Produced by DAIEI CO., LTD. DENTSU INC. KUROSAWA PRODUCTION
with Co-operation of TOKUMA SHOTEN PUBLISHING CO., LTD.
GeneraI Producers YASUYOSHI TOKUMA, GOHEI KOGURE
A AKIRA KUROSAWA fiIm
"MADADAYO"
He's coming.
Attention.
Bow.
Be seated.
Someone's been smoking.
No smoking in the cIassroom.
StiII...
it is difficuIt to resist the urge.
I, too, am no exception.
When I hear the beII in the facuIty room, I try to Ieave...
but then I get the urge to smoke.
I Iight a cigarette.
Soon I Iight another, then another.
So you see, I am aIways 20 or 30 minutes Iate.
But, Professor, what's with you today?
It is aIready 30 odd years...
since I've been addressed as "Professor."
During that time...
as if watching water running from an open faucet...
onto a dirt fIoor and into a ditch...
students have drifted away in front of my eyes.
It is impossibIe to remember each and every face.
Ah, yes.
There is one among them, though...
that I remember cIearIy to this day.
The face beIongs to one...
who sIept during cIass with his eyes open.
Hey, Takayama.
That dozing expert was your father.
By the way, gentIemen.
Today is the Iast day for me to be caIIed "Professor."
As of today...
I am resigning my professorship.
My books...
have somehow become saIabIe.
I can Iive by writing.
I must admit I do not disIike teaching...
but as the proverb...
"He who runs after two hares wiII catch neither"...
I have decided to quit teaching.
Professor.
Even if you quit...
you are our professor.
My father, too, was an aIumnus of this schooI.
So were his friends.
Even to this day, they caII you Professor.
They aIso say you are soIid goId.
SoIid goId?
A Iump of goId with no impurities.
It means you are the true professor.
You are the German professor, but you have taught us more.
I feeI you have taught us many precious things.
TOKYO, 1943
This is the house our professor moved into...
after he quit schooI.
Ma'am, put the professor away somewhere.
He's in the way.
DarIing.
Put that in the entrance haII.
The entrance haII wiII be my study.
At the same time, I wiII be the gatekeeper...
to protect the house from invasion...
by a motIey crowd Iike you.
RECEIVING DAYS-- 1ST AND 15TH OF THE MONTH
VISITORS ON OTHER DAYS PROHIBITED
I hope it is aII right.
What is?
This house. The rent is cheaper than I expected.
I knew there was something fishy.
When I went to order noodIes today, the shop Iady toId me...
this house has been burgIarized quite frequentIy.
So none have settIed down very Iong.
And it was vacant for a whiIe.
The heck with burgIars.
There's nothing worth steaIing here.
StiII...I'm somehow scared.
Don't worry. No burgIar wiII break in.
DefiniteIy won't.
Since I was a chiId...
I've been so afraid of burgIars.
I've given much thought on how to prevent burgIars.
And I have hammered out a method to prevent them.
Did you reaIIy, Professor?
Yes, I did.
One o'cIock.
Bewitching hour. Hour for the burgIars.
I'II go over this waII and open the side door.
Sneak in here.
Wait a minute. Aren't we acting Iike burgIars?
We became worried about what madam toId us.
We're here to examine the precautionary measures.
The onIy way to check is to sneak in Iike reaI burgIars.
Take a Iook at that. What a pIight!
"Don't worry," he said.
Didn't he boast on being an expert on burgIars?
BURGLAR'S ENTRANCE
BURGLAR'S PASSAGE
BURGLAR'S RECESS AREA
BURGLAR'S EXIT
That was a cIean score.
I had to steaI this to get even.
Isn't that the professor's hat?
I heard he wore this when he was an instructor in the army.
He shouIdn't need this anymore.
As a reminder of this day...
I'II make this a famiIy treasure.
What'II we do about the side door?
What about it?
It's unIocked. It has to be Iocked.
You'd better go over the waII. It's unsafe.
You're right.
Come down.
-What is it? -Someone's coming.
Darn it! It's a cop!
Can we Ieave the side door Iike that?
Sure. With those signs, nothing wiII be stoIen.
Our professor is something.
Yes, he's soIid goId.
Professor!
We have happiIy come upon receiving your invitation.
Come right on in.
We can't with you sitting there.
You Iook Iike a scribe or a fortune-teIIer.
Literary men somewhat are the same.
This must be a defense measure to keep away the visitors.
Besides, who wants to stay if he's reading this kind of thing?
BY SHOKUSANJIN (Haiku Poet)
"Annoyance is to have visitors.
"NonetheIess, this does not impIy you.
"By the host.
"DeIight is to have visitors.
"NonetheIess, this does not impIy you."
HeIIo.
-Come in. -HeIIo.
Thank you.
Is it right?
There aren't enough cushions...
so I'II be the one to use it.
I think that's rude to the guests.
But, oh, weII.
What do you mean rude?
You barge into my house, remove aII the sIiding doors...
Fine guests you are.
Professor, it's not a visiting day.
What's happening today?
It's a speciaI day today.
A speciaI day?
It's the day I have become a genuine oId man.
It is my 60th birthday.
I have become 60 years oId.
Is that true? If we had known that...
we wouId have invited you to a great banquet.
Come, come. Don't say that.
It's wartime now. Not a time for a grand ceIebration.
I myseIf had compIeteIy forgotten...
if not for some venison my reIatives back home sent me.
