1. KWAIDANCopy !req
2. A NINJIN CLUB PRODUCTIONCopy !req
3. Produced by
SHIGERU WAKATSUKICopy !req
4. Original Stories by YAKUMO KOIZUMI
Screenplay by YOKO MIZUKICopy !req
5. Cinematography by
YOSHIO MIYAJIMACopy !req
6. Music and Sound Effects by
TORU TAKEMITSUCopy !req
7. Production Design by
SHIGEMASA TODACopy !req
8. Sound Recordist HIDEO NISHIZAKI
Edited by HISASHI SAGARACopy !req
9. Lighting by
AKIRA AOMATSUCopy !req
10. THE BLACK HAIRCopy !req
11. MICHIYO ARATAMA
MISAKO WATANABE, RENTARO MIKUNICopy !req
12. KENJIRO ISHIYAMA
RAN KO AKAGICopy !req
13. THE WOMAN OF THE SNOWCopy !req
14. TATSUYA NAKADAI
KEIKO KISHICopy !req
15. YUKO MOCHIZUKICopy !req
16. HOICHI THE EARLESSCopy !req
17. KATSUO NAKAMURA
TETSURO TANBACopy !req
18. TAKASHI SHIMURA
YOICHI HAYASHI, EIKO MURAMATSUCopy !req
19. KUNIE TANAKA, MASANORI TOMOTAKE
TOKUE HANAZAWACopy !req
20. IN A CUP OF TEACopy !req
21. KANEMON NAKAMURA,
OSAMU TAKIZAWA, HARUKO SUGIMURACopy !req
22. GANJIRO NAKAMURA
NOBORU NAKAYA, SEIJI MIYAGUCHICopy !req
23. KB SATO
TOMOKO NARAOKACopy !req
24. Directed by
MASAKI KOBAYASHICopy !req
25. THE BLACK HAIRCopy !req
26. In old Kyoto
there was a young samurai...Copy !req
27. who had been reduced to poverty
by the ruin of his lord.Copy !req
28. He decided to leave his homeCopy !req
29. and enter the service
of the governor of a distant province.Copy !req
30. Be well.Copy !req
31. I cannot stay.
I have a future.Copy !req
32. A man must rise in the world.Copy !req
33. I can't throw that away for you...Copy !req
34. and rot away in this place.Copy !req
35. Must you leave Kyoto?Copy !req
36. I'll work even harder than before.Copy !req
37. I'll weave day and night.
I'll slave for a better life.Copy !req
38. Please reconsider.Copy !req
39. If I lose this chance,
I'll be finished.Copy !req
40. I finally got a post.
Don't try to stop me!Copy !req
41. And you'd be happier
married to a man from a good family.Copy !req
42. I've had enoughCopy !req
43. of this unending poverty!Copy !req
44. You'll be leaving
early in the morning,Copy !req
45. so we shall conclude
for the evening.Copy !req
46. Prepare for the bridal chamber.Copy !req
47. Our daughter is finally married.Copy !req
48. A burden has truly been lifted.Copy !req
49. We are pleased
to welcome you into our family.Copy !req
50. Unworthy though I am.Copy !req
51. He understands
just how indebted he is to you.Copy !req
52. Please take care
of our daughter always.Copy !req
53. I will.Copy !req
54. The samurai did not understand
the value of love.Copy !req
55. He abandoned his devoted wife,Copy !req
56. married a noblewoman
to advance his career,Copy !req
57. and took her to his new post.Copy !req
58. It was the rashness of a young man
suffocating from poverty.Copy !req
59. His second marriage
did not prove a happy one.Copy !req
60. His new wife was selfish and cold.Copy !req
61. He thought back on his life in Kyoto
with unbearable longing.Copy !req
62. He realised
he still loved his first wifeCopy !req
63. more than he could ever love
his second.Copy !req
64. He realised furtherCopy !req
65. just how irresponsible
and ungrateful he had been.Copy !req
66. Memories of the woman
he had wronged...Copy !req
67. her soft speech...Copy !req
68. her smile...Copy !req
69. her gentle demeanour...Copy !req
70. her impeccable patience —Copy !req
71. all this haunted him constantly.Copy !req
72. Enough!Copy !req
73. Always the same games.Copy !req
74. I'm bored to death.Copy !req
75. You may all take your leave.Copy !req
76. Please don't wait up any longer.Copy !req
77. It seems the master
is still reading.Copy !req
78. Ungrateful wretch!Copy !req
79. You're only here
due to my family's standing.Copy !req
80. You used us.Copy !req
81. But all you do is long
for what you remember of the past.Copy !req
82. You don't even notice me!Copy !req
83. The evening dew
will harm your health.Copy !req
84. Please go to your chambersCopy !req
85. and tend to her ladyship
through the night.Copy !req
86. You mean watch her sleep?Copy !req
87. That's your duty.Copy !req
88. You mustn't say that.Copy !req
89. Let her return to her parents
tomorrow if she wishes.Copy !req
90. I can't bear
watching her sulk any longer.Copy !req
91. Please tell her that.Copy !req
92. It turns out
I was just young and stupid.Copy !req
93. I'll find the wife I deserted...Copy !req
94. and make amends for my sins.Copy !req
95. Yet the years went by.Copy !req
96. His period of service
came to an end.Copy !req
97. It was September 10
when he reached the street in KyotoCopy !req
98. where his first wife had lived.Copy !req
99. It was the dead of night, and the city
was as silent as a graveyard.Copy !req
100. When did you return to Kyoto?Copy !req
101. Just now.Copy !req
102. Just this moment.Copy !req
103. It's so dark...Copy !req
104. yet still you found your way.Copy !req
105. - You must be tired.
