1
00:00:16,766 --> 00:00:20,687
Wonderful, it looks like the swelling
has already reduced significantly.

2
00:00:20,770 --> 00:00:23,690
Already, huh?
It's thanks to your care, that's certain.

3
00:00:24,774 --> 00:00:26,818
What is it, Waka-Murasaki?

4
00:00:26,901 --> 00:00:27,944
Are you hungry?

5
00:00:28,027 --> 00:00:30,739
Master Arikoto. Waka-Murasaki!

6
00:00:30,822 --> 00:00:34,117
You have chosen such an elegant name
for a cat such as this one.

7
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:35,160
Do you think so?

8
00:00:35,785 --> 00:00:38,455
- Excuse me. Sorry to bother you.
- Hmm?

9
00:00:38,538 --> 00:00:41,458
I have arrived to escort you today,
my lord.

10
00:00:41,541 --> 00:00:44,335
- Grooms of the Bedchamber?
- Indeed.

11
00:00:44,836 --> 00:00:46,796
Initially, this position was intended

12
00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,632
for the female personal attendants
of the shogun.

13
00:00:49,716 --> 00:00:52,677
The women were also
candidates for our liege's concubines.

14
00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:54,220
Following in that custom,

15
00:00:54,304 --> 00:00:57,474
we call the men who were assembled here
to be the grooms of our liege

16
00:00:57,557 --> 00:00:59,017
the Grooms of the Bedchamber.

17
00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:00,977
We felt it was a fitting description.

18
00:01:01,728 --> 00:01:05,440
So there are other Grooms?
I haven't run into any around yet.

19
00:01:06,149 --> 00:01:09,068
Why, then, was I brought
here in the first place?

20
00:01:09,569 --> 00:01:11,821
Well, perhaps the best way
to think about it

21
00:01:11,905 --> 00:01:15,074
is that our liege is a very
picky and difficult customer.

22
00:01:22,790 --> 00:01:28,004
ŌTHE INNER CHAMBERS

23
00:01:28,087 --> 00:01:31,216
I would like to introduce to you
Master Arikoto,

24
00:01:31,299 --> 00:01:33,676
the son of
Lord Madenokoji Arizumi.

25
00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:34,969
Oh!

26
00:01:37,555 --> 00:01:39,599
It's a pleasure to meet you.

27
00:01:39,682 --> 00:01:42,018
I am Madenokoji Arikoto.

28
00:01:44,103 --> 00:01:47,190
Uh, my name is, uh... Katsuta Yorihide.

29
00:01:47,273 --> 00:01:49,317
And I am Wada Masataka.

30
00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:50,944
Sunami Shigesato.

31
00:01:51,027 --> 00:01:52,570
So you're the one we've heard about?

32
00:01:52,654 --> 00:01:56,032
The former monk who has renounced his vows
because he got too greedy.

33
00:01:57,242 --> 00:01:59,786
Huh. You are easy on the eyes, I suppose.

34
00:01:59,869 --> 00:02:02,288
It's good to finally know
what our liege prefers.

35
00:02:02,372 --> 00:02:04,791
Soft, effeminate lover boys like you.

36
00:02:05,375 --> 00:02:08,503
Young maidens do not
appreciate true men, do they?

37
00:02:08,586 --> 00:02:10,046
Come on, come on.

38
00:02:10,129 --> 00:02:11,923
You had better be careful.

39
00:02:12,006 --> 00:02:16,594
Even if you are called upon to report to
our liege's bedchamber to attend to her,

40
00:02:16,678 --> 00:02:19,180
you might be killed if you displease her.

41
00:02:19,764 --> 00:02:20,682
Huh?

42
00:02:20,765 --> 00:02:23,309
It has been said that shortly afterwards,

43
00:02:23,393 --> 00:02:25,436
our honorable liege, by her own hand,

44
00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,398
slayed the first man she laid with
three years ago.

45
00:02:28,481 --> 00:02:32,151
According to her, he had injured
her body in some way, and, well...

46
00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:37,699
It seems that her violent temper
is equal to that of her father's.

47
00:02:37,782 --> 00:02:40,493
I wonder if such a delicate young man
from Kyoto

48
00:02:40,576 --> 00:02:42,829
can tame such an unruly wild horse?

49
00:02:42,912 --> 00:02:44,247
Being an ex-monk and all,

50
00:02:44,330 --> 00:02:48,334
I don't think he has much experience
even riding a horse, let alone a woman!

51
00:02:50,336 --> 00:02:51,838
Good one! Good one!

52
00:02:52,797 --> 00:02:55,800
"The superior man is confident
without being arrogant."

53
00:02:55,883 --> 00:02:56,718
Huh?

54
00:02:56,801 --> 00:03:01,264
Interesting. I always thought
that the men who were our warriors

55
00:03:01,347 --> 00:03:04,600
would be more reserved
and much more reticent, or stoic.

