Ooku: The Inner Chambers (2023) s01e10 Episode Script

[man] Forward, honored lords!
Matsudaira Terutsuna,
the Governor of Kai province!
- You may approach.
- [Terutsuna] Yes, sir!
[ceremonial music]
Matsudaira Terutsuna, Governor of Kai,
wishes to thank my liege
on this, the New Year's Day.
Doi Toshitaka, Governor of Toutomi,
wishes to thank my liege
on this New Year's Day.
Sakai Tadatomo, Governor of Bingo,
wishes to thank my liege
on this New Year's Day.
[narrator] And thus,
the female feudal lords with male names
were born during the reign of Iemitsu.
Delightful.
ŌOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS
[dramatic music]
This is a last resort.
Merely a provisional measure.
It will only stay in place until
the male population increases once more.
At that time,
men will assume their hereditary titles.
This also applies to the shogunate.
My role is only to occupy this seat.
A temporary measure
to maintain the Tokugawa clan's rule.
As such, I will act
on behalf of my late father,
by retaining the name and title
of the third Shogun, Iemitsu.
[all gasping and whispering]
And you need not worry
about the matters of state.
The shogunate has
excellent cabinet officials.
Government duties shall continue as usual.
My role was to be born into this world
to preserve the Tokugawa clan.
I am little more than a human sacrifice.
Hear my words.
If the population of men declines,
and this land should end in ruin,
then I shall perish
alongside this country.
Now then, are there any who have an
objection to this? To a female shogun?
[narrator] There was no objection.
Not a single voice raised.
Iemitsu's reign began with
the downsizing of samurai in the Ōoku.
So you wish to dismiss
a hundred of the men?
I would like you to make the selection,
with some guidelines. Let me see
Choose those who are still young,
and unskilled in martial arts.
I have no doubt there are many who are
not cut out for duties in the Ōoku.
This is a good chance
to rid ourselves of them.
My lord. Then I shall see to it that they
receive sufficient severance funds
Do not.
The shogunate does not
have extra funds to hand out.
The men who are dismissed will be
taking on a new role of service.
[gasps]
And it is a very, very important role
that I have in mind for them.
[narrator] Iemitsu sent the 100 men
who were dismissed
into Yoshiwara,
a government-licensed pleasure district.
[men murmuring]
[cat meows]
[groans] I just can't!
- This is I just can't!
- I can't do it either! [groans]
- [man] Where ya goin'?
- Huh?
- [man] Listen up!
- [all gasp]
The only chance you'll have of
leaving this place will be in your dreams.
[narrator] Among the dismissed,
the shogunate paid generous stipends
to those who were strong, tough,
and skilled in combat.
They served as security guards,
so the rest of the men
wouldn't be able to escape.
[laughter and conversation]
- [woman] Such a catch!
- [growls]
I am definitely getting out of here
I think that had better be
the last time you say that.
[narrator] With no severance pay and both
their long and short swords confiscated,
the men had no choice but to sell
their bodies to women in Yoshiwara.
In one swift stroke,
Iemitsu had revitalized Yoshiwara
as a place where women could buy seed
from healthy, young men
for much cheaper than the going rate
in the capital city of Edo.
[Iemitsu] Oh, and Arikoto,
regarding some of the protocol
in the Ōoku
Should there come a time where another
female shogun has to take on this role,
I wish to make a decree
for the first man to lie with her.
- He must be chosen from within the Ōoku.
- [Arikoto] Yes, my lord.
And whoever that man is,
this swain must be executed in secret.
[gasps]
It would only be fair,
as that man would be injuring the body of
the shogun, which is an act of treason!
I could never forgive him
when it happened to me!
I could never forgive him!
[narrator] If he were the old Arikoto,
he might've protested Iemitsu's request.
Yes. As you wish, my lord.
This role will be called
the "secret swain,"
and the decree
written into the Ōoku code.
[narrator] The policies
of the female shogun
were neither kind nor compassionate.