- No, don't get up.Copy !req
106. - Don't trouble yourself.
- I'll boil some water...Copy !req
107. I don't need any.Copy !req
108. You haven't aged a day.Copy !req
109. You look exactly the same.Copy !req
110. I couldn't forget your face
for a moment.Copy !req
111. I longed to hear your voice.Copy !req
112. Forgive me.Copy !req
113. I'm a cruel man.Copy !req
114. I'm a fool.Copy !req
115. I deserve your scorn.Copy !req
116. To the day my service ended,Copy !req
117. I thought so often
about coming back to you.Copy !req
118. How deeply
I regretted my selfishness.Copy !req
119. How wretched I was without you...Copy !req
120. how tormented
by the irreparable harm I'd done.Copy !req
121. All I could think about
was how to make amends.Copy !req
122. Above all,
I wanted to rush backCopy !req
123. to Kyoto and find you.Copy !req
124. Iran frantically in the dark.Copy !req
125. To worry yourself like that...Copy !req
126. over someone like me...Copy !req
127. Forgive me.Copy !req
128. Please forgive me.Copy !req
129. I was such a fool.Copy !req
130. You mustn't punish yourself.Copy !req
131. Please don't torment yourself
on my account.Copy !req
132. In truth, I never felt worthy
of being your wife.Copy !req
133. But you are!Copy !req
134. Even though I knew I wasn't,Copy !req
135. I clung to you, always a burden.Copy !req
136. Yet my leaving you was so cruel.Copy !req
137. It was because of the poverty.Copy !req
138. You were always kind to me.Copy !req
139. Why should I think ill of you?Copy !req
140. I silently prayed
for your good fortune...Copy !req
141. every day and night.Copy !req
142. I'll make amends.Copy !req
143. That's all right.Copy !req
144. You travelled a long way home.Copy !req
145. That has already
brought me happiness.Copy !req
146. Even if we can be together like this
only for a moment.Copy !req
147. Only for a moment?Copy !req
148. Tell me we'll be together
for seven lifetimes.Copy !req
149. Unless you forbid it,Copy !req
150. I'll stay with you always.Copy !req
151. Nothing will ever
separate us again.Copy !req
152. Your fragrant hair.Copy !req
153. It's the same as before.Copy !req
154. The same glossy black hair...Copy !req
155. those eyes...Copy !req
156. that lovely nose...Copy !req
157. those soft cheeks...Copy !req
158. and...Copy !req
159. I've forgotten my sorrow.Copy !req
160. Many things have happened in Kyoto
since you went away.Copy !req
161. I imagine so.Copy !req
162. Too much to tell in a single night.Copy !req
163. Soon it will be dawn.Copy !req
164. I missed this room as well.Copy !req
165. We made love
for the first time here.Copy !req
166. It holds the memories
of so many nights.Copy !req
167. I don't want to sleep now.Copy !req
168. I want to speak with you of the past,
the present, and the future...Copy !req
169. and savour
this happiness I feel now.Copy !req
170. I feel as if this were a dream.Copy !req
171. I want to treasure
the happiness of your return.Copy !req
172. I don't want to sleep
for even a second.Copy !req
173. THE WOMAN OF THE SNOWCopy !req
174. In a village in Musashi provinceCopy !req
175. there lived two woodcutters:
Mosaku and Minokichi.Copy !req
176. Mosaku was an old man...Copy !req
177. and his apprentice Minokichi
was a boy of 18.Copy !req
178. Every day they went to a forest
a few miles away from the village.Copy !req
179. One very cold day, a blizzard
overtook them on their way home.Copy !req
180. The boatman had left his boat
on the other side of the river.Copy !req
181. It was no day for swimming.Copy !req
182. I intended to do to you...Copy !req
183. what I did to that other man.Copy !req
184. But I couldn't help pitying you...Copy !req
185. because you're so young.Copy !req
186. You're a handsome boy.Copy !req
187. I won't harm you.Copy !req
188. But...Copy !req
189. if you ever tell anybody
about what you've seen tonight,Copy !req
190. even your own mother,Copy !req
191. I will know of it...Copy !req
192. and I will kill you.Copy !req
193. Remember what I just told you.Copy !req
194. Understand?Copy !req
195. I'll be going now.Copy !req
196. I have to sell some wood.
We need money.Copy !req
197. You won't be able to work
for some time.Copy !req
198. Until it gets warmer...Copy !req
199. and you've recovered
all your strength.Copy !req
200. Your porridge is getting cold.Copy !req
201. Take care of yourself, son.Copy !req
202. Otherwise, like old Mosaku...Copy !req
203. you'll freeze to death...Copy !req
204. as if the blood had been
sucked out of you.Copy !req
205. If this should happen
to you again,Copy !req
206. you won't survive.Copy !req
207. Are you listening?Copy !req
208. You never say a word
no matter what I say.Copy !req
209. A year passed.Copy !req
210. As soon as Minokichi got well,
he resumed working.Copy !req
211. Every morning
he went to the forest aloneCopy !req
212. and returned
with bundles of wood.Copy !req
213. Where are you going
so late in the day?Copy !req
214. Edo.Copy !req
215. Now?Copy !req
216. Yes.Copy !req
217. I lost my parents.Copy !req
218. I'm hoping
that my relatives in EdoCopy !req
219. might help me find work there.Copy !req
220. You have any siblings?Copy !req
221. None?Copy !req
222. I hope your relatives
can find you a good position, but...Copy !req
223. Without a sponsor...Copy !req
224. is it hard to find decent work
even as a servant?Copy !req
225. Better to get married.Copy !req
226. Are you married?Copy !req
227. Take my hand.Copy !req
228. That's my house.Copy !req
229. Why not rest here?
You won't be bothering anyone.Copy !req
230. - But...
