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 TAN BA
TAKASl SHIIVIUFKA YCDICI HAYASHI, EIKO MURAMATSU
KUNIE TANAKA, MASANOFII TOMOTAKE TOKUE HANAZAWA
IN A CUP OF TEA
KANEMON NAKAMURA, OSAMU TAKIZAWA, HARUKO SUGIMURA
GANJIFIO NAKAMURA NOBORU NAKAYA, SEIJI MIYAGUCHI
KEI SATO TOIVIOKO NAFIAOKA
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 noble woman 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 iife 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 ungratefull 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 wen! by.
His period of service came to an end.
/t was September 70 Wheh he reached the street /'h Kyoto
where i713 first wife had lived.
It was the dead of night, and the c/ty 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 rne.
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?
Teil 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 v/Y/age /'/7 Musash/ province
there lived two woodcuflers." Mosaku and ll/I/rzok/Ch/I
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 M/nok/ch/ g0! we//, 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 m 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.
Shes 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-laws 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 Kono from lyo 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
Al 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 tne clan perished along with the infant emperor.
Noritsube, 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 Yoshitsube, the Genji commander
“Come on, Yoshitsunel!" 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 see and its shores...
have been haunted for 700 years.
Thousands of strange crabs, called 'Heike crabs,”
with human feces 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.
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?
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 b/Wa 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
Thai the Genji and Heike clans
At Dan-no-ura
Fought their last sea ballle
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 Genj 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 baitle
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
Amida will welcome you in the Western Pure Land
Hurry and invoke Amida Buddha's sacred name
Beneath the Waves
Another capital city awaits”
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!
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 whds 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 Sada Nakaga wa was making his round of New Year's visits.
He stopped with his entourage at his family temple in Hohgo.
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.
Bu! 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