The farmers of our lands are enjoying
too much luxury with their relaxed lives.
Continue the strict ban on farmers
eating rice. Do not tolerate any hoarding!
[courtiers] My liege!
[narrator] At this time,
two coincidences overlapped.
First, the male population, which used
to be one-fifth to that of the female,
steadily recovered to that of one-fourth.
This effectively slowed
the declining population.
And second,
as a result of the good weather that year,
the harvest of rice was
robust and bountiful.
[gentle music]
Lady Sato. Is that it?
It is! This comb thresher separates
grains of rice right off the stalk.
Better than chopsticks, right, Sanpeita?
[narrator] During this period,
every effort was valuable.
Agricultural tools rapidly developed
to reduce the labor for women,
as they were physically weaker,
but now have more responsibilities.
[Sato] Since we had
a great harvest this year,
we were able to purchase
this comb thresher for the farm.
If everyone in the village could use it,
it would lighten the workload.
Women could breathe a little easier.
Ever since the new shogun has
taken over and started ruling,
It seems like the lives of farmers
have improved at last.
The lady shogun brings us good luck,
I think!
Everyone says so.
[chuckles]
I hope they're right.
[sighs softly]
I just wish the red-face smallpox
would end so we could live normally.
[narrator] However, the male population
stabilized and held at one-fourth,
and society was starting to settle into
a strange equilibrium.
Around that time
Master Arikoto.
Our lord has
Our lord has requested that
you serve her in her bedchamber tonight.
- [Iemitsu] Arikoto!
- [doors sliding]
[gasping]
My my liege
Arikoto Finally! [gasps]
At last Arikoto!
[sobbing]
Oh, my liege
Arikoto! [sobbing]
Just hold me. Please don't let me go!
- Don't let me go
- [gasps]
[poignant music]
Huh?
Ari koto?
Please, my lord.
I humbly beseech you,
if you will allow it
[gasps]
I wish to be excused from these duties.
[gasps]
[chuckles] I see.
What with this body being
sullied by so many others,
I am undesirable.
Not at all! No, my Lord.
It is not so.
[groans] The truth is, I am afraid.
I am afraid to live my life clinging
to the feelings my lord has for me,
which could change at any time.
I'm frightened.
What is this foolishness?
Are you saying
that your trust in me has waned?
Have I not told you,
no matter how many children I bear
with other men, I am ever yours?
That is why.
My lord already knows that I cannot
I can never give you a child.
Therefore, you will have to continue
lying with them.
Lying with other men
aside from myself in this bedchamber.
But I am just a man like any other!
I cannot bear it! [sobs]
I cannot bear the thought
that I do not have
both your heart and body to myself, alone!
- You already have a child to love!
- [gasps]
But I I have only you,
and no one else in the world!
[sobs] I beseech you.
Please release me
from these karmic shackles.
It hurts to be kept
in this cycle of passion.
[Arikoto weeping]
[sighs]
[narrator] Would Iemitsu have
understood and consented
if this were a few years earlier?
So it is.
What a long journey.
You and I have come a long way
since our first meeting.
We have, my lord.
- My lord
- Hmm?
I have one more request, if I may.
A request made in earnest.
[narrator] The next day,
all the men in the Ōoku were
assembled in the great hall by the shogun.
[thinks] Huh! That fool O-Natsu.
He keeps acting obnoxiously smug,
just because he thinks that it was
all his doing in impregnating our liege.
It won't matter who actually did it.
Our liege has the final say
in who the father is.
That idiot!
She will simply name the man she happens
to find most favor with at the time.
But surely she didn't
She didn't summon all of us here
just to announce
who the father of her child is, right?
Surely it's something more than that.
[Iemitsu] I have asked you to come here
because I have an important announcement
that will affect everyone.
[narrator] By this time, all men
who worked in the Inner Chambers
were aware that
the Shogun Iemitsu was indeed a woman.
Kasuga spent many years
as the Senior Chamberlain of the Ōoku.
Since passing,
that position has been vacant,
and so, I will be naming
the successor to fill this position now.
The new Senior Chamberlain will stand
above and govern all men who serve here.
Everyone within the Ōoku.
You must obtain his approval
in matters great and small,
for everything that happens in
the halls of the Inner Chambers.
I have chosen to appoint
[thinks] Give me a break, O-Natsu!
Has he been secretly petitioning for this
in her bedchamber every night?
Madenokoji Arikoto
to take on this mantle.
- [courtiers murmuring]
- [gasps]
[ceremonial music]
I am Madenokoji Arikoto,
Senior Chamberlain of the Ōoku.
Everyone, it's an honor to work with you.
[gasps]
[narrator] In the long history
of the Ōoku,
O-Man was the only concubine
to be elevated
to the prestigious post of Senior
Chamberlain within the Inner Chambers.
Tokugawa Jikki, or
The Chronicles of the Tokugawa Shogunate,
do not record Arikoto's name,
as all concubines
were mentioned by their female names.
This is because Iemitsu
[whimpering]
considered being a female shogun
to be no more than a shadow
of what once was.
[wailing]
The child was born safe and sound,
my lord!
You have once again been
blessed with a princess!
Is that so?
[narrator] After Princess Chiyo,
Iemitsu gave birth to one child each
with O-Natsu and O-Tama.
But both were girls.
However, no one questioned the legitimacy
of the fourth shogun being a woman.
Iemitsu got pregnant with other
concubines after the two of these births,
but they all ended in miscarriages.
[cicadas chirping]
In the fourth year of the Keian era,
the country's first female shogun,
who played an active role
in matters of state,
while repeatedly giving birth
and having miscarriages,
died at the young age of 27.
She lived as if pouring
her life into the nation.
In accordance with her last wishes,
her death was recorded under the name
as that of her father
in the official documents.
Master Arikoto!
Two of the Six Representatives,
Kaga's Master Hotta Masamori,
and Tsushima's Master Abe Shigetsugu,
have decided to take their own lives
to follow our liege!
They what? [gasps]
Masakatsu-dono!
Inaba
Masakatsu-dono
Were you also one of the many men
who fell in love with her?
Nothing compares to her.
[poignant music]
[narrator] Following Iemitsu's death,
O-Natsu and O-Tama took their vows,
and continued their lives as monks.
O-Natsu's Buddhist name was Junsho-in,
and for O-Tama, he became Keisho-in.
[Gyokuei] After all these years, it was
quite refreshing to shave my head again.
[Arikoto] Is that so?
I was quite surprised.
I was under the assumption that you would
also take your Buddhist vows again.
It is strange, is it not?
When I was first brought here to the Ōoku,
all of my efforts were placed
on becoming a monk once again.
[Iemitsu] Arikoto.
After I am gone,
I want you to remain
within the halls of the Ōoku.
One day soon, my daughter Chiyo will
officially become the fourth shogun,
and I wish for you to be here
so you may guide her as a father.
What are you saying, my liege?
You are far too young.
Don't
Arikoto.
My liege.
I always loved you.
You were the only one.
There was never anyone but you.
Even when we no longer
had physical connection.
Perhaps, all the more for it.
No other concubine could ever
compare to what you gave me in life.
You were special.
You were my special one.
[sobbing]
[Iemitsu] This was
good enough.
It was enough, wasn't it?
The way things were for us?
- [Chiyo] Arikoto.
- [gasps]
[Chiyo] Um
If it isn't little Lady Chiyo!
Or, rather, my young liege.
What is it, my liege?
[Chiyo] I was thinking
I would like to go and play
sugoroku with you, Arikoto.
Of course, I would love to.
Allow me.
We can go play in your chambers.
[narrator] Arikoto reigned at the top
of men in the Ōoku
as the Senior Chamberlain, a position
he held for many a year afterwards.
[woman] Is it true that spreading
rapeseed oil over the rice fields
- can keep locusts from eating our crops?
- [murmuring]
It can, but wherever could we get
the amount of money necessary to buy it?
What if each family were to pay
in accordance
with the size of the fields
their farm has?
[all murmuring]
If we want to prevent
this incoming damage,
the only want to stop it is
to spread oil over all of the fields.
I will have my share at the ready.
What say you?
[sighing and grumbling]
- I will pay as well.
- Me too.
Uh Hey, you two, not so fast!
Mine, Shima, have you forgotten entirely
that your grandfathers are at home?
You have not asked
the head of your household!
- This is too important a decision!
- Gah!
Koroku-san, it seems you have forgotten
who is actually working in the fields
from dawn till dusk!
Precisely!
Why would we be at this meeting,
if we were we not here to represent
the heads of our households?
- [woman] That's right!
- [all talking]
[groans]
[door opens]
Hey, I'm home, everyone.
Sato! Good evening.
Well, I should probably be off.
Oh. Sotaro, who are you seeing tonight?
[Sotaro] Oh, it's just Miyo
from Ine-san's family.
Masa got pregnant the other day,
so I'm off the hook with her for now.
I was happy to hear it.
If times were better,
you would be the head of the house,
and you would have taken on a bride.
I didn't want this for you.
Aw, Sis. Sneakin' off
to a woman's bed at night is nothin' new.
'Sides, if I didn't do this, then
the village would run short on children.
Can't just have old maids, can we?
If this is my job,
then I gotta say, I'm lucky.
Oh, Sotaro
I mean it! You don't even let me
go out in the field to work.
I know you're just trying to keep me safe
from catching the red-face smallpox.
I get to sit at home and eat food all day.
If you ask me, it's a pretty easy life.
And if times were better
you could have married Sanpeita,
but instead, you gave that up
because you felt it wouldn't be fair
to women in the village
if you kept him all to yourself.
[door opens]
I'll be heading off.
Mmph
[narrator] It wasn't that the status
of men and women was reversed.
Precisely speaking, men ceased
to do anything besides father children.
From child-rearing to farming and trade,
all of the labor in the country was placed
on the shoulders of women everywhere.
[girl wailing]
It's not fair!
Big brother always gets everything!
Nisuke is a boy, and that's how it is.
Now give him yours too!
My daughter, O-Kiku, who will be
taking over the family business.
I was hoping that your Nisuke over there
might trouble himself with coming
to visit her in the evenings for a while.
I believe that he would.
Did you get that, Nisuke?
You will go to Izutsu-ya.
[narrator] It was rare for a family
to rent out a son or brother
without payment at night like Sato did.
Having one function in society
came with a price.
[groans]
[poignant music]
Kuni Kuni
[sighs]
[narrator] In the farming villages,
old men became nothing but dead weight.
[retching]
[gasps]
- [gasps]
- What's wrong, Sato?
[coughing]
[echoing gasp]
[narrator] Kanbara Sato never recovered,
and passed away.
She was 32 years old.
She spent her whole life working,
never married,
and after nursing Mother
all the way to the end of her illness,
now she's gone too.
[sniffles] This is so unfair!
Kae
[weeping]
Sato, I promise you,
I swear I will not die!
I will live, I will give birth to more
children, and work harder than ever
This world will not defeat us!
I will live enough for both of us, and
protect the house of the Kanbara family!
[birdsong]
[Murase] Make haste!
At the ready, everyone!
Our liege the shogun will be
appearing before us shortly.
Are all prepared?
Lower your head further.
Uh Yes. Apologies, Master Murase.
[jingling]
[ceremonial music]
[narrator] The voice
of Madenokoji Arikoto,
the Senior Chamberlain of the Ōoku,
rang throughout the Passage of the Bells.
Bow in reverence! Our liege has arrived!
[chuckles]
[chuckles]
[narrator] It was the reign of the fourth
Shogun of the Tokugawa clan, Ietsuna.
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY
THE CHRONICLE OF THE DYING DAY