Ooku: The Inner Chambers (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

[birdsong]
- [woman 1] Ihei!
- [all gasp]
[aobbing] Ihei, Ihei!
- [all gasp]
- [woman 1 sobbing] Ihei!
[woman 2 sighs]
It seems that O-Rui's son
has now passed away as well.
What's going on here?
Boys around 14 or 15 years of age
are dying one after the other
Just when our war has finally ended,
now we have to worry about this
strange new disease that's going around.
- Namu-amida-butsu, namu-amida-butsu
- Namu-amida-butsu, namu-amida-butsu
[sighs loudly]
I hear that the people are all
calling this plague red-face smallpox.
Because the face swells up
all red like a tengu, you know?
[laughs] Yes, you're right, it does.
And since it's a tengu, it only goes after
young men like Ushiwaka, isn't that right?
Oooh, good one, Toku-don!
You think so, Jiro-don?
[both laugh]
[both sigh]
It's fine.
An outbreak is called an outbreak
because there is a time when it stops
and doesn't break out anymore.
There's no way men are going
to disappear from this world
[ominous music]
[narrator] However
the disease took the lives of countless
young men, regardless of social status.
[woman wailing]
- Te
- Stop your crying.
- Terutsuna! [sobbing]
- You're in a samurai family!
We can have another child.
What a thing to say, Nobutsuna-dono!
No matter how many children we may
have, they can't replace Terutsuna!
Anyway, if they happen to be born boys,
they just might die from
red-face smallpox again!
- [sobbing]
- [growls]
[narrator] Also, in Edo Castle
[man gasping]
Uh The Honored Kasuga,
our liege, he has
Our liege, the shogun Lord Iemitsu,
has passed away from smallpox.
[gasps]
It can't be.
I do not believe it!
When our liege contracted smallpox
just last year,
he recovered without incident!
It's not possible
to contract smallpox twice!
With respect, this was red-face smallpox,
not regular smallpox
I heard red-face smallpox is a disease
that only strikes young men.
Our liege is 31 years of age!
Correct, but there are rare cases of grown
men contracting the disease as well.
The symptoms are usually
much lighter in those cases,
but with our liege
having been so sickly since childhood,
the plague simply overcame him,
- There was nothing that could
- Shut up, now!
Shut up, shut up! Out of my way!
My liege, it's Kasuga
No, it's O-Fuku. Please answer me.
My liege, can you hear me?
Remember your nurse, O-Fuku,
my liege. Do you?
This is your O-Fuku, my liege!
[sobs] My liege
[crying]
[sobbing] My liege!
[wails]
ŌOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS
[narrator] Six years later.
[boy gasps] Oh!
Young master, young master!
We can finally see Edo Castle from here!
Hey now, Gyokuei.
It's not "young master,"
anymore, it's "Abbot."
- How many times do I have to tell you?
- [Gyokuei] Oh
[man laughs] It's fine, Myokei.
I asked Gyokuei to tell me
when Edo Castle came into view.
But, Abbot
[abbot] Could you please stop
the palanquin for a moment?
[man] Certainly!
Wow. So that's the Edo Castle
I've heard so much about.
The resident castle of the Tokugawa clan.
It is incredibly beautiful.
Do you really think so?
To me it looks like an overly ostentatious
attempt at appearing sophisticated
by the country bumpkins of Kanto.
Master Myokei, with the way you talk,
are you saying you despise the shogun?
Isn't it obvious? Of course!
It's one thing for our abbot
to be summoned
to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto to report
his succession to His Imperial Majesty,
but to be asked to travel all the way
to Edo to thank the shogun?
How arrogant of the Tokugawa clan!
What's more, a mere nanny
of the current shogun, Lord Iemitsu,
had the audacity to attend an audience
with His Imperial Majesty
on behalf of the shogun!
How infuriating! How deplorable!
But I think all that that really proves
is that the Imperial court currently does
not have the power
to oppose the Tokugawa clan, does it not?
The weak will always submit to the strong,
that's the law of nature.
So I find no fault in how
the Tokugawa is handling this matter.
[grunts]
[chuckling]
He got you there, Myokei.
But we are in service of the Buddha,
and it is not fitting for us to speak ill
of someone in such a manner,
no matter who it may be.
- Agreed?
- Uh Y yes.
I humbly beg your pardon, Abbot.
Good. You are forgiven, then.
And you, Gyokuei.
We have seen a great many people
along our journey
from Kyoto to Edo, have we not?
