It was an era when a man lived as a warrior...
He fought, staking his life on his faith in the sword...
The final era... the Bakumatsu.
Intrigue in the Bakumatsu
Tsukikage kooru daichi wo
Korogari fumiwakete yuku
Horobi to saisei no jidai ga hajimaru
Jiyuu wo omoku kakagete
Michinaki michi wo erande
Mahiru yori mabushii nichibotsu wo koete
Yume wo kataru you ni toki no fune wa yuku
Sono yamiji no mukou ni atarashii yoake
Bokura wa kitto kurayami no kaina kara umarete kita
Kanawanu koi wo suruyou ni
Hikari e to samayotteku
Doko made mo hateshino nai kono michi wo
Kaeru sube wa nai
So it's finally started moving!
It's finally begun!
Shinta, it's gotten to my brain... This is not good...
Where am I?
I've decided!
I've decided, Oryo!
I will make a "company"!
You're rushing it.
Ryo!
It's not daybreak yet...
Ryo...
Ryo!
I won't let you get away!
What are you doing?
That's exactly what we want to ask you.
First of all, what are you doing in Yokohama?
Would you please tell us?
Akizuki-sama.
I'm not obligated to tell you anything.
We lost our enemy because of you!
If only you weren't there!
So now you owe us one.
Master.
Right now it's more important to find the man we lost.
There has to be someone in the Underground Auction connected to the man.
You're right. If we track that person...
Yojiro Akizuki? Who is that?
T.B. Glover
I have my people looking into it right now, Mr. Glover.
At any rate, he's contributed to increasing the value of "that thing".
I see. I guess you need to thank him for that.
Where are you going, Hario-dono?
I thought Nakaiya assigned you to guard this Gatling gun for us
since we're not very familiar with Yokohama...
But it seems that the only thing you're interested in
is the man who struck apart the Head of the Conqueror.
We weren't going to rely on that anyway.
So it's come to this...
Then don't get in my way.
I'm the one who's going to kill him.
Wait!
How dare you?
Wait!
It's no time to be arguing right now!
There are many, including both the Imperial and Shogunate forces,
who are plotting to steal this latest weapon from us.
So what's most important right now is to evade them all
and safely transport it from Yokohama to Nagaoka Province.
This will be extremely difficult.
Where is he?
Why are you following me?
Why indeed...
Actually it doesn't even matter why.
I just want to kill you. That's all.
The Earth-splitting Sword.
A powerful sword style whose forms incorporate sword techniques
developed during the Two Imperial Courts and the Warring States eras.
It slices an armored enemy in half in a single stroke.
After more than 200 years of peace, there can't be many users with that level of skill today.
That could be another clue to find him, too.
Earth-splitting, huh...
Then...
I'll use Water!
I knew it!
Damn.
That was careless of me...
What?
THAT Akizuki?
Right.
Supposedly he's the one who murdered Ryoma Sakamoto.
Murdered...
Yup.
They say he was held for two months in prison for questioning.
Are you sure about that?
He didn't look like a bad person to me.
It's from a credible source.
Let's just say I met with my old buddies when I was doing some research on that guy.
That subject happened to come up.
It's information from a guy who knows people in the government.
But they eventually released him, which means...
Well, you know he might've been innocent,
but still he was the first one to be accused by the Shinsengumi and the patrolmen.
He must've been somehow connected to the man.
It's a surprise at any rate...
Don't tell me...
...you knew about it?
Master!
I've got some information on him.
He's Genba Hario, hired as a bodyguard for Lord Tsuginosue Kawai of Nagaoka Province.
Nagaoka Province?
It sounds like he was sent by the owner of the Auction.
Something doesn't smell right...
I also confirmed the fact he's the user of that sword technique.
This time for sure...
I knew you would be showing up by now.
Akizuki-sama!
What brought you here?
So now you want to work as a bodyguard?
I quit doing such things already.
I'm just here to pay my debt to you. That's all.
And you expect us to trust you?
I don't want to work with him!
I'll ask you to do it.
It's better to have more people.
What do you say, Leader?
Well, as long as Akizuki-sama is okay with it.
Hey, you sure this is the right way?
Yeah. Supposedly he's going to take this path.
That's the Master's reading.
Akizuki-sama. Akizuki-sama...
Don't talk!
What kind of man is Hario?
I-I'm sorry about that.
I guess it's been about 10 years.
It happened in the large store in the western province.
Father!
I'm back.
Here's your souvenir.
It's the same thing. You can have it, too.
It's for me?
He was a shipping agent, a supporter of the Imperial cause.
That may have been the reason why...
We became one of the unnamed victims of the so-called "Ansei Purges".
That's the daughter, huh?
I must kill every one of you.
Lady!
You little worm!
We lost everything and wandered around all over the place...
One thing led to another, and we became a performance troupe.
Seasons may have passed,
but the flames of revenge burning inside us are only growing.
Genba Hario... That man is our enemy.
Who are they?
Wh-what do you think you're doing?
How dare you!
Wait.
I believe you have an important duty to carry out, Kawai-sama.
Who are you?
Kawai-sama!
They may be from the Kanagawa Magistrate's Office!
I guess this is it.
Come this way.
What?
Why you... The water, huh...
The cold, painful wind blows in this corrupt world...
...as I travel through the west to the east!
As I close my eyes, I see what happened ten years ago.
That day, that night and that hour!
Before you, who killed and burned my parents along with their shop,
our wish will come true as we perform our play.
The Kakunojo Yuyama Troupe is out for revenge!
We'll have you spit everything out.
You're going to tell us everything!
Revenge? That's ridiculous.
Sorry to tell you this, but I don't remember ever seeing any of your faces.
What?
Imagine how many worms have been killed by my Earth-Splitting Sword.
I don't have time to be remembering every one of you.
H-how dare you!
Then your life ends here!
You're not getting away!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
What is your name?
It's not worth mentioning, however...
However?
If you wish to know something to remember me by,
know that there was one who wished to see this Land of Rising Sun
become one of the greatest nations in the world.
You wish to see this country as a true nation...
The reason Tsuginosuke Kawai bought this Gatling gun
was so that Nagaoka Province could enforce an armed neutrality
between the Imperial and the Shogunate forces.
However, soon after these events, the Ojiya Negotiations would break down
and Nagaoka Province would join the Shogunate Forces in the Battle of Hokuetsu.
So you came here to kill me?
You've got the same eyes.
The eyes I had when I went to kill Katsu-sensei before.
Why don't you become my bodyguard, Akizuki? What do you say?
What? Are you sure?
That's right.
That man tried to protect Ryoma Sakamoto, but couldn't.
But the fate that man bears is much more than that.
What?
It's still here.
That thing is still here in Yokohama.
So, it sounds like it came in handy. I'm impressed that you handled it skillfully...
He's a guest of a traveling theater group.
The Kakunojo Yuyama Troupe...
If I remember correctly, the troupe's playwright is...
Sotetsu Ibaragi.
Cancel?
I'm fine if everyone is okay with it.
Oh well, no matter.
Anyway, Master, I hope my role in this new play fares better than the role of Ryoma Sakamoto.
Of course.
All right!
Let's start practice then!
THE EARTH-SPLITTING SWORD LAUGHS
Sono te wa ai no tsurugi
Subete no hajimari no akashi
Hikaru sora no hate
Yume wa mada maboroshi
Tsuki no akari kage ouyouni hashiru kono michi
Chigireta ai no tsurugi
Sashidasu saki wa ikusen no namida ga hitotsu ni nari
Ashita wo kagayakaseru
Kono te wa ai no tsurugi
Subete no hajimari no akashi
EPISODE 3 BALLAD OF STONE CRANE MANSION
The Kakunojo Yuyama Troupe is here.
Our next performance is set in the western province during the Ansei Era.
It's a story of a pathetic commoner who was bombarded with governmental politics.
There's a reverse side to everything.
I'm afraid to tell you it's the same way with the politics of society.
BALLAD OF STONE CRANE MANSION
I'm afraid to tell you it's the same way with the politics of society.
It's our new play!
The Reverse Side of a Bribery Scandal!
The Hidden Secret of the Director of Palace Upkeep!
The curtain is now opening!