Year Kyoho 15 (1730), Kyoto
URYU Shinbei could not tolerate,,,
,,,the beauracratic corruption and injustice committed by,,,
his best friend's father,
His report to the superiors were swiftly ignored,
He went on an exile from Ogino-clan, his hometown, with his wife Shino,
8 years passed,
It's cold today- I'm worried about your health,
For dinner,,, Why don't we have steamed tofu?
Being so close to you now,,,
It feels like Spring is coming,
Each season has its own charm,
I am sorry you have to go through this hardship,
I,,,
,,,am happy just to be together,
Your,,,
sleeve,,,
Even here,,,
,,,we can't escape from the political turmoil of the homeland,
I wish,,,
,,,to see the falling camellia back home once again,
Falling camellia,,,
I would like to ask you,,,
,,,of something,
When I die,,,
Please return home and finish your mission,,,
I won't let you die,
I,,,
,,,don't want to discuss this right now,
Death is inevitable,
Please,,,
Promise me you'll do as I asked,
If I return home as you asked,,,
,,,will you commend me?
Of course I will commend you,
Samurai's Promise (Falling Camellia) [Name Format: FAMILYNAME givenname]
OKADA Junichi as URYU Shinbei
NISHIJIMA Hidetoshi as SAKAKIBARA Uneme
KUROKI Haru as SAKASHITA Satomi
IKEMATSU Sosuke as SKASHITA Togo
ASO Kumiko as URYU Shino (née SAKASHITA)
Director & Photography KIMURA Daisaku
Togo,,, What are you doing?
A huge rain last month caused a landslide,
I am documenting the loss,
A diligent young man,
You're avoiding the trail,,,
,,,of your big brother, who committed seppuku for negligence 8 years ago,
Master Jyujo,,,
My brother protected the SAKASHITA family name with that seppuku,
- There is no shame in his action, - Of course, of course,
Also, developing this new land for farming is Master Uneme's plan,
The one and only SAKAKIBARA Uneme,
Master Uneme is the only one who will make sure that Ogino-clan prospers,
He has the ears of the young new lord who will arrive soon enough,
Well, how about that!
I believe this han's prosperity is derived from the interim lord,,,
,,,Elder Kenba ISHIDA,
But the farmers' daily lives are not improving at all,
The new land must be reclaimed, and its harvest returned to the farmers,
- Watch out! - Stop!
Thank you,
I am so sorry! Deepest apologies,
Thank you,
I am SAKASHITA Togo, his lordship's junior tax officer,
URYU Shinbei,,,!
Your athleticism is commendable,
See you,
He comes back after all these years,,,
We need to let everyone know,
The new lordship's coming back from EDO,,,
,,,March of next year,
Lord CHIGAYA Masaie wants renovation,
He told me that caring for the people should be the goal of samurai,
Uneme, let's halt the new farmland reclamation project,
Let it go,
Elder ISHIDA-sama!
Reclaimation of new farmlands will save the people,
Reclamation of new farmlands will endanger the treasury,
We still rely on TANAKA guild's exclusive product,
We need to invest more in Ogino washi (paper),,,
,,,for Ogino-clan to prosper,
But,,,
,,,the elders are the only ones benefiting from Ogino washi sales,
You are treating the eventual arrival of the new lordship,,,
,,,almost as a given fact,
That may not necessarily be the case,
He has a younger brother, too, no?
I cannot let that slide,
Are you implying a harm to the new lordship on his arrival?
How dare you!
Watch your mouth!
You know better,
Your 3 friends, the so-called "Ferocious Four" are no more,
URYU Shinbei is in exile,
SKASHITA Kennoshin is dead,
SHINOHARA Sanemon has lost his edge,
Now you,,,
Do you want to walk on the same path?
If you want to serve the new lordship as an advisor,,,
You need to embrace solicitation as part of the job,
That's management,
Halt!
Inaba, your turn now,
At your service,,,
Halt!
Shinbei the Blade-Demon in the flesh!
I come bearing an inquiry,
Please come in for a tea,
Did not expect you back,,,
Well, what brings you here?
Do you wish to revisit the incident from 8 years ago?
Master URYU!
Some believe that you are behind the murder of SAKAKIBARA Heizo,
- What say you? - I did not kill him,
I only reported the corruption charges,
That's not how it has been understood by the public,
Even Elder ISHIDA is suspecting you as well,
SAKAKIBARA Heizo was the chief financial officer,
He was accused of receiving bribery from Sobei of the TANAKA guild,
Then someone murdered him on his way home from the trial,
This is all I know,
Do you know what the fatal wound was like?
I do, in fact,
My father took a look at the body and the wound,
He concluded that the cut was caused by our Hirayama-dojo technique,,,
,,,the one and only,,,
,,,Dragonfly Slash,
,,,which he taught only to,,,
Yourself,,, Kennoshin,,,
Sanemon,,,
And,,, Uneme,,,
- Well, I take my leave now, - You have not answered my question,
Why are you back?
To die, perhaps,
Master URYU,,,
Why don't you stay here?
My late father, your sensei, would have been happy to see you,
What do you say?
Shinbei is back?
Yes, he is,
That troublemaker,,,
Hey!
Do not let him out of sight,
As you command,
He is a bad news,
And now he's here,
Should have finished him in Kyoto,,,
How was your day?
I was on field duty,
And I met URYU Shinbei,
Master Shinbei!
Was our big sister- his wife with him?
No, he was alone,
Oh I see,
And where is Master Shinbei now?
Don't know,
URYU Shinbei abandoned our han, and went on an exile,
We should keep our distance to protect the SAKASHITA family,
Togo!
Apologies!
I was a bit curt yesterday,
- Master Shinbei! - Lady Satomi,
Long time no see,
Master URYU Shinbei,
My sister told me of your history with our family while you were in exile,
I ask that you leave Ogino-clan as soon as possible,
You are being rude, now,
Ever since the big brother's seppuku, people are watching our family closely,
We should be careful,
I take my leave,
Togo!
You owe him a formal greeting when you come back!
Oh Togo,,,
(TENTATIVE) You forgot,,,
(TENTATIVE) ,,,how troublesome he can be,,,
Master Togo,,, What brings you?
I am sorry to bother you so early,
I would like to see Master Sanemon,
This way,
Apologies on bothering you before going to the castle,
You are here about Shinbei,
You knew?
Master URYU Shinbei,,,
Is it true he reported his superior officer?
And then went on an exile?
It's better if you knew less,
I do not wish to be tangled in this matter,
But,,, due to his history with my family,,,
,,,I need to know the full story to prepare for what's to come,
Ryutaro!
Shinbei!
Uneme!
Your big brother Kennoshin!
And myself, we studied at the Hirayama dojo together,
The so-called "Ferocious Four", We were the best of friends,
After training, we would get together at the SAKASHITA house,
Your sisters Shino and Satomi were both very beautiful,
I always thought Uneme would marry Lady Shino,
That seemed like a natural course,
But Lady Shino chose Shinbei,
It caught me by surprise,
Shinbei and Lady Shino got happily married, but,,,
Shinbei reported his superior's corruption,
The charge was against SAKAKIBARA Heizo,
Uneme's step-father,
Master Uneme's step-father?
Shinbei left Ogino-clan after his accusation was dismissed,
About 6 months later,,,
The charge against Heizo came out to light,
Heizo kept his mouth shut during the Internal Affairs' interrogation,
He was assassinated on his way home,
As Heizo's next ranking officer, Kennoshin was ordered to commit seppuku instead,
Kennoshin's seppuku put the matter at rest,
Even during this chaos,,,
Uneme rebuilt the Sakakibara family from the ashes and infamy,
Now he is the only one who can openly oppose Elder Kenba ISHIDA,
Why did my sister Shino,,,
,,,choose Master Shinbei over Master Uneme?
Uneme's step-mother, Lady Shigeno, did not approve of the SAKAKIBARA family's standing,
She told Shinbei of her disapproval,
That means if Lady Shigeno did not oppose the marriage,,,
My sister would have,,, married Master Uneme,,,
Well now,,,
Relationships are complicated,
Enough about the past,,,
Your heart needs to be steady in the present,
If you make my daughter, Misuzu, cry- you will have hell to pay!
I hear URYU Shinbei stopped by at your place?
I asked him to leave right away,
Where is he now?
His whereabouts are of no relation to myself,
So,,, you don't know,
URYU Shinbei,,,
He is back,
Did you know?
I do miss Lady Shino,,,
Please,,, ask him to stop by at my place soon,
I will deliver the message,
You should come, too,
I am back,
What is going on?