56
00:03:04,684 --> 00:03:07,311
Who knew they would be
such talkative chatterboxes,

57
00:03:07,395 --> 00:03:10,231
like a gaggle of
ladies-in-waiting at the imperial court?

58
00:03:10,314 --> 00:03:11,232
- Wha--

59
00:03:11,315 --> 00:03:15,194
Our liege is a lady
of great pride and dignity.

60
00:03:15,278 --> 00:03:18,072
Even a small hint
of condescension from you,

61
00:03:18,156 --> 00:03:20,950
and she would notice it plainly,
right away.

62
00:03:21,034 --> 00:03:24,245
And you'd be gone, because
she'd see through you in an instant.

63
00:03:24,996 --> 00:03:28,458
Say what you will about me,
go ahead and talk all you want.

64
00:03:28,541 --> 00:03:32,128
But I would strongly advise
you not to speak ill about her,

65
00:03:32,211 --> 00:03:35,256
let alone compare her
with an unruly wild horse.

66
00:03:35,339 --> 00:03:39,010
How dare you speak to us that way?
Do you have no manners?

67
00:03:39,594 --> 00:03:42,638
You're right about that.
You could not be more right, sir.

68
00:03:43,431 --> 00:03:47,393
I only meant to come and say hello,
and it seems I overstayed my welcome.

69
00:03:48,478 --> 00:03:49,771
Please excuse me.

70
00:03:54,859 --> 00:03:56,611
Here is your supper, sir.

71
00:03:57,111 --> 00:03:58,780
Thank you, Gyokuei.

72
00:03:59,363 --> 00:04:01,824
But I must say, the food served here
in Edo

73
00:04:01,908 --> 00:04:04,118
still doesn't quite sit right with me.

74
00:04:04,619 --> 00:04:07,747
It's salty, and the flavor
in their broth is so faint...

75
00:04:10,291 --> 00:04:12,543
We shouldn't complain about the food.

76
00:04:13,669 --> 00:04:15,379
Just appreciate what we have.

77
00:04:18,925 --> 00:04:20,551
Hmm. Is everything all right, Master?

78
00:04:21,511 --> 00:04:23,054
Please take the tray away...

79
00:04:23,137 --> 00:04:26,015
Wh-- what is it?
Tell me, what's the matter, Master?

80
00:04:32,271 --> 00:04:33,856
- Hey!
- Huh?

81
00:04:34,273 --> 00:04:37,193
Which one of you plated
the food on this tray, huh?

82
00:04:37,276 --> 00:04:39,904
This shan't be excused
as just mere negligence!

83
00:04:39,987 --> 00:04:43,199
Which one of you put
the carcass of a rat in this soup bowl?

84
00:04:43,282 --> 00:04:46,577
"Oh no! This shan't be,"
he says.

85
00:04:46,661 --> 00:04:47,954
Got no idea.

86
00:04:48,037 --> 00:04:50,748
Maybe it wanted to go for a swim,
so it got up on the table

87
00:04:50,831 --> 00:04:52,625
and jumped
into the bowl on its own?

88
00:04:54,585 --> 00:04:56,587
Hey! Do none of you have any decency?

89
00:04:56,671 --> 00:04:57,672
That's enough!

90
00:04:58,798 --> 00:05:00,216
It was you, wasn't it?

91
00:05:00,925 --> 00:05:02,927
And what are you gonna do about it, kid?

92
00:05:06,264 --> 00:05:09,100
- Good evening. Please excuse me, sir.
- Huh?

93
00:05:09,183 --> 00:05:12,144
Did you happen to see a boy of 14,
15 years of age

94
00:05:12,228 --> 00:05:13,729
with a top knot in his hair?

95
00:05:15,439 --> 00:05:18,484
You're the new servant page
for the shogun, huh?

96
00:05:18,567 --> 00:05:19,986
That's right

97
00:05:20,069 --> 00:05:22,530
- If you happen to see my attendant--
- Man whore.

98
00:05:23,572 --> 00:05:28,869
A poor noble youth sells his body
to rise above his station

99
00:05:28,953 --> 00:05:32,331
to the status
of the shogun's servant page?

100
00:05:33,582 --> 00:05:36,752
How far we've fallen from
the time of heroic wars.

101
00:05:40,339 --> 00:05:42,341
- A dead rat?
- That's right!

102
00:05:42,842 --> 00:05:44,218
I want you to go down there

103
00:05:44,302 --> 00:05:46,929
and reprimand those cooks in the kitchen
for what they did!

104
00:05:47,013 --> 00:05:49,640
You're the one who has to do it,
because they'll only listen to you.

105
00:05:49,724 --> 00:05:51,767
Oh. Oh, yes, that is probably true.

106
00:05:51,851 --> 00:05:54,437
I will see that this gets addressed.
I can talk to them

107
00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,273
and let them know something like this
should never happen again.