Many of those people were terribly poor
and often ailing,
they were those who are most powerless
and lost in this world.
Mmm.
It is a monk's job, you see,
to be the one who provides salvation
to the people who truly need it the most.
But your way of thinking is more like
a samurai of the warring period,
rather than that of a monk.
Uh Please forgive me.
I myself was once such a child,
covered in filth, with no parents
to care for me
before you saved me.
You are a clever lad, Gyokuei.
Since you've seen the inner workings
of society sooner than most,
it's natural that you're
slightly more worldly than you should be.
"Slightly" is an understatement,
wouldn't you say, Abbot!
[Gyokuei gasps]
Abbot, do you see that? It's
It's a dead body.
[gasping] It is red-face smallpox, Abbot!
Please stay back!
Yes, and what about it?
It is an epidemic that has
recently spread even so far as Kyoto!
And it only strikes young men.
Please stay as far away as possible!
Yes. I know.
But it is my duty to assist
in matters such as these.
Pardon. I wonder if I may offer
the sutra for the departed soul?
Would you really do that for him, sir?
I'd be so grateful.
He was my only son.
But for fear of the pox, I couldn't find a
monk who would dare come near the body.
Hey, you should thank him too, okay?
[girl gasps]
Thank you kindly, sir. Great and wise one.
Huh?
This is my daughter.
Please excuse the poor state of her hair.
This poor thing was attacked
recently by a street slasher.
A street slasher?
- [rumbling]
- As of late, there is a samurai in Edo
who slashes maidens' hair,
as if to test the sharpness of his sword.
Many young women have met the same fate.
[monk] Truly awful
[daughter gasps]
It may only be a sport for this man,
but it is indeed a horrible thing to have
happened to all these young girls.
[daughter] Hm?
I am so sorry you had to go through that,
on top of the loss of your family.
Truly, I am.
[gasps] Uh oh, no sir. Please, I
Our Abbot is completely oblivious.
He's the only one in the whole world who
doesn't know how handsome he truly is,
even despite having
the shaven head of a monk.
[Gyokuei] If he realized it,
he'd be a lady-killer
The next day,
the new Abbot of Keiko-in
presented himself at Edo Castle,
accompanied only by Myokei.
[man] The attendant monk shall wait here.
[Abbot] Ah, I will be off then, Myokei.
[Myokei] Abbot.
The Abbot of Keiko-in
has presented himself
to report his succession
and pay his respects!
My name is Arikoto, the son of Madenokoji
Arizumi, the new Abbot of Keiko-in.
Today, I have come to express my gratitude
for being allowed to succeed
such an honorable position.
[man] You may raise your head.
- [thinking] My word
- Such beauty!
His face is like that of a woman
[man] This is your first time
visiting the Kanto region?
- [Arikoto] Yes.
- Then you should stay in Edo for a while.
Take this opportunity to see the sights.
[Arikoto] Such a kind invitation,
but I must regretfully decline.
[all gasp]
I am still new to the position,
and therefore, inexperienced as the Abbot.
There are many duties at the temple that
I must return for and begin to tend to.
As a novice with much to learn,
it would not be appropriate
for me to enjoy the sights of Edo,
and if I have your leave,
I hope to depart in a day or two.
[man] Kasuga! The abbot of Keiko-in
has traveled all this way to Edo.
Treat him with the utmost hospitality.
My lord.
[regal music]
Abbot, if I may show you
to another chamber to rest?
[Myokei] Abbot, please allow me
to congratulate you
on a smooth audience with the shogun.
[chuckles] Thank you.
And the Honored Kasuga is on her way here
to join us.
The Honored Kasuga?
If you'll allow me,
I would like to introduce myself.
I am Kasuga, Head of the Ōoku.
[unsettling music]
[chuckling] Oh my!
What a beautiful young man you are!
And your noble lineage
is evident in your elegant bearing,
something we of the warrior class lack!
[laughing] This old woman
could not help but admire it!
Uh
Such a pity. Must you depart so soon?
Is the city of Edo not to your liking,
Abbot?
Oh, no, no,
that is not what I meant at all.
I only caught glimpses it of it
on my way here,
but found it to be a bustling city.
And I saw that the women
of Edo are hard working.
I noticed many of them.
[laughs]
Well, I am quite relieved to hear it.
Then the Abbot shall stay right here
in Edo, just for the time being.
- As our noble liege desires.
- Uh
Your response to our liege's
invitation earlier was so brilliant!
Our liege found it so refreshing. that you
were honest and straightforward, Abbot.