Our big sister,,,
,,,she passed away,
She must have wanted to come home with Master Shinbei,
I am sure she was happy,,,
,,,to be with Master Shinbei til the end,
I could not provide enough to her,
I did not,,,
,,,deserve such a wonderful woman,
She asked me for a favor on her deathbed,
She wanted me to return to her old family home,
And see the camellia flowers fall in her place,
Camellia flowers fall off in Spring,
You will need to wait until the next year,
We moved out of our old place, which was next to Master Uneme's place,
You should still be able to see the same tree from Master Uneme's house,
Master Uneme is a close advisor to the new lord,
New Lord Masaie is scheduled to start governing officially in Spring,
Lord Masaie trusts Master Uneme,
Master Uneme asked that Master URYU stop by his place,
He seems to be interested in the news of our sister, your late wife,
If Master Uneme hears that she passed away,,,
Tell him,,,
I will stop by in due time,
Master Shinbei!
Just how long do you plan to stay?
You are being rude,
Togo, you are the young master of the family,
But this is a family matter,
I will decide,
My brother-in-law, will you drink with me?
I am a light-weight- I'd rather not drink,
I wish Togo would drink alcohol a little bit,
Well, then just one drink,
Can't believe our sister would,,,
I guess she could not forget her past flame,,,
Could you not forgive her?
I was out of line,,,
I should not have,,,
I am happy to hear an honest opinion,
Thank you,
I will do all that I can,
Meaning,,,
You will kill him?
Even you, my sister-in-law,,,
I guess Shinbei the Blade-Demon is still notorious,
I am well aware of the sorrows felt by those left behind,
I, too, need to do my best until Togo starts a family,
Our elder brother Kennoshin,,,
I heard that he committed seppuku as a scapegoat for the corruption,,,
,,,committed by his superiors,,,
Master Sanemon told me,
Master Shinbei,,, Please, live on,
Do not take your life for anyone else,
Uneme!
Did you call Shinbei back?
What are you on about?
Even if I called Shinbei back,,,
,,,and look into incident of 8 years ago,,,
How would that matter to Master ISHIDA?
Do not go probing about,
How about yourself?
You must not have forgotten,,,
,,,who it was that cut down your father,,,
A rumor says that it was by the hands of the Blade-Demon,,,
,,,but maybe,,,
,,,it was by someone closer to him,
Or perhaps the real culprit,,,
,,,is someone else entirely,
It is possible that the culprit was afraid,,,
,,,that his crime would be exposed,,,
,,,and used my father as a scapegoat,
Is that what you think?
Is that not the truth?
Our han was historically not the most peaceful han,,,
However, they were quarrels,
Minor quarrels for political power,
Meaning?
If the word gets out,,,
,,,that you cut down your own father Heizo,,,
The new lordship will enact justice,
I am sure of it,
Everything you are saying,,,
They are all hypothetical,
Even if I answer now, what difference would it make?
I was waiting for you, Master Shinbei,
What's the business?
You don't have to be so curt, master,
Well, I say 'A new wind is blowing'
I, Sobei of the TANAKA guild,,,
I have been blessed with the task of our han's export,
I have the exclusive license of Ogino washi sales,
Now my sales route spans from Kyoto to Edo,
And also bringing prosperity to Ogino-clan,
Well, if someone wrongfully fattens his own belly in your sales,,,
,,,such prosperity would be tainted,
Well,,, I also do not want to be used by the officials,,,
,,,only to become a scapegoat,
Which is what happens!
When a corruption charge is brought,
I am going to be honest,
I would like a protection from you, Master URYU Shinbei,
A yojimbo (bodyguard)?
Something to that effect,
I cannot trust Elder ISHIDA,
These days,,,
I seem to grow more worried for my future,,,
Please,,,
I ask for your good graces,
I still regret my mother's opposition,
She opposes our courtship,
Even now, I do not agree,
Shinbei,,,
He is a lucky husband to have you, Lady Shino, as a wife,
Perhaps it is for the best,
I do congratulate you, from the bottom of my heart,
If I have one last wish,,,
,,,just once more,,,
,,,I would like to,,,
,,,chat with you on the camellia tree in your garden,
I shall wait for you,,,
,,,every spring,,,
,,,by the falling camellia,
Regards, Uneme,
I am back,
What do you think?
Why do you think my late sister,,,
,,,asked you to conclude her past romance?
I don't know,
I imagine she would have wanted to conclude such matters herself,
Even though it may seem strange,,,
,,,I treasure her last request as something beautiful,
I am simply content to remember her the way she was,
You are so sweet!
If I return home as you asked,,,
,,,will you commend me?
Of course I will commend you,
I have one more,,,
,,,one more wish,
What would you have me do?
I finally realized,
What it means to yearn for someone,,,
,,,as I yearned for,,,
,,,Master Uneme,
You yearned for Uneme,,,?
That yearning,,,
,,,supported me all this time,
Shino,,,
What is your wish?
I want you to,,,
,,,help Master Uneme,
Apologies!
A samurai's life can be frivolous,
However, a flower comes back blooming after seasons,
I have something that I need to see through for our han,
However,,,​
I do not wish to tell you, after you abandoned our han,
Even after abandoning the clan,,,
Someone keeps sending assassins to my way,
Our han's situation is no better than 8 years ago, during the scandal,
This still water pool will rot,,,
,,,if I do not pour fresh water into the puddle,
You still have your way with honeyed words,
Why are you back?
To keep a promise,
One more question,
Why did you,,,
Why did you leave with Lady Shino?
You could have divorced her, and leave on exile alone,
What are you getting at?
You put Lady Shino through a hardship, which she did not deserve,
As a result,,,
,,,she passed away far away from her home,
Lady Shino's death,,,
Isn't it entirely on you?
Master Uneme!
Mother!
Shinbei!
How can you be back now- have you no shame?
I,,, You,,,,
You are my late husband's killer!
You sneaked in,,,
,,,and murdered my husband,,,
- Do you deny? - Mother!
Please calm down,
SAKASHITA Togo is here as well,
The SAKASHITA family,,,
cannot catch a break,
Your elder brother committed seppuku,
Your sister, Lady Shino, passed,,,
,,,right after marrying this man,,,
What a pity,
Really,,,
I am sorry,
Shinbei,,,
Please return home for today,
We'll talk again some time,
I have one question, too,
The fatal wound on your father,,,
,,,it was a Dragonfly Slash,
The only ones who perfected Dragonfly Slash,,,
,,,were us four,
Shinbei,,,
Do you truly wish me to say it out loud?
I take my leave,
Master Shinbei!
My elder brother was a kind and gentle man,
Did he really perfect the Dragonfly Slash?
Your brother Kennoshin was the best swordsman out of us four,
I have only beat him once during a sparring,
In a serious duel,,,
I don't think I could win,
I take my leave,
I was waiting for you,
Please, eat,
This is the agreement you asked for,
From you-know-who,
On this piece of paper hangs the fate of the TANAKA guild,
It is of the utmost importance,
Everything's in there?
Yes, and furthermore,,,
It can even swing the clan's fate,
Of course,,, there are people who want this badly,
That ashtray from him as well?
Yes, sir,
This paper is the only thing protecting me now,
I am only safe because of it,
I hope that is true,,,
Please eat now,
Master Sobei,,,
He went to bed early,
Is,,, is someone there?
They're coming! Hurry!
Master Sobei's injured! Hurry!
- We were tricked! - A blank paper!
Should have seen it coming!
If that agreement becomes public,,,
,,,we will be irreversibly damaged,
We need to take care of this before the new lordship returns,
No more!
Sobei is an experienced and tenacious merchant,
He will use the agreement to switch sides,
The new lordship will certainly appreciate Master ISHIDA's endeavors,
We are the backbone of the clan's current prosperity,
I can think of only one person suitable for the lord's position,,,
Please take care of yourself,
Much appreciated,
The injury has been tended,
It's merely a flesh wound,
Much thanks to your efforts,
However,,,
One of the magistrates carried the attackers' corpses back to the office,
Is this agreement the original copy?
I took the liberty of keeping it safe while you were being tended,
I will carry this for now,
You were luck this time, but I can't say for the future,
Always watch out for those closest to you,
Do not let your guard down,
Master Shinbei,
Why did you accept the Yojimbo gig from the TANAKA guild?
What do you mean?
If Sobei TANAKA is bribing Elder Kenba for unfair advantage in the trade,,,
,,,if that is true,,,
Is he worth your protection, even risking your life, Master Shinbei?
If you cannot avoid something,,,
,,,you keep prodding on, and you will reach the destination,
I take my leave,
Good luck with the work,
Last night,,, You were late,
Last night,,,
Someone attacked the TANAKA guild, and Sobei was injured,
Sobei, injured?
Why did you not tell me right away?
You were already in bed,
Sobei TANAKA has been,,,
,,, a family friend since the late father's time, yes?
Pay no heed to it,
Why,,,
Why do I feel like I am being blamed?
Mother, you already know well,,,
It all started with the late father,,,
,,,when he started his partnership with Sobei,
That is just a baseless rumor,,,
,,,from a nobody,
That nobody,,,
,,,is Elder ISHIDA Kenba, the interim lord of the castle,
I will see to it that he comes to justice as well,
That cannot be true,,,?
The late father was the reason for the clan's propserity,,,
Even Elder ISHIDA did not dare to question him,
Or complain around him,
But he was also corrupt,,,
,,,and helped other corrupt officials' personal gains,
Our han is rotten to the core,
I,,,
I looked away when my best friend reached out for help,
I persevered,
Do you,,,
Do you blame your late father?
That's not what I mean,,,
You must be blaming us for rejecting the SAKASHITA girl,,,
As an adopted son,,,
You must resent me and your late father,
I had always held the father in the highest regard,
However,,,
The gods do not turn a blind eye to the corruption,
Do you mean to say your father was a corrupt official?
He was kind,
Kind people can also commit big crimes,
Wait,,,?
- Your father was attacked by,,, - Mother!
Let us speak no more of this,
The attack on the TANAKA guild,,,
You should have heard already,
He was loyal to the previous lordship,
He is a reason for the clan's financial prosperity,
How can someone like him be assaulted within the castle?
What do you have to say?
You are absolutely correct,
The elder speaks truth, and we cannot treat this incident lightly,
Such thievery right in our walls!
What was the magistrate doing?
I am very sorry,,,
But however,,,
We do not know for sure if the attackers were thieves,
Not thieves?
Then who were the attackers?
Do you dare to,,,
,,,accuse someone within the clan?
What does the financial officer think?
Either way,,, the TANAKA guild is a valuable member of the clan,
We cannot sit idly by while such attacks are going on,
Regardless of the thieves' identity,,,
The fact that they headed straight to Sobei,,,
We can surmise that the thieves were after something that Sobei has,
SAKAKIBARA seems to speak in riddles,
What could the thieves have been after?
Well,,,
I can only imagine,,,
,,,some sort of proof that my father was linked to TANAKA Sobei,
Perhaps an agreement or a record,
Interesting,
You do realize that if such an agreement was to surface,,,
You will not be free from its effects and responsibility,
Is this clear?
I know better than anyone,
You,,,
No matter what happens,,,
You will accept the circumstances,
Same to you, Master ISHIDA,
What?
- You insolent,,,! - Once the new lordship,,,
,,,Lord CHIGAYA Masaie is back, he'll make a decision,
The identity of the attackers,,,
,,,everyone within the clan can see who sent them,
Let us not cause any further commotion,
Are you threatening me,,,
,,,to stay silent until then?
If you make a rash move,,,
There will be fatal casualties,
Fatal casualties?
Therefore,,,
Let us speak of this no more,
What happened?
I remember our youths,
Probably because of Shinbei's return,
Probably right,
His very presence tends to cause commotion,
Wasn't that always the case?
I do not know why he is back even after Lady Shino's death,
I must put a stop to Elder ISHIDA's corruption,
Uneme!
Our han's future,,,
It depends on you,
The patrol must be tiring,
Master Jyujo, What are you doing here?
What is the meaning of this?
I do not want to cross blades here, right now,
Please follow peacefully,
He said it was a day patrol,,,
I wonder if he's sleeping over,
Well,,,
I hope that's right,
Mr, Yasuke!
This is for you,
- Well received, - Okay then,,,
Lady Satomi!
A letter from the servant of the TANAKA Guild,
It's addressed to Master URYU,
What does it say?
He has a favor to ask,
I hope Togo is okay,
Sobei,,,
How's the wound?
Master URYU!
Did you bring the agreement?
It's been a while, Shinbei,
An interim lord himself,,,
Why did you take Togo?
I want the agreement,
This is the easiest way, no?
Sobei,,,
You knew that the agreement was he only thing keeping you safe,
And you gave it to Shinbei?
