Original subtitles

KWAIDAN

A NINJIN CLUB PRODUCTION

Produced by SHIGERU WAKATSUKI

Original Stories by YAKUMO KOIZUMI Screenplay by YOKO MIZUKI

Cinematography by YOSHIO MIYAJIMA

Music and Sound Effects by TORU TAKEMITSU

Production Design by SHIGEMASA TODA

Sound Recordist HIDEO NISHIZAKI Edited by HISASHI SAGARA

Lighting by AKIRA AOMATSU

Starring

THE BLACK HAIR

MICHIYO ARATAMA MISAKO WATANABE, RENTARO MIKUNI

KENJIRO ISHIYAMA RANKO AKAGI

THE WOMAN OF THE SNOW

TATSUYA NAKADAI KEIKO KISHI

YUKO MOCHIZUKI

HOICHI THE EARLESS

KATSUO NAKAMURA TETSURO TANBA

TAKASHI SHIMURA YOICHI HAYASHI, EIKO MURAMATSU

KUNIE TANAKA, MASANORI TOMOTAKE TOKUE HANAZAWA

IN A CUP OF TEA

KANEMON NAKAMURA, OSAMU TAKIZAWA, HARUKO SUGIMURA

GANJIRO NAKAMURA NOBORU NAKAYA, SEIJI MIYAGUCHI

KEI SATO TOMOKO NARAOKA

Directed by MASAKI KOBAYASHI

THE BLACK HAIR

In old Kyoto there was a young samurai...

...who had been reduced to poverty by the ruin of his lord.

He decided to leave his home...

...and enter the service of the governor of a distant province.

Be well.

I cannot stay. I have a future.

A man must rise in the world.

I can't throw that away for you...

...and rot away in this place.

Must you leave Kyoto?

I'll work even harder than before.

I'll weave day and night. I'll slave for a better life.

Please reconsider.

If I lose this chance, I'll be finished.

I finally got a post. Don't try to stop me!

And you'd be happier married to a man from a good family.

I've had enough...

...of this unending poverty!

You'll be leaving early in the morning,

...so we shall conclude for the evening.

Prepare for the bridal chamber.

Our daughter is finally married.

A burden has truly been lifted.

We are pleased to welcome you into our family.

Unworthy though I am.

He understands just how indebted he is to you.

Please take care of our daughter always.

I Will.

The samurai did not understand the value of love.

He abandoned his devoted wife,

...married a noblewoman to advance his career,

...and took her to his new post.

It was the rashness of a young man suffocating from poverty.

His second marriage did not prove a happy one.

His new wife was selfish and cold.

He thought back on his life in Kyoto with unbearable longing.

He realized he still loved his first wife...

...more than he could ever love his second.

He realized further...

...just how irresponsible and ungrateful he had been.

Memories of the woman he had wronged...

...her soft speech...

...her smile...

...her gentle demeanor...

...her impeccable patience...

...all this haunted him constantly.

Enough!

Always the same games.

I'm bored to death.

You may all take your leave.

Please don't wait up any longer.

It seems the master is still reading.

Ungrateful wretch!

You're only here due to my family's standing.

You used us.

But all you do is long for what you remember of the past.

You don't even notice me!

The evening dew will harm your health.

Please go to your chambers...

...and tend to her ladyship through the night.

You mean watch her sleep?

That's your duty.

You mustn't say that.

Let her return to her parents tomorrow if she wishes.

I can't bear watching her sulk any longer.

Please tell her that.

It turns out I was just young and stupid.

I'll find the wife I deserted...

...and make amends for my sins.

Yet the years went by.

His period of service came to an end.

It was September 10 when he reached the street in Kyoto...

...where his first wife had lived.

It was the dead of night, and the city was as silent as a graveyard.

When did you return to Kyoto?

Just now.

Just this moment.

It's so dark...

...yet still you found your way.

- You must be tired. - No, don't get up.

- Don't trouble yourself. - I'll boil some water...

I don't need any.

You haven't aged a day.

You look exactly the same.

I couldn't forget your face for a moment.

I longed to hear your voice.

Forgive me.

I'm a cruel man.

I'm a fool.

I deserve your scorn.

To the day my service ended,

I thought so often about coming back to you.

How deeply I regretted my selfishness.

How wretched I was without you...

...how tormented by the irreparable harm I'd done.

All I could think about was how to make amends.

Above all, I wanted to rush back...

...to Kyoto and find you.

I ran frantically in the dark.

To worry yourself like that...

...over someone like me...

Forgive me.

Please forgive me.

I was such a fool.

You mustn't punish yourself.

Please don't torment yourself on my account.

In truth, I never felt worthy of being your wife.

But you are!

Even though I knew I wasn't,

...I clung to you, always a burden.

Yet my leaving you was so cruel.

It was because of the poverty.

You were always kind to me.

Why should I think ill of you?

I silently prayed for your good fortune...

...every day and night.

I'll make amends.

That's all right.

You traveled a long way home.

That has already brought me happiness.

Even if we can be together like this only for a moment.

Only for a moment?

Tell me we'll be together for seven lifetimes.

Unless you forbid it,

...I'll stay with you always.

Nothing will ever separate us again.

Your fragrant hair.

It's the same as before.

The same glossy black hair...

...those eyes...

...that lovely nose...

...those soft cheeks...

...and...

I've forgotten my sorrow.

Many things have happened in Kyoto since you went away.

I imagine so.

Too much to tell in a single night.

Soon it will be dawn.

I missed this room as well.

We made love for the first time here.

It holds the memories of so many nights.

I don't want to sleep now.

I want to speak with you of the past, the present, and the future...

...and savor this happiness I feel now.

I feel as if this were a dream.

I want to treasure the happiness of your return.

I don't want to sleep for even a second.

THE WOMAN OF THE SNOW

In a village in Musashi province...

...there lived two woodcutters: Mosaku and Minokichi.

Mosaku was an old man...

...and his apprentice Minokichi was a boy of 18.

Every day they went to a forest a few miles away from the village.

One very cold day, a blizzard overtook them on their way home.

The boatman had left his boat on the other side of the river.

It was no day for swimming.

I intended to do to you...

...what I did to that other man.

But I couldn't help pitying you...

...because you're so young.

You're a handsome boy.

I won't harm you.

But...

...if you ever tell anybody about what you've seen tonight,

...even your own mother,

I will know of it...

...and I Will kill you.

Remember what I just told you.

Understand?

I'll be going now.

I have to sell some wood. We need money.

You won't be able to work for some time.

Until it gets warmer...

...and you've recovered all your strength.

Your porridge is getting cold.

Take care of yourself, son.

Otherwise, like old Mosaku...

...you'll freeze to death...

...as if the blood had been sucked out of you.

If this should happen to you again,

...you won't survive.

Are you listening?

You never say a word no matter what I say.

A year passed.

As soon as Minokichi got well, he resumed working.

Every morning he went to the forest alone...

...and returned with bundles of wood.

Where are you going so late in the day?

Edo.

Now?

Yes.

I lost my parents.

I'm hoping that my relatives in Edo...

...might help me find work there.

You have any siblings?

None?

I hope your relatives can find you a good position, but...

Without a sponsor...

...is it hard to find decent work even as a servant?

Better to get married.

Are you married?

Take my hand.

That's my house.

Why not rest here? You won't be bothering anyone.

- But... - It's just me and my mother.

Come.

Your name is Yuki?

I see.

So you're going to Edo.

But with no definite plans,

...and traveling alone, I'm a bit worried about you.

People are not always kind.

Especially to young girls.

You must be careful...

...not to be deceived by bad men.

Come eat while it's hot.

Yuki bore him three beautiful, fair-skinned children...

...and the villagers thought her a good wife.

Heavy snow, heavy rain

The temple's tea bushes are covered in snow

The novice has to clear it away

"But the priest has to help"

"Or I won't do it!"

Now make your offerings to Grandma.

Show her how much you've all grown.

Offer that to Grandmother.

She never seems to get any older!

It's true.

She's as young as the first day she came to the village.

She's a mystery.

Were you at the cemetery?

Yes, it's the anniversary of my mother-in-law's death.

I see.

She must be pleased to see all her nice grandchildren...

...praying for her.

She's at peace.

She praised you until the day she died.

You rarely hear of that happening.

You're right.

You never hear of it, no matter how good the wife is.

I wouldn't say that.

Thanks to all of you, I live very happily.

It's nice when a couple is happy together.

Of course they're happy!

He has such a good and beautiful woman for a wife.

It all makes sense!

Look at her, so young and fresh!

After three kids, no less.

A peasant woman would look so old.

She looks like a young doll.

She's a mystery indeed...

What do you think? Try these on.

I hope they're not too small.

- What about the children's? - Already finished.

How nice! All ready for New Year's.

I'll loosen the thongs if they're too tight.

Come on, try them on.

How beautiful!

But why red thongs?

You're still young.

I'm a mother of three.

Red is still your color.

Your feet look beautiful.

A perfect fit.

Not too tight, not too loose.

They're my exact size.

Your sandals are so beautiful...

...that people wear them out and come asking for more,

...but these are especially comfortable.

I made them extra special to match your best clothes.

I feel as if I'm setting out on a journey.

I can't make you new holiday clothes,

...but at least I can make you new sandals.

With your sandals and the clothes I'm altering,

...our children will have a splendid New Year's.

Are you almost done?

A few more stitches.

What are you staring at?

I just remembered something that happened ten years ago.

It's strange, since I hadn't thought about it in so long.

With the light on your face like that,

...and looking up at you like this...

I suddenly remembered that night.

That night?

That's right. A strange thing happened.

It's like it was yesterday.

You see, I've never told anybody about it.

I'm still not sure if it was real or a dream.

It was the night old Mosaku froze to death...

...as if all the blood had been sucked out of him.

With my own eyes...

I saw a woman bending over him.

She blew her breath on him like a white smoke,

...and he went stiff and couldn't move.

Then she stooped over me as well,

...and I began to go numb.

Her eyes...

That terrifying woman's eyes...

...made her look so incredibly beautiful...

...like something not of this world.

She was fair-skinned, like you.

Just like that!

You looked exactly like her just now.

That's what made me remember.

The memory haunted me day and night back then.

It really took its toll on my health.

But I tell you, it was in the ferryman's hut...

...where I spent the night of the blizzard.

With my own eyes, I saw the strange woman who killed Mosaku.

And except for you...

...I've never seen a woman as pale and as beautiful.

But she was terrifying. Not human.

You think she was the Woman of the Snow...

...who comes looking for blood?

Or was it all a dream?

It was no dream.

Me.

It was me.

Me.

Me!

It was Yuki.

You promised that night...

...that you'd never tell a soul.

After all this time, you've broken your promise.

It was an eternal pledge to me in exchange for your life.

I told you that if you broke it, I would kill you.

You've betrayed me!

If it weren't for those children asleep in there...

...I would kill you this very moment!

From now on...

...you'd better take good care of those children.

If they ever have...

...even the slightest reason to complain of you...

...I will treat you as you deserve!

INTERMISSION

HOICHI THE EARLESS

It was early in the morning

Of March 24th

In the second year of the Genryaku era

That the Genji and Heike clans

At Dan-no-ura

Fought their last sea battle

With the banners of the war god

Tanzo Kumano from Kii province took the lead

Followed by Michinobu Kano from Iyo province

Who led the warships of Shikoku

The war drums beat loudly

There were so many ships

More than three thousand in all

The Heike were surrounded and laid to siege

Rushing before all the others

Was the force under the command of Yoshitsune

So it has been told

At Dan-no-ura, on the Shimonoseki Straits,

the last battle was fought between the Genji and the Heike clans.

The Heike had been defeated in many battles

and escaped to the west.

Here the clan perished along with the infant emperor.

Noritsune, governor of Noto province

Knew this was his last day

The Genji rank and file were no match for him

He wanted to cross swords with Yoshitsune, the Genji commander

“Come on, Yoshitsune!” he called

The high waves kept them from reaching the shore

And the Genji ships blocked

The one possible escape route to the sea

They waited with arrows in their bows

The Heike crew were all dead

And the Heike ships had nowhere to go

Some sank

Some went adrift

The long contest

Between the two samurai clans

Was reaching its end

Lady Nii watched

All of this unfold

She held the infant emperor in her arms

“I may be a woman

But I will not die at the enemy's hands

I will escort His Majesty

To the next world

If you share my devotion

Waste no time in following us”

Thereafter, that sea and its shores...

...have been haunted for 700 years.

Thousands of strange crabs, called “Heike crabs,”...

...with human faces on their shells, can be found there.

After the Amidaji Temple was built at Akamagahara...

...to console the souls of the dead samurai...

...many strange things began to take place.

Hoichi.

Hoichi.

Ah, there you are.

Be careful not to fall into the well.

I will.

The priest wants you to look after things.

We were just asked to lead a wake at a patron's home.

I'll do that.

There's some watermelon inside. Eat it while it's cold.

Thank you.

Very good.

I urged him to be very careful.

He's still new here.

I think he'll be all right.

Who's there?

Master, have you returned?

No one would visit the temple at this hour.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

Hoichi.

Who's calling me?

I'm blind, and I've not been living here long.

I thought somebody was out on the grounds.

I've been impolite. Forgive me.

There's nothing to fear.

I'm staying near this temple,

...and I've been sent here with a message.

My lord, a man of very high rank,

...is now staying here in Akamagahara with his numerous attendants.

He wanted to see the old battle site at Dan-no-ura,

...so we went there today.

I see.

Since childhood you've shown uncanny skill...

...at reciting the story of the battle.

They say you even surpass your teacher.

My lord desires to hear your performance.

Take your biwa and come with me to our manor at once.

That's very gracious of him.

But I'm hardly worthy of his attention.

You wouldn't disobey his command, would you?

You said your lord is high in rank. He must be a great man.

Yes. You normally wouldn't be admitted into his presence.

I don't deserve such good fortune.

Open the gate!

You inside!

I've brought Hoichi.

Take off your sandals.

Another victim.

Got washed up here.

Must have been the sea ghosts again.

I saw will-o'-the-wisps last night.

Yasaku!

Good morning.

Where's Hoichi?

He's still not back.

- Still? - That's right.

Is it true that none of you noticed when he left last night?

Well...

I thought he'd gone to bed.

- Another ship sank last night. - Whose?

Gonemon's. He was out catching squid.

His family's here to request a service.

- Is that so? - I told the priest.

I see. What a terrible pity.

I wonder if there really are sea ghosts.

It seems so.

I've never seen them. You think they're real, Donkai?

For those who believe, they are. For those who don't, they aren't.

You and your slippery answers.

I really believe it.

Don't try to fool me. I try to be serious, but you...

I'm serious too.

Is Hoichi back?

Yes. Are you going out?

How is he?

It appears he's asleep.

What? Since when?

He returned without our knowing.

Is that right?

Staying out all night, must have had fun.

I told him to look after things.

He isn't trustworthy.

I must prepare Gonemon's posthumous name and be going.

We'll have another wake tonight.

It's going to be hot again today.

You startled me, sitting in the dark like that.

I wondered who you were.

What's the matter?

What's the matter?

Everyone else is gone,

...and Matsuzo has gone home, so I'm all alone.

I thought you were asleep,

...so I mistook you for a ghost.

Now I'm soaking wet.

I'm so sorry.

That's all right. You haven't had your breakfast yet.

Just where did you go last night?

Your breakfast is still here. It hasn't gone bad.

Hurry up and eat.

There's eggplant from last night's supper too.

Thank you.

Donkai and the priest were very worried about you.

Where did you go and why?

Were they that worried?

Don't act like you don't know.

You're too young to stay out all night.

You find a girl somewhere?

Of course not.

There was just something I'd forgotten to do.

Really?

You and your girl must grope each other like this.

“This is your rump, and this must be...”

Hoichi.

It's the appointed time. I've come for you.

Yes, sir.

You didn't tell anybody?

No, I didn't.

You mustn't say a word.

I understand.

This is tasty.

These rice cakes and raw sake are all I brought from home.

I'll give Hoichi some before they lose their flavor.

He'll be up soon.

He'll be hungry when the sun sets.

I see. What's he do during the day?

He sleeps like the dead.

And his face is so pale.

It's just the sunlight reflected off the foliage.

No.

Has he said anything?

Who's there?

Oh, it's you, Yasaku.

Oh, Matsuzo!

When did you come back?

You were asleep when I got back, so I didn't wake you.

Are you feeling sick by chance?

No.

Just fatigued from the heat.

I'll be fine.

To tell you the truth...

I've been meaning to ask you...

...where you go every night.

You leave without a word and stay out until morning.

What's going on?

Tell me: Why do you do it?

In the middle of the night, without telling anyone,

...you just leave, night after night.

Won't you at least tell me?

Everyone's suspicious,

...but I've told them we can trust you.

Nonetheless...

...it's dangerous for a blind man to be out wandering alone.

I could have Yasaku or Matsuzo accompany you.

Just where have you been going?

Won't you tell me?

Forgive me.

I'm not doing anything suspicious.

I remembered some things I needed to do,

...so I went out, heedless of the hour.

I'll be more careful from now on.

What things did you need to do?

Trivial matters.

I'm terribly sorry I worried you.

I see.

Master! Master!

Master!

Yasaku, what's happened?

- It's Hoichi! - What's happened to him?

He went out again just now!

Went out?

What are you waiting for? Hurry and follow him!

Take Matsuzo with you, and don't let Hoichi see you.

Hurry!

Take this. Hurry!

Where's Matsuzo?

- Come on, hurry! - I can't light it.

Now the seeing are disabled!

- Hurry! - You go on ahead.

But it's dark.

Nighttime usually is!

But the thunder...

Who cares? Get going!

Matsuzo!

Yasaku! Matsuzo!

What are you doing? Get going!

Which way?

That way?

He can't have gotten far.

Go that way!

Run!

Yasaku!

We have to stick together. Come on!

His Majesty wants you to feel at home.

You play the biwa beautifully...

...and every night you perform the tale of the Heike,

...composed of a hundred parts.

His Majesty is delighted.

I believe we are all pleased.

You are most kind.

As I explained...

...besides the main story, there are 19 secret pieces...

...and five esoteric pieces.

It would be hard to perform them all.

Tonight I will recite whichever section you wish.

Whichever is appropriate.

“The Battle of Dan-no-ura.”

That is the most moving part of the story.

Indeed! The final battle!

Yes, the battle of Dan-no-ura.

In that case, Hoichi...

...we wish to hear “The Battle of Dan-no-ura.”

It was early in the morning

Of March 24th

In the second year of the Genryaku era

That the Genji and Heike clans

At Dan-no-ura

Fought their last sea battle

Hey, let's go back, Matsuzo!

This is awful.

That kid's really making us suffer.

It's just cruel!

They shot arrows at each other for a time

Then the Genji ships moved in the rapid current

And sailed into the midst of the Heike ships

Friend was mixed with foe

The straits were filled with ships

Like dead leaves carpeting the waves of a river

At that moment

Lord Tomomori, a Heike warrior, stood up

"Listen, men"

"The fate of our clan"

"Rests on this battle"

"Why begrudge losing your lives?"

"Fight well, men!"

"That's all I ask"

Thus he cried out two times, three times

"Though you were born an emperor"

Said Lady Nii

"Your good fortune has run out"

Amide will welcome you in the Western Pure Lend

"Hurry and invoke Amida Buddha's sacred name"

"Beneath the waves"

"Another capital city awaits"

Hoichi!

Hoichi!

Holding the infant emperor in her arms

She threw herself into the fathomless sea

Hoichi!

- Hoichi! - What are you doing?

How dare you interrupt me before this noble assembly!

What are you saying? You must be mad.

He's possessed!

Let's go home. Hurry!

You'll be dead if you stay here.

Come on!

You'll be punished for taking me away. Let me go!

Listen to us. Come home!

Let go of me!

- Leave me alone. - Come home!

It's the priest's orders!

Let me go!

Have you gone mad?

Let me go!

Why didn't you tell me this sooner?

Poor boy.

Now you're in great danger.

No doubt they drew you in...

...for your exceptional musical skills.

You haven't been visiting a manor...

...but a graveyard.

The spirits of the entire Heike clan are interred there.

You've been led night after night into a cemetery.

You must be aware of that by now.

You understand?

Last night you sat before the grave of Emperor Antoku.

You've imagined the whole thing.

It's all been an illusion...

...except the visits of the dead.

You mean a spirit really did come here?

Yes.

A spirit did come. That's a fact.

Once you do what a spirit tells you,

...you put yourself in its power.

If you continue to obey...

...you'll be possessed, perhaps even killed.

In either case...

...you'll be dead sooner or later.

So the spirit will come to the grounds again tonight?

Tonight...

...after we leave for the service...

...sit down on the veranda and wait.

The spirit will surely come for you.

But whatever happens...

...do not answer.

And do not move.

Say nothing and sit still...

...as if in meditation.

You understand?

If you stir or make a sound,

...you'll be torn to pieces.

To escape his wrath, control your fear,

...and don't even think of calling for help.

Even if you cry out, there's no one who can help you.

Remain absolutely silent. Is that clear?

Don't speak or move, and you will make it through alive.

I won't move.

I won't make a sound.

You understand?

- No matter what? - No matter what.

I promise.

Donkai, you've covered every inch of his body with The Heart Sutra?

From his face, to his fingertips, to the soles of his feet.

Good.

"I entrust my soul to Amida Buddha..."

Hoichi.

No answer.

This won't do.

Where is he?

I must find him.

What do we have here? There's his biwa.

But where's the biwa player?

Ears!

No wonder he didn't answer.

He has no mouth to answer with.

There's nothing left of him but his ears.

This is very strange.

Very well.

I'll explain all of this to my lord...

...and take these ears along as proof.

Yes... I must prove that I carried out my orders.

Blood!

Master!

It thins out toward the rear gate!

Hoichi!

Hoichi!

Are you there?

Hoichi!

My goodness!

Hurry and clean it up.

What happened to Hoichi?

His ears were torn off.

What?

His ears?

But why his ears?

Both of them?

Donkai.

Does the ghost like ears?

That's not a piece of dried squid!

It was a grievous oversight on our part.

I tried to cover his entire body.

You forgot to write the sutra on his ears.

I feel terrible.

No matter how many times you say that,

...his ears won't grow back.

I should have checked one last time.

I was careless.

I never imagined it would take his ears away.

There's nothing we can do now.

We must help his wounds heal as quickly as possible.

But be glad.

He traded his ears for his life. He's out of danger now.

You mean we won't see those visitors again?

They'll come no more.

Hoichi the Earless has recently risen to sudden fame.

My lord would like to hear him play the biwa.

My lord heard of the strange story.

He will spare no expense.

By his order, I've come to take Hoichi with me.

- He's here again. - What?

With a full retinue.

This time it's a full retinue of women!

I can't tell who's fake and who's real.

Maybe the ghost is among them.

Hoichi.

Just refuse and tell them you have too many offers.

No.

As long as I live...

...I'll continue to play the biwa.

I'll play with all my soul to mourn those thousands of spirits...

...who burn with bitter hatred.

Soon money and gifts began pouring into the temple...

...from far and wide.

Hoichi the Earless became a very wealthy man.

THE YEAR 1900 (YEAR 32 OF THE MEIJI ERA)

Some of the old tales of Japan...

...have come down to us in curiously unfinished form.

Why were they left unfinished?

Perhaps the writer was lazy.

Perhaps he had a quarrel with his publisher.

Perhaps he was suddenly called away from his little desk...

...and never returned.

Perhaps Death stopped his writing brush...

...in the middle of a sentence.

In any event, nobody can say...

...why there's no ending.

But I would like to record here one such example.

It was 220 years ago today,

...New Year's Day in the fourth year of the Tenna era.

IN A CUP OF TEA

Lord Sado Nakagawa was making his round of New Year's visits.

He stopped with his entourage at his family temple in Hongo.

You may now assume your duties.

I shall relieve you in the morning.

I am Heinai Shikibu.

I met you earlier today for the first time.

You don't seem to recognize me.

I don't recognize you.

Nonetheless...

...I'd like to hear how you gained entry to this manor.

Ah, so you don't recognize me?

I've never met you.

Furthermore, a lord's compound is guarded day and night.

No one can enter unannounced.

I don't see how you could fail to recognize me.

Just this morning you caused me great harm!

Intruder!

All hands, fall in!

There's an intruder!

All hands, fall in!

Kannai!

Nobody was seen entering or leaving the compound.

But I saw him.

Nobody in the clan has ever heard of a Heinai Shikibu.

I lunged at his throat!

- Did you strike him? - That's the strange part.

We looked everywhere. Not a drop of blood.

Kannai!

Stranger still, he passed through the wall without a sound.

Passed through the wall?

You mean to say he vanished into a wall?

Yes.

- Without a sound? - That's correct.

That explains why we couldn't find him.

After all, he vanished into the wall.

You're tired. You're seeing things.

No, I'm sure I saw him.

Men!

Where did the intruder go?

Doesn't anybody know?

He's lightning fast!

Won't you go to bed, brother?

It's late.

How are Mother and Father?

They already went to sleep.

Could you ask the servant to bring some sake to help me sleep?

Are you still anxious about last night?

No. I'm off duty tonight.

I just want to sleep soundly.

Excuse me, sir.

What is it?

We have visitors, sir.

What?

Who? Where?

At the entrance.

At this hour?

What do they want?

They say they'd like a brief conversation with you.

- Didn't they give their names? - No.

There are three of them.

I am Kannai.

I'm Bungo Matsuoka.

I'm Kyuzo Dobashi.

I'm Heiroku Okamura.

We're retainers of Heinai Shikibu.

Heinai Shikibu!

That's right.

When our master visited you last night,

...you struck him with your sword.

He was badly hurt...

...and has gone to a hot spring to tend to his wound.

I'm sorry to hear that.

But he will return on the 16th of next month...

...and come to pay his respects... and avenge himself!

What?

There you are!

“And then...”

But here the old tale ends.

No, I didn't see him go out.

He's been writing all day.

That's because of my deadline.

I'm his publisher.

He couldn't have left. I'm certain of it.

Well, I just dropped in to give him my New Year's greetings.

Would you like to wait inside?

I can imagine several possible endings.

But none of them would leave you satisfied.

I'll just leave it to you to imagine for yourself the best ending...

...to a story about a man who swallowed another's soul.

A man who swallows a soul...

THE END