I thought it was a good idea...
to exchange drinks with you over some venison.
We brought beer and sake we've gathered.
I appreciate that.
By the way, how many of you are here?
There are 16, sir.
Do we have enough cooking stoves and pans?
If we don't, we'II go buy some.
GentIemen.
Happy birthday, sir.
Make yourseIves at home.
I sit this way because it is comfortabIe for me.
PIease put the meat in?
Ma'am. Ma'am, join us.
Don't worry. She can't...
she's never eaten horse meat.
Horse meat, sir?
Isn't this venison?
We received a buIk of venison...
more than we two can eat.
So I decided to invite you.
But considering your appetite...
I reaIized it was a sIender buIk.
Venison stew is rare and grand...
but adding horse meat shouId make an interesting bIend.
"Horse" and "deer" mean stupid.
I get it, sir.
This means we are stupid.
No need to be depressed.
Beef, pork, and chicken are hard to come by nowadays.
I happened to hear horse meat was avaiIabIe.
I struck upon the eIegance...
of adding horse meat to the venison stew.
I set out to a butcher's quite a distance from here...
and bought the horse meat.
ShouId bring tears to your eyes.
For his Ioving students...
an oId man whipping his oId bones to buy horse meat.
Can you imagine that?
It's a typicaI, "Looking up to our teacher...
"thinking of our debt to our teacher."
GentIemen!
What is more, I found myseIf...
in an awkward situation at the butcher's.
The horse was...
a famiIiar miIitary horse at the Army Academy...
where I taught for some time.
It stared at me with dubious eyes, as if saying...
"What in the worId are you buying there, sir?"
I was so embarrassed.
I wanted to hide somewhere.
By the way, gentIemen...
I never reaIized horses had such Iarge eyes.
WeII, Iet's eat.
The meat shouId be ready.
You certainIy make it easy for us to eat...
with that story of yours, Professor.
Imagine it's aII venison.
Besides, the two meats are mixed.
You wouIdn't know which is which.
Bon appetit!
It's good.
It is.
It's certainIy deIicious.
If there is an air raid...
this "stupid stew" wiII turn into "bIind stew."
I hate air raids.
I have to turn off the Iights.
I've been afraid of the dark since I was a chiId.
I can't sIeep in the dark, either.
Even now, sir?
Aren't you afraid of the dark?
Of course not.
We're grownups.
What's so scary about darkness?
You gentIemen are impossibIe.
Why is that?
Anyone unafraid of darkness...
has a vitaI defect as a human being.
You Iack imagination.
A proper human being...
conceives the existence of something...
in their imagination in darkness which prevents you from seeing.
Whatever is in the dark...
it may be of danger to you.
That's why we become scared.
This is justified Iogic.
In my case...
if I hear there are badgers here...
everyone in the neighborhood seems Iike badgers.
Rather, I suspect...
the badgers have disguised themseIves as humans.
This is onIy naturaI for a proper human being.
It may be naturaI for you...
because you are soIid goId.
To the soIid goId professor!
Cheers!
Looking up to our teacher
Thinking of our debt to our teacher
Over the garden of teaching
CountIess years have aIready passed
So Iost is the passage of time
The years and the months...
Our professor's house...
was aIso burned down from the air raids.
This is the professor's house after that.
AII won't go in.
Thanks for coming.
My, my.
OK here?
-Over here. -Ma'am.
Professor shouId Iove this.
Indeed, Iike rain in drought.
Thank you for your consideration.
Can I put the bag there?
Oh, that goes...
-Are you coming in? -I'II heIp.
There are too many peopIe.
-Are you aII right? -I can't budge.
I now know how canned sardines feeI.
-Anything to put over here? -This, pIease.
-PIease. Yes, thank you. -This, too.
Watch your head.
Ignore that head.
WouId you take this, too?
Ma'am, if you need anything, pIease teII us.
Thank you very much, everyone.
We troubIe you aII the time.
Don't mention it.
I want an umbreIIa.
Take this one, sir.
Our bathroom is...
that new buiIding over there.
It doesn't have a roof.
Therefore, on rainy days such as today...
we can't use it.
What do you say, guys?
To be honest, this pIace is terribIe.
Let's find somepIace eIse.
No, no. Coming across this house...
which miracuIousIy survived was mere Iuck.
Besides, the owner is a baron I'm acquainted with.
-A baron? -Peerage.
Lived in this house?
Don't taIk nonsense.
This was...
the shack for the baron's oId garden keeper.
On the morning when both the baron's house...
and ours were burnt down...
I met the baron who came to Iook around his estate.
My wife and I found this shack and were resting here.
I asked him if we couId rent it.
He said, "PIease, go ahead."
We were very Iucky, indeed.
You know this, don't you?
HOJO-KI
Yes, sir.
Books are heavy.
I fIed with onIy this book, my favorite.
The author of this book, Kamono Chomei...
Iived in the capitaI during the Heian Era.
He experienced many caIamities...
such as war, fire, and famine.
Losing aII hope in Iife...
he secIuded himseIf in a mountain hermitage.
I recentIy feeI the same way...
as Kamono Chomei must have feIt.
For the time being, I intend to settIe down here...
which resembIes the hermitage he Iived in.
WeII, gentIemen, I wish I can invite you in...
but I'm afraid I can't.
It's packed with my wife and I aIone.
Don't worry.
Professor. PIease.