- It's just me and my mother.Copy !req
231. Come.Copy !req
232. Your name is Yuki?Copy !req
233. I see.Copy !req
234. So you're going to Edo.Copy !req
235. But with no definite plans,Copy !req
236. and traveling alone,
I'm a bit worried about you.Copy !req
237. People are not always kind.Copy !req
238. Especially to young girls.Copy !req
239. You must be careful...Copy !req
240. not to be deceived by bad men.Copy !req
241. Come and eat while it's hot.Copy !req
242. Yuki bore him
three beautiful, fair-skinned childrenCopy !req
243. and the villagers thought her a good wife.Copy !req
244. "Heavy snow, heavy rain.Copy !req
245. "The temple's tea bushes
are covered in snow.Copy !req
246. "The novice has to clear it away.Copy !req
247. "But the priest has to help,Copy !req
248. "Or I won't do it!"Copy !req
249. Now make your offerings
to Grandma.Copy !req
250. Show her how much
you've all grown.Copy !req
251. Offer that to Grandmother.Copy !req
252. She never seems to get any older!Copy !req
253. It's true.Copy !req
254. She's as young as the first day
she came to the village.Copy !req
255. She's a mystery.Copy !req
256. Were you at the cemetery?Copy !req
257. Yes, it's the anniversary
of my mother-in-law's death.Copy !req
258. I see.Copy !req
259. She must be pleased
to see all her nice grandchildrenCopy !req
260. praying for her.Copy !req
261. She's at peace.Copy !req
262. She praised you
until the day she died.Copy !req
263. You rarely hear of that happening.Copy !req
264. You're right.Copy !req
265. You never hear of it,
no matter how good the wife is.Copy !req
266. I wouldn't say that.Copy !req
267. Thanks to all of you,
I live very happily.Copy !req
268. It's nice when a couple
is happy together.Copy !req
269. Of course they're happy!Copy !req
270. He has such a good
and beautiful woman for a wife.Copy !req
271. It all makes sense!Copy !req
272. Look at her, so young and fresh!Copy !req
273. After three children, no less.Copy !req
274. A peasant woman
would look so old.Copy !req
275. She looks like a young doll.Copy !req
276. She's a mystery indeed...Copy !req
277. What do you think?
Try these on.Copy !req
278. I hope they're not too small.Copy !req
279. - What about the children's?
- Already finished.Copy !req
280. How nice!
All ready for New Year's.Copy !req
281. I'll loosen the straps
if they're too tight.Copy !req
282. Come on, try them on.Copy !req
283. How beautiful!Copy !req
284. But why red?Copy !req
285. You're still young.Copy !req
286. I'm a mother of three.Copy !req
287. Red is still your colour.Copy !req
288. Your feet look beautiful.Copy !req
289. A perfect fit.Copy !req
290. Not too tight, not too loose.Copy !req
291. They're my exact size.Copy !req
292. Your sandals are so beautifulCopy !req
293. that people wear them out
and come asking for more,Copy !req
294. but these
are especially comfortable.Copy !req
295. I made them extra special
to match your best clothes.Copy !req
296. I feel as if I'm setting out
on a journey.Copy !req
297. I can't make you
new holiday clothes,Copy !req
298. but at least I can make you
new sandals.Copy !req
299. With your sandals
and the clothes I'm altering,Copy !req
300. our children will have
a splendid New Year's.Copy !req
301. Are you almost done?Copy !req
302. A few more stitches.Copy !req
303. What are you staring at?Copy !req
304. I just remembered something
that happened ten years ago.Copy !req
305. It's strange, since I hadn't
thought about it in so long.Copy !req
306. With the light
on your face like that,Copy !req
307. and looking up at you like this...Copy !req
308. I suddenly remembered that night.Copy !req
309. That night?Copy !req
310. That's right.
A strange thing happened.Copy !req
311. It's like it was yesterday.Copy !req
312. You see, I've never
told anybody about it.Copy !req
313. I'm still not sure
if it was real or a dream.Copy !req
314. It was the night
old Mosaku froze to deathCopy !req
315. as if all the blood
had been sucked out of him.Copy !req
316. With my own eyes...Copy !req
317. I saw a woman bending over him.Copy !req
318. She blew her breath on him
like a white smoke,Copy !req
319. and he went stiff
and couldn't move.Copy !req
320. Then she stooped
over me as well,Copy !req
321. and I began to go numb.Copy !req
322. Her eyes...Copy !req
323. That terrifying woman's eyes...Copy !req
324. made her look
so incredibly beautiful...Copy !req
325. like something not of this world.Copy !req
326. She was fair-skinned, like you.Copy !req
327. Just like that!Copy !req
328. You looked exactly
like herjust now.Copy !req
329. That's what made me remember.Copy !req
330. The memory haunted me
day and night back then.Copy !req
331. It really took its toll
on my health.Copy !req
332. But I tell you,
it was in the ferryman's hutCopy !req
333. where I spent
the night of the blizzard.Copy !req
334. With my own eyes, I saw
the strange woman who killed Mosaku.Copy !req
335. And except for you...Copy !req
336. I've never seen a woman
as pale and as beautiful.Copy !req
337. But she was terrifying.
Not human.Copy !req
338. You think she was
the Woman of the SnowCopy !req
339. who comes looking for blood?Copy !req
340. Or was it all a dream?Copy !req
341. It was no dream.Copy !req
342. Me.Copy !req
343. It was me.Copy !req
344. Me.Copy !req
345. Me!Copy !req
346. It was Yuki.Copy !req
347. You promised that nightCopy !req
348. that you'd never tell a soul.Copy !req
349. After all this time,
you've broken your promise.Copy !req
350. It was an eternal pledge to me
in exchange for your life.Copy !req
351. I told you that if you broke it,
I would kill you.Copy !req
352. You've betrayed me!Copy !req
353. If it weren't for those children
asleep in there...Copy !req
354. I would kill you this very moment!Copy !req
355. From now on...Copy !req
356. you'd better take good care
of those children.Copy !req
357. If they ever haveCopy !req
358. even the slightest reason
to complain of you...Copy !req
359. I will treat you as you deserve!Copy !req
360. INTERMISSIONCopy !req
361. HOICHI THE EARLESSCopy !req
362. It was early in the morningCopy !req
363. of March 24th,Copy !req
364. in the second year
of the Genryaku era,Copy !req
365. that the Genji and Heike clansCopy !req
366. at Dan-no-uraCopy !req
367. fought their last sea battle.Copy !req
368. With the banners of the war god,Copy !req
369. Tonzo Kumono
from Kii province took the lead.Copy !req
370. Followed by Michinobu Kano
from Lyo province,Copy !req
371. who led the warships of Shikoku.Copy !req
372. The war drums beat loudly.Copy !req
373. There were so many ships.Copy !req
374. More than three thousand in all.Copy !req
375. The Heike were surrounded
and laid to siege.Copy !req
376. Rushing before all the othersCopy !req
377. was the force
under the command of Yoshitsune.Copy !req
378. So it has been told.Copy !req
379. At Don-no-uro,
on the Shimonoseki Straits,Copy !req
380. the last battle was fought between
the Genji and the Heike clans.Copy !req
381. The Heike had been defeated
in many battles,Copy !req
382. and escaped to the west.Copy !req
383. Here the clan perished
along with the infant emperor.Copy !req
384. Noritsune, governor of Noto province,Copy !req
385. knew this was his last day.Copy !req
386. The Genji rank and file
were no match for him.Copy !req
387. He wanted to cross swords
with Yoshitsune, the Genji commander.Copy !req
388. "Come on, Yoshitsune!" he called.Copy !req
389. The high waves kept them
from reaching the shore,Copy !req
390. and the Genji ships blockedCopy !req
391. the one possible escape route
to the sea.Copy !req
392. They waited with arrows in their bows.Copy !req
393. The Heike crew were all dead.Copy !req
394. And the Heike ships
had nowhere to go.Copy !req
395. Some sank.Copy !req
396. Some went adrift.Copy !req
397. The long contestCopy !req
398. between the two samurai clansCopy !req
399. was reaching its end.Copy !req
400. Lady Nii watchedCopy !req
401. all of this unfold.Copy !req
402. She held the infant emperor
in her arms.Copy !req
403. "I may be a woman,Copy !req
404. "but I will not die
at the enemy's hands.Copy !req
405. "I will escort His MajestyCopy !req
406. "to the next world.Copy !req
407. "If you share my devotion,Copy !req
408. "waste no time in following us."Copy !req
409. Thereafter, that sea and its shoresCopy !req
410. have been haunted for 700 years.Copy !req
411. Thousands of strange crabs,
called "Heike crabs",Copy !req
412. with human faces on their shells,
can be found there.Copy !req
413. After the Amidaji Temple
was built at AkamagaharaCopy !req
414. to console the souls
of the dead samurai...Copy !req
415. many strange things
began to take place.Copy !req
416. Hoichi.Copy !req
417. Hoichi.Copy !req
418. Ah, there you are.Copy !req
419. Be careful not to fall into the well.Copy !req
420. I will.Copy !req
421. The priest wants you
to look after things.Copy !req
422. We were just asked to lead
a wake at a patron's home.Copy !req
423. I'll do that.Copy !req
424. There's some watermelon inside.
Eat it while it's cold.Copy !req
425. Thank you.Copy !req