- [chuckles]
- [Arikoto sighs]
[Kasuga] I hear people
have called you a genius,
as you memorized
the Doctrine of the Means, the Analects,
and Mencius as a boy.
And I myself have been truly impressed
by your displays
of intelligence and wisdom.
Still, I'm afraid
that staying here any longer
will be difficult for me to accommodate.
Unfortunately, I do need to get back
to the temple as soon as possible
and start my duties as the new abbot.
I must refuse.
[Kasuga] I appreciate that, Abbot,
but this is the express wish of our liege.
I humbly and sincerely
ask you to reconsider.
Please stay in Edo,
just a little while longer, Abbot.
[sighs]
[Myokei grunts]
It surely wouldn't hurt to stay
a bit longer, would it, Abbot?
Mmm.
Master Myokei, are you just saying that
because you've developed a taste
for those sweets that you're eating?
Mmm Huh?
Oh, the sweets are tasty, all right,
but that's not the reason why I said it
It's the Honored Kasuga.
She was much more subservient
than I had expected her to be.
It was so satisfying to see that woman,
who must be bossing people around in
the Ōoku of Edo Castle on a daily basis,
bowing and scraping to our Abbot!
[chuckles] That country bumpkin!
She must have been awestruck
by the innate nobility of our Abbot!
- [man] Abbot.
- [all gasp]
A messenger from the Honored Kasuga
has left something for you.
They said it is a gift
from our liege the shogun.
[all gasp]
And what is this for?
Because I have already received
a celebratory gift from the shogun.
[man] I am not sure, Abbot.
Only that our liege would like
for you to accept this.
[gasps] My goodness,
Abbot, is it not a truly wonderful thing
that our generous liege is so pious?
Well
Mmm. I suppose you're right.
This is a blessing.
It wouldn't be possible to provide
salvation for people
if all we do is wear silk robes
and chant sutras at the temple.
Though I do agree that helping
the lives of the living
must come
before we talk about saving their souls.
And to do that, I can't deny
that money is necessary.
Let us gratefully accept this gift.
[thinks] I see
So our Abbot does have ambition
as the head of his domain,
to succeed in improving
the lives of everyone around him.
[birdsong]
Abbot, where are you off to, if I may ask?
Oh, I was just going
to take in some sights.
I wanted to pay my respects
to Zojoji and Ueno Toshogu
while I am here in Edo.
- [man] I'm afraid you may not.
- Huh?
Currently, there is a rare disease
going around in Edo,
called red-face smallpox,
which strikes only young men.
For your safety, our liege has asked
that you refrain from leaving the premises
for the time being.
Hey, what is the meaning of this?
When the shogun told our Abbot to stay
in Edo for a while and see the sights,
did he mean that he should sit
still in this place and do nothing?
That's what is expected of the Abbot.
Please explain the meaning of this.
What exactly is it that's going on here?
I promise, you will hear
further instructions soon from our liege.
I ask that you await them.
[Arikoto] Hmm.
[Myokei splutters] What do you think
is going on here, Gyokuei?
Shh! Our Abbot is in the next room,
and I do not wish him to overhear us,
So please lower your voice.
Master Myokei, may I ask,
do you happen to know
what sort of place
the Ōoku of Edo Castle is?
Of course I do.
It's the women's quarters
in the back of Edo Castle,
where they keep all the women
who serve the shogun.
The thing about that is,
there is a strange rumor going around.
And according to the rumor, it's said
that there are only men in the Ōoku.
- Huh?
- And if it's true, why is that?
It is well-known that our current shogun,
Lord Iemitsu,
prefers young men over maidens.
Supposedly, that's why the Honored Kasuga
has collected beautiful young men
as servant pages for Lord Iemitsu
in the Ōoku.
[gasps] It can't be
The beauty of our Abbot stands out even
amongst the young court nobles of Kyoto.
Compared to the rough, burly warriors
of Edo, he is simply extraordinary.
I doubt it, but it could be possible.
- I ask you to move aside.
- I cannot, sir.
It's been four days now.
The fact that we have not
received word from our liege
must mean that he is done with me,
and so I'm free to leave this place
and get back to Kyoto as
soon as possible, as planned.
- Move aside and let us pass.
- [Kasuga] That we cannot do, Abbot.
- Deepest apologies
- [gasps]
No, you're no longer
the Abbot of Keiko-in.
You're Arikoto-dono,
the son of Lord Madenokoji Arizumi.
In fact, you may not ever return to Kyoto
from this point on,
or serve the Buddha any longer.