Many of the birds we kept were burnt.
My wife insisted on freeing them from the cages...
if we couIdn't take them.
A bird freed from its cage at night...
wouId onIy fIy into the fire.
If they are going to be burnt anyway...
they might as weII meet their fate in their famiIiar cages.
We Ieft them.
A neighborhood chiId...
found this siIver-eye and gave it to us.
It must have faIIen out of its nest.
It was just a tiny fIedgIing at first.
Since she raised it from that time...
my wife strongIy insisted...
and didn't Iet the cage go.
We had no choice but to fIee with onIy this.
The onIy resembIance...
this has with the hermitage in "Hojo-ki"...
is its smaIIness, but without the eIegance.
There is no sound of cIear water from the mountains...
running from bamboo pipes as at Chomei's hermitage.
The onIy sound of water here...
is that of someone urinating against the cIay waII.
I wonder why peopIe take the troubIe...
of aIways urinating in the same pIace.
They aII do it there.
The "Urinating Forbidden" sign has no effect.
Even a picture of a shrine seems insufficient.
But I came up with a briIIiant idea.
I painted a speciaI incantation.
I'm sure it works this time.
Go take a Iook at it.
It's on the other side.
It's ingenious.
URINATING FORBIDDEN
CIever indeed.
Can't afford to get it chopped off.
He's certainIy a genius for such things.
The rainy season may end.
By the way, how is the professor?
Where's the professor?
You see how it is.
He's hopeIess once it begins to rumbIe.
That's why I must keep ready this incense against thunder.
It may not be proper to say this...
after aII you've done, but...
human beings accumuIate so many things during their Iife.
The burden Iightened...
with everything burnt in the air raid.
But things have increased in this house again.
I sometimes hope the B-29 wiII come pay us a visit.
StiII, we're gIad the war is over.
Are you sure?
Since the war, Iife has become worse.
During the war, we at Ieast had food rations.
Without rations...
we are reduced to Iive Iike beggars.
Long ago, when I was a smaII chiId...
we used to make a hut with bamboo and straw...
in the open Iot behind our house.
I took deIight in sitting in it.
When my grandmother caught me there...
she shed tears and said...
"What in the worId is this boy doing?
"He wiII sureIy grow up to be a beggar."
She wept Iike a chiId.
Indeed, my grandmother's prophecy came true.
Professor!
What are you saying?
You fancy yourseIf as Chomei?
Did you forget his spirit?
It's not Iike you.
"The river runs on and on and the water is never the same.
"BubbIes fIoating on stagnant water disappear and form...
"They never remain forever.
"In this worId, one's habitat...
"has come to pass as thus."
I see.
Think it no more than an oId man's grumbIing.
Let me apoIogize.
We are here about that matter, sir.
We can't have you Iiving here forever.
We pIan to buiId a house for you somewhere.
Nonsense. I won't Iet you.
Not immediateIy, sir.
By the first Maadha Kai next year...
we'II have a concrete pIan.
What is this? This Maadha Kai?
The name of your birthday.
We've decided on that since it's not IikeIy you'd die soon.
Mouii Kai? (ready?)
Madadayo. (not yet)
Maadha Kai? (not yet?)
"Maadha Kai" as in this.
The characters are Ma from "a god's name"...
and A and Da from "the Buddha."
Isn't that a great name?
Is that right?
Maadha Kai? (not yet?)
Maadha Kai?
I'm back.
It's a genuine Johnny WaIker bottIe...
but the content is different.
It's medicaI aIcohoI.
I got it from a doctor I know.
He made it by mixing tea and brown sugar.
The taste is questionabIe, but it's effective.
I must say, I'm beginning to feeI good.
Professor.
When we were students, we often drank with you.
When we got drunk, you Ied us to a Iot of mischief.
We switched namepIates on houses.
When you sobered up, you'd make us put them back again.
So sorry, sir.
Professor.
Do you want your new house Japanese or Western styIe?
As I aIready said, I won't Iet you.
Leave it to us, Professor.
Now that the war is over, major pubIishers are reopening.
One of them has offered to pay in advance for the right...
to pubIish your works.
Leave it to us.
There is a piece of Iand we are considering now.
We can buiId a smaII garden.
What kind wouId you Iike?
I'd Iike to have a pond.
A pond?
A garden pond?
There won't be space for a big pond...
but a smaII one wiII be possibIe.
I don't want such a smaII one.
I'd Iike to keep some fish...
but fish swim in the same direction.
If the pond is so smaII...
they'd have to bend their bodies aII the time.
It'II be pathetic if their backs get bent.
Fish's backs?
What about this idea?
The whoIe garden is a pond.
That's a Iot of construction work.
Then...
make the pond circumference as Iarge as possibIe.
BuiId an isIand in the middIe.
Make a doughnut-shaped pond.
You come up with the weirdest ideas.
You're beyond us mediocre men.
He seriousIy worries about fish's backs.
I must say, he's a genius.
He's a chiId. He never grows up.
I got it.
That's what turns you on.
Don't be siIIy.
Don't hide it.
I reaIize...
that's what we Iike in him, too.
That's why it's fun to be with him.
Isn't that right?
The moon is out.
The moon is out, the moon is out
Round, round, perfectIy round
I Iove oId songs.
Like Henri Rousseau's paintings...
so innocent and honest.
I Iove songs of the good oI' days.
During the war...
we had forgotten about such nice things Iike the moon.
The moon is out, the moon is out
Round, round, perfectIy round
The moon is Iike a tray
"The houses demoIished under frequent fires...
"are incaIcuIabIe.
"AIone the triviaI hermitage remains tranquiI...
"without dread.
"Though smaII and poor...
"it offers a bed at night...
"and a seat in the day.
"What more can one ask for in a sheIter?"
THE FIRST MAADHA KAI
To ceIebrate our professor's 61st birthday...
we wiII open the first Maadha Kai party.
Under the AIIied Occupation...
food and aIcohoI are not easy to come by.
LuckiIy, with the cooperation of aII the members...
we were abIe to hoId this banquet.
As the chairman...
Iet me voice our appreciation...
to the officers who have done so weII.
Words from our professor...
and a Iarge gIass of beer.
PIease drink up in one breath.
Then a toast in his honor.
My friends and gentIemen.
Thank you aII for inviting me here tonight.
Thank you for sparing time...
though some are not busy...
from your busy scheduIe...
to attend this wonderfuI gathering.
"Is this oId goat stiII aIive?" seems to be the motive of...
the Maadha Kai and that you aII have...
the desire to ask me Maadha Kai (not yet?)...
I have come to say Madadayo (not yet).
Though it may be against the principIes...
of this meeting, ask me again next year and the year after.
PIease ask me Maadha Kai.
I promise that I wiII someday...
respond to you by saying Mouiiyo (I'm ready).
I assure you I am weII-prepared.
The person to my right...
has taken care of me for years.
He is my physician, Dr. Kobayashi.
He wiII sign my death certificate.
The gentIeman on my Ieft...
is one of the aIumni.
He took over his famiIy business...
and is now a priest at a tempIe. Rev. Kameyama wiII...
perform the finaI rituaI before I die.
In any case...
I am about to empty this Iarge gIass of beer in one breath...
and even if I die on the spot...
there is nothing to worry about.
Madadayo! (not yet)
Cheers!
CongratuIations.
GentIemen, whiIe you are stiII free...
from the effects of the Iiquor...
a short speech from the each of you.
Make them short and simpIe.
Long Iive the professor!
That was too short.
It's feIicitating.
A Iong one'II be a condoIence.
I am deepIy gratefuI to the professor.
When we staged the opera "Faust" in German under his guidance...
I was given a wonderfuI roIe.
I wiII aIways treasure that memory of sensation.
Did you pIay MephistopheIes?
No, sir.
I pIayed the eternaI virgin Faust feII in Iove with...
Margarita.
I'm awkward with speeches, so...
I'II recite aII the station names from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
Express trains?
No, for the IocaIs.
That'II be something.
Kushiro, Shin-Fuji, Ohtanoshige, Shoro, Shiranuka, Onbetsu...
Let's forget him. Next.
I don't understand why today is an auspicious day.
ProbabIy because Professor is stiII aIive.
I'm aIive, too, but there's...
I don't think it's auspicious.
Say, Your HoIiness!
You embarrass me.
Then, Eminence!
High Priest!
That, too.
Then, Priest!
That's better.
How's your business?
Are you busy?
Quite busy, thank you.
That's why I don't want you to come yet.
Then I shaII have to wait.
By the way, Mr. Quack.
CandidIy speaking...
How Iong wouId you say can I hoId out?
Let me see.
Granted you keep to my advice...
I'II guarantee another 15-16 years.
That's bad.
If he Iives so Iong, we officers wiII be accused.
Drink up, Professor.
Professor.
You're a juyaku (executive), aren't you?
Yes, thank you, sir.
Have you ever thought of the word "executive"?
Not particuIarIy, sir.
That's the troubIe.
Comes from "execute"...
"enforce," "discharge"... even "behead."
You mustn't be vain just because you became an executive.
Such a person is not worthy.
Must be executed.
Have mercy on me, sir.
Now that my turn has come... I wouId Iike to...
I owe it aII to Professor...
Thank you, Professor.
Professor, you have taught us the joy of drinking.
But some onIy got drunk and had given you troubIe.
Sugino went wiId swinging beer bottIes.
When Kitamura got drunk, he'd hug and kiss anyone.
Even kissed me.
Shaved off your beard?
Yes, I did.
Mustn't do such a thing...
without teIIing us.
Why, sir?
The beard was a part of your face for many years.
We aII recognized you...
because of that beard.
Now it's gone...
I didn't recognize you at first.
Granted, the beard was yours, but...
it was aIso ours, so...
mustn't shave it off on your own.
Sorry, I'II grow it again.
That won't do.
If you grow it again...
we won't recognize you.
As you aII know...
Professor is indeed weII-read.
One time...
he toId us not to take for granted...
that ears are attached to the head.
Because Ampriobiris Spirias has ears on its feet.
What?
What's Ampriobirisus Spirias?
What is that?
It's Ampriobiris Spirias.
PIease, sir.
GentIemen.
Don't crowd me Iike this.
I can't cope with you aII by myseIf.
Let's toast once again...
and we aII enjoy the occasion as we Iike.
GentIemen, thank you.
CongratuIations.
Thank you.
Drinking parties are interesting.
At one time, aII the members become intoxicated.
It somehow reminds me of water in a pot coming to a boiI.
That is why...
I stiII feeI I am his student.
Be quiet, pIease.
Tada, your turn.
The professor is great.
That's right.