426. Very good.Copy !req
427. I urged him to be very careful.Copy !req
428. He's still new here.Copy !req
429. I think he'll be all right.Copy !req
430. Who's there?Copy !req
431. Master, have you returned?Copy !req
432. No one would visit
the temple at this hour.Copy !req
433. Maybe it was just my imagination.Copy !req
434. Hoichi.Copy !req
435. Who's calling me?Copy !req
436. I'm blind, and I've not been
living here long.Copy !req
437. I thought somebody
was out on the grounds.Copy !req
438. I've been impolite. Forgive me.Copy !req
439. There's nothing to fear.Copy !req
440. I'm staying near this temple,Copy !req
441. and I've been sent here
with a message.Copy !req
442. My lord, a man of very high rank,Copy !req
443. is now staying here in Akamagahara
with his numerous attendants.Copy !req
444. He wanted to see
the old battle site at Dan-no-ura,Copy !req
445. so we went there today.Copy !req
446. I see.Copy !req
447. Since childhood
you've shown uncanny skillCopy !req
448. at reciting
the story of the battle.Copy !req
449. They say you even
surpass your teacher.Copy !req
450. My lord desires
to hear your performance.Copy !req
451. Take your biwa and come with me
to our manor at once.Copy !req
452. That's very gracious of him.Copy !req
453. But I'm hardly worthy
of his attention.Copy !req
454. You wouldn't disobey
his command, would you?Copy !req
455. You said your lord is high in rank.
He must be a great man.Copy !req
456. Yes. You normally wouldn't be
admitted into his presence.Copy !req
457. I don't deserve such good fortune.Copy !req
458. Open the gate!Copy !req
459. You inside!Copy !req
460. I've brought Hoichi.Copy !req
461. Take off your sandals.Copy !req
462. Another victim.Copy !req
463. Got washed up here.Copy !req
464. Must have been
the sea ghosts again.Copy !req
465. I saw will-o'-the-wisps last night.Copy !req
466. Yasaku!Copy !req
467. Good morning.Copy !req
468. Where's Hoichi?Copy !req
469. He's still not back.Copy !req
470. - Still?
- That's right.Copy !req
471. Is it true that none of you noticed
when he left last night?Copy !req
472. Well...Copy !req
473. I thought he'd gone to bed.Copy !req
474. - Another ship sank last night.
- Whose?Copy !req
475. Gonemon's.
He was out catching squid.Copy !req
476. His family's here
to request a service.Copy !req
477. - Is that so?
- I told the priest.Copy !req
478. I see. What a terrible pity.Copy !req
479. I wonder if there
really are sea ghosts.Copy !req
480. It seems so.Copy !req
481. I've never seen them.
You think they're real, Donkai?Copy !req
482. For those who believe, they are.
For those who don't, they aren't.Copy !req
483. You and your slippery answers.Copy !req
484. I really believe it.Copy !req
485. Don't try to fool me.
I try to be serious, but you...Copy !req
486. I'm serious, too.Copy !req
487. Is Hoichi back?Copy !req
488. Yes. Are you going out?Copy !req
489. How is he?Copy !req
490. It appears he's asleep.Copy !req
491. What? Since when?Copy !req
492. He returned without our knowing.Copy !req
493. Is that right?Copy !req
494. Staying out all night —
must have had fun.Copy !req
495. I told him to look after things.Copy !req
496. He isn't trustworthy.Copy !req
497. I must prepare Gonemon's
posthumous name and be going.Copy !req
498. We'll have another wake tonight.Copy !req
499. It's going to be hot again today.Copy !req
500. You startled me,
sitting in the dark like that.Copy !req
501. I wondered who you were.Copy !req
502. What's the matter?Copy !req
503. What's the matter?Copy !req
504. Everyone else is gone,Copy !req
505. and Matsuzo has gone home,
so I'm all alone.Copy !req
506. I thought you were asleep,Copy !req
507. so I mistook you for a ghost.Copy !req
508. Now I'm soaking wet.Copy !req
509. I'm so sorry.Copy !req
510. That's all right.
You haven't had your breakfast yet.Copy !req
511. Just where did you go
last night?Copy !req
512. Your breakfast is still here.
It hasn't gone bad.Copy !req
513. Hurry up and eat.Copy !req
514. There's aubergine
from last night's supper too.Copy !req
515. Thank you.Copy !req
516. Donkai and the priest
were very worried about you.Copy !req
517. Where did you go and why?Copy !req
518. Were they that worried?Copy !req
519. Don't act like you don't know.Copy !req
520. You're too young
to stay out all night.Copy !req
521. You find a girl somewhere?Copy !req
522. Of course not.Copy !req
523. There was just something
I'd forgotten to do.Copy !req
524. Really?Copy !req
525. You and your girl must grope
each other like this.Copy !req
526. "This is your rump,
and this must be..."Copy !req
527. Hoichi.Copy !req
528. It's the appointed time.
I've come for you.Copy !req
529. Yes, sir.Copy !req
530. You didn't tell anybody?Copy !req
531. No, I didn't.Copy !req
532. You mustn't say a word.Copy !req
533. I understand.Copy !req
534. This is tasty.Copy !req
535. These rice cakes and raw sake
are all I brought from home.Copy !req
536. I'll give Hoichi some
before they lose their flavour.Copy !req
537. He'll be up soon.Copy !req
538. He'll be hungry
when the sun sets.Copy !req
539. I see. What does he do
during the day?Copy !req
540. He sleeps like the dead.Copy !req
541. And his face is so pale.Copy !req
542. It's just the sunlight
reflected off the foliage.Copy !req
543. No.Copy !req
544. Has he said anything?Copy !req
545. Who's there?Copy !req
546. Oh, it's you, Yasaku.Copy !req
547. Oh, Matsuzo!Copy !req
548. When did you come back?Copy !req
549. You were asleep when I got back,
so I didn't wake you.Copy !req
550. Are you feeling sick by chance?Copy !req
551. No.Copy !req
552. Just fatigued from the heat.Copy !req
553. I'll be fine.Copy !req
554. To tell you the truth...Copy !req
555. I've been meaning to ask youCopy !req
556. where you go every night.Copy !req
557. You leave without a word
and stay out until morning.Copy !req
558. What's going on?Copy !req
559. Tell me: why do you do it?Copy !req
560. In the middle of the night,
without telling anyone,Copy !req
561. you just leave,
night after night.Copy !req
562. Won't you at least tell me?Copy !req
563. Everyone's suspicious,Copy !req
564. but I've told them
we can trust you.Copy !req
565. Nonetheless...Copy !req
566. it's dangerous for a blind man
to be out wandering alone.Copy !req
567. I could have Yasaku or Matsuzo
accompany you.Copy !req
568. Just where have you been going?Copy !req
569. Won't you tell me?Copy !req
570. Forgive me.Copy !req
571. I'm not doing anything suspicious.Copy !req
572. I remembered some things
I needed to do,Copy !req
573. so I went out,
heedless of the hour.Copy !req
574. I'll be more careful
from now on.Copy !req
575. What things
did you need to do?Copy !req
576. Trivial matters.Copy !req
577. I'm terribly sorry I worried you.Copy !req
578. I see.Copy !req
579. Master! Master!Copy !req
580. Master!Copy !req
581. Yasaku, what's happened?Copy !req
582. - It's Hoichi!
- What's happened to him?Copy !req
583. He went out again just now!Copy !req
584. Went out?Copy !req
585. What are you waiting for?
Hurry and follow him!Copy !req
586. Take Matsuzo with you,
and don't let Hoichi see you.Copy !req
587. Hurry!Copy !req
588. Take this. Hurry!Copy !req
589. Where's Matsuzo?Copy !req
590. - Come on, hurry!
- I can't light it.Copy !req
591. Now the seeing are disabled!Copy !req
592. - Hurry!
- You go on ahead.Copy !req
593. But it's dark.Copy !req
594. Nighttime usually is!Copy !req
595. But the thunder...Copy !req
596. Who cares? Get going!Copy !req
597. Matsuzo!Copy !req
598. Yasaku! Matsuzo!Copy !req
599. What are you doing?
Get going!Copy !req
600. Which way?Copy !req
601. That way?Copy !req
602. He can't have gotten far.Copy !req
603. Go that way!Copy !req
604. Run!Copy !req
605. Yasaku!Copy !req
606. We have to stick together.
Come on!Copy !req
607. His Majesty wants you
to feel at home.Copy !req
608. You play the biwa beautifully...Copy !req
609. and every night
you perform the tale of the Heike,Copy !req
610. composed of a hundred parts.Copy !req
611. His Majesty is delighted.Copy !req
612. I believe we are all pleased.Copy !req
613. You are most kind.Copy !req
614. As I explained...Copy !req
615. besides the main story,
there are 19 secret piecesCopy !req
616. and five esoteric pieces.Copy !req
617. It would be hard
to perform them all.Copy !req
618. Tonight I will recite
whichever section you wish.Copy !req
619. Whichever is appropriate.Copy !req
620. "The Battle of Dan-no-ura".Copy !req
621. That is the most moving part
of the story.Copy !req
622. Indeed! The final battle!Copy !req
623. Yes, "The Battle of Dan-no-ura".Copy !req
624. In that case, Hoichi...Copy !req
625. we wish to hear
"The Battle of Dan-no-ura".Copy !req
626. It was early in the morningCopy !req
627. of March 24th,Copy !req
628. in the second year
of the Genryaku eraCopy !req
629. that the Genji and Heike clansCopy !req
630. at Dan-no-uraCopy !req
631. fought their last sea battle.Copy !req
632. Hey, let's go back, Matsuzo!Copy !req
633. This is awful.Copy !req
634. That kid's really making us suffer.Copy !req
635. It's just cruel!Copy !req
636. They shot arrows
at each other for a time,Copy !req
637. then the Genji ships moved
in the rapid currentCopy !req
638. and sailed into the midst
of the Heike ships.Copy !req
639. Friend was mixed with foe.Copy !req
640. The straits were filled with ships,Copy !req
641. like dead leaves carpeting
the waves of a river.Copy !req
642. At that moment,Copy !req
643. Lord Tomomori,
a Heike warrior, stood up.Copy !req
644. "Listen, men.Copy !req
645. "The fate of our clanCopy !req
646. "rests on this battle.Copy !req
647. "Why begrudge losing your lives?Copy !req
648. "Fight well, men!Copy !req
649. "That's all I ask..."Copy !req
650. Thus he cried out
two times, three times.Copy !req
651. "Though you were born
an emperor,"Copy !req
652. said Lady Nii,Copy !req
653. "Your good fortune has run out.Copy !req
654. "Amida will welcome you
in the Western Pure Land.Copy !req
655. "Hurry and invoke
Amida Buddha's sacred name.Copy !req
656. "Beneath the waves,Copy !req
657. "another capital city awaits..."Copy !req
658. Hoichi!Copy !req
659. Hoichi!Copy !req
660. Holding the infant emperor
in her arms,Copy !req
661. she threw herself
into the fathomless sea.Copy !req
662. Hoichi!Copy !req
663. - Hoichi!
- What are you doing?Copy !req
664. How dare you interrupt me
before this noble assembly!Copy !req
665. What are you saying?
You must be mad.Copy !req
666. He's possessed!Copy !req
667. Let's go home. Hurry!Copy !req
668. You'll be dead if you stay here.Copy !req
669. Come on!Copy !req
670. You'll be punished for taking me away.
Let me go!Copy !req
671. Listen to us. Come home!Copy !req
672. Let go of me!Copy !req
673. - Leave me alone.
- Come home!Copy !req
674. It's the priest's orders!Copy !req
675. Let me go!Copy !req
676. Have you gone mad?Copy !req
677. Let me go!Copy !req
678. Why didn't you
tell me this sooner?Copy !req
679. Poor boy.Copy !req
680. Now you're in great danger.Copy !req
681. No doubt they drew you inCopy !req
682. for your exceptional musical skills.Copy !req
683. You haven't been visiting a manorCopy !req
684. but a graveyard.Copy !req
685. The spirits of the entire
Heike clan are interred there.Copy !req
686. You've been led night after night
into a cemetery.Copy !req
687. You must be aware of that by now.Copy !req
688. You understand?Copy !req
689. Last night you sat before
the grave of Emperor Antoku.Copy !req
690. You've imagined the whole thing.Copy !req
691. It's all been an illusion...Copy !req
692. except the visits of the dead.Copy !req
693. You mean a spirit
really did come here?Copy !req
694. Yes.Copy !req
695. A spirit did come.
That's a fact.Copy !req
696. Once you do
what a spirit tells you,Copy !req
697. you put yourself in its power.Copy !req
698. If you continue to obey...Copy !req
699. you'll be possessed,
perhaps even killed.Copy !req
700. In either case...Copy !req
701. you'll be dead sooner or later.Copy !req
702. So the spirit will come
to the grounds again tonight?Copy !req
703. Tonight...Copy !req
704. after we leave for the service...Copy !req
705. sit down on the veranda and wait.Copy !req
706. The spirit will surely come for you.Copy !req
707. But whatever happens...Copy !req
708. do not answer.Copy !req
709. And do not move.Copy !req
710. Say nothing and sit still...Copy !req
711. as if in meditation.Copy !req
712. You understand?Copy !req
713. If you stir or make a sound,Copy !req
714. you'll be torn to pieces.Copy !req
715. To escape his wrath,
control your fear,Copy !req
716. and don't even think
of calling for help.Copy !req
717. Even if you cry out,
there's no one who can help you.Copy !req
718. Remain absolutely silent.
Is that clear?Copy !req
719. Don't speak or move,
and you will make it through alive.Copy !req
720. I won't move.Copy !req
721. I won't make a sound.Copy !req
722. You understand?Copy !req
723. - No matter what?
- No matter what.Copy !req
724. I promise.Copy !req
725. Donkai, you've covered every inch
of his body with The Heart Sutra?Copy !req
726. From his face, to his fingertips,
to the soles of his feet.Copy !req
727. Good.Copy !req
728. "I entrust my soul
to Amida Buddha..."Copy !req
729. Hoichi.Copy !req
730. No answer.Copy !req
731. This won't do.Copy !req
732. Where is he?Copy !req
733. I must find him.Copy !req
734. What do we have here?
There's his biwa.Copy !req
735. But where's the biwa player?Copy !req
736. Ears!Copy !req
737. No wonder he didn't answer.Copy !req
738. He has no mouth to answer with.Copy !req
739. There's nothing left of him
but his ears.Copy !req
740. This is very strange.Copy !req
741. Very well.Copy !req
742. I'll explain all of this to my lord...Copy !req
743. and take these ears along as proof.Copy !req
744. Yes... I must prove
that I carried out my orders.Copy !req
745. Blood!Copy !req
746. Master!Copy !req
747. It thins out toward the rear gate!Copy !req
748. Hoichi!Copy !req
749. Hoichi!Copy !req
750. Are you there?Copy !req
751. Hoichi!Copy !req
752. My goodness!Copy !req
753. Hurry and clean it up.Copy !req
754. What happened to Hoichi?Copy !req
755. His ears were torn off.Copy !req
756. What?Copy !req
757. His ears?Copy !req
758. But why his ears?Copy !req
759. Both of them?Copy !req
760. Donkai.Copy !req
761. Does the ghost like ears?Copy !req
762. That's not a piece of dried squid!Copy !req
763. It was a grievous oversight
on our part.Copy !req
764. I tried to cover his entire body.Copy !req
765. You forgot to write
the sutra on his ears.Copy !req
766. I feel terrible.Copy !req
767. No matter how many times
you say that,Copy !req
768. his ears won't grow back.Copy !req
769. I should have checked
one last time.Copy !req
770. I was careless.Copy !req
771. I never imagined
it would take his ears away.Copy !req
772. There's nothing we can do now.Copy !req
773. We must help his wounds
heal as quickly as possible.Copy !req
774. But be glad.Copy !req
775. He traded his ears for his life.
He's out of danger now.Copy !req
776. You mean we won't see
those visitors again?Copy !req
777. They'll come no more.Copy !req
778. Hoichi the Earless
has recently risen to sudden fame.Copy !req
779. My lord would like
to hear him play the biwa.Copy !req
780. My lord heard of the strange story.Copy !req
781. He will spare no expense.Copy !req
782. By his order,
I've come to take Hoichi with me.Copy !req
783. - He's here again.
- What?Copy !req
784. With a full retinue.Copy !req
785. This time
it's a full retinue of women!Copy !req
786. I can't tell who's fake
and who's real.Copy !req
787. Maybe the ghost is among them.Copy !req
788. Hoichi.Copy !req
789. Just refuse and tell them
you have too many offers.Copy !req
790. No.Copy !req
791. As long as I live...Copy !req
792. I'll continue to play the biwa.Copy !req
793. I'll play with all my soul
to mourn those thousands of spirits...Copy !req
794. who burn with bitter hatred.Copy !req
795. Soon money and gifts
began pouring into the templeCopy !req
796. from for and wide.Copy !req
797. Hoichi the Earless
became a very wealthy man.Copy !req
798. THE YEAR 1900
(YEAR 32 OF THE MEIJI ERA)Copy !req
799. Some of the old tales of JapanCopy !req
800. have come down to us
in curiously unfinished form.Copy !req
801. Why were they left unfinished?Copy !req
802. Perhaps the writer was lazy.Copy !req
803. Perhaps he had a quarrel
with his publisher.Copy !req
804. Perhaps he was suddenly
called away from his little deskCopy !req
805. and never returned.Copy !req
806. Perhaps Death stopped
his writing brushCopy !req
807. in the middle of a sentence.Copy !req
808. In any event, nobody can sayCopy !req
809. why there's no ending.Copy !req
810. But I would like to record here
one such example.Copy !req
811. It was 220 years ago today —Copy !req
812. New Year's Day
in the fourth year of the Tenna era.Copy !req
813. IN A CUP OF TEACopy !req
814. Lord Sado Nakagawa was making
his round of New Year's visits.Copy !req
815. He stopped with his entourage
at his family temple in Hongo.Copy !req
816. You may now
assume your duties.Copy !req
817. I shall relieve you in the morning.Copy !req
818. I am Heinai Shikibu.Copy !req
819. I met you earlier today
for the first time.Copy !req
820. You don't seem to recognise me.Copy !req
821. I don't recognise you.Copy !req
822. Nonetheless...Copy !req
823. I'd like to hear how
you gained entry to this manor.Copy !req
824. Ah, so you don't recognise me?Copy !req
825. I've never met you.Copy !req
826. Furthermore, a lord's compound
is guarded day and night.Copy !req
827. No one can enter unannounced.Copy !req
828. I don't see how you could fail
to recognise me.Copy !req
829. Just this morning
you caused me great harm!Copy !req
830. Intruder!Copy !req
831. All hands, fall in!Copy !req
832. There's an intruder!Copy !req
833. All hands, fall in!Copy !req
834. Kannai!Copy !req
835. Nobody was seen
entering or leaving the compound.Copy !req
836. But I saw him.Copy !req
837. Nobody in the clan has ever
heard of a Heinai Shikibu.Copy !req
838. I lunged at his throat!Copy !req
839. - Did you strike him?
- That's the strange part.Copy !req
840. We looked everywhere.
Not a drop of blood.Copy !req
841. Kannai!Copy !req
842. Stranger still, he passed
through the wall without a sound.Copy !req
843. Passed through the wall?Copy !req
844. You mean to say
he vanished into a wall?Copy !req
845. Yes.Copy !req
846. - Without a sound?
- That's correct.Copy !req
847. That explains
Why we couldn't find him.Copy !req
848. After all, he vanished into the wall.Copy !req
849. You're tired.
You're seeing things.Copy !req
850. No, I'm sure I saw him.Copy !req
851. Men!Copy !req
852. Where did the intruder go?Copy !req
853. Doesn't anybody know?Copy !req
854. He's lightning fast!Copy !req
855. Won't you go to bed, brother?Copy !req
856. It's late.Copy !req
857. How are Mother and Father?Copy !req
858. They already went to sleep.Copy !req
859. Could you ask the servant
to bring some sake to help me sleep?Copy !req
860. Are you still anxious
about last night?Copy !req
861. No. I'm off duty tonight.Copy !req
862. I just want to sleep soundly.Copy !req
863. Excuse me, sir.Copy !req
864. What is it?Copy !req
865. We have visitors, sir.Copy !req
866. What?Copy !req
867. Who? Where?Copy !req
868. At the entrance.Copy !req
869. At this hour?Copy !req
870. What do they want?Copy !req
871. They say they'd like
a brief conversation with you.Copy !req
872. - Didn't they give their names?
- No.Copy !req
873. There are three of them.Copy !req
874. I am Kannai.Copy !req
875. I'm Bungo Matsuoka.Copy !req
876. I'm Kyuzo Dobashi.Copy !req
877. I'm Heiroku Okamura.Copy !req
878. We're retainers of Heinai Shikibu.Copy !req
879. Heinai Shikibu!Copy !req
880. That's right.Copy !req
881. When our master visited you
last night,Copy !req
882. you struck him with your sword.Copy !req
883. He was badly hurtCopy !req
884. and has gone to a hot spring
to tend to his wound.Copy !req
885. I'm sorry to hear that.Copy !req
886. But he will return
on the 16th of next monthCopy !req
887. and come to pay his respects...
and avenge himself!Copy !req
888. What?Copy !req
889. There you are!Copy !req
890. "And then..."Copy !req
891. But here the old tale ends.Copy !req
892. No, I didn't see him go out.Copy !req
893. He's been writing all day.Copy !req
894. That's because of my deadline.Copy !req
895. I'm his publisher.Copy !req
896. He couldn't have left.
I'm certain of it.Copy !req
897. Well, I just dropped in to give him
my New Year's greetings.Copy !req
898. Would you like to wait inside?Copy !req
899. I can imagine
several possible endings.Copy !req
900. But none of them
would leave you satisfied.Copy !req
901. I'll just leave it to you to imagine
for yourself the best endingCopy !req
902. to a story about a man
who swallowed another's soul.Copy !req
903. A man who swallows a soul...Copy !req
904. THE ENDCopy !req