Original subtitles

A SHOCHIKU FILM

SHOCHIKU CO., LTD.

MORNING FOR THE OSONE FAMILY

Produced by TATSUO HOSOYA

Screenplay by EIJIRO HISAITA

Cinematography by HIROSHI KUSUDA

Lighting by RYOZO TOYOSHIMA

Production Design by MIKIO MORI

Music by KYOYU ASAI

Starring

HARUKO SUGIMURA TOSHINOSUKE NAGAO

SHIN TOKUDAIJI MITSUKO MIURA

SHIRO OSAKA, EITARO OZAWA NATSUKO KAHARA

JUNJI MASUDA, KINJI FUJIWA SEIJI NISHIMURA

SHOZO SUZUKI, EIKO TAKAMATSU HISAKO KUNIKANE, EIJIRO TONO

Directed by KEISUKE KINOSHITA

1943

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

CONGRATULATIONS TO AKIRA MINARI

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

I hope it was okay. I haven't played this piece in a while.

Mom, you did well.

You must have looked great in a white dress on the stage.

Did you use to perform on stage?

It was for a school performance when I was a student.

- Dad fell in love with her then. - He was quite a guy.

- It's your turn, Mr. Minari. - Well...

Leave us something to remember you by.

Then I'll do it for old times' sake.

This may be the last time I play for you.

What a beautiful piece of music.

This piece is titled, "Song of Farewell."

It does have a sad tone to it.

He said it might be the last time he plays for us.

He shouldn't say that.

But it's so unfortunate.

The wedding date was already set. I feel sorry for you, Ms. Yuko.

The hot water is ready.

It's a shame we won't hear you play the piano for a while.

I heard your fingers don't move for a few years after returning from war.

A piano player is not that useful in a war anyway.

Artists or intellectuals like us must pursue our pure principles.

We must become the conscience of the people.

I read your article in that publication.

I think it was titled, "About our conscience."

You expressed the same idea in that article.

But your critique of the war was slightly vague.

I couldn't write or say any more than what I did.

The Intelligence Agency had to review my article.

They censored that article?

I know Grandfather would roll over in his grave,

but I'm utterly against this war.

I couldn't say I was against it, but I could recount what led to this war.

I encouraged the public to reflect on the cause of the war

hoping to drop a hint that the war was a mistake.

Well, everyone, let's not go through the whole argument.

It's Christmas.

Now it's our turn to give Mr. Minari something to remember us by.

That's right. What shall we do?

- But I should get going soon. - Don't be like that.

I have two more families to visit.

This is quite decorative.

Thank you, everyone.

Do I look like a soldier in the service?

Time for a speech, Sister.

What do you mean?

I hope you'll be safe.

We'll wait for your triumphant return whether it takes five years or ten.

What is it?

Someone's here to see Mr. Ichiro.

Is he alone?

There are three of them.

Excuse me.

Are they from the military police?

They're from the police.

Let me go check.

- Are you his mother? - Yes.

We need him to come with us. It won't take long.

Mother, can you go check the study?

Can't you treat those with a little more respect?

There are some valuable books our father left us.

I'm sorry, but I must be going.

I can't believe this is happening on a day like today.

One more thing. This is for you.

Please read it later.

What is it?

I'm not much of a talker, so I wrote this last night.

Read it later after I'm gone.

Okay.

I feel bad leaving without saying a proper good-bye to everyone.

Mr. Minari.

Yuko.

Please take good care of yourself.

Please send me off with a smile.

Okay?

Please come back.

Please don't do anything foolish.

That's the bugle call to alert the soldiers.

Soon I'll be going to sleep to the sound of those horns...

as I think of you.

I will never forget you.

A hairbrush and toothpaste.

What else?

How about soap?

It's against the rules to bring soap.

But I think he should have some.

Shall we pack some then?

In these difficult times, we couldn't come in a car.

Don't catch cold.

I'm off now.

My convictions will never change.

I hope you understand that.

Brother.

Ichiro.

Shouldn't we inform our uncle in Aoyama?

I'll call him.

Don't get him too excited.

We can give him the details later.

I wonder if it was because of that article.

They said it won't be long, but we can't take their word for it.

Right.

Hello? Is this Uncle's residence?

Can you get our uncle on the line?

I'll start with the conclusion first.

Yuko, I broke off your engagement.

Your fiancé's father is the president of a company that makes military aircraft.

I couldn't let the younger sister of a subversive marry their son.

Breaking it off was the right thing to do.

You're still young. I know you can't just let it go.

But you must give it up since you're related to that foolish brother of yours.

Don't worry.

I'll find a good proposal for you in the meantime.

Well, how did they take it?

They had no problem with our decision.

Akira had to be given a different reason for him to accept it.

I'd like to let the two of them see each other one more time.

Akira apparently described it in detail in a letter to Yuko.

Haven't you seen it?

No, I haven't.

You need to be more involved.

You brought up four children on your own.

I know you had it tough.

Now I blame my brother's hands-off policy.

That's why I gave you occasional warnings.

As you know, the Osone family is a well established samurai family.

Our father was an Army Major

during the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars.

I don't understand

how my brother ended up the liberal oddball of the family.

He was such a Francophile.

He didn't discipline his children.

After all, he was a professor who spent most of his time in his study.

But I wish you would have been more attentive to your husband.

That guy, Ippei Yamaki, was a bad influence.

I know he was my brother's best friend.

But he could have been more careful with his actions.

He even refused a commission for a painting from the Army Ministry.

Well, let's not discuss this now.

I need to go inform the matchmaker.

Please talk to Yuko.

I feel bad for her.

I'll be going.

Yuko.

What did Mr. Minari say in his letter?

When did you get this?

Last night. Right before he left.

Why didn't you tell me?

You were upset about what happened to Ichiro.

I couldn't bring it up.

How do you feel about this?

I'm very frustrated.

He's completely ignoring me.

You could have told him yesterday.

You could have run after him and told him exactly how you feel.

He doesn't think it's fair to make you wait for his return.

Any decent young man would think the same.

But I'm sure he would've been happy to hear your true feelings for him.

But that's not possible now.

Your uncle has officially broken off the engagement.

What was he thinking?

I can't believe he went directly to them before talking to us.

Mrs. Osone,

Mr. Yamaki is here to see you.

Okay.

He's waiting in the art studio.

- Please prepare some tea. - Yes.

What's the matter?

You're getting close. - Sensei.

Don't get so frustrated.

I just can't find the right color.

It looks pretty good.

It's too dark. I wanted at least the sky to be brighter.

When the whole country is in a dark state,

it's not possible to make a bright painting.

Actually, there are tons of painters who paint like that.

I saw an interesting painting the other day.

A Wisdom King is holding a sword and slicing through the flames.

The title was "A Righteous War."

The Wisdom King looks obsessed. His face is quite grotesque.

He looks quite monstrous.

If you offer that painting to the altar,

it may turn this losing war around

now that the enemy has taken over Saipan.

And that was the work of a famous painter.

Nice of you to visit.

It's been a while.

When it snows out there, we can't help feeling cold.

We've prepared some tea in there.

I heard Ichiro received quite an invitation.

That's right.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

It's a terrible world out there.

I know everyone is thinking the same thing.

I don't think his article was that controversial.

I read it again last night.

They don't like to hear the truth because they know the war is unjust.

They're such cowards.

I'm finally jobless.

My group was terminated.

You mean the Hakudokai?

Ever since I refused the commission from the Army Ministry, I've been blacklisted.

They don't want me to paint either.

So I guess I'll be a farmer starting tomorrow.

I'll treat you to a good meal of my hearty radishes.

I'll grow big and healthy ones.

I wonder what could happen now.

We're heading towards the point of no return.

Japan doesn't need to be ambitious. It should remain a peaceful country.

It's such a beautiful country. We could promote tourism.

My husband used to say the same thing.

He was at the forefront of the Theory of Rural Electrification.

His theory wasn't typical

like the general use of electricity for production of chemical fertilizers.

He proposed using electricity to cultivate seedlings

and protect crops from frost damage.

His thinking was quite progressive.

If the energy used for producing weapons could be shifted to farming...

crop production would more than double.

The goal was to compensate for the limited farmland we have.

But no one was interested in hearing his theory then.

We can't do anything about that since many of our officials are ignorant.

Tell Ichiro to focus on staying in good health.

He should take advantage of this time to study as if he's at a Zen temple.

Let's go have our tea.

1944

Please leave this painting here.

But this is very childish.

You painted it when you were a child.

This painting allowed you to get into art school.

I want to get rid of everything.

Leave this one with me. Please.

For your lonely mother. Okay?

Thank you.

- Hi, I'm back. - Welcome back.

I got there just in time.

The police car was already there when I arrived.

I asked them to wait and I dressed him in fresh clothes.

He's officially under arrest.

Brother looked pretty good.

I have a message for you from Brother:

Don't be impatient. Keep studying by doing sketches.

Things have changed.

What happened?

I've been drafted.

I don't believe it. Is it true? When?

It happened right after you left.

When does he enlist?

- Very soon. In two days. - No...

How do you feel about it?

It doesn't matter how I feel.

Brother is in jail. I'm going to war.

The Osone family is facing the ultimate crisis.

I feel relieved.

"Bushido is the way of dying."

I wish things were that simple.

I'll be off to a factory as part of the female volunteer corps.

Maybe it will do me good to do silly tasks that don't require much thought.

We're getting into a desperate situation.

I just informed the neighbors and called Uncle at Army Headquarters.

Really? Auntie didn't know about that.

- Did you stop by their house? - Yes. She gave me something.

- What is it? - Sweet jelly.

I wish Brother could have tasted this.

Why should Uncle, in his comfortable chair at Army Headquarters, eat this?

The soldiers on the front line are starving.

The officers in the homeland are living in luxury. It's unacceptable.

I won't touch such dirty sweet jelly.

You all look well.

Nice to see you.

Congratulations on your service.

You tidied things up quickly. It looks good.

You're lucky you get to serve your country out there.

Much better than staying at home and painting.

Let's have a drink to celebrate.

This is a precious and treasured liquor from the office.

It's been aged for 30 years.

Let's drink to your future.

Yuko, bring me some glasses.

Yuko.

Where are you going?

I'm going out.

Excuse me.

Taiji, can't you see your uncle's kindness?

He's a strange one.

I don't understand him.

He'll be fine.

Once he takes a few beatings and gets knocked about for a few months,

he'll be one fine soldier.

The Army is a great place.

We don't need the glasses anymore.

I hear you're joining the volunteer corps. Auntie was worried about you.

Yes.

There's no need to work at a factory. I've asked at Army Headquarters.

You can work in the accounting department.

Thank you for your concern.

Oh, how time flies.

I hope you'll stay for dinner, even though we don't have much to offer.

No, I have to go to a meeting.

I long for a home cooked meal.

That's too bad.

Since you're celebrating, I'll send my wife.

- Please have Auntie join us. - Okay.

- It doesn't look like him at all. - It may not look like him,

but I think it captures Dad's personality.

It captures his sharpness well.

- Please keep that. - Yes.

I'm sorry he hasn't come home yet.

I don't mind. I wonder what happened to him.

I bet he's stuck at his friend's.

Taiji is too dramatic.

He's joining the service late in the game. There's no need for his drama.

What's his obsession with death and getting rid of his past?

That's because he's an artist.

He's very sensitive.

He's not simple-minded like you.

I know that.

But he's such a snob.

What would you be concerned about, Takashi?

Let's see, I broke my watch the other day.

It'd be sad to go to war without a watch.

Maybe I'll take your watch, Mother.

Your mother will be happy to give it to you for the cause.

I'm home.

- He's back. - Welcome back.

I'm feeling good.

I'm very happy. I drank as much as I could tonight.

Hi, Auntie. Nice to see you.

Why do you all look so sour?

I'll be leaving soon. - Taiji.

This is like a wake tonight.

A wake.

What a nice night.

It came three months early, that's all.

Mother, I know.

I just have to die, right?

I'll show you. I'll die for my country.

Uncle said it's better to take a beating dodging bullets than to paint.

Auntie, please give him a message.

Just as he wishes, I'll return as ashes.

You're not used to drinking.

Let's get you upstairs to rest.

My body is the valuable property of this country until I die.

Where did you go to get so drunk?

Even your shirt is torn.

I'm fine.

Taiji.

My precious mother. I'm eternally grateful to you.

You took care of me for 25 years.

I feel... I mean...

I'm sorry for being a selfish and inconsiderate son.

Stop it, Taiji.

Oh, Yuko.

You took good care of me as well.

When I think I might die before I can repay any of your kindness...

It's bad luck to say such a thing.

It's true.

A person who says he wants to die will end up not dying anyway.

What's the matter? Are you feeling sick?

Mother.

I don't want to die yet.

Don't worry. You'll be fine.

I don't say that because my life is dear to me.

I'd rather die for my painting.

Cézanne painted and painted until he collapsed over his canvas.

You can paint as much as you want when the war is over.

You're just saying that to ease my mind.

That's not how I mean it.

It's what I truly believe.

I know you'll return to us.

And you'll be a much stronger painter.

I pray to God for that.

Mother, is that what you really believe?

Of course, it is.

So don't be so pessimistic.

You must rest well tonight.

Thank you, Mother.

I don't care what other people think of me, even if they call me a coward.

I just want to paint.

I want to paint. I just want to paint.

I know. I know that, Taiji.

That's why I won't touch your studio while you're gone.

I'll be waiting for your return.

So go to your room and get some rest.

I want to come back alive.

So I can paint again.

- You need to open both doors. - Yes, sir.

Hey, be careful with that.

- It's a lot of work. - We're almost done.

I hope we won't get bombed now that we brought the furniture that was spared.

Don't worry, I won't ask for guaranteed protection.

Where shall I put this?

Auntie will figure that out.

I promised not to touch his art studio.

Don't be so sentimental.

It's for Uncle and Auntie whose house got damaged.

Taiji won't complain.

I know he won't complain.

I'm home.

Welcome back.

Who's that from?

It's from Taiji.

What's wrong?

What happened to Taiji?

He's in the Army Hospital.

He fell ill on the ship and was sent back to Hiroshima.

I wonder if he's okay.

It doesn't sound that serious.

We can't be by his side.

He always makes us worry.

- Takashi, your friend is here. - Okay, thanks.

- Did you just get back from the office? - Yes.

Isn't it better than working at a factory?

But I feel guilty.

I don't do much there, but they always give me extra rations.

Today I got 500 grams of grape sugar.

- Uncle. - What?

My friend, Furuno, wants me to introduce you to him.

Introduce me to him?

We exchanged greetings earlier.

Furuno is interested in chemical weapons.

He'd love to talk to you when you have some time.

Oh, that sounds fine.

I'm busy today, but come see me anytime.

Thank you very much.

This tree is losing a lot of leaves.

I guess those boys will eventually sign up for the Special Attack Corps.

Do you get any letters from Taiji?

Yes.

He must be a person of strong character by now.

What does he say?

Well...

I hope he's not complaining about the Army.

Well, this just arrived from him.

I'm disappointed in him.

He's such a fool.

I heard he made quite a scene before he left for the war.

He never made it to the front line. It's like him to be sent back already.

I wonder how he got to be such a mama's boy.

Well,

I'm not directing any of that at you.

Let's sit down.

Since we're moving into your house starting today,

we should discuss our arrangement.

I tend to say what I think, so you should be frank with me.

Okay.

To be honest, since you joined us,

the character of the Osone family has drastically changed.

My brother's liberalism was only on the surface.

But your parents are successful with their trading business.

And you went to an international school in Yokohama.

You were accustomed to good living.

I confess now, but I was worried about what would become of the Osone family.

I know we can't change what happened.

But the Osone family is facing a serious crisis.

I need you to be more serious.

I hear you loud and clear.

We can't do much about Ichiro and Taiji.

I'm talking about Yuko and Takashi.

I'll try to find a good marriage for Yuko.

Thank you.

Takashi...

He's a decent, honest boy, unlike his older brothers.

He takes after his grandfather.

Because my children live far away from me,

it gives me pleasure to take care of your children.

- I hope I'm not meddling. - No, not at all.

Oh, here they come.

I may be meddling, but I'll take care of your family.

ALL OR NOTHING

Wow, your house looks like a different place.

Uncle insisted we needed a change.

So we changed everything.

He may replace me someday.

Don't say that.

Lately I'm not welcome many places.

I thought I could stop by anytime for old times' sake.

I'm not welcome here either.

You know we all rely on you.

Uncle is too controlling.

I guess I should refrain from coming here too often.

But today is special.

I brought a gift. It's for you.

Really? What is it?

Can you guess?

I guess you can't.

It's a love letter.

You're such a tease.

You think I'm teasing you.

- Here it is. - Really?

Hey, I can't just hand it over to you.

First, don't you wonder something?

How did I get this letter?

Does there have to be a reason?

Don't you think it's strange?

Someone who broke off an engagement asked me to deliver a love letter.

You mean, it's from Mr. Minari?

How quickly you change now that you know it's from Minari.

Here you go.

Nice of you to stop by.

It's gotten quite cold.

It's been a while.

I'm playing Cupid today.

Mother, Mr. Minari saw Taiji.

Really?

He found out about Taiji and visited him at the hospital.

That's nice.

Taiji told Mr. Minari about me.

Are you keeping the excitement all to yourself?

Is he in Tokyo?

- You mean Minari? - Yes.

He visited Tokyo on some official business.

He came to see me without advanced notice.

He said he didn't feel comfortable coming here directly.

Well, yes.

Anyway, I'm glad it's a happy letter.

Make sure you treat me well.

Excuse me.

- Are you ready? - Yes.

My son's in a rush. He's worried we'll miss our train.

I'll be over there soon.

Are you going back home?

Yes, thank you for all you've done for me.

Her son was drafted.

He didn't want their house to be empty, so he came to get her.

That's quite a change.

She's your only housekeeper. You'll have a hard time without her.

That was also my concern.

It's fine. Times are different now.

You'll be back when things return to normal.

Of course, I will.

I'll be going now.

I'll be there right away.

- Please take care of yourself. - Thank you very much.

Now that my duties are over, I should get going.

Please stay longer. I'll bring some tea.

I'll get going before the scary Uncle chases me away.

I'll get back to farming again.

I'll come see you so you can treat us to a huge radish.

It could be the fertilizer, but all I get are skinny ones like carrots.

It's not as easy as painting one.

See you soon.

Thank you for coming.

What did he say in his letter?

It was just as you said.

Ending the engagement was a temporary decision.

I knew it.

As he faces more and more hardships in the Army,

he realizes how important love is.

I'm happy for you.

I have to tell you something.

You know Uncle has a guest today.

His name is Mr. Tanji.

He's the father of a young man your Uncle wants you to marry.

He's here to meet you. - Really?

Don't be so unconcerned.

Uncle wants you to meet him.

No, I won't.

You just have to say hello. I need you to do that.

Uncle is selfish, as usual.

He's always been a tyrant.

He always criticized our manners or our grades at school whenever he visited.

But when Father was around, no one paid attention to Uncle.

Times are different now.

But if we keep obeying him, his behavior will only escalate.

It's good to disobey once in a while.

I wish we could, but we can't.

Seriously, I'd like to ask for your assistance.

Once this deal goes through, I can expand my factory.

I plan on handing everything over to my son.

I'd appreciate your guidance. You'll help a young man.

I fall easily when someone pleads me.

Is that true?

Colonel Osone, you're known to be unshakable.

We're all afraid of you.

I promise I won't cause the colonel any trouble.

You know, Mrs. Osone...

My son's fortune will be your niece's fortune.

I hope you'll agree and help as well.

Thank you.

- Is she your niece? - Yes.

Thank you for bringing this in.

Thank you for coming.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

I hear you work at Army Headquarters. It must be hard work.

Yes.

She complains that her work is too easy. She wants to work harder.

It's time for the next generation.

Yes, I agree.

As we age, I definitely feel I'm losing enthusiasm.

We lost Saipan to the enemy. They also took the Philippines.

The enemy has made quite an advance. They're very near the homeland.

Your business is thriving because of the Army. You shouldn't think like that.

We will win. That's the only option.

Excuse me.

Can I see you?

Do you need me?

He's asking over the phone...

about enlisting.

The Student Naval Reserve or something like that.

Wants to enlist? Who?

It's Takashi.

An officer is visiting his school looking for new recruits.

You're saying Takashi is asking your permission to enlist?

Yes.

That's my boy!

We need to announce the good news.

My nephew who's a junior in high school

just called to get his mother's permission to enlist in the Student Naval Reserve.

Nice of him to call.

He must have been quite inspired by the pep talk.

I'll talk to him. This is exciting.

Takashi, is that you?

It's your Uncle.

You're doing the right thing. Enlist right away before anyone else.

What? Your mother?

She's happy with your decision.

I'm very proud of you.

1945

Are you done with the cleaning?

You're leaving already? - I need to be there by 8:30.

I can't believe they want you to volunteer to dig an air-raid shelter.

You should ask Auntie's maid to go in your place.

I would if she'd volunteer.

She'd never volunteer. That girl is crafty that way.

They want one volunteer from this household.

We should take turns.

We can't be bothered with the volunteer labor service.

Our maid's gone and I have to work.

It hurts me to see you doing everything around here.

You've lost weight, too.

If you keep complaining like that, they'll get you just like they did Ichiro.

It's just too cruel.

What Ichiro said about this war has proven to be the truth.

The people in this country are enduring unbearable hardships.

We're the victims of the military's ambition.

It's unfair.

Uncle faces no hardships and gets to live in luxury.

I don't mean to sound petty by talking about food.

But he gets to eat the same food as he did before the war.

But he shares some of the good food with us.

That's not acceptable to me.

My work arrangement is just like him sharing his unfair privilege.

I don't like seeing honest people getting used.

I don't understand it anymore.

All I get is beaten on one side, and pushed on the other.

I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore.

I hate that horn.

I'm late. I must get going.

Try to have a good day.

Don't work too hard.

Isn't it time for you to get going?

Are you off to do your duty again?

I feel for you, working so hard.

- Please look after the house. - I will. Please be careful out there.

Good morning.

Yuko, wait.

Have you given any more thought to the proposal?

I need you to give me a date to set the marriage interview.

They're getting impatient.

Don't you know how fortunate you are to be proposed by such a wealthy family?

If you understand the situation of the Osone family,

you can't ask for anything better.

Uncle is doing what's best for this family.

If you don't show any response, you'll put me in an awkward position.

Besides,

you don't want to marry a man who could be sent off to war at any moment.

That won't happen with Mr. Tanji.

I asked your Uncle a favor.

This must be kept between us.

I asked for Mr. Tanji to be assigned as director of their factory.

Mrs. Osone.

Yes?

- Is anyone home? - I'm coming.

What happened?

Where can we lay her down?

Over there.

Be careful.

Don't lower this end.

Mother! Mother!

Mother! Mother!

What happened to you?

What's happening?

Any mail for us?

Mother, please wake up!

Do you have any wine?

Wine? Yes, I'll bring some.

Mother.

You're conscious now, Mrs. Osone.

Oh, what a relief.

Sorry I troubled you.

Keep lying down.

The load inside the basket was too heavy for her.

I warned her, but she kept saying she wanted the same work as everyone.

The officials just order us around.

They don't know that this kind of labor is too hard on women.

You're absolutely right.

Another air-raid siren.

How's she doing?

Thank you for this.

We can take care of her now.

Please leave everybody. It's the air-raid siren.

Your engagement with Mr. Minari is officially off, isn't it?

Then what's this about?

TO MISS YUKO OSONE FROM AKIRA MINARI

Read it to me.

I haven't read the back side of the postcard.

But I have to inform Uncle about this.

What does it say?

Taiji's not doing well.

He's in critical condition with pneumonia.

How does Mr. Minari know about that?

He visited Taiji in the hospital.

Yuko!

Mother!

Mother.

Mother!

Mother, don't scare me like that.

Did you have a nightmare?

What happened?

You're acting strange.

Mother...

Was it a bad dream?

You scared me.

- Takashi came back to us. - What?

He came to say farewell.

He was in his flight uniform.

He was also wearing the watch I gave him.

He said, "Good-bye, Mother."

He left hurriedly, so I tried to tell him to wait.

But I had no voice.

He kept on going.

So I tried to run after him, but I couldn't move.

That's why you were crying out in your sleep.

He looked like he always does, with a big smile on his face.

He was sent to the Special Attack Corps.

He was probably killed in action.

It was just a bad dream.

He was the most honest and innocent of all my children.

He trusted everybody.

He devoted himself to the war. He was focused on fighting.

It's just heartbreaking.

It was only a dream.

It was just your imagination.

He won't get killed in action.

But it seemed so real.

Even if it seemed real, it was a dream.

When Taiji died in the hospital, I saw it happen clearly in my dream.

Please stop. I don't want to hear it.

Uncle just came back.

Hey, I'm home. Open the door. Hurry up.

I'm coming.

You're back so late. Is everything okay?

Thank you. Yuko, you were up, too.

Sorry to keep you up.

I wonder what happened.

Hey, give me some liquor. I don't care what it is.

Why do you want to drink this late?

Bastards. They deceived us.

Why don't you call it a day and go to sleep?

It's your policy not to complain about the office at home.

Complain? This is beyond complaint.

They sold the country out.

Was there espionage?

We surrendered. Japan has lost to America.

What?

They arranged it without informing the military.

They've already scheduled a radio address tomorrow at noon.

Whose decision was this?

All the senior statesmen.

It's already tomorrow. Won't the military do anything about it?

That heated discussion didn't go anywhere.

All the senior men at the command center gathered to discuss it.

No one had the backbone.

What will happen if we surrender?

- What do you mean? - No more military preparedness.

The military will be dissolved. We'll face disarmament.

There will be no more Japanese spirit.

Then…

what would happen to us?

Will you be sent to the reserve?

The reserve? You fool.

The military will cease to exist.

I could be arrested as a war criminal.

If I'm to be killed, I'd rather die with everyone in defense of the homeland.

Hold on a moment.

If anything were to happen to you, what should we do with the rest?

What do you mean "the rest"?

Our assets may be confiscated.

We must be prepared if that's the case.

We may need to transfer our assets to another name or hide them somewhere.

The boys on the battlefield will be returning without any weapons.

We need to be prepared so we can at least feed our family.

Takashi being killed in action was all in your imagination.

I hope he's alive somewhere.

But I'm sure he doesn't have it easy.

Ichiro is probably suffering, sleepless in his solitary cell.

All Taiji wanted to do was paint.

But he's no longer with us.

Mother, you've gotten so thin now that you look ill.

Is this what war is about?

Did the war make anybody happy?

Who was this war for?

How long will this last?

I hope it ends soon or all Japanese people will go insane.

And now for a different point of view,\i\i0}

Mr. Tokuichi Odagiri from Saitamat.

I'm a farmer,w all the details.

But I was told to say whatever I want.

During the war, we all worked very hard

I sacrificed my own food government.

This is true.

We have no rice left}

We survived on potatoes and greens

This war was far from a righteous war.

I hear it was a shameful war withies.

The military who gave lip serviceness...

behaved with inhumaneywhere they went.

He's talking nonsense! Stupid farmer!

All of us are to blame for the surrender.

All of a sudden, he's criticizing the military and the government.

I'm appalled and speechless.

I just heard the announcement at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

We're facing the worst harvest this year in 40 years.

About 10 million people are expected to die from starvation.

We're better off dead.

We Japanese are all pigs.

We're shameless, unprincipled and have no opinions of our own.

We need to start from scratch.

I guess we deserve the maximum suffering.

By losing 10 million people to starvation,

that should straighten things out.

Please stop!

We don't want to hear those words from your mouth.

Faith, victory and a righteous war.

Who used those words to bring the country to starvation?

Do you know who you're talking to?

Shameless, unprincipled and with no opinions of our own.

A perfect description of the military officials.

I can't let you drag us down with you.

The military should be held responsible for what happened.

What did you say?

Colonel. Colonel.

Take them that way.

Put them in the shelter in the basement.

Don't bother taking your shoes off.

Mother, are you going to allow this?

Please stop what you're doing. Please don't put that in the basement.

What are you doing?

- Please don't do this. - What?

I don't care if we starve to death.

Don't worry. I won't give you any. Hurry up.

Please stop them.

Out of my way.

Farmers sacrificed themselves to deliver this rice to the government.

You're stealing the rice from them. I can't live with a thief like you.

Don't be impudent! You just need to get ready for your marriage.

How are we to respond to Mr. Tanji?

You conspired with him in a dishonorable scheme.

You're the one who's shameless! You're the pig!

Hey, keep bringing them in.

Hurry up now.

Where are you going?

Mother, I know you'll be lonely all by yourself.

Please stay strong.

Please let me do what I want.

What are you saying?

I'll go to Uncle Yamaki's place.

It's pouring outside.

There's a bigger storm inside this house.

Please, Mother.

Look who's talking. She has quite an attitude.

It's all because of your proper discipline.

Excuse me.

Aren't you Takashi's colleague?

Yes, my name is Furuno.

Did something happen to Takashi?

Yes.

I was able to return because I was assigned to maintenance.

Takashi plunged into the ocean in his warplane the night before the war ended.

Good morning.

I was asked to deliver this to you.

They said large and heavy items are to be divided later.

POWDERED MILK

How was she?

I delivered the box.

- Did she take it? - Why wouldn't she?

Yuko will come back soon apologizing. That's just human nature.

Here's some for you.

I appreciate your kindness.

But I cannot accept these.

I can't bring myself to take these

when I think about my children who died or are in prison.

Okay then.

Put it away.

You don't have to complicate things. Just take it.

No.

I mean…

I don't understand the logic.

The whole country is in turmoil.

Are you blaming the war on me?

At least...

At least, what?

When you heard about Takashi's death last night,

you gave me a hateful look.

What was that about?

Are you blaming his death on me?

If you hadn't come into our life,

Takashi would have grown up under our influence.

He didn't have to die.

You're the one who got him killed.

Your militarism was to blame.

You're saying it's our fault.

Ichiro, who was arrested, was right.

My deceased husband had a firm policy in educating our children.

And I kept his policy.

All you did was criticize our policy and shake everything up.

In hindsight,

I didn't stand up to you enough.

I tried to be good to you.

But now what's left of the Osone family?

The house is dilapidated and empty.

The only one left is a sickly woman who can barely breathe.

But I knew we weren't the only ones going through hardships.

There are millions of people who are also suffering.

That's why I endured the hardships.

You're treating me like a war criminal.

I'm only one colonel at military headquarters.

Are you saying a colonel didn't have much to do with the war?

You're clearly one of the people who provoked the war.

You're responsible for what happened to the Osone family.

I want our old family back.

I want my children back.

What are you babbling about?

Whatever the case, I want you to leave this house.

You can't tell me you don't have a place to go.

You people have completely destroyed this country.

You took many lives.

The others who survived are left with grief.

You deserve to feel the same grief and hardship as those people.

If you have a sliver of conscience left, you should leave now.

Shut up!

I was just a colonel following orders.

I was just one colonel.

Please leave.

I'm sorry.

It's fine. That's fine.

I'm so happy to see you return.

I was just discharged from military service.

The first thing I wanted to do was come see you and Yuko.

Mother. Mother!

Mother, Ichiro is coming home. I heard the radio announcement.

MacArthur Headquarters are releasing the political prisoners.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

- Congratulations. - We've been waiting for you.

Sorry I made you worry.

Our time has finally come.

We put everything on hold during the war.

It's time to get busy again.

It'll be the people's country from now on.

You have a big job ahead.

I wish Father could have seen this. Don't you, Mother?

You're the one who pursued your father's vision.

It's a new day for the Osone family.

Look at that. The dawn of Japan.

MORNING FOR THE OSONE FAMILY THE END