You shall enter the Ōoku of Edo Castle,
where our liege anxiously awaits you.
What?
Yes, you shall renounce your monastic life
here in Edo,
and become a servant page
for the shogun, Lord Iemitsu.
However, you will not be permitted
to serve our liege
with the unsightly shaven head
you currently have.
You shall stay hidden away in
the government residence I have prepared
while your hair grows out.
Now, let us be on our way, Arikoto-dono.
[chuckles]
[laughing]
What a silly thing to say, Kasuga-dono!
You know I am already 18 years of age.
I do believe that makes me
a bit too old to be a servant page.
Exactly! It is rude, even if for a jest!
Our Abbot is the scion of the head
of the Madenokoji family,
a high noble house in court!
How rude of you to suggest such a thing!
- Who is the rude one here?
- [yelps]
How dare you impugn our liege
by calling his request silly?
Rejoice in the honor of being chosen
to serve the shogunate and Lord Iemitsu!
Compared to that, the position
of the abbot of a temple is nothing!
Renounce your monastic vows right now!
- [running footsteps]
- Oh
- [gasps]
- Oh, no. My Abbot
Please know that this is in no way a jest.
Do not even dream of trying
such a stupid thing
as to force your way out of here.
[Myokei] Watched
by such burly warriors of Edo,
there's no way we can get out of here!
If our Abbot truly will be forced
into serving in the Ōoku,
what will become of us?
No, that shall never ever come to pass!
When he saved me, and ever so gently
stroked my lice-ridden hair,
hair that no one else dared touch,
it was then that I was sure,
I knew it to be true.
I knew he was the Buddha reincarnate!
Our Abbot was born into this world for one
specific purpose.7
He is here to save more people
just like me!
You can't take that away from him!
Gyokuei Thank you for that.
I don't feel that I deserve such praise.
But it is indeed true,
there is no other path for me
other than that of being a monk.
I believe my only option
is to ask my father
to write to His Imperial Majesty
and intervene on my behalf.
Ah, Lord Madenokoji Arizumi, your father!
That is indeed a splendid plan!
A splendid plan indeed!
Yes, that should work!
If His Imperial Majesty learns
of these circumstances,
there is no way he will be silent
about this outrageous act!
Exactly, so no need for us to fear.
And of course, Keiko-in will also realize
that something must have happened
if I fail to return in a day or two.
So all I need to do is simply
hold my ground until help arrives,
no matter how much
they threaten or wheedle us.
That's our plan
[dramatic music]
[thinks] Even if our Abbot writes a letter
to his lord father,
would it even ever really reach him?
And what if the Honored Kasuga
has already made preemptive moves
to block that plan?
[sighs]
[cicadas chirping]
My name is Yotsuba.
My name is Kikyo.
And my name is Kogiku.
[Yotsuba] We were given special permission
to leave the district of Yoshiwara
and come here to this residence.
We hope that you kind sirs
will enjoy our company tonight.
My word!
Abbot, I have never seen
courtesans so up close before.
I see what
the Honored Kasuga has planned here.
She's trying to cajole me
into changing my mind
with the company of these three women.
Shameful, what a shallow mind she has
I know that you have come
a great distance, and I appreciate that.
But please accept a gratuity
and return home.
[Yotsuba] Please spare us, sir.
We have been strictly instructed
that we must not leave
until you have fully enjoyed our company.
I thought as much.
What shall we do about it, Abbot?
Well, then
We shall enjoy their company.
[both] Huh?
- [music plays]
- [giggling]
- [Yotsuba] This way, sir!
- [Myokei] Let me see!
- Where are you?
- [Yotsuba] Right here!
[laughing]
- [Myokei] Here?
[thinks] Even our Abbot is
Uh, um would you like some sake, sir?
Hmm.
No thank you. As I have said before,
I do not wish to drink.
Please feel free to finish the sake
amongst yourselves.
- What?
- Isn't it amazing?
That a person can be this merry
without getting a bit drunk?
- Oh, I
- [Yotsuba giggles]
I had assumed that we were called here
because monks couldn't openly visit
the pleasure district of Yoshiwara,
or anywhere else,
without fear of being spotted.
Oh, you couldn't be more wrong!
May I share something in secret?
Exactly like you, I have no idea
why I was summoned to this place,
or why it is we're supposed to be
enjoying your company like this.
- I truly have no idea what's going on.
- Oh!
What a strange story, huh?
Come now, let me pour you a cup.
I'm sure this is expensive sake,
so please enjoy.
Ahem.
[laughs] Goodness, you're so funny, sir!
You say the most absurd things
with such a beautiful face.
- Ah, I see I finally got you to laugh.
- Eh?
You said your name was Kogiku,
isn't that right?
How long have you been
working in Yoshiwara?
I apologize for being so awkward.
I've only recently started
to get a couple of regular customers.
You must think it odd,
for a woman past her prime at 23,
to be so inexperienced.
I only came here in place
of a younger lass. who caught a cold.
[Yotsuba giggling]
I may not look like it,
but until recently, I was a married woman.
My husband sold me to Yoshiwara.
Your husband?
Yes, as payment for his gambling debts.
However, I still feel so grateful
that a woman like me
got to be someone's wife in this day,
even for a little while.
- That is because you are so beautiful!
- Huh?
Truly, you have the beauty
of a bodhisattva.
Bodhisattva?
Oh, please, sir!
- You flatter me too much!
- [thinks] The ladykiller strikes again!
- [both] One, two, and three!
- Three!
You chose the village headman!
That means you win again.
You're really good
at this game of fox fist.
And if you have your hands like this,
that's fox,
and the fox is stronger
than the village headman, right?
Right!
And the hunter is stronger than the fox,
and the village headman
is stronger than the hunter,
to create a three-way deadlock.
[Arikoto] I see!
So this is the game
that's so popular in Yoshiwara, huh?
Now that means
that you are the winner of the game,
since you were the first one
to win three times in a row, sir.
Please give us your command. It can be
whatever you wish or your heart desires.
Truly anything, sir.
Truly? Then let us call it a night
for now, if that's all right.
[both] Huh?
Oh, but, sir, we
You are not allowed to, am I right?
But unfortunately, I cannot
compromise my values either.
So I cannot. I'm sorry.
I am regrettably not able
to lie in bed with you.
I am a man of the cloth.
- [Kasuga] No, you are not, Arikoto-dono.
- Hmm?
If you are trying to make me breach
my vow of celibacy
to force me to renounce my monastic life,
Kausga-dono, it is a waste of time.
[Kasuga laughs] I wouldn't be so sure.
I am quite certain
there are many monks out there
who lie with women in secret.
And here you are, advocating for a
pure ideal to the extent it's ridiculous.
Bed with one of those wenches now.
I refuse to!
Why must you be so stubborn?
A woman's body is a pleasurable thing.
Allow yourself to enjoy it.
Who is the one being stubborn here?
Why must you go to such lengths
to make one renounce vows
that have been willingly taken?
Becoming a monk is something
you're supposed to do
after you tire of a secular life,
it's quite common.
But you chose the life of a monk at such a
young age,
without having experienced
any of the earthly pleasures.
Indeed, I pity you, sir.
And I know
that underneath that monk's robe
is the robust flesh of a young man,
hot and red-blooded as they come.
Kasuga-dono!
[Kasuga] The scent
of those wenches' face powder
has been wafting over you all evening.
So even you, Arikoto-dono, as a man,
must be feeling aroused
with carnal desire
Stop speaking such repulsive words!
- [gasps]
- [Kasuga chuckles]
That was the first time
I saw you truly angered.
Splendid. It is proof
that you are indeed a man.
Now, I shall ask you once again.
- Bed one of these wenches, Arikoto-dono.
- I refuse!
- You will not change your mind?
- I will not!
I see. Very well, then.
- Take out the monk sitting to my left.
- [gasps]
Ma'am.
[draws sword]
- Master Myokei!
- Sir? No!
- [screaming]
- Ugh, be quiet!
Slay that wench too!
Yotsuba-chan? Yotsuba-chan!
[gasps]
Time to choose.
Unless you agree immediately,
the little monk will get it next.
[whimpers]
- Do it.
- [gasps]
Wait!
No. Stop it. Don't do it, please.
Then you will lie with a wench
and renounce your monkhood?
[groans]
Abbot! No! You shall not!
I do not care what happens to me, Abbot!
That woman should never be granted
the power to be able to shake your faith!
[sobs]
[Gyokuei] Do not consent!
You must know this well by now that
those of us in Kanto are short-tempered.
So know this.
If you don't say yes,
another will die because of you.
This is exactly how they get to you!
I beg you! Do not consent to it, Abbot!
Give me your word!
[whimpers]
- [Gyokuei] Abbot!
- [Kasuga] Your word.
[Arikoto sobbing]
[Gyokuei screams] Abbot!
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY