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A JAPANESE ART THEATRE GUILD DISTRIBUTION
COPRODUCED BY SOZOSHA AND JAPANESE ATG
Furniture by Takashimaya Department Store Futons by Sugimuraya Sake by Yamamoto & Ota Tesuzo Shoten
Wedding Kyoto Grand Hotel Ceremonies Koekisha & Yamamoto Masao Buddhist Altars Yamanaka Daibutsudo
Carpets & Curtains by Kurare Inc. Gala gowns by Watabe Wear Ship by Oshima Transport Inc.
IN COOPERATION WITH DAIEI STUDIOS, KYOTO
PRODUCED BY SOZOSHA
A FILM COMMEMORATING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF ATG
THE CEREMONY
SCREENPLAY TAMURA Tsutomu SASAKI Mamoru OSHIMA Nagisa
MUSIC TAKEMITSU Toru
CINEMATOGRAPHY NARUSHIMA Toichiro
STAFF
ART DIRECTION TODA Jusho
LIGHT YAMASHITA Reijiro
SOUND NISHIZAKI Hideo
EDITOR URAOKA Keiichi
SOUND RECORDING AND EDITING
ASSISTANT DIRECTION CONTINUITY AND ASSISTANT PRODUCER
COSTUMES, MAKE UP AND HAIR DESIGN
CAST
KAWARAZAKI Kenzo
KAKU Atsuko
NAKAMURA Atsuo TSUCHIYA Kyoshi
OTOWA Nobuko
KOMATSU Hosei TOURA Rokko WATANABE Fumio
KAWARASAKI Shizue HARA Chisako TAKAYAMA Maki MITOBE Sue
TSUBAKI Ryuichi NARUSHIMA Yumi OTA Yoshiaki TSUBAKI Yukihiro
OSAWA Eitaro TONOYAMA Yasuji
KOYAMA Akiko
SATO Kei
PRODUCED BY KUZUI Kinshiro YAMAGUCHI Takuji
DIRECTOR OSHIMA Nagisa
THE CEREMONY
That's embarrassing, yes, especially for me
In any case, I ask you to wait one more day...
You can change the time...
...and take a later plane?
If we don't hurry up...
...we won't have the time to confirm the obituary in the newspaper
In fact, he's more important to me than my grandfather.
I'm counting on you.
If it concerns Terumichi, I have to take care of it.
The telegram was addressed to me
I was the only one who knew where he was
What are we going to...?
I didn't want to imply that we necessarily have to go together
How long would it take to get down there by train?
Three hours with the Shinkansen to Osaka...
...and from there on I'll take the Kirishima to arrive at Kyushu...
...at 11:50 am tomorrow. The ship leaves Kagoshima at 5 pm
and arrives on the island at 10 pm the next evening
I'm asking myself if I should go
Why?
Such a long journey that can't be supported
The telegram from Terumichi wasn't a joke
Announcing his own...
No, he doesn't have the habit to lie
If it's true, nobody is left but you and me
You will live as long as your grandfather, until you will have turned 89 years
Maybe older, 100 years...
Are you making fun of me?
No, I'm serious
What do you think we are for each other?
Relatives
That's all?
Relatives who do not see each other except on weddings or funerals.
Really? Would you say the same about Terumichi?
Relatives, who do not see each other except on weddings or funerals.
No, that's not true
From childhood on, since the first time that I've met her...
...I haven't stopped loving Ritsuko
Terumichi, if you hadn't been there, I would have found my fulfillment
Terumichi, if you hadn't been there, my life would have been different
Come on, relative!
What did you say? Me, I have a name Masuo Sakurada
Man of Manchuria. Born in Manchuria.
Terumichi, you caught me
It was just after New Years Day 1947
My mother and I had just been renaturalized from Manchuria
When we approached the family home of the Sakuradas...
...the village people told us that this particular day...
...was the first anniversary of my father's death
Then mother told me "From now on, we'll...
"...be living by ourselves and make a living on our own, just the two of us, alright, Masuo?"
And when we started to walk back the way we had come...
...you came after us, to catch us
We had escaped the Russians, the Manchurians and the Koreans
And finally, it was in Japan that we were arrested by the Japanese
They said that the Russian soldiers were all demons
Were they really that terrible?
What?
You're in a desperate mood. I ask you, if they have treated you like a ***?
I've heard that some...
I'm asking about you. If that didn't happen to you with the Russians, how about the Manchurians or the Koreans?
If something like that had happened to me, I would not have returned alive
But why did you just try to run away?
We wanted to live without your help
What? For the Sakurada family, Masuo is irreplaceable
Ah! I forgot! What happened to your younger brother?
Before we arrived at Dairen, he...
Well, that couldn't be avoided. So Masuo will live for two sons
I don't know why, but I didn't look at the photograph of my father
But, even if I had, I wouldn't have learned anything about the reason for his death...
...or to be more exact, the reason for his suicide.
All I knew about my father was, that he had to return to Tokyo...
...on an important mission, shortly before the defeat, in July 1945...
...and that he committed suicide the following year, just after New Years Day 1946
Nobody told me about it, and I didn't want to know more about it.
I didn't want to be considered as a particularly difficult boy
At that time, people didn't talk a lot about these things...
...about the war, the military and the missing persons.
Mom! I can wash myself on my own.
Your mother is sleeping. If I were her, I...
Masuo, it's me, your aunt.
Do you remember me?
I know how to wash myself on my own
Did you forget me? It's already 7 or 8 years ago
Yes, I remember aunt Setsuko
You know, I knew your father since he was your age
Come on, sit down, you'll catch a cold
I'm ashamed
Why?
Because I'm dirty
So what? Are we not relatives?
What's so funny?
I made myself dirty, too
That's my mother, but she never washes me
Boy from Manchuria
Who are you?
I'm an orphan, the child of a war criminal
You must not spy!
War criminal. But as you say, Terumichi, if I may use your words...
...grandfather, who is sitting next to me...
...felt very honoured to be imprisoned at Sugamo, together with Tojo and company
The war crimes Tadashi was talking about...
...were less severe than the ones grandfather committed
They say that his father was still imprisoned in China
He's one of my father's younger brothers, but he had a different mother
It was disgusting to see, how they touched the knees of aunt Setsuko...
...between two arguments.
Later I understood that he imitated Kynichi Tokuda the leader of the communist party
You told me that he was an important person and didn't have...
But nevertheless, this is bizarre, because this communist uncle...
...to me he appeared to be just another war criminal
And not only him.
Be it my father on this photograph...
...or the other people, drinking sake...
...for me they all were nothing but war criminals
Masuo, how is your mother?
She is very weak, for about 2 or 3 months...
It's a very long time to stay in bed, for a woman who has worked as a nurse!
She is my daughter-in-law. From tomorrow on, we will make her work.
But in her state of health...
After all, she must not eat too fast
They say that in India, the half-starved children who devoured their food too fast...
...got dysentery and died soon after
The same goes for you, Masuo
And you, too, Mother-In-Law
Eating less, you'll be better off
It would be good, Masuo, if you would stay here in the countryside with grandmother
In Tokyo, there is nothing but waste that the Americans...
...use to fatten their pigs
Yes
Idiot!
I'll take his father's place and responsibility and take Masuo with me to Tokyo...
to complete his education
But isn't Masuo your...
What?
Well, isn't he your own son?
What'd you mean?
Well, but...
Well, but what?
Isn't it possible?
Me and Susumu, we have the privilege of being your legitimate sons...
...though we are the sons of your mistress, but Mamoru...
For Terumichi, things are almost sure, and about Setsuko...
...and her daughter, you'll never know who her father...
And finally, there is 7 years-old Tadashi
Am I not an all important person, even for the Communist Party
Isn't it your Communist Party that turns everything into common property?
A nurse that sleeps for two months, have you ever seen something alike?
Russia, Russia. All in all, Russia is disgusting
Masuo, the Russian soldiers, were they dressed in red?
No
Ha! Everybody is convinced something has happened...
...between Kiku and the Russian soldiers.
In sum, you insinuate that a Russian soldier could act like grandfather
A lie, a horrible lie!
That's demagogy. The Russian soldiers were friendly
Hmm? Weren't they, Masuo?
Masuo, what's your answer?
They gave me brown bread. In Russia, they call it...
They called it Za... Za... Zakuska
And you accepted it nevertheless, didn't you?
Yes
And your mother, Masuo, what did she get?
I don't know.
Have you been separated from your mother, in the concentration camp or elsewhere?
That's what I thought.
In front of this child...
Masuo!
I perfectly like your habit
What are you doing, Terumichi?
Disinfection, disinfection! All of Japan will be disinfected...
May I offer you some sake
I'll take one, too
All right, let's drink together
Thank you very much
Do you want one, too?
Terumichi, that was the first sake of my life. What did it taste like?
I can't remember everything, for I was dazed. You dazed me
You'll get better, if you sleep a little
What is it? What is it?
A mole? A toad?
Masuo, move. Let me listen
So what? I don't hear anything
But you do
What? What do I hear?
Tell me, in Manchuria, did you eat snakes?
Under the clear sun of Manchuria, Masuo ate snakes...
Can you hear it? What do you hear?
Get up, you're no kid anymore
They buried him
What did they bury? A treasure?
Who did they bury?
My younger brother
They buried a baby who was still breathing
They covered it with earth, but I had the impression it was still crying...
...and so I put my ear on the ground
Mom had to drag me away with all her force
And then we had to run like crazy to get back into the column...
that was marching on
Under the clear sun of Manchuria, Masuo buried...
Tadashi, you won't tell anything of this to anybody
That's a man's promise
May I make this promise, too?
Masuo, ask your mother not to tell this story to anybody
Terumichi, you asked me whether we played baseball in Manchuria
I liked your question
In fact, I was trained by a professional from the Manchurian railway club
Of course, Ritsuko and Tadashi didn't manage to catch my balls
And even you had problems with your left hand in case you caught one
At that moment, I felt...
...something like sympathy for you for the first time
Before that, I only knew...
...that your late mother had been my fathers fiancee
Grandmother was obsessed with the idea that her only son...
...had to marry a girl from a good family
Since we were very young, they tried to make us rival against each other
But then I didn't know yet, whom your mother had married...
...and why you found yourself alone in the Sakurada family
Strike!
No, Mom. It isn't fair
Masuo has to throw more gently
No, Masuo
Throw them with all your force
Your father used to play with that glove you're wearing, you know
He was very strong
I was one of his supporters, and I cried when he lost
Shall we change?
Could you sleep?
Nothing but bizarre dreams
Of what kind?
They have nothing to do with you
So, if you sleep another while, me, I'll think for a moment
It's better not to think too much, you know
Do you remember when we played baseball...
...after the first memory service for my father
First anniversary... in 1947...
...we didn't play baseball
But, I'm sure. You took the bat and Terumichi was the catcher
No, you're mixing things up. Only you played baseball. Yes, only you
But that's not true. Your mother, Setsuko was the referee
She praised me for my good throw
You want to tell me that my mother has lead you, so you became what you are?
Setsuko, aunt Setsuko, you were there, weren't you?
I stopped playing baseball. It's over, I stopped playing
Mom, I stopped playing baseball
Aunt Setsuko, no! Setsuko!
I could feel your eyes on my back
Being absent while my mother died...
...I was resigned to be blamed by everyone for the most part by grandfather
But you, Setsuko, the way you looked at me, blamed me the most
It stuck in my heart
I felt ashamed by it, but physically it hit me like a pleasant shock
In 1952, Masuo Sakurada, leader of the sports team of Komatsugawa high school...
...represented the Tokyo high schools at the National Baseball Tournament in Osaka
The evening before the quarter finals, I received a phone call that Mom had fallen into agony
The next day, during the 8th inning of the quarter finals...
...I missed the ball that decided the match
The score of 0:0 was lost
Just at that very moment, Mom died
Thinking about her, she was a very unhappy woman, full of sorrows
She wasn't with her husband when he died, and she didn't see her son before her death
That was her destiny
In Manchuria, Mom seemed to be happy
Indeed!
Yes, she should be overjoyed...
...to be buried in the Sakurada's family grave!
Terumichi's mother wasn't that lucky
Do you think it is luck to be buried in the Sakurada's family grave?
For women it doesn't matter much
All that matters, is you, Terumichi, and you, Masuo
Japan has become independent
It is your duty to stand firm and correct by the nation...
...that has been changed by the blow of the defeat
Remember the rows of souls of those who disappeared, who died for the Fatherland!
You, Masuo and Terumichi, you must not follow the example...
...of grandfather nor Masuo's father
What a horrible conversation. It feels as if Molotov cocktails were flying back and forth!
You know, Masuo, your father wasn't that type of pigheaded militarist...
...who starts to run amok like a bull in front of a red cloth
You defend him. Didn't you have a love affair with him?
You are offensive
You should get married soon
If there's enough room at your place, I'm ready to invite myself
Ritsuko, you will marry Masuo or Terumichi
That goes without saying.
The honorable Sakurada family has lost men of great value in the war
There is no reason to tell such dirty lies...
...because no part of the family is satisfied
The only ones satisfied, are you and me
Despite our 9 years of separation?
From now on, you'll be allowed to come back, and live with me
No, let's leave it as it was, for the education of Terumichi...
...both of us...
For his education, you will come back, and live with me
Terumichi, will you study law, to become a civil servant, too?
What a disgusting education, isn't it?
I've already abandoned university
Ah! You will become a worker and pursue practical activities?
What does "practical activities" mean?
For Uncle Isamu, as a Party member...
..."practical activities" might mean, for example...
...to make everything in common, the production of children...
...with women to his left, and women to his right
Terumichi, how old are you?
I'm 20
And you, Masuo?
I'm 19 years old
I'm 16, grandma
You said "it goes without saying" before
That's really impossible
In a word, Ritsuko, you have to love one of them
Setsuko, after all that happened, I don't know what you told Ritsuko
It seemed as if you turned down Ritsuko
Setsuko, on that particular evening, did you foresee what would happen?
Will you even burn that glove?
Give it to me, I'll give you something else in exchange
What will that be?
Do you really think you can definitely abandon baseball?
Yes. I'll definitely start university next year
Then you shouldn't be surprised to read in the morning papers that...
"Young champion Masuo Sakurada cries a river...
...for his beloved mourned mother"
I don't care anymore.
I played baseball, but I hated it from the beginning
But, isn't it the only thing that you can hold on to now?
You say that now there's nothing else left to support me?
It's just that, I cannot be the one, who...
lf...
No, but in the place of...
This is the last will of your father, Kanichiro Sakurada
He asked me to preserve it, and to give it to you on your 20th birthday
I didn't read it myself
Why did you hide that in your heart for 6 years?
I didn't especially hide it
Shortly before his death, Kanichiro came to me and insisted...
...that I should hand it over to Masuo
Kanichiro didn't leave me a testament
I have the right to know what he had in mind before he died
I only respect his last will. No more, no less
What do you mean by "no more, no less"?
Before his death, didn't Kanichiro pay you a visit?
This was an unmoral and disgraceful act
But from the very beginning, morality has been exceeded
You drove a wedge between your own son and his fiancee...
...only to possess her for yourself! That's the kind of morality which...
Shut up! Masuo, I'll call you later
And what else?
I loved Kanichiro. And I believe that Kanichiro loved me
I am an illegitimate child, by an unknown father, whose mother...
...who was your sister, fled the family
Therefore you opposed our marriage
You, with all your power... and me, a 19 year-old, beseeching you with my tears...
What do you complain about?
Didn't I adopt you as my daughter, and didn't I marry you to a...
...influential, pro-Japanese, Chinese personality?
I don't want to talk about that
That was afterwards
I had met Kanichiro in China a couple of times again
Despite my feelings for him, that's all that happened
On what did he count then?
When Kanichiro came to see me, he already had decided to die
We opposed you. He, with his 22 years, and me, with my 19...
You boast about this!
No, I don't boast about it.
I'm just telling you the truth
So don't you think that we should put an end to all that truth?
Setsuko, come nearer
If I approach you, do you think you really can put an end to it?
I don't know for sure, but I'm determined to
I didn't have the courage to listen to your secrets any longer
Neither did I have the courage to come to your help, Setsuko
Anyway, what could I have done?
And you, could you have helped me?
Setsuko, even now, I deceive myself
The truth is that you were my first love
Grandfather, is this the beginning of a lesson?
You don't understand.
It's the end of a lesson!
So, let me study it
The conclusion from this is already fixed
Be my first teacher
My lips
My breast, too
Now the other one
No, don't hurry, stay calm
Did you arrive in time?
Yes, I like these ceremonies, because lots of things happen
We have to stay through them, until the end
Who is your father?
Why do you suddenly ask this question?
When you lived in Manchuria, did my father come to visit you?
Yes, I remember very well... three or four times
So what?
What are you after, Masuo?
Your father and my mother... I'm... their daughter!
Can you imagine that?
I don't think that it was possible, but...
And even if it was possible, so what?
In this case we would be...
What?
Brother and sister
Despite coming from Tokyo, you're very thoughtful
Anyway, I'd like to be your sister...
Brother and sister...
Yes. Talk to me as if you were my brother
I'm notable to talk right now
Okay, practical activities; kiss me!
As a brother, kiss me here
What are you doing? Now, we are no longer sister and brother!
Mom's funeral was magnificent. In fact it was so grand that the people said...
...that grandfather had offered himself his own funeral during his lifetime
Just before he was rehabilitated, grandfather had become vice president...
...of a public engineering enterprise
A lot of people visited to congratulate him
Setsuko, in his last will my father wrote
"When you have grown up, Japan will crumble under a communist regime.
You, my son, you will gather your companions around you and start fighting them
In fact, he was mistaken
He wrote these lines on January 1st, 1946. The emperor had just been obliged to declare...
...in front of the Japanese people that he was nothing but an ordinary human being
My father thought that this would be...
...the end of Japan, and decided to commit suicide
Today it is difficult for me to feel that way
Setsuko, the truth is, by starting university I wanted to stop playing baseball...
...and become politically active
But, I don't want to imagine that you are the reason for this decision
And you, Setsuko, you cried a long time at the coffin of my mother
But your tears, for whom did you shed them?
KAGOSHIMA
There's still some time left. Shall we take a walk?
What?
Once on the ship, you can't turn back
You think I'm not aware of that?
Yes, it happens very often that people don't turn back...
...when they have the opportunity. Afterwards, they regret it.
You're talking about yourself?
Yes, about myself
But you, did you never regret anything?
You want to talk about our kiss?
What is it?
Against seasickness
I'm not afraid of it
The crossing takes about a day
It isn't the first time
When I left Manchuria, renaturalized, the crossing took much longer
But that was a long time ago
It feels like it was only yesterday
It's a return ticket
Of course. You won't stay there, even if...
Even if what?
If Terumichi is alive, I will not need a return ticket
Ritsuko, is this your definition of a life without regrets?
What a horrible face you make!
Returning or not, in any case...
...our life, hasn't it begun with a return, when we had been renaturalized from Manchuria?
Yes, maybe. But if the renaturalization is the regret of the great Japanese empire...
...then we are all children born from this regret
This is valid for Setsuko, as well as you, Ritsuko...
as for the children of war criminals like Tadashi
Go, go, to the future! May it come or not
Like father's pocket money Like the elder's rules
To the married couple! To the married couple!
Happy songs, sad songs, from all the songs I listened to
I can't forget but one, and that's the song of work!
Hallo to you, the young! Hallo! Let's go!
Yes, let's go! Because you are as learned as the English
You use rubber and paper
While the others still use their fingers
to give relief
Fingers aren't necessary anymore! To the bride! To the bride!
Child of the Fatherland, bravely you go to war
Bravely you leave your family
As bravely you return without having shot your three rounds
Drunken with beer and sake But it is the knee of the beauty...
In my dream Heloise has appeared, and she threatened me to cut it off
When I woke up, I looked below my navel. When you have done it with the first girl...
To each his own. It's my turn
Song of my boarding school: "The Cup"
With flowers in the cup With flowers...
With flowers in the cup...
A reflection of the moon in a cup of sake The wealthy city takes a bath in a dream of peace
On the top of the hills that tower above it A dormitory of young people full of energy
A dormitory of young people full of energy
Next one! To you, Susumu!
Go, Susumu! Carry on!
Forget the Chinese prisons and sing "Chinese Nights" for us
"Chinese Nights"
He won't sing
He reflects upon the crimes he committed in China and upon the lessons of President Mao
He wants to be a new democrat, torn by his contradictions
For him it isn't the moment to sing
Susumu, I'm your sister-in-law, and I don't know much
But from now on, we'll try to live...
...for peace, independence and democracy
Arise! ye starvelings, from your slumbers
Arise! ye prisoners of want
For reason in revolt now thunders
- And ends at last the age of cant - Enough, enough, enough...
Ritsuko, let us sing Japanese songs!
Following his lead That carries me away with him
My hair is flying in the wind Dancing wild, cheek to cheek
My kimono, in complete disarray, my shame and joy
The geisha's waltz is a dance of memory
And you, Masuo?
Bold as a demon But with the heart of a man
I leave my mother To go overseas
My friend, my brother, when will we meet again?
What kind of song is this?
"The Soul of the Manchurians"?
What do you mean?
Nothing special
Okay, if Susumu won't sing, we'll pass it on to his son
Tadashi, sing for us!
In 100 places In far off Manchuria
In the twilight of the sun a companion rests under a stone
Attacking the enemy fiercely Always in the first row
Now he takes a rest him, the brave soldier
At my side in the battle He suddenly fell
I rushed to his help disobedient to the rules
Should I have let him die this way With an emergency dressing only
Answer me clearly! Since I was 7 years I haven't seen you anymore
Father, I don't know who you are
Answer me!
What uncle Isamu just said, that's wrong, isn't it?
Enough. If you weren't my father, I wouldn't ask you anything
"If it is for the country, don't be worried about us, Go, and don't hurry to come back!"
Tadashi, those were the times in 1956
I didn't sing, and if I did...
...it would have been a song that cried out
"No to the Atomic Bomb"
Those were the times
That year it was said that the postwar era was over. Your father had finished to serve his sentence
...as war criminal in China, and had been released
But we didn't understand, what our fathers wanted to say
That it was because of this something that was foreboding of a new era, that was beginning to show
That's why my father committed suicide
But you, you've put your father in the shade
That depraved era, for you it was the one, when you were young
It's whiskey. Don't drink that fast
Tadashi, you just made your father lose his face in front of everybody
It's not enough to make him lose his face
What does it take to make people talk who do not want to?
Torture
What?
In the Sakurada family, almost everybody knows what this is
Grandfather practiced it when he worked for the Home Office
Uncle Isamu has been beaten up often enough to stop him from participating in demonstrations
My father did it at first, but later he changed sides
They aren't funny, them, who always want to sing...
Go, call for him
Who? My father?
Idiot!
Angry young men like you will be ruined by alcohol
But a girl, you know...
Yes, you're right. A girl, older than 20 isn't a girl anymore
You want to torture Ritsuko?
That depends on the mood of the moment
You haven't come further than that?
So it was useless, that I spied on you
We were just to begin
So, I'm inviting myself for a moment
You are well hoisting one right now
You, too. Since when?
With your lover, for example?
What lover? I don't have one
And you, Tadashi?
What? That's unthinkable, isn't it?
Nothing is unthinkable
That's true
Tadashi is very angry tonight, watch out for him
Masuo, you really ask me to?
Women aren't enough. I...
You really attach great importance to killing?
Now, after I went to great pains to join you, your conversation is not very interesting
Yes, I want to kill!
What with?
If that's all, you're just a boy
Tadashi!
That's not the way it should be drawn
You hold it with both hands... and with your whole body you aim at your enemy's heart
Because a man who's only hit lightly will not die easy
I do understand that there are people who want to kill others...
...but I don't understand why people want to kill themselves!
Who does?
My mother
Aunt Setsuko? That's none of our business.
Yes it is!
If Setsuko said so, we're totally concerned! Totally concerned!
Why does she want to die?
I don't know. She only said she wants to die
Delusions! That's none of your business!
But yes, it is!
How does it concern us?
Terumichi, you...
It's been 4 years since your mother's funeral that I've seen aunt Setsuko
I don't know the actual state of her soul
Does it not concern this particular day, 4 years ago?
I wasn't there on that particular day
I'll go.
Wait!
But you gave it to me, didn't you?
With an old thing like this you'll only manage to kill one or two people
Are your feelings that weak, that you would be satisfied with this?
Without the will to exterminate, to seize the power and change the society...
...it is useless to take up a weapon
And the weapon of choice for that moment is the rifle
Let me go!
Go and rethink your ideas!
Because I don't like to be with those who want to die...
...I allow myself to stay with you tonight
And quietly listen to you...
...telling about what happened 4 years ago
That's my futon!
Then come in, please!
I remember that we promised to be sister and brother 4 years ago
I hope you don't think it's unfair.
Well, who wants to begin?
The way you're talking, makes it difficult to start
Be more manly! Wasn't it your idea?
Back then, Terumichi was way ahead of me, and in my place
Can you be a bit more specific?
Like this: in this room, Masuo lies to my left and Terumichi to my right
Or: my leg and Terumichi's leg are entangled
So grandfather took Setsuko in his arms
And then?
He caressed her
What?
At that moment, Terumichi entered the room
Grandfather left
Setsuko was lying on her back
I asked her to...
You asked her to...?
Setsuko was tender
What do you mean by "tender"?
As tender as I would have wanted her to be
But it was Terumichi, whom your mother...
Aha! And thereafter we became sister and brother!
We aren't brother and sister
I don't think of it as aunt Setsuko, who gave herself to me, Terumichi
But I think of her as a woman, who gave herself away
That moment, I longed for a female counterpart
Was it only physical?
You think that a female counterpart is only physical?
I don't understand. And besides that, Ritsuko...
Don't be shy
Me, too, would like to know, what this female counterpart means
Have you ever been with a ***?
I did sports, and my older friends took me with them
Nobody visits a *** to find a female counterpart
Even if you go there to find it, you'll always return without it
It's complicated
On the other hand there must be a male counterpart, too...
...and I hope that it isn't as complicated
Terumichi, get up
Male counterpart, female counterpart, all this general talk
However, Setsuko as she was 4 years ago and Setsuko today...
Masuo, do you think that night 4 years ago...
...is related to my mothers current desire to die?
Perhaps it's not immediately related, but...
In this case, what's the aim of our discussion?
A research on masculinity and femininity
Shall I call her?
Me, I...
Will you call her?
No, I don't want to dig deeper into it...
...but I simply want to know how Setsuko feels
Now I understand, what I was looking for
Me, too
What is directly related to that night 4 years ago...
...are your feelings for my mother
Take it as a precaution
Was it by chance that your feelings surfaced...
...and that they were connected with her desire to die?
Tadashi, you saw me entering Setsuko's room
I felt it
I knew it
Setsuko was sleeping peacefully
I looked at her sleeping face
Deep down inside of me, every sensation suddenly died...
...and I recalled what I had been for the last 4 years, until this day
Next spring I entered Kyoto university
Terumichi had become grandfather's secretary in Tokyo...
...and that was probably one of the reasons that I left Tokyo
Terumichi was promoted to so-called secretary, but in fact, he didn't do anything...
...except reading thick tomes
I started to let myself into the world of baseball, again...
...that I had left so seriously
Maybe there was a direct connection, but then it existed for more then 4 years
Tadashi, you remember it, don't you?
Since that day, when the four of us played baseball...
...I had this feeling for Setsuko
Meanwhile you, Tadashi, although you didn't know what was going on in my heart...
...you spied on us for a long time.
It was the proof of your youth
As for me, I wasn't that young anymore
Masuo, Ritsuko was only joking
Don't take it serious
You should know what's going on in a young girl...
This sounds as if I'm old
If I could be in love with someone nowadays...
...I would possibly ask him to die with me
Answer me only one question:
That someone couldn't perhaps be Terumichi?
Did he tell you that?
Yes
I don't know what he told you, but I only gave in to the desires of a young man
That particular moment, and though I wasn't this young anymore...
...he still moved my heart
Setsuko!
What?
Until now, I never did something extraordinary...
...and in the future, I believe I'll be a good-for-nothing
I don't care to die now
You embarrass me
Your father wasn't that generous
If he had been, I would have...
But that was 10 years ago
I have gone through too much, Masuo, but the next time, it will be my funeral
Despite all, I accept your gesture
You won't...
No, I only keep it
Tadashi, did you watch Setsuko's room?
Because, after I had gone, something happened
The next day, Setsuko's body was discovered...
...near the pine tree, behind the house
Nobody opposed grandfather...
...who said that it was suicide
Tadashi, take it!
Tadashi, you didn't move, except for a cold smile
Tadashi, do you know the true reason for Setsuko's death?
During the funeral ceremony, they heavily insisted that it was suicide
But I never suspected grandfather to have killed Setsuko
And it wasn't the reason why I hated grandfather.
In 5 hours we'll arrive on the island
Once arrived, I feel that I will lose you forever...
...your hand...
...your hair...
...your lips...
These lips that have done nothing, but make fun of me, since my childhood
You know the story of the flying Dutchman?
It's the story of a captain who had been cursed by God
Since then he wanders around the seven seas...
...all alone...
...without being able to die
Me too, I am a victim of this curse
I'd like to wander around with you in eternity, torn back and forth between the seas
You know that you're not damned
You only like to be
But I'm no longer able to make fun of your fate
Shall we go on deck?
Ritsuko, if Terumichi's telegram proves true...
...would you marry me?
The appendix!
She'll get an injection
Stay calm
Hello! I just received news...
...that the bride has an inflammation of the appendix, but...
Tadashi!
I'm sorry. Shouldn't I have mentioned it?
That's not the problem
What kind of uniform is this?
This is a police uniform
We aren't in a public place. Go and change!
It's my intention to dedicate myself to the public 24 hours a day
I don't have anything to change, but underwear and pajamas
But you are a member of the Sakurada family
You may excuse yourself from the ceremony
Tadashi, go and change!
If the appendix won't get better...
...what will become of the ceremony?
Don't worry about that, go and change fast!
I don't have the intention to
Did she have a surgery?
So, someone has to go to the hospital...
No, visits are forbidden...
...and anyway, I'll take care of it
What about the ceremony?
Before she had undergone the surgery, we should have...
Isn't the bride just shirking?
Not at all! The bride had problems with her appendix before...
...and after all these wedding preparations...
The notion of "shirking" may be inappropriate...
...but doesn't it give the impression that she's lost all interest in the wedding?
No, she had a real appendix crisis, and in about 5 days...
An appendix is something very practical
If there had been a mirror...
...I'd seen the face of a man who had been abandoned by his future wife
Ritsuko, what face did I make?
At the age of 28, without wanting to...
...I'd marry on request of grandfather
And on top of that, I had been abandoned by my future wife.
But in fact, I had been saved
I was ready to flee, too
It was miserable
I've had 10 years of holidays, and I've had the vague idea to profit from it...
...and to somehow leave on a lonely voyage
The ceremony will take place as planned
Without the bride?
The important members of both families are present
The wedding banquet will be sufficient to officially confirm the marriage
Once the appendix is cured, we'll celebrate in private
Are you sure about that?
What is hiding for once, isn't that easy to be recovered
But we don't live in your era of secret societies anymore
Today the Japanese police is the best in the world
Exactly!
Tadashi, this uniform again!
It was true, we had left behind the troubled post-war era
Only I had a bad time now...
...a brideless wedding ceremony
Now, may I allow myself to present the bride
But before doing so, I'll say a few words
None of these bad customs introduced to Japan from foreign countries...
...after the end of the war, not the tiniest bit has rubbed off on her
She is a perfect and pure Japanese girl
And to prepare herself for this splendid day...
...she has dedicated herself for a month, no, for several months...
...to purify her body and her soul
After she said goodbye to her parents this morning...
...she got ready to leave...
...when all in a sudden she had a dangerous crisis of the appendix
Notwithstanding that, suppressing her suffer, she insisted...
...that the ceremony should pass as planned
But as this ceremony is the matter of a single day...
whereas the marriage is a matter of a whole life
After the parents-in-law have been consulted for their advise...
...I decided to admit her to the hospital
This decision, as well as the splendid enthusiasm of the young wife...
...in my humble opinion, merit great approval
Great politicians are in fact skillful
For the first time I pondered upon the one...
who isn't at my side now
Listening to the talk about the "perfect and pure Japanese girl"...
...I found it bizarre that I ever had believed in it
Right now, where is she hiding herself?
She is far from being afraid of the Japanese police!
It's the husband's turn to cut up the wedding cake
May I ask you to applaud
The bride leaves for a moment to change her dress
Let's accompany her with our applause...
...and open our dinner
The bride returns from changing
May the husband go to meet her
May the husband go to meet her
That's embarrassing!
How long will this comedy go on?
With all these politicians and financiers who are poisoning Japan!
What else do you want me to do?
Denounce such a farce!
If you won't do it!
Outline plan for the reorganization of the new Japan
First the emperor is...
Ritsuko, at that moment we were far from each other
Even if there was this brideless wedding...
...and that little incident, I thought that...
...me, you and Terumichi should have returned to our routine
But what followed found us again, face to face
When Tadashi left the hotel...
...he was hit by a car, and died
Sixth, outline plan of the revolt...
First: acquisition of weapons...
...from our companions, who work for the police...
...the pistols from each of them...
...the basic weapons from each section...
Second: the police depots of ammunition...
...and our companions, who work in these depots...
Come on, come on...
It was her who draw back...
Okay, cry a while
Don't cry
Tadashi was influenced by silly ideas, and he acted stupid
It's normal that he died
No reason for him to be alive
But Tadashi didn't commit suicide!
Somebody killed him!
Yes, he had been wiped out by your communist friends or some other guys!
He was neither killed nor murdered...
...it was a car accident
Yes, an accident
Like the dangerous appendix crisis of the bride
She was shirking
Masuo has been abandoned
I'm not "the man from Manchuria" anymore
Now I'm the abandoned man
Is this the night of a death-watch, or a wedding night?
I understand your feelings
There's nothing to laugh about
Seventh: target of the attack...
...all the secretaries of state
But you won't continue to cry like that for long
It's really funny, isn't it, Masuo?
Perhaps it's better that she decided to stay away
It could have led to an interruption...
...of your wedding night
We were lucky
In fact, what am I crying about?
Was I sad because of Tadashi's sudden death?
Or had the ceremony humiliated me?
Maybe because I was drunk, and wasn't quite sure about myself...
Ritsuko! You didn't say a word, but I felt that you were at my side
I vaguely remember that grandmother and uncle Mamoru...
...were telling stories about wedding nights
I really don't know why I did that
I think it was the alcohol
Well, on the inside of the handkerchief of the bride...
...instructions for the first night are written...
No, there is no writing
There aren't any paper handkerchiefs
Me, too, asked myself during my first night...
...when I saw grandfather's, how this will work...
Grandma, your coat...
What do you want?
Hand it to me
Calm, peaceful, without fear...
Be natural and let me do it
Masuo!
It's my wedding night
Are you crazy?
After all that has happened?
Real, perfect and purely Japanese...
...her ***... her beautiful nipples ...they are mine
Let's call a psychiatrist With a lunatic...
No, let's see, if the people will learn...
Finally we are alone, just the two of us!
There's nothing to be ashamed of.
I love you. Relax your legs
What's this noise?
See yourself, your son!
Pure and perfect Japanese...
...my body is yours, and your body is mine
Masuo, I did believe you were no good at anything but baseball...
But I didn't imagine you to be that stupid!
You, the youngest son of Kazuomi Sakurada!
Real Japanese...
What the heck are you doing? Are you crazy?
Not at all!
...True Japanese!
Leave me alone!
Enough! Leave me alone, idiot!
Pure and perfect Japanese ...Relax your legs...
Isn't that enough now?
You've done enough!
At least for this wedding night, which you are responsible for
"Targets of attack:"
"...b) all the Secretaries of State and Members of Parliament: sentenced to death."
"All the ministries' civil servants and provincial civil servants:"
"...forced labour..."
Relax. If it hurts you, tell me
What are you doing?
Here are these lunatics!
I found him being strange all the time
That's what he really is...
Get out of there!!
Grandma, please tell him to get out!
But why should I? If he's crazy...
...there's nothing we can do about it...
...and he won't listen, anyway
He exaggerates!
Yes, he exaggerates!
Masuo, it's enough now
Ritsuko, if you'd accepted to marry me...
But you know, I've already spent my first wedding night
Terumichi!
Masuo, take Ritsuko's hand
Now we are connected
How I longed to hear that uproar. But where will it lead?
Terumichi, you won't leave us alone!
Ritsuko, if you'd accepted to live with me...
...I would have left this house...
Masuo, promise me to hold her back until I've left
Terumichi!
And me!
He leaves...
He parts...
Yes, he parts...
Ritsuko, as Terumichi told me, I held you close
You could have get away from me, if you had wanted to...
...and have followed him, but you stayed...
...as if you had been spellbound by him
Terumichi decided to leave grandfather, under the condition that...
...I'll marry you and we'll live at grandfather's
But neither Ritsuko, nor me...
...knew anything about this agreement between Terumichi and grandfather
Ritsuko, since that day...
...Terumichi has left grandfather's house in Tokyo and never returned
Later I learned that Terumichi was the child of grandfather...
...and that young girl that had been promised to my father
Shortly after this, grandmother, who liked Terumichi very much...
...and who was responsible for his upbringing, died
I was waiting for him to show up at her funeral, but in vain
Apropos, the bride that had abandoned me...
...never showed up
And you, Ritsuko, though we both lived in Tokyo...
...we haven't seen each other again for ten years
May I express my condolences on your grandfather's death
Thank you
It's been a long time since we've seen each other
Yes, it's been a long time
Did everybody arrive?
The uncles are almost...
I didn't have the time to talk to Ritsuko...
...whom I haven't seen for 10 years
I was in charge of the biggest...
...funeral ceremony that had ever...
...taken place within the Sakurada family
Politicians and important personalities had come to be present at it
Financiers had even come from the province...
...to Tokyo
I was like a machine, repeating the same words over and over again
Since grandfather had fallen into agony at the hospital...
...I didn't sleep for three days in order to prepare the watch
Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the time...
...to abandon myself to any emotion about the death of my grandfather
I had lived my life until this moment, always trying to escape the big responsibility...
...that I had towards the Sakurada family
Be it baseball, be it my choice...
...to join Kyoto University, be it to abandon the company I was working for...
...or starting to work as a baseball coach...
...at my old high school
Lots of people continuously told me to abandon baseball
...and that they would help me, if I decided to become grandfather's successor
My uncles wanted me to marry again quickly...
...to have a descendant
In the end, I was really fed up with all of that
You...
Poor...
Masuo, I feel so sorry for you
You don't need to feel sorry for me
I'm worried about you
Pardon me
Stop it!
What happens to you?
It is heavy, painful, the soil falling down on...
The soil?
I am interred. Buried. Bit by bit my breath...
Masuo, I feel sorry for you
It's painful, I suffocate. But I feel good
No... I'm beginning to sink
My eyes close
It's the soil, it's the smell of the soil
My ears close
...my mouth is filled with earth
The pores of my whole body... are sealed...
...the earth can't be detached from my body anymore...
...on the surface, somebody listens to my voice...
my big brother... no, me
TE...
RU...
MI...
CHI...
...DEAD...
...STOP...
...SIGNED...
TE...
RU...
MI...
CHI
TERUMICHI... DEAD... STOP... SIGNED TERUMICHI
When we arrived at Terumichi's cabin...
there was a bright light
The very moment, I began to think I'd been fooled...
...Ritsuko shouted "He's alive!"
Then she squatted at the spot...
...while I went to the front of the cabin...
...and called Terumichi's name
There was no response
Then Ritsuko slowly came closer
I tried to open the door
To my surprise, all doors were nailed
Now, Ritsuko cried out for the first time "Terumichi!"
It was a voice calling for a dead man
We crashed in the door, like crazy...
...and entered the cabin
It was completely empty
Terumichi had removed every trace of his life
Only his corpse was lying there
His last will was placed upon the newspaper...
...that had announced grandfather's death...
I just wanted to start to read it aloud, but Ritsuko stopped me, saying...
"I'll read it first!"
Last will:
"I am the only one who can continue the Sakurada line"
"By killing myself now, I destroy the Sakurada family"
Masuo, you'll be late for your ship. You should go.
You're in charge of the funeral services in Tokyo
I'll stay here...
Ritsuko, you intend to die here, don't you?
Yes... but I can take care of everything by myself
Fool!
You think I'll be able to leave knowing that?
Then you intend to stay and witness my death?
Strike!
Did you find it?
THE END