108
00:05:57,940 --> 00:06:01,277
See to it that it doesn't!
It's late now, I have to go.

109
00:06:02,611 --> 00:06:04,780
You don't look so well.

110
00:06:05,573 --> 00:06:07,783
And your sleeve seems to be coming off.

111
00:06:08,367 --> 00:06:10,036
Shut up! It's none of your business!

112
00:06:10,119 --> 00:06:11,620
Just leave me alone.

113
00:06:19,003 --> 00:06:21,172
Damn it, those brutes were careful

114
00:06:21,255 --> 00:06:23,883
to only hit me in places
where it would be hidden.

115
00:06:24,175 --> 00:06:27,011
"And my friend tells me,
'Things have not gone so well.'"

116
00:06:27,094 --> 00:06:29,096
"'I'd rather rest
at the foot of Nanshan mountain.'"

117
00:06:29,180 --> 00:06:30,848
"Please just go now."

118
00:06:30,931 --> 00:06:32,725
"Do not ask me any more questions.'

119
00:06:32,808 --> 00:06:34,602
"White clouds drift with no end."

120
00:06:35,478 --> 00:06:39,482
By "Things have not gone so well,"
we can infer that this friend means

121
00:06:39,565 --> 00:06:43,152
that he wants to withdraw,
away from society,

122
00:06:43,235 --> 00:06:45,738
because he finds that
a proximity to others

123
00:06:45,821 --> 00:06:48,616
does not agree
with his sensibilities any longer.

124
00:06:49,992 --> 00:06:54,080
- To this friend, he says that--
- Hey! Master Arikoto.

125
00:06:54,705 --> 00:06:56,957
- Time to report to the dojo.

126
00:06:57,708 --> 00:07:00,669
It is part of our duty as men in the Ōoku.

127
00:07:00,753 --> 00:07:03,005
We are required to train in swordsmanship.

128
00:07:03,088 --> 00:07:06,050
We need to protect our liege
from any and all danger.

129
00:07:07,593 --> 00:07:10,346
- Aah! What do you want?

130
00:07:10,429 --> 00:07:12,973
What do you think you're doing? How rude!

131
00:07:13,474 --> 00:07:15,726
No matter what it is
you may have been before,

132
00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:18,395
now you will carry two swords
as a samurai.

133
00:07:18,479 --> 00:07:22,525
You must do everything you can
to become a man of the Ōoku.

134
00:07:25,069 --> 00:07:26,737
I'm coming along as well!

135
00:07:30,491 --> 00:07:32,868
Master Sawamura. As the sword master,

136
00:07:32,952 --> 00:07:36,580
please allow this man to experience
what swordsmanship truly is.

137
00:07:37,498 --> 00:07:39,458
Master Arikoto, that man...

138
00:07:39,542 --> 00:07:42,920
- He's the one who slayed Master Myokei!

139
00:07:50,636 --> 00:07:51,470
O-Man!

140
00:07:52,638 --> 00:07:55,057
O-Man! O-Man! It's me!

141
00:07:56,642 --> 00:07:58,102
Where could he be right now?

142
00:07:58,644 --> 00:08:03,566
With respect, Master Arikoto headed off
to the dojo a little earlier in the day.

143
00:08:03,649 --> 00:08:06,318
Huh? He went to the dojo?

144
00:08:06,902 --> 00:08:08,737
My liege, if you would be so kind,

145
00:08:08,821 --> 00:08:13,867
please refrain from ever straying outside
of the first wing from here on out.

146
00:08:13,993 --> 00:08:16,662
I have been strictly ordered
by the Honored Kasuga

147
00:08:16,745 --> 00:08:18,706
that this rule must be followed.

148
00:08:18,789 --> 00:08:19,832
- Hmm?

149
00:08:21,917 --> 00:08:24,712
Ugh, don't act so familiar with me!

150
00:08:25,921 --> 00:08:27,339
I don't like animals!

151
00:08:38,183 --> 00:08:41,979
Master Sawamura, give a good
thrashing to this pale-faced weakling!

152
00:08:42,062 --> 00:08:44,106
- Absolutely!
- That would be a treat!

153
00:08:44,189 --> 00:08:46,608
Do not hold back. Come right at me.

154
00:08:46,692 --> 00:08:49,570
I do not deny that it was me
who killed the attendant monk

155
00:08:49,653 --> 00:08:51,780
who accompanied you to the Outer Chambers.

156
00:08:51,864 --> 00:08:54,199
You can think of me as your sworn enemy.

157
00:09:00,748 --> 00:09:02,082
I cannot strike you.

158
00:09:03,834 --> 00:09:05,878
At one time, I served the Buddha.

159
00:09:06,545 --> 00:09:10,132
I don't want to strike someone
with my heart clouded by hate.

160
00:09:13,761 --> 00:09:15,637
This might be a wooden sword,

161
00:09:15,721 --> 00:09:18,974
but if it had struck you just now,
you would surely be dead.

162
00:09:19,058 --> 00:09:20,392
I have no doubt.

163
00:09:20,476 --> 00:09:22,686
So you don't care If you live or die?

164
00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:27,816
Hm. Very well.

165
00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:29,693
Then I will have you
do some practice swings.

166
00:09:29,777 --> 00:09:31,945
-
- Damn that Sawamura.

167
00:09:32,029 --> 00:09:34,114
He found a way to ruin everything.

168
00:09:39,286 --> 00:09:42,206
So now you can repeat that
another 500 times.

169
00:09:42,790 --> 00:09:44,625
You cannot be serious!

170
00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:48,295
He's never even held a sword in
his hands until a few moments ago!

171
00:09:48,796 --> 00:09:50,631
That's why it is only 500.

172
00:09:50,714 --> 00:09:52,758
For the men whose job is
to guard the castle,

173
00:09:52,841 --> 00:09:54,968
I make them do it
one thousand times a day.

174
00:09:55,052 --> 00:09:57,054
Then I shall do it one thousand times.

175
00:09:58,514 --> 00:09:59,765
Master Arikoto...

176
00:09:59,848 --> 00:10:02,059
Very good! Very good! This'll be fun.

177
00:10:02,142 --> 00:10:05,104
- Show us one thousand swings!
- You may begin!

178
00:10:05,687 --> 00:10:06,605
For one.

179
00:10:07,648 --> 00:10:09,233
- And two.

180
00:10:09,316 --> 00:10:10,150
Now three.

181
00:10:11,443 --> 00:10:12,319
Four.

182
00:10:13,987 --> 00:10:14,822
Five.

183
00:10:16,615 --> 00:10:21,370
Naturally, after 50 times,
Arikoto started to run short of breath.

184
00:10:35,467 --> 00:10:38,971
Wow! You're unsteady already!
You must have weak knees!

185
00:10:39,471 --> 00:10:41,390
- And 77!

186
00:10:42,683 --> 00:10:44,393
What's the matter?

187
00:10:44,476 --> 00:10:46,311
What an utter disgrace.

188
00:10:46,395 --> 00:10:48,397
- He won't last even 100 times.
- 78!

189
00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:49,982
Hey, what's going on?

190
00:10:58,282 --> 00:10:59,408
However...

191
00:10:59,491 --> 00:11:00,909
302!

192
00:11:03,078 --> 00:11:05,914
The tip of the sword was not straight
when you raised it up.

193
00:11:06,540 --> 00:11:08,959
Do it again! 302!

194
00:11:13,839 --> 00:11:15,507
303!

195
00:11:16,133 --> 00:11:17,301
304!

196
00:11:18,010 --> 00:11:19,344
305!

197
00:11:22,681 --> 00:11:23,974
801.

198
00:11:25,309 --> 00:11:26,518
802.

199
00:11:29,271 --> 00:11:30,480
803!

200
00:11:38,780 --> 00:11:39,990
One thousand!

201
00:11:46,955 --> 00:11:48,790
One thousand completed.

202
00:11:48,874 --> 00:11:51,543
Not bad. That will be all for today.

203
00:11:52,836 --> 00:11:53,962
Master Arikoto!

204
00:11:54,463 --> 00:11:57,758
I can't believe it!
Why did you do something so reckless?

205
00:11:58,467 --> 00:12:01,011
It pained me to watch you go through that.

206
00:12:01,094 --> 00:12:02,095
Gyokuei...

207
00:12:03,263 --> 00:12:04,640
Forgive me...

208
00:12:05,223 --> 00:12:08,185
- But I didn't... do any of this...

209
00:12:09,353 --> 00:12:10,729
out of stubbornness...

210
00:12:11,646 --> 00:12:13,065
or anything like that.

211
00:12:13,148 --> 00:12:14,149
You see, I...

212
00:12:15,067 --> 00:12:16,526
It's just that...

213
00:12:17,819 --> 00:12:19,029
I can't...

214
00:12:19,780 --> 00:12:22,157
I don't want to have to think anymore...

215
00:12:30,290 --> 00:12:31,291
O-Man.

216
00:12:32,876 --> 00:12:34,169
O-Man!

217
00:12:35,045 --> 00:12:35,921
- O-Man!

218
00:12:38,048 --> 00:12:38,924
Uh...

219
00:12:41,718 --> 00:12:45,680
Oh. Oh, m-- my liege?

220
00:12:45,764 --> 00:12:47,057
Hmph.

221
00:12:48,016 --> 00:12:50,143
The sword master told me about it.

222
00:12:50,227 --> 00:12:54,523
So, you collapsed in the dojo after
doing a set of practice swings, was it?

223
00:12:54,606 --> 00:12:56,066
Truly pitiful.

224
00:12:57,359 --> 00:12:58,902
And yet, for some reason,

225
00:12:58,985 --> 00:13:02,072
Den'emon was still praising you,
despite you passing out.

226
00:13:04,157 --> 00:13:05,075
Hmph.

227
00:13:07,202 --> 00:13:09,412
Waka-Murasaki is what I named her.

228
00:13:10,872 --> 00:13:12,415
Waka-Murasaki...

229
00:13:20,423 --> 00:13:22,843
She is adorable, isn't she, though?

230
00:13:23,593 --> 00:13:25,929
I hate it
because it is adorable.

231
00:13:26,429 --> 00:13:29,850
It is small and warm, just like a baby.

232
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,435
It reminds me of my daughter.

233
00:13:35,438 --> 00:13:38,692
What is it? You think it's strange
that I should have a daughter?

234
00:13:38,775 --> 00:13:41,069
She was born when I was 15 years old.

235
00:13:41,153 --> 00:13:42,863
It was soon afterwards that she died.

236
00:13:42,946 --> 00:13:44,197
Oh!

237
00:13:45,198 --> 00:13:46,199
Oh...

238
00:13:48,660 --> 00:13:51,913
Hmph. Are you disappointed
that I'm not a virgin?

239
00:13:51,997 --> 00:13:53,874
No, not at all, my liege.

240
00:13:54,499 --> 00:13:56,334
A mother losing her child

241
00:13:56,418 --> 00:13:59,296
is one of the deepest sorrows
to exist in this world.

242
00:14:00,505 --> 00:14:03,174
You have my most profound sympathy.

243
00:14:03,967 --> 00:14:05,719
And ever since that day,

244
00:14:05,802 --> 00:14:09,389
Iemitsu started to visit
Arikoto's chamber frequently.

245
00:14:13,852 --> 00:14:15,770
Get it! Yeah, get it!

246
00:14:16,855 --> 00:14:18,607
O-Man, I was wondering.

247
00:14:18,690 --> 00:14:21,776
Has anyone ever told you
the story of the seven-colored meals?

248
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:23,403
Seven-colored meals?

249
00:14:23,486 --> 00:14:25,196
Apparently, ever since he was young,

250
00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:27,574
my late father never had
much of an appetite.

251
00:14:27,657 --> 00:14:31,828
So every morning, Kasuga would prepare
seven different breakfasts for him.

252
00:14:32,871 --> 00:14:35,206
Now, now, Master Takechiyo.

253
00:14:35,290 --> 00:14:36,708
Since there's so many options,

254
00:14:36,791 --> 00:14:38,919
there must be at least one here
that pleases you.

255
00:14:39,002 --> 00:14:41,504
And that was how the Ōoku was created.

256
00:14:43,381 --> 00:14:44,299
Huh?

257
00:14:45,634 --> 00:14:49,095
See, Kasuga knew that he preferred
young men over young women,

258
00:14:49,179 --> 00:14:51,348
so she thought that
if she collected many women,

259
00:14:51,431 --> 00:14:53,558
there would have to be
at least one among them

260
00:14:53,642 --> 00:14:55,602
that maybe my father would fancy.

261
00:14:56,311 --> 00:14:59,147
And she's applied the same
principle with me now too.

262
00:14:59,230 --> 00:15:03,360
So that is the reason why we have
four men currently in the Ōoku.

263
00:15:04,611 --> 00:15:05,945
Oh, I see.

264
00:15:13,536 --> 00:15:15,413
It's so funny, isn't it?

265
00:15:15,497 --> 00:15:18,500
Kasuga comes off
as such a cunning, calculating schemer,

266
00:15:18,583 --> 00:15:20,627
and everyone is always so afraid of her!

267
00:15:20,710 --> 00:15:24,339
But her method all boils down
to the seven-colored meals!

268
00:15:26,132 --> 00:15:28,343
How does she not see it at this point?

269
00:15:28,927 --> 00:15:31,763
My father never learned to love and enjoy
the body of a woman

270
00:15:31,846 --> 00:15:33,181
until he was much older,

271
00:15:33,264 --> 00:15:35,558
and by then,
e didn't have many years left.

272
00:15:35,642 --> 00:15:39,479
Kasuga may be a formidable woman,
but as a mother, she's a doting fool.

273
00:15:40,647 --> 00:15:41,689
This lady...

274
00:15:41,773 --> 00:15:46,486
She might be difficult to please,
but she is far from foolish.

275
00:15:49,447 --> 00:15:50,615
Mmm.

276
00:15:50,698 --> 00:15:52,450
Our liege just called me "O-Tama."

277
00:15:52,534 --> 00:15:54,702
She just renamed me
right there on the spot.

278
00:15:55,203 --> 00:15:58,289
All she said was,
"So you're Gyokuei, huh?"

279
00:15:58,373 --> 00:15:59,999
"Then let us call you O-Tama."

280
00:16:00,083 --> 00:16:02,752
There is nothing
you can do about that.

281
00:16:02,836 --> 00:16:04,379
That is just how she is.

282
00:16:04,462 --> 00:16:08,133
But why, though? She calls
you by your name, Masasuke, doesn't she?

283
00:16:08,216 --> 00:16:10,677
- Doesn't seem fair to me.
- Now, now, Gyokuei.

284
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,263
You must eat your meal with a gentle mind.

285
00:16:16,307 --> 00:16:20,228
You know, our liege sure has come around
regarding Waka-Murasaki.

286
00:16:20,311 --> 00:16:22,689
- Now she really loves this cat, huh?

287
00:16:23,398 --> 00:16:28,027
You must not call this cat Waka-Murasaki,
as it is considered to be rude.

288
00:16:28,111 --> 00:16:30,405
Since the cat was a present
from our liege,

289
00:16:30,488 --> 00:16:32,532
she must be called "the honorable cat."

290
00:16:33,116 --> 00:16:36,035
Better pay special attention
so she doesn't get hurt.

291
00:16:37,078 --> 00:16:38,371
Hmm.

292
00:16:42,625 --> 00:16:44,836
From what I understand,
you're telling me

293
00:16:44,919 --> 00:16:48,548
our liege has been visiting that fellow's
chamber quite often these days?

294
00:16:48,631 --> 00:16:52,177
Yes. It seems that our liege
has gifted him a cat.

295
00:16:52,260 --> 00:16:56,306
Apparently, the two of them spend
a lot of time together playing with it.

296
00:16:56,389 --> 00:16:58,266
I'd say
it's only a matter of time

297
00:16:58,349 --> 00:17:00,560
until he is invited into her bedchamber.

298
00:17:01,644 --> 00:17:04,063
All while you sit here
and call yourselves men?

299
00:17:04,147 --> 00:17:09,068
We entered this Ōoku with the promise that
we could be the father of the next shogun!

300
00:17:09,152 --> 00:17:12,071
And even if that doesn't happen,
we still will never be allowed

301
00:17:12,155 --> 00:17:15,074
to set foot outside of these walls
until we die!

302
00:17:15,158 --> 00:17:16,951
Does that sit well with you?

303
00:17:17,035 --> 00:17:18,578
Because I won't stand for it!

304
00:17:21,664 --> 00:17:23,082
Yes, well...

305
00:17:23,166 --> 00:17:27,003
I hear him, but what can we
possibly do in this situation?

306
00:17:27,086 --> 00:17:30,757
I know. I do understand how
Master Shigesato feels, though.

307
00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,761
To rot away in the Ōoku, without
accomplishing anything in life...

308
00:17:35,261 --> 00:17:36,679
It's hard to stomach.

309
00:17:42,477 --> 00:17:43,478
Agh!

310
00:17:43,561 --> 00:17:46,981
This place is too big! Going
to the latrine can be such a hassle!

311
00:17:50,068 --> 00:17:52,820
-
- I know, I know, there, there.

312
00:17:52,904 --> 00:17:55,490
I'm sorry to squeeze you
into my clothes here like this.

313
00:18:08,086 --> 00:18:11,506
Waka-Murasaki... please forgive me for this.

314
00:18:20,807 --> 00:18:22,558
Waka-Murasaki is missing?

315
00:18:23,101 --> 00:18:24,477
Yes, my liege.

316
00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,021
I haven't seen her anywhere
in my chambers this morning.

317
00:18:27,105 --> 00:18:29,023
- Gyokuei is searching...
- Master Arikoto!

318
00:18:29,107 --> 00:18:33,027
Something terrible has happened!
The honorable cat is...

319
00:18:33,653 --> 00:18:35,071
The honorable cat is...

320
00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:43,621
I do not know anything
at all about this, I swear!

321
00:18:44,122 --> 00:18:46,124
But the evidence, Shigesato.

322
00:18:46,207 --> 00:18:50,253
The bloodied corpse of the honorable cat
was indeed found in the garden

323
00:18:50,336 --> 00:18:53,047
right in the vicinity
outside of your chamber door.

324
00:18:55,007 --> 00:18:57,468
Inspect Shigesato's sword immediately.

325
00:19:00,138 --> 00:19:03,558
The blade here is stained red
with blood. Is it possible...

326
00:19:06,394 --> 00:19:08,312
You shall die now, by my hand!

327
00:19:08,396 --> 00:19:09,814
My liege!

328
00:19:09,897 --> 00:19:12,316
I beseech you to stop now, my liege!

329
00:19:12,900 --> 00:19:14,819
Step aside, O-Man!

330
00:19:14,902 --> 00:19:16,821
No, I cannot do that.

331
00:19:16,904 --> 00:19:18,197
Out of my way!

332
00:19:22,910 --> 00:19:23,828
My liege.

333
00:19:24,912 --> 00:19:26,956
If I may intervene as well?

334
00:19:27,039 --> 00:19:31,544
Using your sword on a low fellow like
this will only serve to taint the blade.

335
00:19:31,627 --> 00:19:34,130
Please, allow me
to take care of this for you.

336
00:19:34,964 --> 00:19:36,048
Kasuga!

337
00:19:38,259 --> 00:19:39,594
Shigesato.

338
00:19:39,677 --> 00:19:41,846
You know what you need to do.

339
00:19:41,929 --> 00:19:43,139
Gah!

340
00:19:48,060 --> 00:19:49,103
Hmph!

341
00:20:05,203 --> 00:20:06,370
Oh...

342
00:20:06,871 --> 00:20:10,291
I hear that your master's hands
had never held a sword,

343
00:20:10,374 --> 00:20:14,045
and yet he was able to finish
all one thousand swings!

344
00:20:14,128 --> 00:20:17,173
Many people have said that
the sword master, Master Sawamura,

345
00:20:17,256 --> 00:20:20,134
spoke very highly of him,
a rare occurrence indeed!

346
00:20:20,218 --> 00:20:21,677
Well, of course!

347
00:20:21,761 --> 00:20:24,096
My master did do all one thousand swings.

348
00:20:24,180 --> 00:20:26,140
And they were all with good form, too.
Hmm!

349
00:20:27,099 --> 00:20:30,478
And you heard about what happened
to Sunami Shigesato.

350
00:20:30,561 --> 00:20:32,563
Oh, about him killing the honorable cat.

351
00:20:32,647 --> 00:20:35,107
Well, my master stepped in
to plead on his behalf,

352
00:20:35,191 --> 00:20:37,735
fully knowing he could end up
taking the sword himself.

353
00:20:37,818 --> 00:20:39,820
- No way!
- Is that really true?

354
00:20:39,904 --> 00:20:44,325
And because he did that, Shigesato was
able to die an honorable death

355
00:20:44,408 --> 00:20:46,369
by committing seppuku like a samurai.

356
00:20:46,452 --> 00:20:48,746
- Wow!
- Amazing! What a master you have!

357
00:20:50,957 --> 00:20:54,752
The dynamics inside the Ōoku's
chambers were starting to change.

358
00:20:57,755 --> 00:21:02,176
These days, I get to hear many stories
from the people who work in the kitchen,

359
00:21:02,259 --> 00:21:05,680
and there was one story regarding
the sword master I wanted to share.

360
00:21:05,763 --> 00:21:08,766
According to the story,
it seems that Master Sawamura

361
00:21:08,849 --> 00:21:12,687
walks outside the castle every night
with only a few guards to accompany him.

362
00:21:12,770 --> 00:21:15,856
And when he returns,
he is holding in his hand

363
00:21:15,940 --> 00:21:18,401
a long tassel of some woman's hair.

364
00:21:19,276 --> 00:21:20,277
Hmm.

365
00:21:20,903 --> 00:21:23,948
As of late, there is a samurai in Edo

366
00:21:24,031 --> 00:21:28,285
who slashes maidens' hair
as if to test the sharpness of his sword.

367
00:21:28,369 --> 00:21:31,080
Many young women have met the same fate.

368
00:21:42,383 --> 00:21:44,051
What is this? Why are we here?

369
00:21:44,135 --> 00:21:46,220
It is the grave of Waka-Murasaki.

370
00:21:46,887 --> 00:21:48,723
If you like, offer some prayers,

371
00:21:48,806 --> 00:21:52,685
so the soul of Waka-Murasaki can rest
in peace and harmony, my liege.

372
00:21:52,768 --> 00:21:53,978
No. I won't.

373
00:21:54,061 --> 00:21:57,106
It's not like prayers would be able
to bring her back anyway.

374
00:21:57,606 --> 00:21:58,607
I don't see the point.

375
00:21:59,358 --> 00:22:00,443
Well, my liege.

376
00:22:00,943 --> 00:22:04,905
I believe that funerals are held
for the sake of those who are left behind.

377
00:22:04,989 --> 00:22:06,991
Not for those who have left their body.

378
00:22:07,700 --> 00:22:09,452
And while you chant prayers,

379
00:22:09,994 --> 00:22:12,204
you calm your heart and mind,

380
00:22:12,288 --> 00:22:14,248
remember your lost one,

381
00:22:14,331 --> 00:22:15,791
and offer more prayers.

382
00:22:16,876 --> 00:22:19,295
As one repeats that process, I do believe

383
00:22:19,378 --> 00:22:22,631
that one starts to heal from the sorrow
of losing the loved one.

384
00:22:22,715 --> 00:22:25,509
- Otherwise--
- Those are just nice words!

385
00:22:27,595 --> 00:22:29,388
The only people such platitudes work on

386
00:22:29,472 --> 00:22:32,224
are the ones who were already happy
to begin with!

387
00:22:32,308 --> 00:22:35,227
What are we supposed to do
if the waves of grief give us no rest,

388
00:22:35,311 --> 00:22:37,521
so much so that chanting prayers
provides no relief,

389
00:22:37,605 --> 00:22:39,523
no matter how much you repeat them?

390
00:22:39,607 --> 00:22:42,776
You stopped me,
but all I had to do was slay Shigesato,

391
00:22:42,860 --> 00:22:45,112
and that would have
been the end of the story!

392
00:22:47,364 --> 00:22:50,743
Rather than spending my time chanting
prayers and sitting around crying,

393
00:22:50,826 --> 00:22:52,495
I cut down my enemy!

394
00:22:53,537 --> 00:22:57,791
If I had let you kill him, that wouldn't
have brought back Waka-Murasaki, either.

395
00:22:57,875 --> 00:23:01,086
Terrible things happen in the world
where no one is to blame.

396
00:23:01,170 --> 00:23:05,299
What about when there's an enemy, but you
cannot touch them? What would you do?

397
00:23:06,050 --> 00:23:10,304
What a silly question. I would simply
slay someone who happens to be nearby.

398
00:23:10,387 --> 00:23:14,308
There are plenty of people around here
whose lives aren't really worth living.

399
00:23:15,851 --> 00:23:17,603
What kind of...

400
00:23:18,979 --> 00:23:20,981
- My liege.
- What is it?

401
00:23:21,065 --> 00:23:25,027
Did you by any chance ever happen
to decide to vent such anger

402
00:23:25,110 --> 00:23:27,071
on the young maidens of Edo?

403
00:23:29,156 --> 00:23:30,282
What are you asking?

404
00:23:30,366 --> 00:23:34,662
In the town of Edo, I saw a maiden
whose hair had been cut short.

405
00:23:34,745 --> 00:23:37,957
Apparently, there is a samurai
who lurks around in the streets

406
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,709
for the sole purpose
of slashing maidens' hair.

407
00:23:42,836 --> 00:23:44,088
Your point?

408
00:23:44,171 --> 00:23:45,172
Hmph.

409
00:23:46,173 --> 00:23:47,091
Hmph.

410
00:23:57,559 --> 00:23:59,395
Are you satisfied now?

411
00:23:59,478 --> 00:24:03,440
Indeed it is true, I ordered Sawamura
to go out there and cut off wenches' hair!

412
00:24:04,566 --> 00:24:07,069
It's nothing but a silly,
harmless prank, though.

413
00:24:07,152 --> 00:24:10,990
It's not like I was ordering him to kill
those wenches or anything like that.

414
00:24:11,073 --> 00:24:13,367
That's so foolish of you!

415
00:24:13,450 --> 00:24:14,868
What did you say?

416
00:24:14,952 --> 00:24:16,620
You might feel better, my liege,

417
00:24:16,704 --> 00:24:19,623
but what about the maidens
whose hair was chopped off?

418
00:24:19,707 --> 00:24:21,542
Why would you do such a foolish thing?

419
00:24:21,625 --> 00:24:24,878
To be so needlessly cruel
to people who are your subjects?

420
00:24:26,171 --> 00:24:30,884
My subjects? Are they really? Hah!
You're the one who's foolish!

421
00:24:30,968 --> 00:24:34,263
No one around here truly thinks of me
as their liege!

422
00:24:34,346 --> 00:24:36,098
I am nothing but a walking womb

423
00:24:36,181 --> 00:24:39,893
to host another Tokugawa child
to continue this damn bloodline!

424
00:24:39,977 --> 00:24:44,982
Kasuga coddles me because I suppose
she sees so much of my late father in me!

425
00:24:45,482 --> 00:24:46,525
I didn't...

426
00:24:47,276 --> 00:24:49,403
Gah!

427
00:24:49,987 --> 00:24:52,614
I didn't choose to live my life like this,

428
00:24:52,698 --> 00:24:55,993
hiding away in the Ōoku,
spending my days dressed as a man!

429
00:24:59,955 --> 00:25:02,041
When I first arrived, I met a maiden.

430
00:25:02,124 --> 00:25:05,044
She had just lost her brother
to red-face smallpox.

431
00:25:05,127 --> 00:25:07,171
That's how it is for most of us.

432
00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:12,301
Yet most people, they attempt to accept
the fates that they cannot change

433
00:25:12,384 --> 00:25:14,845
and find a way to learn to live with them.

434
00:25:18,474 --> 00:25:20,350
I am no different from them!

435
00:25:20,934 --> 00:25:24,855
Was I not brought here,
against my will, for your pleasure?

436
00:25:25,898 --> 00:25:29,568
If you think you are the only one
who suffers and feels pain,

437
00:25:29,651 --> 00:25:31,612
you could not be more wrong!

438
00:25:45,626 --> 00:25:48,337
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY

439
00:27:20,512 --> 00:27:23,015
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY