JANURARY, 1876
Hisae, please wash the potatoes.
All right.
I'm sorry I'm late!
Hisae, you're helping out.
Aunt Yae?
What is that attire?
I made it.
Yae and Jo were married.
Until their residence was ready, they lived at the Yamamoto household.
How long do I cook it?
What is that?
It's bacon.
Americans eat bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Americans eat meat in the morning?
It gives them more strength.
Isn't that burnt?
Not bad for my first time.
Dear, breakfast is ready.
That outfit matches you.
I'll do that.
Didn't I mention that I do laundry and sew?
But we're married now.
It doesn't matter.
You and I are equals.
I had time this morning.
And can you stop calling me dear?
Shall I call you Mr. Jo?
Just Jo.
Jo?
Good morning, Yae.
YAE NO SAKURA
Episode 37: An Extreme Transfer Student
Screenplay: Yamamoto Mutsumi
Theme Music: Sakamoto Ryuichi Music: Nakajima Nobuyuki
Narrator: Kusabue Mitsuko
Niijima Yae: Ayase Haruka
Yamamoto Kakuma: Nishijima Hidetoshi
Niijima Jo: Odagiri Joe
Yamakawa Hiroshi: Tamayama Tetsuji
Yamamoto Tokie: Tanimura Mitsuki
Saito Hajime: Furuya Kenji
Yamakawa Kenjiro: Katsuji Ryo
Sagawa Kanbei: Nakamura Shido
Yamamoto Saku: Fubuki Jun
Ogakiya Seihachi: Matsukata Hiroki
Executive Producer: Naito Shinsuke
Translations by MTI
Director: Nakano Ryohei
So this is the new school building.
The carpenters were surprised with Western construction style.
And this is a sketch of our residence.
It's Western style too?
Yes, and in our bedroom, we'll place a bed in it.
And around the house, we'll have a vegetable garden.
For the bathroom, we sit on a seat like this.
Jo...
Westerners relieve themselves by sitting up?
Yes, it's easier on the legs. Once you get use to it...
Stop that. Don't discuss that in front of others.
Don't get so upset.
I'm sorry. You're such an interesting couple.
You call each other by first name.
I asked her to.
I want people to see the good side of Westernization.
I see.
You're trying to do something big.
This is a bed?
It looks uncomfortable.
This is the best.
What are you doing?
This way if you fall, I won't get hurt.
Don't worry.
You'll see when you lie on it.
You're right, it's soft!
Let's sleep together tonight.
What?
Yae.
Yes.
I am...
...glad you're a scary wife.
What?
You scold me without any hesitation.
I never thought I'd find a woman like you in Japan.
I wanted a wife who walks beside me, not behind me.
At times, who would guide me and walk in front of me.
A wife that walks in front?
Even husbands have troubles and make mistakes.
So when I'm wrong, I want you to scold me.
I will.
Jo, what's wrong?
I fell.
A bed is not for someone with bad sleeping habits.
No, you...
What?
You must have slept well.
Yes, I did.
The height scares me a bit.
It's good to experience.
What's good is good.
What's good is good?
Good morning.
I'll give you a hand.
Jo, thank you.
Jo?
She call the Teacher by his first name.
What's with that?
Western schools were being established everywhere.
The Meiji people who were freed from the class system
displayed their desire to earn a living with education.
Doshida English School gradually grew as well.
So what is dessert?
The Westerners eat desert after their meal.
You mean dessert.
This is desert.
Isn't that right Sir?
Dear me...
Class isn't progressing.
Having more students is good, but their fund of knowledge differs.
They're all conscientious.
Let's take it slowly.
Jo, I have another matter to discuss with you.
It's from a teacher at the Western School in Kumamoto.
The Christian students there are being persecuted.
He wants you to accept them into your school.
The Christians are being used as an excuse...
to close the Western School in Kumamoto.
In Kumamoto, anti-alienist sentiment still exist.
We only have two teachers, so it's impossible.
I would like to accept them.
They are elites and strong believers.
They would be good for our school, too.
Their strong belief is the problem.
The townsfolk are still against your school.
If you accept those devoted Christians,
you'll have more opposition.
We can't ignore their cry for help though.
I understand your feelings, but...
there are discontent samurai throughout Japan.
March of that year...
the government banned the wearing of swords.
Having lost their pride as samurai class, they were near explosion.
The reason why I called you here is because...
I want you to stop this.
We haven't written anything false.
We can't allow our swords to be taken away!