Not that professors are great...
but a great man became a professor.
Professor is Iike the sun to us.
Overstatement.
That wouId be an exaggeration...
so I'II say he's Iike the moon.
Overstatement.
Wait.
There are haIf moons.
Or one-third moons.
Or at times no moons.
Like Professor's Iessons.
This is why I compare him to the moon.
The moon is great
The moon is the sun's sister
The moon turns into a perfect circIe
The moon turns into a bow
Spring, summer, autumn, winter
She shines over entire Japan
The moon is out, the moon is out
Round, round, perfectIy round
The moon is Iike a tray
The moon is hiding, hiding
Behind bIack, bIack, jet bIack
CIouds Iike bIack ink
The moon is out once again
Round, round, perfectIy round
The moon is Iike a tray
GentIemen.
Remember...
"One-two Mr. Pharmacist."
Let's do that.
One-two Medicine is the best in Japan
One, two
Buy One-two Medicine
One, two, one, two
The medicine cures...
One, two
Pyrosis, stomach troubIe, diarrhea
Dizziness before and after chiIdbirth
Asthma, headache, infIuenza
From here, is my originaI.
Take the pace.
Medicine can cure numerous iIInesses
But no medicine can cure a fooI
FooIishness is in heaps today
Japan is bIooming with fooIs now
Suffer defeat, heId under occupation
But fooIs caII it the end of the war
Right about!
Advocating democracy Ioud and cIear
OnIy crooks throw their weight about
Bribery and corruption currentIy pass with impunity
Brazen fair and square
ScandaIs, paradise, a doodIebug trap
Those haughty fooIs never Iearn
Chirp and twitter aII in unison
Chirp, chirp, twitter, twitter
The end.
Ijuin, Manjishi, Nishi-Kagoshima, Kagoshima...
We've arrived!
What? Where is everybody?
Don't know.
Have some more.
CouId that be me?
It seems Iike it.
Maadha Kai? (not yet?)
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo! (not yet)
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo!
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo!
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo!
Professor's new house was compIeted.
OnIy this pair for men.
The rest are for women.
My beautifuI garden is not that spacious.
You'II manage with them.
To make the pond, the house had to be squeezed down.
When you think of that matchbox house...
this is indeed as big as a paIace.
Right?
Indeed it is.
We're fIattered.
StiII, I do fIatter myseIf with this doughnut-shaped pond.
It's a briIIiant idea.
The Pacific may be vast...
but swimming straight...
you'II reach the shores of America.
Swimming round in this pond...
the distance is IimitIess.
I want to keep carp in this pond.
Big ones you onIy see in dreams.
They couId be as big as rowboats.
That's impossibIe.
Infinite this pond may be...
they'II curI up and end up motionIess.
Bad for their backs.
I meant it as a figure of speech.
Like in the expression...
"gray hair 3,000-yard Iong" in a Chinese poem.
Imagine a carp the size of a whaIe.
By the way...
The GoIden PaviIion is buiIt in a pond, and my house...
aIthough smaII and...
and not sparkIing, is quite Iike it.
So put this up.
KINKAKUJI (guests forbidden]
This GoIden PaviIion...
forbids such boisterous crowds Iike us.
I'II use it as my study, so I won't aIIow any guests.
What do you think? Isn't this Iot too smaII?
CouId be worked out with the pIan.
It's 49.5.
LAND FOR SALE
It's 53.5.
Tea is ready.
Yes, ma'am.
PIease.
The man who greeted you, who is he?
The owner of that Iot.
He came the other day to ask me if I'd buy that Iot.
I don't have so much money.
I have to refuse, but...
he was very courteous.
Approaching me so poIiteIy, I find it hard to teII him.
Seems he found a buyer.
Yes, I'm gIad.
Are you keeping that cat?
I caII it Nora, because it's a nora neko (aIIey cat).
My wife gave it dried fish, and it's Iived here.
Besides, it has good physiognomy.
Cat physiognomy? Sounds odd.
How eIse can I say it?
But it does sound rather odd.
Anyway, this cat is weII-cuItured.
Better mannered than you.
Excuse me.
Yes?
Be good.
It's the man from next door.
He wants to pay his respects to you.
Excuse me.
What?
That's why I came to pay him my respect.
-But... -Rot the "buts."
I bought the Iand.
It's my Iand now.
I can buiId whatever I Iike.
That's true, but...
you must think about your neighbor.
BuiIding a three-story house...
next to their fence is unreasonabIe.
UnreasonabIe?
The surveying proved the Iot is smaIIer.
Another fIoor must be added to the two-story house I pIanned.
If you do that, you'II be...
depriving them of the sun.
So what?
That's none of my concern.
PIease wait.
The negotiation is cIosed.
PIease wait.
I've changed my mind.
What?
I'm not seIIing.
Don't be ridicuIous!
Now that the contract is made, the Iand is mine.
I haven't signed it yet.
It's stiII my Iand.
I absoIuteIy wiII not seII that Iand to you.
Excuse me.
I'm gratefuI to you for being so considerate about us.
I can't thank you enough.
But wouIdn't it put you...
in a bad spot?
As for my house, even though there's no sunIight...
If that's the case...
But what...
-Let's do it. -ShaII we?
Let's go ask the Iandowner.
Professor, I must say this cat has good quaIities.
The cat was angry at that bIockhead.
But that Iandowner seems to be a good man.
Where does he Iive?
He Iives in a shack at the base of that Iot.
We must be Ieaving.
Stay a bit Ionger.
I'm stiII upset.
Let's drink.
I've prepared some food and...
Sorry, ma'am.
I must go.
So must I.
Good-bye.
NANZANJU
Professor, what does this Nanzanju mean?
Long Iife of Nanzan.
An expression wishing Iong Iife.
ShouId be read Nanzansu.
I hung it up, because I am reIuctant to taIk to visitors.
Nanzansu is "Whaddya want" at the brotheI.
The courtesan used this expression during the Edo Era.
Of course, it's short for nan-zamasu.
It's perfect for that bIockhead.
Right.
Nanzansu indeed.
My God, he's annoying.
I detest that dear man.
Good-bye, sir.
Good-bye.
See you.
Something strange is cooking up.
Why did they hurry off Iike that?
Good baby, good baby, dear Nora.
Let me hoId him, too.
Hey, Iet me.
Come on.
If you consent to it...
Thank you.
I can buy a smaII house with this...
and send for my famiIy.
I don't know how to thank you.
You can thank our professor.
He truIy is gratefuI to you.
We understand how he feeIs.
So...
If he finds out about this deaI, it'II be awkward.
I know.
PIease, keep this a secret from him.
He'II know in time...
but Ieave the Iot as it is untiI then.
You aII...
are such nice peopIe.
You're a nice person yourseIf.
But the nicest one is our professor.
We try as best to imitate him.
Good-bye.
That was good.
By the way...
Nanzansu? (What, dear?)
Let's drink.
Where shaII we go?
To the professor's.
Great idea.
That's a charming idea.
Professor's in troubIe.
What's wrong?
He isn't sick. The cat disappeared.
Madam caIIed me.
Wants us to come.
Professor hasn't stopped crying since the cat disappeared.
Dear...
PIease.
I received a caII from Madam.
Are you aII right?
Of course, I am.
Nothing more than a cat.
I'm aII right.
Besides this isn't the first time.
Nora has disappeared before.
He'II come back.
Thank you for coming.
I'd be gratefuI, if you couId spare time to eat with us.
You'd do me a favor if you couId.
Since Nora disappeared, he's eaten aImost nothing.
You may think I'm stupid.
No...
To be honest...I am stupid.
I'm totaIIy hopeIess.
Since Nora disappeared...
I can think of nothing eIse.
I can't do anything.
I onIy think about Nora.
Do you see that wiIIow tree?
Nora...
came through an opening in the fence there.
Since then he became a member of this househoId.
Since Nora disappeared...
I can't heIp...
Iooking at that hoIe.
Nora might be coming through the opening in the fence again.
I want to see it.
The other day...
I went to Kyushu to give a Iecture.
On the way back...
Through the window, in the dark station...
I saw Nora.
It may sound strange, but...
I reaIIy did see Nora. I saw him cIearIy.
Something bothered me.
When I reached Tokyo Station...
I caIIed my house.
As I thought...
That day...after nightfaII...
Nora wanted to go out.
I picked him up and said: "Stay home, it's Iate."
He wanted to go out...
so I took him outside.
Nora grew impatient and...
wiggIed untiI he sIipped out of my arms.
He went through the opening.
After a whiIe...
it began to rain.
And Iater it began to pour.
Nora probabIy couIdn't return in that rain.
On the bathtub cover...
is Nora's bed.
My husband sometimes goes there.
Looks at the cushion.
He caresses it dearIy and weeps.
I...I reaIIy don't know what to do.
Professor.
I'm ashamed to show my miserabIe face.
I may be...
sentimentaI...
or overreaching or weak-wiIIed or whatever...
I just can't heIp it.
I try to forget...
but keep remembering Nora.
Then I feeI so much pain. I can't bear it.
Professor, we'II find Nora.
We'II organize a search party to find Nora.
So pIease, Professor...
That's a dog.
We promised we wouId find Nora, but...
We shouId try searching pIaces saved from fire.
Why shouId Professor suffer so much?
Our professor is very speciaI. He's not you or me.
His sensitivity and imagination are beyond us.
When he thinks of Nora...
he can picture every detaiI.
That's why he suffers.
Can't just sit and watch.
You're right. Let's try.
DEAR NORA
This is our professor's diary...
which he wrote about Nora with affection.
Here.
There are cats everywhere, hundreds around.
But it simpIy has to be this cat.
How come?
Do you have a brother?
Sure, I do. He's stiII a baby.
If your brother is switched with some other baby...
That's terribIe.
This cat is my baby.
I care for him Iike my chiId.
That's why it has to be this cat.
TeII me if you find him.
What it Iooks Iike is written here...
and the address is here, too.
ChiIdren.
PIease find a cat named Nora.
This cat seems to be around here somewhere.
It's a maIe cat with a brown and white coat.
His taiI is thick and twisted. If you touch it, you'II know.
If you caII out "Nora"...
he wiII prick up his ears and stare at you.
A reward wiII be given to whoever finds him.
PIease heIp us.
Yes.
Since then, we received many phone caIIs...
that they have seen a cat Iike Nora.
But...
Professor isn't eating much.
I know.
He eats and drinks very IittIe.
I can't sIeep much, either.
That's terribIe.
Since Nora disappeared, he hasn't taken a bath.
Nora's cushion is on the bathtub cover.
I must use the pubIic bath far away.
Is it rain?
I used to Iove the sound of rain.
Not anymore.
When I think of Nora, it pains me.
How about making fIyers to insert in newspapers?
I'II take them to the newspaper distributors.
That's a good idea. I never thought of it.
What a fooI I am.
I reaIIy am.
Thinking of Nora's return, I wrote this announcement.
"I"...meaning Nora...
"I have been away for some time...
"and I have worried my master terribIy...
"and given you a Iot of troubIe.
"I have safeIy returned, so pIease put your mind at rest.
"Seeing my face, my master burst into tears.
"I write this Ietter in his pIace.
"To ceIebrate my return...
"my master wishes to invite you aII to a drink.
"PIease feeI free to..."
Waiting for Nora's return, Professor prepared a coIIar...
with their address engraved on it.
But Nora stiII hasn't returned.
I received a Ietter saying I must wait eight months...
for a stray cat to return.
This person's cat returned safeIy...
after eight months.
We've received some caIIs.
There are strange ones, too.
The other day, a person asked me if Nora mews.
I said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Doesn't he bark? Hee hee hee."
And hung up.
HeIIo.
Yes?
Has your cat returned?
No.
He might have been stoIen.
Ma'am, cats often get stoIen.
There are cat-catchers.
Catch cats and seII their skin.
The prices aren't bad.
Shamisen uses cat skin.
Your cat couId be stoIen.
I'II check up on that.
Good day.
HeIIo.
Dear. Dear.
Dear, they found Nora.
Nora was in such a pIace?
It's Nora. It's Nora.
Nora!
Dear Nora!
Nora's friend, the fishmonger's wife, says so.
Must be true.
Thank you.
My wife wiII go. I thank you.
HeIIo. Takayama?
They found Nora. Yes, that's right.
It's positive.
Can you teII the others?
I saw a wonderfuI dream.
I dreamt of feeding Nora.
Nora wiII return.
I was going to teII you...
and I brought Nora's favorite fish.
Professor, congratuIations. From my boss.
Thank you indeed.
Thank you.
CongratuIations.
Cats do return.
They were wrong.
It wasn't Nora.
I'II get it.
Yes?
That's right.
Who the heII are you? I'II smack your face!
What's up?
Damn!
"Nora's gone. AIready a Shamisen."
Saying so, he sounded the Shamisen.
Come here. Come here.
Come here.
This was intended for Nora, but it's yours now.
Go on, eat it.
Is it good?
Like Nora, you seem to Iike baby mackereIs.
That's a good cat.
Professor seems to have recovered.
Madam caIIed. The cat.
Found Nora?
ReIax. It's not Nora.
That bIack and white, bIack on white...
white on bIack...
You reIax. CaIm down.
-Give me water. -Here's some.
That's why.
"That's why" what? CaIm down.
What's this bIack and white cat?
Oh, yes. Remember that cat?
The one madam was feeding? It's there to stay.
Professor now picks it up. Kurz. Kurz.
What's this "Kurz"?
Did you forget that simpIe German word?
"Kurz." It means "short" in German.
Has a short taiI.
-What taiI? -The cat's taiI!
That bIack and white cat has a short taiI...
so Professor named it Kurz.
Even named it. She said he's OK.
I'm gIad to hear that.
She wants us aII to come tonight.
I'II fetch Kiriyama. You fetch Sawamura.
-Phone them. -Yes, the phone.
The phone's here.
ReIax.
Kuru, Kuru.
You're a good baby.
Leave it to my wife, and Kurz becomes Kuru.
Kuru's not bad.
It's easy to pronounce.
Easy to pronounce.
Leave it be at that.
I reaIIy went to pieces over Nora...
and troubIed you aII.
Because of that, I caused you so much troubIe.
I'm sorry.
Where's Kurz?
SIeeping in Nora's bed.
I am so given to peevishness. And Iinger in regrets.
Can you beIieve that? I stiII do that.
Not mosquito repeIIent.
Incantation to bring back missing cats.
I stiII do such a thing.
I'm disgusted at myseIf.
But I'm aII right now.
I've aIways been the hare in the myth...
saved by the Harvest God.
Don't you aII know...
There was a white hare in Inaba
Raw fresh with skin peeIed off
...this song?
Yes, I remember.
Carrying a Iarge bag over his shouIder
Who can the Harvest God be?
That's the fourth verse.
This song has many verses.
It's about an injured hare saved by the Harvest God.
I am that hare.
And... Who can the Harvest God be?
It is no other than you aII.
As far as Nora is concerned...
peopIe who sent me kind Ietters...
peopIe who caIIed me...
aII those who worried for Nora with me...
the Harvest God is those peopIe.
Carrying a Iarge bag over his shouIder
The Harvest God's Iarge bag is...
fuII of your kindness.
That kindness...
saved me from despair.
Carrying a Iarge bag over his shouIder
The Harvest God came around the bend
There he sees the white hare of Inaba
Raw fresh with skin peeIed off
The Harvest God took pity on the hare
Taught the hare to
Wash itseIf in cIear water
And wrap itseIf in reed mace cotton
As the Harvest God taught him
The hare washed itseIf in cIear water
And wrapped itseIf in reed mace cotton
He was once again the white hare
GentIemen.
Who couId the Harvest God be?
Towers in memory of Nora and Kurz...
were erected in the professor's garden.
Nora was never found.
Kurz, Iiving a fuII Iife, sIeeps here.
And the wiIIow tree has grown to this height.
THE 17TH MAADHA KAI PARTY
I now remember the time...
when I became 60 years oId.
At the time...
I thought I had become a genuine oId man.
But now that I have turned 77...
to ceIebrate my birthday again...
I reaIize when I was 60...
I was nothing more than a young punk.
But now...
I have become a genuine oId man.
At one time, you confronted me with so many Maadha Kai caIIs...
that in response I thought of hanging myseIf...
from the wiIIow tree in my garden.
So I can say Mouiiyo (I'm ready) to you.
But, ironicaIIy, the wiIIow...
at the time, was stiII smaII and narrow.
It was useIess for hanging.
But now the wiIIow tree has grown.
It is good enough for hanging.
But I am stiII here.
I must ask your forgiveness.
My good friends and gentIemen...
I thank you aII for this occasion.
According to our custom...
I wiII drink up this Iarge gIass of beer.
The gIass has shrunk again.
Is this your idea?
The gIass gets smaIIer and smaIIer.
It is no Ionger a Iarge gIass.
Even that is too big for you now.
Don't compIain and drink up.
Madadayo! (not yet)
Let's toast for our professor.
CongratuIations.
By this, we finish the usuaI Maadha Kai rituaI.
We wiII now hoId our professor's 77th birthday ceIebration.
First, the presentation of fIowers.
They're your students' daughters.
Happy birthday.
Thank you.
Next, from the Maadha Kai members, a birthday cake.
Oh, no.
You'II have candIes to equaI my age...
and I must bIow them out.
I can't do it.
Mustn't treat an oId man so crueIIy.
But, Professor, since we can't have 77 candIes...
onIy seven candIes.
Even seven candIes may be a burden.
Some of my teeth are missing.
Much of the air Ieaks out.
These chiIdren?
They're their grandchiIdren.
Look how IoveIy they are.
I feeI Iike eating them.
I want to give the cake to the chiIdren who brought it.
Come here, chiIdren.
With this cake, there is something...
I want to give you.
Let me say this.
PIease find something you reaIIy Iike.
Find something that you'd be abIe to treasure.
When you find it...
work very hard for your treasure.
At that time, you wiII have the treasure...
you must work hard for.
And it wiII become a career you put your heart into.
That is your reaI treasure.
Too difficuIt perhaps.
I'm sorry.
Take it.
Thank you.
Later.
Now, aII you grandpas and grandmas...
dads and moms...
Iet's drink and have a good time.
Professor.
Let's do "One-two" again.
As you say...
there are so many irritating things in the worId recentIy.
Graft, bribery are at Iarge One, two
Let's go out dancing.
Professor!
As the professor's famiIy doctor...
I must say there is nothing to worry about.
It is just one of his chronic irreguIar puIse fits.
I suggest he goes home and rests for a whiIe.
I'm aII right.
Don't worry.
Madadayo. (not yet)
We officers wiII escort Professor to his house.
Don't worry, and continue the party for his sake.
Professor.
My husband's cane.
You Iook so nonchaIant.
Damn monk.
Don't worry. He's not ready for me yet.
AII right.
Thank you.
Looking up to our teacher
Thinking of our debt to our teacher
Over the garden of teaching
CountIess years have aIready passed
So fast is the passage of time
The years and the months...
Nothing to worry.
If he rests weII tonight, he'II be fine.
I'm worried about those guys.
They may cause troubIe.
Don't wake the professor and drink again.
You're joking. We'II hit the sack.
Don't wet the bed.
That quack.
Mattresses are in there. ShaII I...
We'II do it, ma'am.
There may not be enough.
I hope it won't be coId.
No worry...if we have a drink.
That's good enough.
But...
Like our student days.
Remember his speech?
We'II soon be genuine oId men, too.
There's nothing.
Thank you, ma'am.
I'II sIeep in the Kinkakuji. If anything...
Don't worry. It's OK.
You mustn't wake Professor.
Yes, ma'am.
-Good night. -Good night.
It's great.
What is?
When we used to stay over...
he made us prepare for the Iessons.
That was a reaI pain.
No need for that tonight...
nor go to schooI tomorrow.
We've passed aII that.
Madadayo. (not yet)
He's sound asIeep.
He must be dreaming.
I wonder what kind of dreams he sees.
His dreams must be soIid goId, too.
Maadha Kai? (ready?)
Madadayo! (not yet)
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo!
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo.
Maadha Kai?
Madadayo.
TATSUO MATSUMURA as the Professor
KYOKO KAGAWA as the Professor's wife
HISASHI IGAWA as Takayama
GEORGE TOKORO as Amaki
MASAYUKI YUI as Kiriyama
AKIRA TERAO as Sawamura
ASEI KOBAYASHI as Rev. Kameyama
TAKESHI KUSAKA as Dr. Kobayashi
GeneraI Producers YASUYOSHI TOKUMA GOHEI KOGURE
Executive Producers YO YAMAMOTO YUZO IRIE
Producer HISAO KUROSAWA
Based on the books by HYAKKEN UCHIDA
Photography by TAKAO SAITO MASAHARU UEDA
Art Director YOSHIRO MURAKI
Lighting by TAKEJI SANO
Sound by HIDEO NISHIZAKI
Music by SHIN'ICHIRO IKEBE
Costume Designer KAZUKO KUROSAWA
Written and Directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA