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"DEATH AT AN OLD MANSION"
- Seishi Yokomizo

Presented by Yoichi Takabayashi Productions,
Eizou Kyoto & Art Theatre Guild

Planning: Kuzui Kinshiro

Original Novel: Seishi Yokomizo

Production: Teruo Takabayashi,
Yoshinobu Nishioka

Director of Photography: Fujirou Morita

Art Direction: Yoshinobu Nishioka

Lighting: Reijrou Yamashita

Music: Nobuhiko Obayashi

Sound Design: Nobu Kurashima

Editing: Toshio Taniguchi

Recording: Kouki Nakazawa
Audio Coordination: Dotarou Hayashi

Assistant Director: Umeo Minano
Senior Producers: Kazuo Shizukawa, Yoshio Tokuda

Cast:

Takahiro Tamura

Junko Takazawa
Yuuki Mizuhara

Takahiko Higashino
Shou Arata

Fujirou Tsuneda

Tatsuko Higashi
Sue Mitobe

Kunio Kaga
Katsuhiro Ishiyama

Akira Ebie
Seijirou Hara

Yuutarou Tomo
Shou Nakabayashi

Tokio Oki
Hideki Hanaoka

Kanae Kobayashi, Orie Yamamoto
Tsunako Fukube

Eiko Muramatsu

Aki Nakao

Screenwriter and Director:
Yoichi Takabayashi

I was right on the money.

I knew Suzu had died.

Since that abhorrent incident...

...a year had already flown by.

Skilled at the koto,
and lover of flowers,

Suzu smiled just like this,

on that day one year ago.

Ah... snow!

So it is...

...even though it's nearly April...

There they are!

She's so pretty...

That's Kenzo's bride, right?

She'll be your sister, Suzu.

My congratulations!

I am the bride's escort.

Congratulations!

And thus,

the exchange of ceremonial sake cups
brings the wedding of Kenzo Ichiyanagi

and Katsuko Kubo to a close.

May you remain married,

and grow old together,
until eternity.

Hey...

there was an odd fellow
around here just before right?

Yes, there was.

Wearing a great big mask like this.

A filthy looking man he was.

He also asked me to...

...hand over a
letter to Kenzo as well.

A letter, eh?

Well in any case,

I handed it to the
father-in-law's wife.

Such a terribly
strange looking man!

Looks like the ceremony's finishing...

Within this Ichiyanagi family,

an ancient tradition remains from the time when
this house was used as an inn for daimyo...

...as well as a stronghold for Bizenji.

The koto you see here, a family heirloom
passed down through generations,

plays a vital role in the
marriage ceremony of the family heir.

Since long ago, the performance
of the piece "Oshidori"...

...by the bride, so that she can truly become
a part of the family, has been the tradition.

However, times have changed.

And I feel that requesting that Katsuko play
this song is somewhat of an imposition.

So this evening, without
adhering old tradition,

I have decided to hand the task to Suzuko,
my youngest daughter, in place of Katsuko.

A splendid performance!

I didn't make any mistakes.

The piece was really difficult,
so I tried really hard...

...and I didn't make any mistakes.

It was a commendable
performance. Well done!

You're a master of the koto.

I'm so glad!

But...

...I can't play the koto
for Tama anymore.

Because Tama died.

Tama...?

She's talking about
her cat that died.

Akiko, please take this koto to
the separated house afterwards,

as we'll have Katsuko play it after the
couple takes their ceremonial bedroom sake.

Tama!

Sorry.

I have to visit Tama's grave,
otherwise she'll be lonely.

Akiko, prepare the
food trays for everyone.

- Katsuko, feel free to go and get changed.
- Yes.

The other villagers will
all be assembled soon.

Kenzo, I hope that you'll live
happily with my Katsuko.

- Thank you.
- Here.

Saburo! Seems like you
agreed to this matrimony.

Why'd you agree when
everyone else was against it?

- Uncle...
- Yes?

Let's go over there.
Let's drink there for a while.

Sure, why not?

You might be a wealthy upstart
fresh back from a sojourn in America,

but originally you were just a
tenant farmer in this house, were you not?

And Kenzo, where do you get off falling
head over heels for a girl like that!

- Uncle!
- I'm right, aren't I?

That's what you think too,
Saburo, isn't it?

Don't pay him any mind, Kubo.

Ihei acts terribly when he drinks.

He's normally a very nice person,
but even with just a little sake...

Please, don't bother about me.

I've made my resolve to hand
Katsuko over to Kenzo...

...having understood all matters.

To be honest, being told
things like that...

...reminds me that we, too,
used to be burdensome for this family.

We were farmers, too.

What's wrong, Suzu?

- Uncle...
- Yes?

- When cats die, can they shape-shift?
- Shape-shift?

That's a lie. A flat out lie.

- What happened?
- I saw something scary yesterday.

- Something scary?
- I heard the koto in the middle of the night.

The koto? Where?

It was...

...in the detached room.

You must have
been dreaming, Suzu.

It wasn't a dream!

Someone was playing it,
I know it.

Who, then?

I don't know!

There was no one in the
detached room last night.

I'm terribly sorry.

My uncle sometimes...

Don't worry about it.
Let's have a drink together, Saburo.

I hope you and Katsuko
will get along, Saburo.

Of course.

Saburo.

See your Uncle Ihei off
to Kawamura later, would you?

Of course.

It seems he's drunk quite a lot.
Make sure he gets home, won't you?

You'll be late coming back,

so perhaps you should
stay overnight around there.

Yes... I will.

Is the ceremony over?

The lights will go out when
everyone goes home - it'll get so lonely.

Father... thank you for taking care
of me for such a long time.

Don't you know Tama, Uncle?

Everybody was opposed to
my brother Kenzo's wedding.

Tama!
You can't climb up there.

The detached room!

- It's no good... it's bolted shut.
- Shall I try?

Genshichi, bring an axe.

- Should I break it here?
- Right there.

The sound of the koto...

Kenzo! Kenzo! Kenzo!

What happened?
Katsuko! Katsuko!

- Something's strange...
- The rear!

Sir...!

Gen, break it with this!
Here!

Katsuko!

Gen, hurry!
Call the police, and a doctor!

Quickly!

The culprit must be hiding away
somewhere close by...

Gen!

Katsuko... this is just a dream.

A terrible, terrible dream.

Inspector Isogawa, we've finished
investigation of the crime scene...

Unseasonable snow melts
quickly, doesn't it?

Indeed... well then.

Good work.

What a nasty case...

Mother,
I heard Kenzo was murdered?

- As well as Katsuko...?
- Yes.

- So they got her too...
- Hi.

You're Saburo Ichiyanagi, yes?
I'm Inspector Isogawa.

Last night, you saw your Uncle
off home to Kawamura,

and stayed overnight there,
did you?

Yes. I just came back.

So, you know nothing
about last night's incident?

That's right.

Do you have any
ideas about who did it?

Why your brother might
have been killed?

I've no idea...

Amongst your brother's acquaintances...

...is there anyone
with only three fingers?

- Three fingers?
- You know someone?

Did something happen with him...?

As deducted from the crime scene,
he's considered an important suspect.

To tell the truth, I have
heard about him before.

Really?

Do you know the sweet shop
in front of Kiyomachi Station?

I do.

Well, yesterday... no, the afternoon
of the day before yesterday...

...apparently a man came
to the shop and asked:

"Which is the best route to
the Ichiyanagi estate in Okumura?"

They said he only had
three fingers on his right hand.

ICHIYANAGI

Do you know anything about
the connection between...

...that three-fingered man
and this household?

- How about you, madam?
- I've no idea at all.

A man by the name of Kindaichi
is here to see Mr. Kubo.

He's here already?
Thank goodness!

Kindaichi?

Ko!

Thank goodness you came!
Now we'll be unstoppable.

Thanks for calling.

I'm terribly sorry to
hear about Katsuko...

I see. I've got an
understanding of the situation.

Kubo, please don't lose heart.

- Yes.
- Kubo, did you call for me?

Ah, yes, come in...

Have a seat.

I thought I'd take the chance
to introduce you to the inspector...

This is a man I've known
for nearly 10 years, Kosuke Kindaichi.

- He's a private detective, as they say...
- Yes, I've heard of him.

Actually, the chief of
our head division,

when he was still the head of
criminal investigations in Osaka,

got himself into a truly
difficult case.

Risky, labyrinthine...

Just when we were on
the brink of devastation...

...with a formidable skill for reasoning,
there was a man,

a simple civilian, who helped us
crack the case and arrest the culprit.

That man's name
was Kosuke Kindaichi.

You still hear that story
pretty often these days, too.

I'm pleased to finally
put a face to the name.

Is that so? Well, that'll
speed things up a little bit.

Kosuke, this is Inspector Isogawa
from the prefectural police.

- Pleased to meet you.
- Likewise.

But can I ask how you and
Kubo here know each other?

When I was young and reckless,
I ran away from Japan.

I nearly found myself
left for dead in America,

but I was saved by Kubo. I like to
think that I still owe him my life.

Seems like there was an
unusual amount of snow last night.

It rarely snows that much
at the end of April.

It was terribly abnormal weather.

- You want to know what I think?
- Yes.

It's hard to make a judgement
without seeing the forensics first...

...but what I'm thinking is,
last night...

Ah... it's snowing...

Congratulations.
Here is the bridal wear.

The culprit could have only
snuck into the detached room...

during this specific time period.

About the footprints in the foyer -
oh, no thanks.

They weren't footprints with
snow on them, so...

Takasogo...

Raise the flag on this boat...

Be careful, alright? This koto is a
very valuable family heirloom.

Good night.

Good night.

And, well, we know
how it goes after that.

There are no signs that indicate
this man ran outside afterwards.

When we all ran after him,

the foyer, as well as the shutters,
were all locked from the inside.

We had to break
them with an axe.

And... that snow.

There wasn't even one footprint.

I remember him very well.

He was terribly unsightly,
you see.

It was the day
before the Ichiyanagi wedding,

around afternoon, I think.

Excuse me...

Excuse me, could you...

...could you tell me
how to get to...

...the Ichiyanagi house in Okumura?

Ichiyanagi?
The Ichiyanagi place is...

...straight down this path here.

I see... thank you...

Could I trouble you for a
glass of water?

Yes, of course.

Here.

Thanks.

"I will keep our promise
from the island, soon."

"Ambush by night or a surprise attack, we
promised that any method would suffice."

"Sincerely, your Lifelong Nemesis."
What's this all about?

It was in the pocket of the
shirt Kenzo was wearing yesterday.

It was torn to pieces,

so we put it back together
at the headquarters in Kiyomachi.

Looks like a blackmail letter...

- When did it arrive?
- Right before the wedding ceremony.

Yesterday evening, I believe.

- Can I help you?
- Is the master of the house around?

He's rather busy.

If he's around,
could you give him this?

- The master?
- I'm counting on you.

- Who delivered the letter to Kenzo?
- That would be Akiko.

Kenzo?

This was delivered to
the kitchen just a moment ago...

Akiko.

What kind of person was
the man that delivered it?

An odd one...
he looked like a tramp.

The look on Kenzo's face then...

...was terribly strange, I thought.

How do you feel?
Why don't you rest for a while?

You haven't slept a wink
since last night, have you?

You must get a hold of
yourself. We're here with you.

Please, pull yourself together.

We had to break this to get in...

Hey, mister.

- Where's Uncle Kubo?
- He's taking a nap.

You're a detective, aren't you?

Why aren't you
using a magnifying glass?

- You'll go visit Tama's grave later, won't you?
- Tama?

It's in the back garden.

Her cat's grave.

My brother Kenzo
scolds me if I talk to men.

Sorry.

They say she's 17... but
she's a little bit slow up here.

I heard she can
play the koto quite well.

No visible fingerprints,
that's for sure...

The culprit put on the koto tsume in
order to cover up his own fingerprints.

The blood-stained tsume
had been discarded right here.

However, on the handprints left
on this pillar and that shutter...

...fingerprints can be seen.

That's odd...

The prefectural police are
doing a search on them now.

I see...

There's nowhere to
escape to from here.

The roller on this storm shutter
was locked in place, apparently.

That's what Kubo and
Ryosuke said, at least.

- So the murder weapon was sticking up here?
- That's right.

Right here.

So the culprit threw away
the weapon here and ran off somewhere.

There isn't a single footprint,
though.

The snow...

Well!
Isn't this a fantastic looking tree?

- So you like bonsai?
- Not at all!

- Can you see anything in that bamboo?
- Not a thing.

There aren't even
any knots in the stem.

Somebody's hollowed
out the whole thing.

You're right! I wonder why
anyone would do such a thing?

- Inspector Isogawa?
- Yes?

There's blood on it...

So that means...

...the culprit ran off
in this direction.

What's this?

That must be something
that the gardener forgot.

If he fled, he must
have taken this path.

Go ahead.

- Here.
- Ah, thanks.

Certainly a strange case
we have on our hands...

There's traces left behind
from the culprit's entry...

...but no trace that he escaped anywhere.
Not even any footprints.

- Uh...
- Hm?

Ah! Sorry about that.
Here.

- Inspector Isogawa?
- Hm?

Where does this path lead?

It goes across the mountain,

all the way to Hisamura,
the next village over.

Saburo!

Could you take a look
at this for us?

"I will keep our promise
from the island, soon."

"Ambush by night or a surprise attack, we
promised that any method would suffice."

"Sincerely,
your Lifelong Nemesis."

Lifelong nemesis...

...lifelong nemesis...

So this man is
that "lifelong nemesis"?

In this letter...

...he mentions a
"promise from the island".

Do you have any idea
what that could mean?

At some point in time,
on some island,

Kenzo met the man in this picture
and then something happened...

...that caused them to begin despising each
other, putting their lives on the line.

Looks like we need to take
a look into Kenzo's past.

We'll be borrowing this picture,
Saburo.

My brother was a
fervent scholar.

Indeed, he gave many lectures at universities
all around the place when he was young.

He was an incredibly
academic man.

Our mother often worried,

telling him that he needed to
put study aside and take a wife.

But he was much
more suited to studying.

There are many things that men want
to do besides getting married, after all.

1954...

1955... 1956...

1958, 1959, 1960...

1961...

What beautiful handwriting.

He hasn't missed a day.

Kenzo was an unwavering perfectionist,
even with the smallest things.

Displaced positioning
of notebooks,

or pencils with mismatched
lengths.

He would never overlook
things like that.

Even having someone simply
touch the surface of this desk...

...would become a huge incident.

He was quite an
incredible person.

Saburo!
Well...

Whose books are these?

They're mine.

It looks like you're quite
the fan of detective novels.

I love immersing myself in the
Romanesque world of detective novels.

It's a world where things that
could never exist in reality happen.

What's your favorite work?

Leroux's "The Mystery of
the Yellow Room", I suppose.

Amongst stories that deal with locked-room
murder mysteries, there's none better.

What do you think about
last night's incident?

Don't you think that the detached room
was a kind of locked-room as well?

I'm not sure. Novels and reality
are two very different things.

Crimes that happen in real life aren't
as interesting as they are in novels.

Don't they say that
"truth is stranger than fiction"?

Of course, real-life culprits...

...are never as smart
as those in novels.

They aren't?

Karma is a turning water-wheel

The flowers that fall
and scatter are earthly

They disappear into the long,
dark night

The wind of transience begins to blow

"The investigation concluded, from the three
fingerprints left over, that this man is a suspect."

"The man's whereabouts, along with Kenzo
Ichiyanagi's past, are being investigated."

To expose such a shameful thing to
the whole country. What a mess!

Can I help you with something?

About Kenzo's death...

I'd like to know about
what you think, as his cousin.

He was a distinguished man.
A scholar.

A university professor.
The head of the family.

Despite being too eccentric to
keep track of his own expenses,

he used to call everyone but himself
dirty, meddlesome peasants.

He was convinced that everything
he did was the righteous.

"You fools are different from me",
he'd say.

So I guess you could say he
made some enemies?

He was a man who stayed cooped up inside
his own castle, doing what he wanted.

Nobody knows what
he was really after.

I suppose men in the
academic world are like that.

In any case, he was a cold man.

I'm feeling a lot more refreshed
after sleeping so well last night.

Eating like this...

...makes it seem like Katsuko's
death didn't even happen.

Where's Isogawa?

He went back to HQ
for a briefing.

- Mind if I come in?
- Ah, Suzu. Come on in.

I'm scared, mister.

I heard the sound of
the koto two nights ago.

Two nights ago?

Around what time?

I don't know...

I was scared, so I
hid under the blankets.

Suzu.

You're telling the truth,
aren't you?

Ko... you aren't thinking...

Kubo.

I trust Suzu's ears.

Did you visit Tama's grave?

Sorry, Suzu. There was
no time for that today.

Poor Tama!
She died all alone.

Kubo!

It seems I've made
a grave misunderstanding.

The truth behind this incident...

...might be much deeper, and more
terrible, than I had imagined.

Ko... Ko!

I thought I heard the
sound of the koto.

Kubo...

Last night, the night of the incident,
did you hear that sound too?

- That sound?
- The sound of the water wheel.

Kubo!
What time is it now?

4:15.

The same as last night!

I heard it! I heard it!
The sound of the koto...

I heard it again...
I'm scared...

Ko!

Saburo!

- Kubo, get a doctor!
- Okay!

Ryosuke, was there anything different
about the room?

No.

Pull yourself together!

Three... fingered...

The three-fingered man...

There's the sound again!

The koto sounds,
and everyone is killed...

Everyone will be killed...

Inspector.

- Where's Kindaichi?
- Over there.

- Would you mind coming along?
- Yes.

He sustained some
serious injuries.

It was fortunate that they missed
his vital organs. Thank goodness!

So the culprit was
that three-fingered man?

Based on the state of the crime
scene, that's what we're assuming.

- Inspector Isogawa?
- What is it?

I'm Isogawa from the prefectural police.
I'm in charge of this investigation.

This man here is Kosuke Kindaichi,
he's helping out with the case.

My name is Shizuko Shiraki.

I teach history at Seiai Girls
Secondary School, in Osaka.

Seiai Girls Secondary...
So you and Katsuko Kubo were...?

Yes, we taught together until 2 months ago.
Katsuko was in charge of Japanese language.

She was a very good teacher
and popular with the students.

I know who the killer is.

Please, take a look at this.

It's a letter from Katsuko Kubo.

That's right.
I received it about two weeks ago.

Let me take a look!

"My dear Shizuko."

"It's been a month since I left
that memory-filled school."

"The day wherein I become
Ichiyanagi's bride draws ever nearer."

"I bumped into Shozo Taya.
I was terribly surprised."

"He had changed considerably."

"He was with a group of young people
that were quite obviously hooligans."

"I went bright pale."

"My heart went as cold as ice.
My entire body was shaking."

It's been a while.

I heard you're going
to get married.

- How did you...?
- I've got a sharp ear.

Or, perhaps, it could be that...

...I might still be in love
with that body of yours.

My congratulations.

Well, you'll make a
fine bride, in any case.

This Shozo Taya is the killer.

Did Ginzo Kubo know about this?

Who exactly is this Shozo Taya?

He's the son of a doctor from Kobe. Initially,
he intended to become a doctor too,

and attempted to enter several
different medical universities.

But, he was unable to pass the entrance
exams and began to veer off the rails.

It was around then
that he met Katsuko,

and seeing as he was hoping
for a future in medicine,

Katsuko was considering
getting married to him.

"I have to apologize to you,
Shizuko."

"You must bury all the secrets
from before your marriage."

"Revealing them will not bring
any kind of good fortune..."

"...to your married life.
This was your warning to me."

"Ultimately, I betrayed that warning."

"I confided those accursed details about my
relationship with Shozo Taya to Ichiyanagi."

Let's forget about it.
What's done is done.

To me, the you that is
here now is of utmost importance.

Of course, this matter,
that Katsuko was not a virgin,

most certainly cast a dark
shadow upon Ichiyanagi's heart.

But I believe that despite what
kind of shadow it was,

with love and hard work,

Katsuko endeavored to
assuage him of it entirely.

Katsuko planned to make a clean break
with this man, Taya, is that right?

That's right.

But the man thought otherwise.

That's correct. Following their breakup,
Taya resorted to blackmail and extortion,

often ending up in
the arms of the police.

- There's no way he'd just watch Katsuko get married...
- So Taya...

- ...tried to extort Kenzo and Katsuko?
- Yes.

However, Kenzo accepted it.

Then, Taya killed both of them!

When I read the newspaper,

I had a hunch that
Taya was responsible.

- So I left Osaka first thing this morning...
- Is that so?

Thank you so much, sincerely.

By the way, could you
take a look at this?

This man by the
name of Shozo Taya...

...is none other
than this person, correct?

No.
This isn't Shozo Taya.

What do you make
of this Taya fellow?

I was shocked to hear that Katsuko
had been with another man.

I don't understand women.

Do you think Taya is our man?

It doesn't add up...

Ko... are you serious?
You must be kidding.

To think that Katsuko would...

...with another man...

- I don't believe a word of it!
- Kubo.

Sorry.
It just seems so ridiculous...

I would never have
doubted Katsuko, of all people...

So that means that that man...

...resented Katsuko's change of heart,
and took matters into his own hands.

That's what Shizuko Shiraki
claims, in any case.

But, Taya is not
the three-fingered man.

What do you mean?

I mean that Shozo Taya is not
the real culprit behind all this.

I wonder what kind of person
Kenzo Ichiyanagi truly was...

Did you truly forgive Katsuko
for the truth about her past?

I can't help but think
that somehow...

...some part of you
didn't entirely forgive her.

When did Tama die?

The day before
the wedding ceremony.

Why does everyone have to die?

Tama, my big brother
and Katsuko...

All living things die someday.

That's just the way it is.

Are you going to die too?

Yes.

And me too?

Yes.

What happens when you die?

When cats die their skin gets made
into a shamisen, but what about human skin?

Hey, mister...

Is it true that digging up
a grave makes you cursed?

Cursed?

Somebody dug up Tama's grave.

What?

When I visited it this morning,
it was different to how it was yesterday.

Suzu.

Do you mean that Tama's
grave was dug up last night?

Yes.

I'm sure the person that
dug it up is cursed now.

He said it.

That young man by
the name of Kosuke Kindaichi.

"Truth is stranger than fiction".

That's why I wanted to check whether reality
really was more interesting than fiction.

I went alone to the
detached room.

I tried to create the same
conditions at the same time as the night...

...my brother and his bride
were killed.

"There's nothing special about reality.
Nothing happens at all."

"It's nothing like the world of fiction."

That's what I intended to say...

...to that impudent
Kosuke Kindaichi.

That man plans to
murder our whole family.

Mom!

What's wrong, Suzu?

Are you going to dig
up Tama's grave again?

That man's going to get
cursed as well, I know it.

- Should I open it?
- Please.

Tama... I'm sorry.

Mom...

- Mom...
- What's wrong?

It was all a bad dream.

Right here.

- Officers.
- Ah, hello, Inspector.

- This corpse is missing a right hand.
- Huh?

What's this?

It was in Tama's grave.
Take a look inside.

What on earth...?

This is...

...a stamp that was used to
make that blood-stained handprint.

Brother...

It appears everything
has come to an end.

The police have dug
up that man's body.

So this is Kyokichi Shimizu,
correct?

That's right. As Kindaichi presumed,
he had an aunt in Hisamura.

He's originally from Okayama City.

His parents died when he was
young, so he left for Tokyo.

Seems like he relied on
this distant relative of his.

Although that's all we know
about the aunt in Hisamura, unfortunately.

However, it appears he had been
writing her frequently as of late.

"I've been working as
a taxi driver in Tokyo,"

"but I was involved in a big accident,
and heavily damaged my body."

"Would you mind housing
me while I rest for a while?"

That was what he
wrote to her, apparently.

- An accident?
- That's right.

Seems like the aunt was
eagerly awaiting his arrival every day...

...but he never showed up.

You confirmed his identity
with this picture, right?

Correct.

The scar on his face, and
the fingers on his right hand...

...they were both a result
of the accident.

A man working in Tokyo became unable
to work because of a traffic accident.

Relying on the favors of an old relative,
he tried to make his way to Hisamura.

This man eventually never went to
his aunt's place in Hisamura.

No, even if he wanted to,
he couldn't.

- Excuse me...
- Yes?

Over... the bridge...

Hello?

Hello?

He's dead.

"Kyokichi Shimizu."

"Kyokichi Shimizu."

"Tokyo City, Sumida ward."

So, the real cause of death for
this man named Kyokichi Shimizu...

...was merely a natural death
brought on by his illness, after all.

He was badly injured
from the car accident.

On top of that, he had to overcome
the long train journey from Tokyo,

not to mention the
3 mile path to Hisamura.

He must have just
barely made it to this point.

So, Kindaichi, that means...

...Kyokichi Shimizu's connection
with this house was...

...that it was simply a
signpost that he used...

...in order to get
to Hisamura, wasn't it?

He was a terribly
unfortunate man.

He died on the side of the road,
his place of rest right before his eyes...

...and on top of that,
being framed as a murderer...

- Framed?
- Yes.

If it hadn't snowed that night...

...even if the snow hadn't
erased the footprints...

...we would have believed that
he was the real murderer...

...and pursued him
forever, meaninglessly.

So, the real culprit is...

Like how the water wheel turns
when water falls through it...

...the furrows of karma begin to turn...

...and take us closer
to the truth, little by little.

Just like how the two koto strings,
set by my brother, began to be...

...wound up by the axles of the water wheel,
setting everything in motion that night.

Saburo!

Kenzo!

Saburo...

What are you doing
out here, at this hour?

I... I couldn't sleep...

When I came out into the garden,
I saw that the lights were on...

I thought it was odd, as no
one ought to be out here.

You know well about my disposition that prevents
me from going back on my own decisions...

...don't you?

Very well...
I'll tell you the truth, and only you.

Tomorrow night, after the
ceremony, I will kill myself.

Huh?

Suicide.

Why?

No matter how much I try
to explain, you'll never understand.

However, I don't want
the matter of my suicide...

...to be known by anybody.

Regardless of reason or
motive, suicide is failure.

I hate losers.
I never want to be one.

Therefore, I plan to
have someone kill me.

Saburo.
Tomorrow night...

...somebody broke in
here, and killed me.

That's the truth
behind this incident.

So, the mechanism just now...

...is so that the sword that
you used to kill yourself...

...is automatically taken
outside, isn't it?

For the incident not
to be considered suicide,

the weapon has to be found much
further away from the scene... doesn't it?

But... what do you plan to
do about your bride, Katsuko?

I'll give her some sleeping pills...

...and have her sleep through it.

Liar! You went as far
as to kill Katsuko!

Why?

The real culprit
behind this incident...

...actually wanted to kill Katsuko.

Kenzo wasn't able to
forgive Katsuko for her past.

Why didn't he just
break off the marriage?

If he were really able to do that,
this incident never would have happened!

Kenzo!

I beg you, please reconsider.

The reason why
everyone opposes it...

...is only because they
want what's best for you!

Ryosuke... say something!

Kenzo, it's like Aunty says.

Let this one go, and find a
bride that's suitable for this family!

It may be disrespectful
of me to say this.

I am not just
the head of this household,

but a scholar who carries the
hopes of Japan on his shoulders.

So, I tend to look at people,

and think about things
different to how you do.

Katsuko is...

...someone that I can be
proud of, a most suitable wife.

What I long for most is
not someone's social standing,

but a high level of intelligence
and upbringing such as hers.

No, more than that.

Katsuko's purity,
unviolated by anyone...

Kenzo must have been
terribly in love with Katsuko.

Yes...

Within Katsuko...

...Kenzo must have
seen a goddess.

But Kenzo's love
was too straightforward,

too juvenile; it was unable to
bear that kind of pressure,

so it collapsed.

Juvenile love, huh?

Even though he
was 40 years old...

...Kenzo was somehow
similar to Suzu.

Now that my brother's
death has become a reality,

I find myself reflecting on his grandeur,
after all this time.

Ever since I can remember,
my brother reigned over everything,

forever looking down upon me.

The Kenzo that lived within me
was a formidable, prodigal scholar.

Since I was young, I was
constantly compared with my brother.

Phrases like:
"Be like your brother",

and: "Don't lose out to your brother!",
were my family's favorite things to say to me.

Within my mind, my brother's
greatness increased day by day.

I lived in constant
fear of his shadow,

hearing his contemptuous voice.

However, that evening, I found
my brother suddenly kneeling before me.

Saburo, I beg of you.
I'll listen to anything you say.

So, please, just say
that you'll help me.

Okay...?

Humans are terrifying creatures.

They are indeed.

Why did Saburo cut himself,
then?

Was he trying to kill himself?

Kubo... Saburo was
trying to challenge me.

Yesterday, Saburo and I...

...talked a lot about
locked-room murders.

For Saburo,

after everything had gone
exactly according to plan,

he felt confident
of its flawlessness.

However,

I managed to find fault
with their superb plan.

"If you're willing to say that,
I'll recreate the whole thing myself..."

"...and have you solve it for me."
That's what he intended.

And he was prepared to suffer
such a big injury for that?

He may well have
been willing to kill himself.

We can find out the answer
to that if we ask Saburo later.

But surely upon
hearing what I said...

...he felt that his pride as a fanatic of detective
fiction, or even as an accomplice in this plan...

...was hurt greatly.

His pride...

Saburo was indeed the
son of a distinguished family.

Right.

Easily hurt...

...doesn't know what it's
like to live covered in dirt...

...a real member of the elite.

What are you up to, Mister?

What's up, Suzu?

My head hurts.

Suzu, it's all fine now.
You won't hear the koto anymore.

Next time,
it'll be my turn to die.

When I die, bury
me with Tama, alright?

I want to play the
koto and sing for Tama.

Ah... snow...

Footprints... footprints!

White pig!

All crimes eventually
come to light.

Rather than receiving judgement
from somebody I do not know,

I will die by my own hand,
by my own judgement.

Karma is a turning water-wheel

The flowers that fall
and scatter are earthly

He played the koto in order
to camouflage this sound.

The wind of transience
begins to blow

- Well, all the best, Kubo.
- Thanks.

I've decided to stay
here until the 49th day.

Katsuko was wed
into this family, after all.

So long.

Suzu!

Good bye.

Give my best to
your brother Saburo.

Come again, won't you?

Sure.

I'd love to hear you
play the koto next time.

Subs by OHAKO

THE END