This is proving to be more work than I imagined,
I don't know what to say,
Well, now,
If Shinbei has the agreement,
We will put an end to this affair,
Give me the agreement now,,,
And Togo goes free right now,
It's not here,
What?
It's safely with someone I can trust,
Who has the agreement?
Bring me Togo if you want to know,
Bring him here,
Shinbei,,,
Why are you back?
To see the camellia fall,
Are you mocking me?
You will leave the clan immediately,
Who has the agreement? Speak now,
SAKAKIBARA Uneme,
What?
How do you want to deal with these rascals?
Stop!
Nothing we can do now!
Leave him be,
All of you cannot take him on,
The agreement,,,
,,,is a liability to him as well,
They will not act rashly with it,
For the right to choose and manage the clan's exclusive supplier,,,
A sum total of one thousand gold coins per annum,,,
,,,will be given to SAKAKIBARA Heizo, the chief financial officer,
This is irrevocably witnessed,,,
,,,and agreed by,,,
ISHIDA Kenba,
Shinbei asked for me specifically?
Lady Satomi should go now,
I will get you an escort, for your safe passage back home,
A few days ago,,,
I happened to read your old letter to my sister,
Forgive me for stepping over the line,
Where did you get the letter?
Master Shinbei was holding onto it dearly,
Shinbei?
I believe he has come back,,,
,,,after my sister's plea to help you,
He often stares at my sister's memorial tablet,,,
,,,lost in thought,
If,,,
If my sister was longing for you, thought she was wed to Master Shinbei,,,
I don't know how to console him,,,
Lady Satomi is too kind,
Shinbei is a lucky man,
Are you teasing me?
That's not my meaning,
Mother, she is SAKASHITA,,,
Please call me Satomi,
Even if he's your late sister's husband,,,
A single woman without a partner such as yourself,,,
It is not proper to live alone with a widower,
Mother, she has nothing to be ashamed of,
You,,, your sister,,,
Lady Shino has come back to meet you via her sister,
What nonsense is this?
Mother, please stop,
I was out of line, Please forgive me,
What your mother said,,, It may be true,,,
What on earth? Please heed no mind to her,,,
My sister,,,
She was always kind and cared deeply for others,
I would not be surprised, even in her death,
You are saying Lady Shino,,,
,,,is with you, Lady Satomi,
Well, for a moment,,, That's what I felt,
As if she was here with me,
How is it that even in death,,,
A yearning for someone,,,
,,,can survive so long,
The clan kept oddly quiet,
And the new year came,
The new Lord CHIGAYA Masaie's arrival has been anticipated,
All members of the clan kept low profile,
Shinbei has been enjoying peaceful days with the family,
Togo, let us rest for a moment,
I would train with my 3 friends like this in my youth,
You all are like brothers to me,
I feel that I am deeply bound with all of you,
Up until now,,,
I didn't know what to live for,
I never gave it a thought,
I simply thought that if I train hard every day,,,
,,,the answer will present itself,
Master Shinbei, why did you come back?
You must have known the danger you are getting yourself into,
I took lots of lives,
The guilt,,, it pains me still,
How about you?
Do you have something you'd protect with your life?
If so,,,
Please,,,
Keep your eyes on it and do not waiver,
What does it mean to live like that?
Do the most you can,
That's enough,
A match, please,
Sanemon, it has been a long time,
Lord Masaie,
Let us go now,
My apologies,
The interim lord has fallen suddenly ill,
He cannot even greet the new lord, It must be a serious illness,
Perhaps his interim position should come to an end,
Uneme, my home clan is very beautiful,
I am sick of Edo, and the poor city life,
We shall go out for a hunt tomorrow morning,
The security may not be ready in such a short notice,
You also need to receive the elders' greetings tomorrow,
All formalities,
I trust you with them,
As for the security,,,
SHINOHARA Sanemon, the cavalry captain will see to it,
I humbly accept the duty,
I ask for a quick hearing on an urgent matter later,
Why don't you do it with the elder council hearing?
I am also keenly interested on the development of new farmlands,
The project will lead to the clan's revival,
I wish to pay respects to the late Lady Shino,
I've brought incense,
You must wonder why I would do this now,,,
,,,after I rejected the match between Uneme and Shino,
I do not blame you,
A mother is right to worry for her child,
If I was born like you,,,
A candid woman, I wonder how it could have been,
I am not like that,
As I cared more deeply for those around me,,,
,,,so grew the anger,
I would blame others,,,
,,,and say harsh words in frustration,
In the end,,,
There is no one left around me,
I come here today,,,
To ask Lady Shino's spirit,,,
,,,for my son Uneme's well-being,,,
,,,and his safety,
In the woods, Now!
My Lord!
I am alright, What about Sanemon?
Master SHINOHARA!
The lord! Is the lord okay?
He's safe, Please focus,
Listen well!
The assassination of SAKAKIBARA Heizo,,,
,,,is my responsibility!
Master Heizo was on his way home,,,
,,,after an investigation from the internal affairs,
Uneme was confused, and ashamed,,,
,,,and attacked his father,
Sanemon, take Uneme!
Uneme!
Uneme was ready to confess, and head to execution,
He was ready to die with his father,,,
,,,to take the full responsibility for the corruption corruption,
Master Uneme was,,,
This clan needs Uneme!
Kennoshin protected Uneme with his life,
Shinbei must have known all along,
Please take care of my daughter Misuzu,,,
I will keep her happy, I promise,
Master SHINOHARA!
- Elder ISHIDA! - A hunting trip so soon after his return,
This could have been avoided,
The interim lord speaks truth,
SAKAKIBARA Uneme must take full responsibility on the security breach
Agreed!
Uneme must not enter the castle,
He will be under the house arrest,
What about the investigation into the attackers,,,?
I will take care of it,
Heizo and Kennoshin's bloods are on your hand,
You are compromised,
It was you, Elder Kenba, who ordered seppuku on Kennoshin,
And he accepted, to bring order to the clan,
To subdue the chaos brought forth from the corruption charges,
He wanted to give you another chance,
For the future of the clan,
In the end,,,
,,,it was all in vain,
It will not be all in vain,
Nevertheless,,,
Another one of your friends is dead now,
The sins of the SAKAKIBARA family runs deep,
There is nothing more you can do at this point,
I take a full responsibility on the attempt on Lord Masaie,
As his councilor,,,
,,,I am ashamed,
This is a warzone, The slightest mistake,,,
,,,will lead to your death,
This,,,
This is how far you will go,
I order you a seppuku to answer for the security breach,
You can either die responsibly,,,
Or,,,
You can hand over the agreement,,,
,,,and leave the clan immediately,,,
,,,with Shinbei,
I give you a choice,
If you do not follow my order,,,
I,,,
,,,will be ready to see this end,
My father,,,
His died protecting the lord,
What happens now?
What will happen to my family?
What do I do?
I am here with you,
I promised him, I will protect you,
From now on, I will live to protect you,
My life's goal is clear,
I hear that the lord is guarded with a heavy security inside the castle,
Master Uneme has been under a house arrest,
Kenba is no fool,
He will seize this opportunity,
He will try to tie all loose ends,
I will find out more about the movements within the castle,
What about you?
I,,,
I will visit Uneme,
Togo!
I am truly proud to have you as as brother-in-law,
Please take care,
I will see you off,
No worries,
Master Shinbei!
I do not,,,
,,,wish to lose anyone anymore,
What a view,
ISHIDA Kenba is pressing me o choose between seppuku and exile,
You will accept your loss?
I will not accept anything,
I will die fighting,
Die?
You will let Sanemon's death be in vain?
Sanemon is not the only who died in vain,
Kennoshin also committed seppuku to protect me,
Two of the "Ferocious Four" died because of me,
While you fought against the corruption, I stood by,
This is all my fault,
Walking the right of way,,,
,,,does not necessary mean a happy life,
Shinbei!
You lived honourably, Everyone admires you for it,
My wife,,,
Her dying words were,,,
,,,to witness this camellia fall,,,
,,,instead of her,
One more thing,,, ​
She spoke of you,
Of me?
She asked me to help you,
I promised myself,,,
,,,that I would do anything for her,
But,,,
Her yearning for you,,, has caused her a great pain,
I cannot forgive you,
Shinbei!
Must you do this?
No more,,,
No more!
She deserves someone better on her side,
You would have been a better match for her,
Shinbei,,,
If this is because of the letter,,,
You hopeless fool!
I will show you something,
When my engagement to Lady Shino was broken, she sent me this,
Lady Shino,,,
,,,gifted me this poem to express her feelings on marrying you,
This poem,,,
"Even when I cannot see clearly like shades in cloudy days,"
"I will follow him and stay with him,"
"Therefore"
"I cannot accept your feeling,"
Lady Shino's heart,,,
,,,has never waivered from you since the day you got married,
It was always for you,
Shinbei,,, do you not get it?
You were going to kill yourself after burying Lady Shino, right?
Lady Shino knew you better than anyone,
She had to make up this lie to keep you alive, to give you a purpose, Can you imagine the pain?
To have to lie to you, her love, that she had a feeling for someone else before she died just to save you,
Shinbei,,, we must live on!
That's what Shino would have wanted,
I have a news!
Elder ISHIDA's army has gathered at the Shiramine Temple,
They are preparing an attack towards this house,
He does not have an authority to gather an army! Only Lord Masaie does!
That bastard Kenba!
Master Togo, Please deliver this agreement to Lord Masaie,
With my life,
I trust you completely,
Thank you,
Uneme!
I will go to the temple,
Shinbei, this is my knot to tie,
I will accompany you,
And I will protect you,
This is what I promised my wife,
Togo!
You and I have known each other for a long time,
The agreement, to me, now,
I guess you are not in the mood,
Forgive me!
- My lord! My lord! - What's the matter?
Elder ISHIDA has gathered an army by using your name, trying to kill Master Uneme,
- He used my name? - Master Uneme sent me,
Horse!
Lord's order, Strike them down!
Kenba!
Lord Masaie must have received the agreement by now,
What?
There is no other option!
Shinbei,,,
Live on!
Kenba!
You are a dead man!
Kenba!
That demon!
My love,,, live on,,,
If you live on,,,
My heart,,, will always be with you,
My friends,,, SAKASHITA Kennoshin, SHINOARA Sanemon,,,
And,,, SAKAKIBARA Uneme,,,
They gave everything they had,,, even sacrified their lives,
They wanted to pour fresh water into this rotten pool,
Please do not let my friends' death be in vain,
If a leader is a fish,,,
His officials and the people are water,
The fish dies without the fresh water,
I am a fish, now?
You say what you think without a filter, It's not a good habit,
I am born this way,
What will you do now?
I will part with my late wife properly,
Is that so?
What about after that?
I will live on,
Live until my dying day,
Everyone wanted me to live on for a long time,
I must find out why,,, and what to do with the rest of my life,
I also need to live for the people,
You must live so that you do not let your friends down,
If and when you realize that you have done them proud,,,
Will you tell me the answer?
Yes, If that day comes,
Before you go,,,
Let me know if you need anything,
The only thing I need,,,
,,,is the well-being of those I am leaving behind,
Do not worry,
I shall see to it,,,
,,,that Uneme and Sanemon's families live on,
You,,,
You married Sanemon's daughter, Misuzu,
If so,,,
I want the SAKAKIBARA family to adopt you to keep the family alive,
Then,,, what about the SAKASHITA family?
The SAKASHITRA family stipend will be saved,,,
,,,until your child comes to an age,
Then, for both the SAKAKIBARA and SAKASHITA families to continue,,,
There must be two sons,,,
I will cheer for you,
All of the clan will cheer for you,
Ryutaro, stop now!
We must wait until Master Sanemon's funeral ceremonies to pass before the wedding,
But I will live in this house now,
Master Shinbei!
Must you leave?
I cannot stay within this clan,
Why is that?
There is blood on my hands,
If I stay, I will put your lives in danger,
I am a samurai's daughter,
I am ready to face the danger,
You are a strong woman,
My sister,,,
,,,must have lived a happy life with you,
That's why,,,
,,,she wanted you to live on,
That was her only wish,
Master Uneme must have wished the same for you,,,
The camellia,,,
,,,falls so that another Camellia can take its place,
Uneme's wishes will be survived by Togo,
Togo,,,
My brother admires you very much,
My brother is not the only one,
There is someone else who admires you,
In my heart lives my sister,
She,,,
She wants you to stay,
I often felt the same way,
When I was with you, I felt that Shino was with me,
If that is so,,,
If you meet someone you truly admire,,,
That experience alone will be enough,
Don't you want to see again?
The falling camellia?
Maybe that day will come,,,
OKADA Junichi
NISHIJIMA Hidetoshi
KUROKI Haru
IKEMATSU Sosuke ASO Kumiko
Director & Photography KIMURA Daisaku
In memory of HAMURO Rin