegitimate daughter I speak of
is the only person

237
00:14:51,431 --> 00:14:54,809
who can pass down the blood of
the Tokugawa line to the next generation!

238
00:14:57,604 --> 00:15:01,608
Additionally, you will limit the entry
of foreign ships to only Nagasaki,

239
00:15:01,691 --> 00:15:05,820
and enact a ban on voyages for Japanese
people to foreign countries from now on.

240
00:15:05,904 --> 00:15:06,821
What?

241
00:15:07,906 --> 00:15:10,325
This epidemic has lasted
longer than it should.

242
00:15:10,408 --> 00:15:15,121
The male population of this country
will continue to decrease for some time.

243
00:15:15,205 --> 00:15:18,041
If foreign states learn of this,
it would cause domestic trouble

244
00:15:18,124 --> 00:15:19,834
and invite external threats.

245
00:15:19,918 --> 00:15:22,837
We must nip any potential for
threat in the bud while we can.

246
00:15:24,923 --> 00:15:27,759
The pretext can be called
an exclusion of the Christians.

247
00:15:27,842 --> 00:15:31,721
And a government-enforced monopoly on
foreign trade so it won't be questioned.

248
00:15:31,805 --> 00:15:34,099
Then we can effectively
close off the country.

249
00:15:37,936 --> 00:15:41,564
Those events took place six
years ago and are still in progress.

250
00:15:41,648 --> 00:15:42,774
Oh!

251
00:15:44,025 --> 00:15:46,528
Then the reason why I
was brought to the castle...

252
00:15:47,153 --> 00:15:49,406
You are here to serve as seed stock.

253
00:15:49,906 --> 00:15:51,783
That is your only part to play.

254
00:15:51,866 --> 00:15:54,285
The sole purpose for which
you were brought into the Ōoku

255
00:15:54,369 --> 00:15:56,579
is to provide our liege with a male heir.

256
00:15:56,663 --> 00:15:59,499
Why do you keep saying
that she is your liege?

257
00:15:59,582 --> 00:16:02,919
If she is the daughter of a lord,
she should be a lady!

258
00:16:04,170 --> 00:16:07,048
There is no other option
of a name or title for her.

259
00:16:07,590 --> 00:16:09,175
There should never be a woman's name

260
00:16:09,259 --> 00:16:11,719
listed in the family tree
of the Tokugawa clan.

261
00:16:12,345 --> 00:16:16,099
For the sake of our government,
Lord Iemitsu must be alive.

262
00:16:16,850 --> 00:16:20,603
She is someone who should not have
existed in this world in the first place.

263
00:16:21,104 --> 00:16:25,608
Therefore, I would ask that
you refer to that person as our liege.

264
00:16:27,819 --> 00:16:31,614
I heard that the Ōoku of Edo Castle
was the women's quarters

265
00:16:31,698 --> 00:16:34,159
for those that were
in the service of the reigning shogun.

266
00:16:34,242 --> 00:16:37,120
-
- But no women live here!

267
00:16:37,203 --> 00:16:40,707
Correct. We have instead gathered
young lordless samurai

268
00:16:40,790 --> 00:16:43,710
from all over the country

269
00:16:44,961 --> 00:16:48,506
With the number of men declining in Kanto
due to red-face smallpox,

270
00:16:48,590 --> 00:16:51,885
how do we make sure there are enough
warriors to raise an army?

271
00:16:51,968 --> 00:16:55,388
If the truth should get out
and the country fall into chaos,

272
00:16:55,471 --> 00:16:57,390
Edo would quickly be facing an attack.

273
00:16:58,474 --> 00:17:01,352
The Ōoku would be
our final line of defense.

274
00:17:01,436 --> 00:17:05,398
The last stand within the fortress
of Edo Castle to protect our liege.

275
00:17:05,481 --> 00:17:08,026
Now the Ōoku is our final hope

276
00:17:08,109 --> 00:17:10,987
if we should ever need to protect
the Tokugawa dynasty.

277
00:17:12,530 --> 00:17:16,159
The fact that the current shogun is
a woman is classified information.

278
00:17:16,993 --> 00:17:18,912
Even within the government,

279
00:17:18,995 --> 00:17:22,415
only a handful of ministers
are privy to this information.

280
00:17:22,999 --> 00:17:27,128
Our liege wears the clothing and
hairstyle of a man to keep this secret.

281
00:17:27,712 --> 00:17:31,424
Arikoto-dono, now that you have
been made aware of this truth,

282
00:17:31,507 --> 00:17:33,468
- you may never leave the Ōoku again.

283
00:17:33,551 --> 00:17:37,430
You will never set foot outside of
these walls for the rest of your life.

284
00:17:38,056 --> 00:17:39,057
Mmm.

285
00:17:40,016 --> 00:17:42,936
Was the young noble I found for you
to your liking?

286
00:17:43,019 --> 00:17:44,228
Mmm.

287
00:17:45,355 --> 00:17:48,775
Hmph. Train him to answer faster
and be more obedient

288
00:17:48,858 --> 00:17:50,777
by the next time he comes near me.

289
00:17:50,860 --> 00:17:52,946
He is annoyingly strong-willed.

290
00:17:53,029 --> 00:17:54,072
Hah.

291
00:17:54,155 --> 00:17:55,990
If he is someone who can be trained,

292
00:17:56,074 --> 00:17:58,493
Should I take that to mean
he could become pleasing enough

293
00:17:58,576 --> 00:18:00,954
for my liege to care to see him again?

294
00:18:08,711 --> 00:18:10,046
Does it hurt?

295
00:18:10,546 --> 00:18:13,967
What could have happened?
What injured you so severely?

296
00:18:14,509 --> 00:18:15,718
Who could have done such--

297
00:18:16,761 --> 00:18:18,888
Master Arikoto... Was it--

298
00:18:19,722 --> 00:18:22,642
Did Lord Iemitsu do this?
He didn't try anything, did he?

299
00:18:23,309 --> 00:18:25,728
Ah... You see... There's...

300
00:18:25,812 --> 00:18:28,022
I'm unsure of what to say.

301
00:18:28,106 --> 00:18:29,774
How much I can divulge--

302
00:18:29,857 --> 00:18:31,150
I would endeavor to say

303
00:18:31,234 --> 00:18:33,236
- that you tell him the truth, sir.

304
00:18:33,319 --> 00:18:36,114
He will eventually find
out all there is to know.

305
00:18:39,659 --> 00:18:42,453
My name is Murase Masasuke.
A pleasure, sir.

306
00:18:42,537 --> 00:18:44,622
I am here by the order
of the Honored Kasuga.

307
00:18:44,706 --> 00:18:46,582
I have been commanded
to serve you, my lord,

308
00:18:46,666 --> 00:18:49,252
as your personal attendant
within the Inner Chambers.

309
00:18:49,335 --> 00:18:50,211
Huh?

310
00:18:50,837 --> 00:18:52,714
There is no need for such a thing!

311
00:18:52,797 --> 00:18:56,259
I can attend to all of Master Arikoto's
needs without any of your aid!

312
00:18:56,342 --> 00:18:57,260
Gyokuei...

313
00:18:57,343 --> 00:19:00,513
Come, now, there is no need
to be so protective anymore.

314
00:19:00,596 --> 00:19:03,349
There are many customs in the Ōoku
to be aware of.

315
00:19:03,433 --> 00:19:07,770
All I ask is that you consider my role
as your guide to the ways of this place.

316
00:19:07,854 --> 00:19:09,188
I welcome it.

317
00:19:09,272 --> 00:19:13,234
Gyokuei and I are quite lost in
maneuvering around a new space,

318
00:19:13,317 --> 00:19:15,528
So I will rely on your counsel.

319
00:19:15,611 --> 00:19:17,155
You have my gratitude.

320
00:19:17,238 --> 00:19:18,781
My heart will be at ease.

321
00:19:19,365 --> 00:19:23,286
I will no doubt have many failings,
but will do my best to serve you.

322
00:19:23,369 --> 00:19:28,124
If it is within your power, I do have
something I should like to ask of you.

323
00:19:28,207 --> 00:19:29,959
What would that be, sir?

324
00:19:30,042 --> 00:19:32,962
I wrote some letters
for Kyoto and Keiko-In.

325
00:19:33,045 --> 00:19:35,339
I only wish to let my family
and the temple

326
00:19:35,423 --> 00:19:37,633
know my whereabouts and of my health.

327
00:19:39,093 --> 00:19:40,803
I'm afraid I cannot.

328
00:19:40,887 --> 00:19:42,638
Huh? And why not?

329
00:19:43,181 --> 00:19:46,184
Any intention of running away
was put behind me.

330
00:19:46,267 --> 00:19:48,644
I only wish to inform those
who care for me,

331
00:19:48,728 --> 00:19:51,314
and must be concerned about me,
that I am safe and well.

332
00:19:51,397 --> 00:19:53,316
The Madenokoji family in Kyoto

333
00:19:53,399 --> 00:19:56,777
has been notified of the turn of events
from the government already.

334
00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,573
At the same time, a small gift of gold
was delivered to your household,

335
00:20:00,656 --> 00:20:03,075
and that seemed to suffice
as proper notice.

336
00:20:03,159 --> 00:20:05,036
Apparently your father, Lord Arizumi,

337
00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,080
was quite pleased to have
received that small gesture.

338
00:20:08,164 --> 00:20:11,584
I heard he said it was
absolutely no inconvenience whatsoever.

339
00:20:11,667 --> 00:20:14,086
- You liar!
- Please, Gyokuei.

340
00:20:15,713 --> 00:20:17,632
I'm sure that's the truth.

341
00:20:18,216 --> 00:20:21,093
I know my father is
a good person at heart,

342
00:20:21,177 --> 00:20:23,512
but there is a calculating side to him.

343
00:20:23,596 --> 00:20:25,097
- Oh, and...
- Huh?

344
00:20:25,181 --> 00:20:28,851
Keiko-in has been informed
of this new development as well.

345
00:20:28,935 --> 00:20:31,771
I was told the new Abbot who
succeeds you has been appointed.

346
00:20:32,271 --> 00:20:34,857
Is there anything else
I may be able to assist you with?

347
00:20:38,277 --> 00:20:40,863
Then I now have a request of my own.

348
00:20:40,947 --> 00:20:41,948
Huh?

349
00:20:42,448 --> 00:20:44,700
You reside within Edo Castle now.

350
00:20:45,201 --> 00:20:48,663
Please refrain from using the repugnant
court language of Kyoto here

351
00:20:48,746 --> 00:20:50,373
whenever words leave your lips.

352
00:20:53,125 --> 00:20:57,129
So, Masasuke,
how was his reaction?

353
00:20:57,213 --> 00:20:59,632
I can only imagine how crestfallen he was.

354
00:20:59,715 --> 00:21:01,425
No. Not at all.

355
00:21:01,509 --> 00:21:04,387
He gave a response instantly
with a smile on his face.

356
00:21:06,180 --> 00:21:09,600
Understood, makes sense.
I'll comply with the request you've made,

357
00:21:09,684 --> 00:21:12,269
and will start using
the language of the samurai.

358
00:21:12,353 --> 00:21:14,438
He shifted his speech almost immediately.

359
00:21:14,522 --> 00:21:16,774
There was not a trace
of the court language still there.

360
00:21:18,609 --> 00:21:19,777
Hmph.

361
00:21:26,075 --> 00:21:27,785
That brings us to the present.

362
00:21:27,868 --> 00:21:30,246
I have been brought here
to serve as a stallion,

363
00:21:30,329 --> 00:21:32,248
in the hopes that my seed might be able

364
00:21:32,331 --> 00:21:35,710
to help save the Tokugawa clan
from going fully extinct.

365
00:21:35,793 --> 00:21:38,796
I have no doubt that this story
is hard to fathom...

366
00:21:39,380 --> 00:21:43,509
No, Master Arikoto would make a
perfect consort for the shogun's daughter.

367
00:21:43,592 --> 00:21:45,052
That's what she was doing.

368
00:21:45,553 --> 00:21:48,389
Why the Honored Kasuga
urged him to lie with a courtesan.

369
00:21:48,889 --> 00:21:53,144
She needed to know if Master Arikoto
could handle a woman's body.

370
00:21:54,979 --> 00:21:56,147
Gyokuei.

371
00:21:56,230 --> 00:21:59,608
What pains me the most is that
I dragged you into this situation.

372
00:21:59,692 --> 00:22:01,569
You share my sorry fate.

373
00:22:03,279 --> 00:22:04,572
Your life path is set.

374
00:22:05,072 --> 00:22:08,367
You may never again
take a single step out of this Ōoku,

375
00:22:08,451 --> 00:22:10,411
nor may you ever return to Kyoto.

376
00:22:10,494 --> 00:22:12,371
Gyokuei, I'm so sorry.

377
00:22:12,455 --> 00:22:14,081
You are truly mistaken.

378
00:22:14,165 --> 00:22:15,833
It could seem strange to you,

379
00:22:15,916 --> 00:22:19,086
but I was actually surprised
by how lucky everything turned out.

380
00:22:19,170 --> 00:22:20,171
Huh?

381
00:22:20,671 --> 00:22:22,381
I know this to be true.

382
00:22:22,882 --> 00:22:26,552
If you hadn't brought me
to the Inner Chambers alongside you,

383
00:22:26,635 --> 00:22:28,679
I would have been killed immediately.

384
00:22:30,931 --> 00:22:33,058
I have no desire to die yet.

385
00:22:33,559 --> 00:22:37,730
I will follow you wherever you decide
to go, Master Arikoto.

386
00:22:37,813 --> 00:22:40,774
That is the only true path
my life will ever follow.

387
00:22:41,358 --> 00:22:42,359
Gyokuei...

388
00:22:53,621 --> 00:22:55,122
- Huh?

389
00:23:00,085 --> 00:23:01,504
What is it, my liege?

390
00:23:02,087 --> 00:23:04,006
Take it.

391
00:23:08,344 --> 00:23:10,221
- Uh--

392
00:23:11,388 --> 00:23:12,264
Huh?

393
00:23:13,140 --> 00:23:16,477
It was mewling outside of my bedchamber,
and so I give it to you.

394
00:23:16,977 --> 00:23:17,811
Take it.

395
00:23:26,695 --> 00:23:28,572
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY

396
00:25:00,289 --> 00:25:03,751
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY