"THE ABE CLAN" "Based on the novel by Ogai Mori" "Cast" "Abe Yaichi'emon:" "Tsutomu Yamazaki" "Abe Yagobei:" "Koichi Sato" "O'ichi:" "Mariko Fuji" "Abe Gonbei:" "Keizo Kani'e" "Kinu:" "Misako Watanabe" "Hayashi Geki:" "Renji Ishibashi" "Takeuchi Kazuma:" "Tetta Sugimoto" "Hosokawa Tadatoshi:" "Noboru Nakaya" "Tae:" "Yumi Asoh" "Emoto Matashichiro:" "Hiroyuki Sanada" "Narrator:" "Kichi'emon Nakamura" "Director:" "Kinji Fukasaku" "350 years ago Hosokawa Echu-no-kami Tadatoshi, the war lord of Higo Kumamoto of 540 thousand-koku had a samurai named Abe Yaichi'emon in his retainers." "Yaichi'emon started out as a low class samurai but favored by Tadatoshi he got promoted to an important position with a salary of 1100-koku... 3 of his 5 children were also recognized for their efforts during Shimabara Incident and were awarded pieces of land to own and a salary of 200-koku each, a rare honor to receive." "Spring of 18th year of Kan'ei" "In the spring of 18th year of Kan'ei, Tadatoshi suddenly fell ill." "The journal kept by the Hosokawa Clan states:" ""He has bloody annal discharge and unination difficulties, and his body is awfully tense." "Although we have put our heads together and tried all kinds of medicine and moxa his fever does not come down and he cannot even eat."" "Your condition seems indeed critical." "You have my sincere prayers for a swift recovery under grace of the gods and Buddha." "However, I am afraid that the worst could happen." "If it does, then I ask you please to take me, Yaichi'emon, along with you." "Please, please I beg you." "No?" "You won't let me die with you?" "I am grateful for your loyalty, but we are no longer in the Era of Warring States." "Also, you aren't the only one who has requested to accompany me in my death." "Kazuma, Chujiro, Ichizo, Kahei and his son and even some pages... dozens of them altogether, they all earnestly requested my permission." "But I didn't allow anyone to do so." "Listen, I want you to live long and serve Mitsuhisa well." "Sir..." "Kojuro, press a little harder." "Yes." "Sir Gonbei, there's the master." "Father, how did it go?" "Did he give you permission?" "No he didn't." "He says he wants me to serve Lord Mitsuhisa." "Two days later Tadatoshi died." "He was 54." "All the men who served him grieved his death tremendously." "As soon as the next morning the first suicide took place." "They were the boy servants, Ota Kojuro and Naito Chojuro, both 17-years-old at the time of death." "Soon afterwards, Munakata Kahei, Munakata Kichidayu, Harada Jujiro, Tanaka ltoku Teramoto Hachiza'emon, Ihara Juzaburo, and Gonjo Kisuke followed suit." "All of them were the ones who could not get permission to die." "Witnessing their earnest fervor to hurry along with their master others could only lower their eyes, bow their heads and watch them go." "In a matter of a few days a total of 18 men committed suicide." "The last one to go was the dog walker Tsuzaki Gosuke." "Because his position was an insignificant one, his superiors tried to talk him out of it." "But he stabbed his master's beloved dog, then with the same knife stabbed himself to death." "In his farewell note he stated..." ""Senior Advisors all try to stop me, but I, Gosuke, simply cannot be stopped."" "More than a month later, on April 28..." "Tadatoshi's cremation took place at Shu'on-in temple in Kasuga Village." "Mitsuhisa, the new ruler of the province who came back from Edo ordered that his right hand man Hayashi Geki take charge of the ceremony." "No doubt about it." "The two falcons Ariake and Akashi were so dearly loved by Milord." "It was clearly suicide, for sure." "First it was Gosuke's dog, now the birds." "Even animals and birds never forgot loyalty to their master." "It's quite amazing." "On the other hand there are some that received special favors that others envy and yet disregard it and remain alive shamelessly." "He's only a low class upstart after all." "He's probably never even heard of the expression, "surviving the shame."" "If he's never heard of it, he wouldn't know how to kill himself." "Now that the successor Mitsuhisa forbids any more suicide, he must feel like he was saved by the bell." "That's right." "He managed to escape his fate, he must be sighing a big sigh of relief." "Stop it!" "We all know Abe asked for a permission to die and was not granted it." "Baseless gossip is a disgrace." "No, Takenouchi, we aren't gossiping." "We're just speaking out loud what's on our mind." "It's true he didn't receive former lord's permission." "However, how could he shamelessly continue to live as if nothing is wrong?" "To die without permission is to die for nothing, isn't' it?" "Then, are you saying the two boy servants who killed each other died for nothing?" "Exactly." "The 18 men including the Munakata's father and son died for nothing." "None of you has the right to say such a thing." "How could people like you ever understand the minds of those who died?" "I understand their minds." "During Shimabara Incident, we were about to take over Hara Castle and I begged Milord to please send me in first." "I suppose he was concerned I was only 16, because he kept saying no to my persistent request." "He eventually got angry, and yelled at me, "Little brat, whatever you want!"" "As I sprang up on my feet, he called to me from behind, saying "Don't hurt yourself!"" "I'll never forget his voice." "That's why, I was the first one to ask for permission to die with him." "But he wouldn't allow me, and so I remain alive." "I understand too well, how the 18 men who died felt, and how Sir Abe feels." "I really do." "How about you all?" "Huh?" "How about you?" "Next!" "Shichinojo!" "Here, brother." "Hey, don't you think it's strange?" "I'm taller than Matashichiro, I've got longer reach yet we always end up in a draw, every time we have a match." "How come?" "That's no mystery." "You have no income and are supported by your family;" "I serve the castle and earn 200-koku." "A leftover eater and a 200-koku earner live by different levels of discipline." "Such a big mouth." "Do you want to have a real sword match?" "Sure, I'll accept anytime." "So the son is a skilled martial artist but the father, I heard he said, "I don't want to die, cutting the stomach hurts."" "Hurts?" "That's funny." "If he couldn't die 'cause it hurts, he could've oiled up a gourd to die." "What do you mean?" "You've heard of the "fan to stomach"...it's the same idea." "He'd pretend the gourd is a knife and run it over his stomach and the assistant would cut off his head in a flash." "That way it wouldn't hurt." "That's a good one." "Not a "fan to stomach" but a "gourd to stomach."" "Sir's home!" "Master's home!" "Is Gonbei home?" "Yes, he's just returned." "And Yagobei and Shichinojo?" "They're out practicing the spear." "They should be back soon." "Then, send for Ichidayu and Godayu." "I've got an announcement to make when everyone's home." "Yes." "Thanks for coming for this late night notice." "I hear the entire clan is talking about it, so I'm sure you've heard it, too." "They say that I, Yaichi'emon is a coward who can't even kill himself." "That I don't know how to kill himself so I should oil up a gourd and use assistance." "So, I thought I'd oil up a gourd and commit suicide now." "That's why I wanted you to gather here." "I want you all to watch me go." "Dad my brothers and I know very well why you couldn't commit suicide." "Ignore those who like to gossip." "They're so short sighted they can only see what's in front of them." "You don't need to pay them any mind." "No, I really should have died before." "No matter what Milord said, I should have killed myself before anyone else did." "People change as society changes." "Those samurai at the castle milling around and talking behind my back..." "I never expected to hear such words from their mouths." "I don't wish to live in a world like this." "I wasn't meant to survive, either." "Forgive my selfishness." "Now that I've decided to die, I feel much calmer." "It's as if a heavy burden has lifted off my back." "It feels good." "But father Lord Mitsuhisa forbids suicide after former lord." "Suicide at this point in time means disobeying his order." "So what?" "I've already decided to disobey the order of former lord." "It doesn't make any difference." "Listen, Gonbei after I'm gone, you'll be the head of the family." "Keep everyone close together." "Yes." "Once I'm dead who they didn't think would be some folks may put you down, saying you're the sons of a man who died without permission." "That's what comes with having me as your father." "You can't do anything about it." "Bear any humiliation together when you must." "Don't fight among yourselves." "Listen to Gonbei, and keep your hearts together no matter what comes your way." "Now, I'm going to kill myself with a gourd." "Before I do, let me perform a dance." "Oh, you're all here." "Grandpa will perform his favorite "Oyashima" for you." "Watch me." "Yes." "Excuse me, dear, your daughter wants to say good night." "It's alright now." "Sleep tight." "Brother you, Ichidayu and Godayu were awarded for your achievements in the Battle of Shimabara and have got jobs earning 200-koku each." "Shichinojo is yet to come of age, so he's an exception here." "But I was in a wrong place to earn any recognition, and I've been financially dependent on Father." "So, I'll have to be dependent on you from now on." "But, whatever happens, you've got one spear in your hand you can rely on." "I want you to know that." "I know that already." "I don't know what's going to happen." "But according the standard rules, the 1100-koku Father was receiving will now be given to me." "What's given to me will be given to you just the same." "I have one concern, though." "Some might say suicide now isn't the same as loyal suicide, I suspect." "Sure, they will." "That's obvious." "No matter what we encounter, let's ignore such people." "We brothers should stay together, and unite." "Yes." "Seeing you brothers unite, no one will say bad things about Father any more." "I shall go and compose a letter now, to inform the castle of Father's death." "Another suicide!" "How many altogether so far?" "19 in total, sir." "19..." "How do you read this large number of suicide?" "The former lord received a tremendous amount of respect and loyal admiration among his followers." "But then, how can I take over Father's position and rule the province successfully?" "Unlike Father I've never been in the battlefield." "I've never shared a life or death experience with my followers." "You don't need to worry about that." "The Tokugawa have ruled as the shogun for three generations now and the world has been peaceful." "Naturally, the way to rule a province needs to change, too." "Then what shall be done, about the 19 who killed themselves?" "Especially the last one, who disobeyed my direct order that forbids suicide" " Abe Yaichi'emon." "What about him, Sato?" "Would you dismiss his case as nothing important?" "Do you think it's all right?" "Geki, what's on your mind?" "In my humble opinion, I think it's best to treat all matters peacefully." "What do you mean, peacefully?" "For all that died, we should make sure the surviving families are taken care of across the board and provide them with necessary funds if they don't have a male successor." "Why is that?" "In order to capture the hearts of the men under us." "Capture the hearts of our men?" "As the advisors noted, many still admire the former lord, and prefer the old ways of the samurai." "If you punish them severely you would lose not only the loyalty of those members but also that of everyone in our clan." "It is important at this time, to impress upon them how big hearted you are and earn the reputation that you are a merciful and wise ruler." "But what about Abe?" "We can't set a good example if we treat Yaichi'emon who disobeyed my order equally, can we?" "Indeed." "There's the delicate balance." "Our men will turn away from you if you're too strict, and think light of you if you're too lenient." "We should handle the case with utmost care and attention to details." "Attention to details?" "Yes." "To the family members of the deceased, let me inform you of Lord's decisions." "Mokunosuke, the first son of Teramoto Hachiza'emon you shall take over the 1000-koku salary as the successor." "Shige, the wife of Munakata Kahei, until you find a husband to be the head of your family funds of 10-koku and living costs for 2 people shall be allocated to you." "The first son, Gonbei, the third son, Ichidayu, and the fourth son, Godayu, of Abe Yaichi'emon the 1100-koku salary shall be allocated to you on one condition." "Welcome home." "Welcome home." "Brother, and Ichidayu and Godayu, too, what's the occasion for the gathering?" "Well, have a seat." "We're drinking in celebration for you two." "Celebration?" "That's right." "You no longer need our financial support." "You're mature, independent men." "Ichi, pour them sake." "Give them as much as they want." "Did something happen at the castle?" "We were summoned today." "You've been given a land and a salary of 200-koku." "Ichidayu and Godayu will continue to receive 200-koku as before." "Shichinojo you're yet to come of age, so you're given living costs for 10 people but they'll give you 200-koku once you come of age." "And you, Brother?" "Me, I'm given 100-koku more, to earn 300-koku." "We should celebrate, right?" "It's truly great!" "So, what happened to the 1100-koku Father used to receive?" "What it is, is our salaries together amount to that figure." "I earn 300-koku, the four of you earn 200-koku each totaling 800-koku altogether it's 1100-koku, isn't it?" "You must be kidding." "As per the regulations, Father's 1100-koku should be handed over to you alone." "That's how it should be done." "So the rest of us receive 200-koku or 300-koku, but that's got nothing to do with it." "I refuse to drink in celebration." "If Brother who's the head of the clan only receives 300-koku, that's no different from the rest of us." "The five of us receiving about the same amount each." "How on earth did this happen?" "Huh?" "Is it because Father killed himself against orders?" "Sir Yagobei..." " Is it, Brother?" "We can't allow this!" " Sir Yagobei!" "Please accept his cup." "He says he wants to celebrate you receiving 200-koku." "Just accept his good will." "It's okay, Yagobei." "If you don't want to drink, you don't have to." "You're right, the status of our Abe Clan has been greatly lowered." "From now on, the Lord will be treating us differently." "We don't need all the foot soldiers, servants and pages we have now." "We should keep less than half of them." "That's all a 300-koku clan deserves." "It's too much responsibility for a man of my status." "I've heard your father's assets were divided up." "I hate to say this, but I suspect it was done to punish you." "No other family of the deceased received such treatment." "I suspect the fact that your father disobeyed an order affected the situation." "It was the same with everybody that the former lord didn't allow them to die." "Rather, Father obeyed the order of former lord so he waited before he died, isn't that right?" "Yeah." "Father's death was an honorable death in the name of loyalty, no matter what anybody says." "Why should we be punished?" "How come the young lord doesn't understand that?" "Hey, Yago, it's not him." "The decisions were made by a supervisor named Hayashi Geki." "He was Lord Mitsuhisa's chamber page before lord succeeded his father's position." "Now that Lord Mitsuhisa is in the office, he has suddenly come to be in an influential position." "He's capable at handling small matters, but doesn't seem to see the big picture." "Ultimately Milord is to blame, to have hired such a man as a personal page to him, isn't he?" "Yagobei you're no longer financially dependent on your family." "You're receiving 200-koku from them." "Watch what you say and do!" "Having said that, it's true that the trend of the times is moving in some weird direction." "That's why men like Geki ends up gaining power." "The Abe Clan is the first victim of this tragic trend." "I don't understand what Gonbei is up to at all." "No matter how low our status has become getting rid of more than half of our men, and now our ware..." "I don't think we should go to such extremes." "A year later, on March 19, 19th year of Kan'ei a service was held at the Koyo-in temple for an anniversary of Tadatoshi's death and the deaths of the 19 men that followed." "Brother!" "Sir Abe!" "Wait!" "Please wait!" "Please help, everyone!" "Sir Abe's gone mad!" "Everyone help!" "Help!" "Has he spoken of accounts of his act of insanity?" "No, not yet." "It's not insanity!" "I see." "Acting in an inexplicable manner during the service of an anniversary of the former lord's death in the presence of young lord, and you claim it's not insanity?" "It's not insanity." "I gave it much thought, and concluded there was no other way, thus I resorted to take such action." "For what?" "My father Yaichi'emon he served former lord impeccably all his life, thus even though he killed himself against the order, he has been allowed tojoin the others who died." "However, the Lord seems to have decided that I, Gonbei, am incapable of handling the same level of responsibility my father had and divided up his assets and gave them to my brothers." "Now, I have lost face to the former lord, young lord, my father, my clan, and my colleagues!" "That is why I decided that, in front of the altar of the former lord today I would offer an apology for my shortcomings, and, renounce my status as a samurai." "That's why I cut off my topknot." "Renounce your status as a samurai?" "Who on earth has given you such permission?" "Your humble body now belongs to your master." "Yet without permission, in a public place where the service was being held you cut off your topknot in a spiteful way, and claim you've renounced your status as a samurai?" "I will be glad to receive punishment for being inconsiderate of the occasion." "That's not an answer!" "Let me ask you this." "Did everybody in your clan know about your decision to act this way today?" "It was my own idea, and no one else knew about it." "But everybody was unhappy about the division of assets, right?" "Tell me." "Sir Abe, answer him!" "A man like you wouldn't understand it but the division of assets wasn't done for the reasons you just mentioned." "It was done out of the Lord's kind consideration." "Since Sir Yaichi'emon died a forbidden death normally, he should be treated differently from the others who died honorably." "However, young lord took pity on him saying it wasn't kind to treat the dead that way." "He took upon my suggestion of the division of assets instead." "Though they're divided, it isn't like the assets you had decreased." "Complaining about it is like barking up a wrong tree." "I see." "The idiotic idea to divide up assets was yours." "What?" "I heard you originally started out as bedroom company to young lord." "I see how you're slick enough to earn favors from him yet you have no idea what samurai's spirit or honor is about." "How impudent!" "Arrest him!" "Take him!" "What?" "Abe's son renounced his samurai status?" "Yes." "Does that mean he renounced being my servant?" "Is that what he says?" "Indeed." "It obviously is an act of protest against the Lord's decision." "Protest against my decision?" "Extremely shameless." "Though he serves you, he's disrespectful enough to put you down." "I am quite stunned by his behavior." "However, I was the one to suggest the decision that caused all this trouble." "So, I must also be punished." "Whether you want me to kill myself, or you want to kill me with your hand I accept your punishment, as you please." "What are you saying?" "It isn't your fault." "You don't need to be punished." "Sir Geki, how could you be responsible for this?" "Even though you wrote up the decision, it was us who signed it." "If you have to kill yourself, we cannot live, either." "Milord, what should we do about Abe Gonbei?" "Please tell us what you think we should do." "All right." "He says he's renounced his samurai status." "Then, I shall treat him accordingly." "I suspect he won't escape being executed." "Acting disrespectfully in front the altar of the former lord makes him rebel against the Lord's orders." "The two of you were living in his house, and didn't notice anything at all?" "Anything strange about Gonbei?" "Gonbei is a type of person who doesn't tell others what he's thinking." "The more serious the problem, the quieter he is." "If he receives death penalty, we won't be left unaffected." "Our assets could be taken away and our clan could be cut off from the Hosokawa clan." "Really, what on earth has he done?" "Without consulting any of us, or considering the consequences..." "Stop talking bad about him!" "Remember what Father told us?" "He said to bear humiliation together when we must, and stay together no matter what." "This is that time." "Sister." "I deeply regret that I refused the drink in celebration the other day, and I apologize." "I had no idea back then about how Brother felt, or your consideration toward his feelings." "I got too excited." "If only I'd accepted the drink like you told me to then at least we may not have had to come to this." "When I think about it, it breaks my heart." "It's late." "Get some sleep." "Brother!" "Brother!" "Gonbei has received his sentence just now." "What was it?" "Death penalty, as suspected." "And... and..." "What happened?" "What happened?" "Shichinojo, Shichinojo, what happened?" "It's execution by decapitation and display in public." "Decapitation?" "Decapitation..." " Shichinojo, why's that, why is that?" "He renounced his status as samurai so if he isn't even a samurai he can't be allowed to kill himself honorably." "That's what Milord decided, I was told." "Get down." "Go on, kill him!" "Kill him!" "Don't touch me!" "Do it." "The punishment was unexpectedly severe." "I'm sure they'll be coming after his family next." "Even if they didn't, we had the head of the family decapitated." "How can we go on serving at the castle, facing our colleagues?" "Times were different for Grandfather and Father, who fought battles day in and day out." "Today we live in the world of undisturbed peace." "We could take the entire family with us and relocate, but I doubt we'll find a lord who'd take us in." "Damned if we stay, damned if we leave." "That's what the Abe Clan has become." "Mom, Sister, we will bring Brother home." "Out of the way!" "Out of the way!" "The Abe Clan is here to retrieve the head of our chief Gonbei!" "Brother!" "Come on!" "What?" "Abe's brothers showed up at the execution site?" "Yes." "The four of them on horseback forced their way in, and stole the head of Gonbei being displayed." "Damn them, have they gone mad?" "All of you, surround the Abe residence and investigate the extent of their force." "Yes!" "Madam, please go in!" "According to the report the four Abe brothers took all the family members and associates with them and locked themselves up in their Yamazaki residence." "Having learned about that, Milord was outraged." "He has issued an order to send in a party of pursuers and kill them immediately." "Let me announce those who have been assigned." "For Chief Commander at the Front Gate, Sir Takenouchi Kazuma." "For Chief Commander at the Back Gate, Sir Takami Gon'emon." "For Chief of Battle Force, Sir Hata Judayu." "Sir Hata, what an honor for both of us to be assigned as pursuers." "Break a leg and achieve some recognition." "Sir Takenouchi..." "Sir Hayashi has made a thoughtful choice, to let you be in charge of the front gate." "You mean, it was Sir Hayashi who assigned us?" "That's right." "Sir Geki said to Milord that Kazuma was particularly favored by former lord, so let him serve to console his spirit." "Console his spirit?" "That's right." "Isn't that a fortunate arrangement for you?" "Excuse me." "Sir Hayashi!" "How could working for young lord serve to console the former lord's spirit?" "Sir Takenouchi, what are you ranting about?" "A man supposed to have killed himself is still alive so give him a position to put his life at risk." "Is that what this is about?" "Well, that's not what I meant." "What else could you have mean by this?" "Sir Takenouchi, you're being rude!" "All right." "If that's how it should be, I'll be glad to die in honor." "I don't want anyone to think I'm alive because I'm holding on to dear life." "My family would be cursed with the shame for generations to come." "You all know very well what's been happening around here." "Each and every member of our family has united as one to give up our lives to defeat the 540,000-koku." "Though we're small, we're determined to stick to our principles as samurai." "However, this is just for us." "We can't bear to take your innocent lives along with us." "We have arranged for all our monies to be distributed among you by Mother and Sister." "So, this is farewell." "All of you have served us so well over the years." "We thank you." "What's the matter with the rest of you?" "We are staying with you." "We had long decided that we would." "What?" "We've served your family for generations." "We aren't some new faces who've been around forjust a season or two." "If the Abe Clan ceases to exist, we won't survive, either." "You might see us as a burden, but please, please let us come with you." "Milord, please let us come with you." "Please, we beg you." "Thank you for your kindness." "Farewell." "Thank you so very much." "Live well, you and our son." "Yes." "Well, well, you haven't touched your food." "I don't want it." "What?" "We have been ordered to attack Abe's house tonight." "Would you mind going over to the Abe's now?" "What?" "I want to send my good wishes to them." "Stuff these toys with some candy and give them to the children." "My dear husband..." "No one's allowed to visit their house." "But you're a woman." "If they find out about this later, they'll probably give us a slack." "Yes." "Let me get ready at once." "I have news." "Our neighbor Lady Emoto is here." "What, Tae is here?" "Tae?" "Auntie is here?" "Sir Yagobei." "Lady Tae..." "I won't say anything, or ask anything." "Please go back home." "How come?" "This is the house of the rebels." "If they find out that you've come here, you and Matashichiro will be punished." "No." "A deed a man will be punished for might be forgiven if a woman did it." "My husband sent for me to at least deliver his humble gifts to the children." "Please let me in." "Well, but..." " Sir Yagobei..." "Mother says to let her come inside." "Lady Tae, thank you." "It's so extremely kind of you to visit us at such a time." "Please, come right in." "Thank you." "Excuse me." "Lady Tae..." "You shouldn't be here too long." "We'd love you to stay, but you should really be on your way." "Well, just a bit longer." " No, you mustn't." "If anything happened, your family would be in trouble." "We can't let you go through that." "We're grateful for your kindness." "Lady Tae..." "I always thought the duty of samurai's wives was to follow the principles of their men until the end." "And this is what happened after all." "Now that I'm about to die without help from gods or Buddha I don't expect anybody in this world to pray for my soul." "We've known each other for a while, so, if you ever find yourself thinking of us..." "I ask you to at least send prayers for these children, please." "Dear Lady..." "Auntie, must you leave so soon?" "Dearest Ruri!" "How I wish I could take you home with me now!" "Dear husband!" "Sympathy is one thing, loyalty is another." "I trust that Yagobei, or rather, every member of the Abe... will understand me." "It's nothing." "It's nothing, dear." "All of us... together we'll go... where your grandfather and father are waiting." "Come on, let's try again, put your little hands together..." "like this." "What are the Abe up to?" "Yes, all gates are closed, and no one's making a sound." "All right." "Please wait." "No need to worry." "Commander!" "Oh, sounds like they've gone in." "Yes." "Break it down!" "Gun Troops, move forward!" "Go around to the side!" "Break it down!" "Tokichi!" " Yes!" "Brother, hold the fort here!" "Out of the way!" "Sir Emoto, what are you doing here?" "Out of the way!" " Wait!" "I said, out of the way!" "Yagobei!" "Yagobei!" "Out of the way!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Let's have a duel!" "Thanks for coming." "Let's see how well you fight." "Accepted." "Don't interfere!" "Sir Matashichiro!" "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." "I'm fine." "Gon'emon!" "Report to me!" "It's taken you so long to defeat the Abe Clan." "Of all things, you lost the Commander in Chief." "You lost half of our men on top of it." "How could you let this happen?" "Well, they fought against us more fiercely than expected." "They fought as a tight team." "They had killed their women and children had set up all kinds of traps around the house, and made their best efforts defending against us." "In contrast we didn't have much information about the house structure, which led to this regretful result." "That's what happened." "Judayu, as Chief of Battle Force, is there anything else you like to add?" "Well... well, I..." "I..." "What have you done to help?" "You are a direct subordinate of Hayashi Geki." "I'm sure you've done a lot of good work to save Geki's face." "Yes, well, that was originally my intention, but..." "You idiot!" "You're the only one whose outfit is perfectly clean, which tells us all what kind of efforts you put in!" "You're not allowed to show your face in front of Milord." "Get back!" "Get back!" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Gon'emon, who do you think deserves the most recognition for this battle?" "Yes, undoubtedly, it would be Sir Emoto Matashichiro over there." "Why?" "He wasn't a member of our party however, he did excellent work and killed Abe Yagobei as well as the third son, Ichidayu." "Matashichiro, you did a great job." "I commend you for it." "No, sir..." "I hear that in the ages of Genki and Tensho attacking castles and fieldbattles were just as common as having breakfast and dinner." "What?" "In comparison, defeating the Abe Clan is like children's play." "It was as easy as child's play." "Thus, this incident ended leaving 18 members of the Abe Clan and 34 of the pursuers dead." "The tombs of the 19 men who killed themselves after the former lord and sparked off the whole incident still remain in the yard of Godaiji, the Hosokawa's family temple lining up as if to encircle Tadatoshi's tomb." "You can find the name Abe Yaichi'emon clearly engraved on one of the tombs." "But no kind of tomb or grave for any member of the Abe Clan including the first son Gonbei and the second son Yagobei exists at any temple in the vicinity of Hosokawa Castle." "10 years after this incident, Mitsuhisa died at the young age of 31." "But his right hand Hayashi Geki opted not to kill himself to accompany his lord in death." "It is said that people called him dishonorable and cowardly and was eventually killed by his colleague Ito Junojo."