Publishing this newsletter will get yourselves killed!
You're not an Aizu samurai!
Mr. Takemura, calm down!
Why are you employed?
You're one of them now!
What was that?
How dare you!
Takemura!
This isn't the end yet.
The Aizu men are coming together.
What do you plan to do?
Yoshichiro...
I thought we'd be fighting together to the end.
Hisae, is it good?
Yes.
I'll make some tea.
What's wrong?
Who are you?
Yae!
Is this where Sir Niijima live?
Yes.
I came from Kumamoto. I'm Kanamori Michitomo.
I have a request to make of Sir Niijima.
KANAMORI MICHITOMO
Thank you very much.
What happened to the Western School's students?
Sir Niijima, please help us.
Even now, at this very moment, my comrades in Kumamoto...
are being pressured to abandon their religion.
Please accept us into your school.
I'm begging you!
Please!
I'll welcome all of you.
Thank you very much.
The Western School in Kumamoto was one of the first in Japan.
The students were influenced by an American teacher
and had become Christians. That became a major problem.
I Autumn, the Kumamoto students transferred to Doshisha.
Their strong bond gave them the name Kumamoto Band.
They all look shabby.
They went through an ordeal.
I sympathize with them.
I'm Niijima Jo, the principal.
Please consider this your second home and study hard.
Good morning...and welcome. My name is Mr. Davis.
Yae, please say a few words.
Jo, I have nothing to say.
Jo?
I'm the principal's wife, Niijima Yae.
I'm not a teacher, but I help out with the school.
Think of me as your mother and come to me with any problems.
Any questions?
You.
Arithmetic, science, astronomy, civilization...
Are you teaching all subjects?
Yes.
How long have you been a teacher?
I'm new at it.
Yet you plan to lecture to us?
Hey, Kosaki.
What about your work as a missionary?
I've been doing it on the side of my classes.
Why aren't you teaching Christianity in your classes?
I want to know, too.
We're here to become pastors.
That's right.
We're determined.
Don't you want to become a pastor, too?
No. There's something else I want to do.
He's not a firm believer.
That isn't it.
I'm going to make use of what I learned in the Bible.
All right. Just remain quiet.
Tell me...
What do you want to do?
Just tell everyone.
Hey...you're blushing.
He's blushing.
I can't tell a sphinx-like woman.
Sphinx-like?
You're dressed like that.
Yes, she's a goblin.
I agree.
I've heard about it but now I'm seeing it.
She's a sphinx!
How can they say that?
This isn't what we heard!
This place will only make us fall behind in our studies!
I agree!
And he has a sphinx as a wife.
She calls him by his first name and dresses like a Westerner.
We abandoned our families to come here!
It's the same for me!
Mr. Kanamori has endured much more than all of us.
He was imprisoned.
His mother burned the Bible and tried to kill herself.
We have no place to return to.
Mr. Niijima is a good man.
We have to hang in here.
Let us now go back to the creation of the world.
This wonderful event occurred about 6,000 years ago.
The story of it is beautifully told in the first chapter of genesis.
What does "creation" mean?
Creation?
Mr. Kanamori.
What is imagined of heaven and earth.
Including all nature.
That's right. Wonderful.
Don't you know simple English words like that?
Sir, in Egypt...
Dessert!
In Egypt, according to another theory... there was in fact 300 dynasties with a history spanning 10,000 years...
how can you explain these historical contradictions?
Of course!
God created the world...
and there are theories of the time and method.
Memorization without debates won't help us much.
We'll study on our own.
How dare you smoke here!
What are you doing?
You're interfering with our studies.
With their aggressiveness and tight bonds...
they gradually took over the school.
Thank you. I'm sorry to impose on you too, Mother.
It's all right. This is the least that I can do.
Jo, rest assured and focus on your class.
Yes, I will.
Father in Heaven, we thank you for the food today.
For everyone...Amen.
Amen.
God said, love thy neighbor like you love thyself.
Don't judge others, then you won't be judged.
Are you going to continue until the end of day?
Only God can judge and condemn people.
Hey, enough!
In spite of that, we...
The food is getting cold.
That's enough for today.
Don't you lack faith?
How dare you!
If the grains of rice are the blessings of God...
wouldn't God want you to enjoy them fresh?
Please eat while it's hot.
Thank you for the food.
Is it bitter?
That cold medicine works wonders.
You must have been cold dressed like that.
If you're not feeling well, just tell me.
If you fall ill, you won't be able to do the things you want.
News reporter...
What?
That's what I want to be.
News reporter?
I want to see the world for myself.
I want to relay the bare truth to everyone.
We tend to attack things we do not understand.
Even in Kumamoto...
relatives and samurai who know nothing about schooling...
had preset notions that we had evil thoughts.
We were given the ultimatum to obey or quit school.
You have a wonderful dream.
Dream?
Yes.
You're working hard.
Is it for your husband?
It's for the students.
Let me help. It's too much work for one person.
Mother...
They may quit school!
Really?
We can't tolerate them anymore.
We are quitting.
Thank you for everything.
Those outcasts should leave.
Jo.
Oh...I'm sorry.
You're having insomnia lately.
No...l'm fine.
Aren't married couple equal?
So it's all right for the husband to show weakness.
The truth is...
I'm upset with myself and can't sleep.
With yourself?
Yes.
Because of my incompetence...
...my students left.
Kumamoto Band is a problem.
But I understand how they feel.
I can't conduct class the way they want...
so it just makes me an incompetent teacher.
I might have been wrong to have accepted them.
No means no.
That's what I was taught in Aizu when I was growing up.
But I decided to turn that around.
What's good is good.
Western thoughts, the Bible cocky students...
I don't understand them all so I can't accept them.
But what I think is good...
I will accept, no matter what anyone says.
Yuichiro who called me a sphinx...
shared with me that he came here to become a news reporter.
If a teacher is relayed one good thing from his student...
...isn't that enough?
Please excuse us.
What is it?
We're here to submit a request for reforms.
A request for reforms?
We students demand the following reforms.
Divide the students by their abilities.
They should be divided into elites and average students.
The quality of class should 'be reviewed immediately.
Drinking and smoking should be prohibited in school.
What's going on?
Curfews should be set and penalties incorporated.
Those with bad grades or no improvement should be expelled.
Niijima Jo should be dismissed as principal.
A Western Missionary should be appointed as principal.
If the above conditions aren't met, we will quit.
Please look this over.
All right.
I know I have to review the quality of class immediately.
But I won't expel anyone based on grades.
Why not?
The incompetent ones are holding the elites back.
Isn't a school a place where you pursue further education?
My school educates people and develops heart.
I founded this school to raise patriots who'd help our country.
By country, I don't mean the government.
By country, I mean the people.
Loving one's country is like loving oneself.
I believe it's loving the person in front of you.
Love thy neighbor like you love yourself.
It's okay to deviate and fall behind.
I'll gladly welcome those with spirit.
What's good is good.
But I won't discard others...
...for your benefit.
My school...
...will not expel any students.
That includes all of you.
Under that belief, I will not quit either.
Let us not judge others and study together.
We can't back down at this point.
We will leave.
Won't you work together?
This is your school.
Don't just leave things to the teachers.
Make your own reforms.
Please give us a hand.
How dare a woman speak her mind!
What a pathetic principal.
In Kumamoto, men don't cry in public.
He's truly pathetic!
The sphinx brought this.
I think he's manly...
...to be able to cry for his students.
I feel warm.
October of that year...
the samurai rioted against the Meiji government.
The Shinpuren Rebellion.
The Akizuki Rebellion.
The Hagi Rebellion.
The samurai who lost to the new government...
drifted to Satsuma, where Saigo was.
Meanwhile in Tokyo... OCTOBER 29-TOKYO
Search.
Sir Sagawa, what's wrong?
Did something happen?
A group of Aizu clansmen killed officers at the Nihonbashi shipyard.
What?
Takemura has been arrested.
He'll surely be executed.
We heard he visited your often, his childhood friend.
You are suspected to be his accomplice.
No! My brother wouldn't...!
You knew nothing about it.
Is that clear?
You never met with Takemura.
Let's go.
Yes, sir.
I couldn't even be his accomplice.
He didn't open up to me.
He accused me of being one of the Satsuma and Choshu.
Takemura traveled to Chiba by sea and gathered men.
He was planning to rise in Aizu.
In Aizu?
The new government cornered the samurai.
Newspaper...
She bought us some.
Hey! The sphinx is coming!
She's here!
Good morning.
Good morning!
Good morning.
I am Niijima Nue (sphinx).
Class is about to start!
Get to your seats! Hurry!
END OF EPISODE 37
The anger of the samurai rose to a wild rage.
I thought this country has changed.
Who started this war?
Full assault!
I'll fight until I die.
This is an all-out war.
Let's wrap this up.
Kichinosuke...
I'll take full blame.