"The Year 1566" "VILLAGE OF 8 GRAVESTONES" "From the novel by Seishi Yokomizo" "Isn't this you?" "Whereabouts of Tatsuya Terada sought" "Why not contact them for details?" "Contact Suwa Law Office in Kitahama, Higashi Ward, Osaka" "Suwa Law Office" "A few questions" "Your father was Tatsuzo Terada and mother Tsuruko?" "The date of your birth?" "16th March 1947" "Where did you live?" "Izumikawa-cho, Fukiai Ward, Kobe City" "It was a company house" "Father was with Daido Shipbuilding Co" "You have four brothers and sisters." "Is that correct?" "That's correct" "The children of my stepmother" "Stepmother?" "My mother died of illness when I was in elementary school" "Then you lived with your parents for about 10 years?" "No, only about 5 or 6 years" "My mother brought me with her" "When she married Tatsuzo Terada" "I think it was when I was 3 or 4 years old" "About your stepmother" "My stepmother was kind to me at first" "After her own children were born" "Her attitude changed" "After graduating from high school, I left home" "You went away?" "Then after that?" "I rented an apartment with a friend" "Worked in an auto repair shop." "When Father died I moved to Tokyo" "To Tokyo after your father's death?" "At first I changed jobs two or three times 6 years ago I joined the AGS" "Would you mind removing your shirt?" "Just turn around and let me look at your shoulder" "No more questions but just to make sure" "That will do." "Thank you" "Mr. Igawa, this is Tatsuya Terada." "No mistake" "Terada, that is Tsuruko's" "Your mother's father" "Ushimatsu Igawa" "Won't you return to the village where you were born?" "You must agree to it, of course" "But they want you to do so." "Your grandfather came to take you there" "Well, then, I'll leave the room for awhile" "Talk things over" "Tatsuya!" "Grandfather!" "Mr. Igawa!" "Okayama" "Kitahama Police Station, Osaka" "Thank you" "Tatsuya, what will you do from now?" "Will you go with me and Igawa's family members?" "Yes." "I've taken a week's leave" "I'll attend Grandfather's funeral" "Traces of Strychnine were found?" "Used in the countryside to dispose of stray dogs?" "Igawa was suffering from asthma" "Always carried medicine" "What about Tatsuya?" "He said he'd go to the village with us" "I'll inform Igawa's son Kanji about the train time later" "I have some business first" "I'm out here about 10 days every month" "Perhaps I should find a house" "Just one more place to go to" "Sister!" "Why, Kazue!" "Everyone well?" "So-so." "Father said he wanted to see you" "Then why doesn't he come to Kawakami Village?" "He should on my husband's 7th death anniversary" "7 years already?" "Be very careful" "Don't marry a drunkard." "He died in a traffic accident" "A widow has a difficult time." "Nothing about hardships" "Near Kawamo on the Hakubi Line" "Ushimatsu was sent to meet you" "I'm doing this too for the Tajimi Family" "You're to meet them" "I know that" "All I want to do is to see my mother's birthplace" "And find out what my real father is like." "That's all about this father of yours" "The Tajimi Family will tell you more about it" "But it so happens that he isn't at the house right now" "Like 20 years ago" "It was when I was 5 or 6." "That must have been" "About 22 or 23 years ago" "Your father is working now at a place far away" "Your mother must have been pretty" "Those who knew her say so" "She looked somewhat lonesome at times" "Docile by nature" "Most people feel loneliness" "Your mother must have been very docile" "I wonder" "Why didn't she tell me more about her birthplace?" "Besides deep in the mountains of Okayama?" "I think my son will meet us at the station in his car" "The Tajimis' car also" "You must be tired" "See you tomorrow" "The Tajimi house" "The villagers call it the East House" "It's in the east" "My house in the west is the West House" "That mountain, this mountain, the mountains over there" "They're all owned by the Tajimi Family" "Except one mountain donated 30 years ago" "By the Tajimis to the village" "Do I sound like a guide?" "Listen, Tatsuya" "I met my late husband at a Tokyo university" "I liked him" "Didn't think about marriage" "But during summer vacation when we stood at this pass" "I felt that I was fated to live here" "My whole life to be spent in this village" "I don't mean you should stay here too" "That road in front is better." "Remember it" "Following amalgamation, the village was renamed" "Before that it was known" "As the Village of 8 Gravestones 8 Gravestones?" "Welcome back" "It's a curse!" "The wrath of the deity of 8 Graves" "It's a curse°Ka curse!" "Ushimatsu Igawa isn't the only one 8 will die in all!" "Tatsuya, the countryside is different from a city" "There are many long continuing traditions and customs" "The Tajimis are an old family" "Your half brother and half sister" "Thank you for all your trouble" "I've lived alone since I was a boy" "There's no use meeting my in-laws now" "They'd be strangers" "I'll return to Tokyo after the funeral" "The Tajimi house" "I'm the one who should have gone" "I happened to be in Osaka" "Tatsuya, this is your elder sister Haruyo" "We've been waiting for you" "Where will he meet his grandaunts?" "After your phone call, there was much discussion" "About which room would be appropriate" "They finally decided on this room" "Grandaunts" "Tatsuya" "This is grandaunt Koume." "That is Kotake" "This is Tatsuya" "I'm Tatsuya" "Koume, blood can never be disputed, can it?" "How true" "His eyes, the shape of his mouth exactly like Tsuruko's" "Should he meet Hisaya now?" "Hisaya is very sick today" "They'd better meet tomorrow" "I'll be leaving then" "Dine with us to celebrate Tatsuya's return" "I've phoned the West House that you would" "Tatsuya" "We live in a remote area but it's convenient" "We can eat sea bream like this nowadays" "In the old days, tiny dried fish was all we were able to get" "How is Hisaya's condition recently?" "He's being treated by Dr. Kuno who's nothing but a quack" "Why not select an Okayama hospital or some other doctor?" "Kuno may have a poor reputation" "But he's a relative." "We can't just brush him aside" "Tatsuya, you've probably heard and know how things are" "Hisaya's condition isn't good" "Haruyo married once too, but it failed." "She was sent back" "Operated on to remove the womb" "She'll never be able to give birth to a child" "You're the only one" "Whom we can depend upon now, Tatsuya" "Excuse me" "I have a drawing of the mountains ready" "Tatsuya" "You've just arrived but we'd like to have you learn the work" "Can't that be done later?" "It's because Tatsuya must be very tired today" "Of course." "There's Igawa's funeral tomorrow too" "You can go" "I understand" "Speaking of Ushimatsu Igawa, I feel sorry for him" "Who could have done such a terrible thing?" "Kanji should have been sent." "At Ushimatsu's age" "He must have wanted to see Tatsuya retire early" "Well, then, Kotake." "We should let Tatauya retire early" "The annex has been cleaned" "Everything's just as when you lived there as a child" "I've never been that annex." "I'll take a look later" "That'll be fine, Miyako" "No use hurrying home" "There's no one waiting for you there" "Remember anything?" "Where's the place called Dragon's Jaws?" "Dragon's Jaws?" "In the stalactite cave?" "A cave?" "Many tunnels under this village" "I never heard that time" "Neither have I" "I'll be leaving then" "Thank you for all your help" "See you at the funeral" "Would you like to watch television?" "No." "I feel quite tired tonight" "I'll go and prepare your bed" "The place where you were born" "Dragon's Jaws" "Dragon's Jaws" "Remember that" "Memorial tablet..." "Kanji Igawa" "Murderer!" "That one's a murderer!" "A curse!" "Wrath of the deity of Graves!" "A rain of blood!" "He's a murderer!" "Be quiet!" "Stop this nonsense" "Murderer?" "The deity of 8 Graves?" "The 8 Graves are up there" "Kawakami Cave..." "Designated As Natural Monument" "Long, long ago 400 years in the past" "In the age of civil wars, 8 fugitive warriors came here" "Are you relating the history of this village?" "You won't mind if I listen too?" "8 warriors of the Amako Clan." "Defeated by the Morri Clan" "Led by Yoshitaka Amako from is now Hirose, Shimane area" "They shuttled down around there" "At first the villages feared the warriors" "Vigilance was maintained" "But the 8 were neither unruly nor violent" "They turned waste land into field" "Cultivated upland rice and vegetables" "They become more farmers than warriors" "The villagers ceased to be anxious" "Mutual contact came to be established" "It really amazes me" "But the Morri Clan's inquiry came even to this remote district" "If there are any fugitive warriors, produce them" "A big reward offered for capturing Yoshitaka Amako 4 villages representatives held a series of discussions" "The 8 men were invited to the summer festival" "Held at the very spot where we are now standing" "Welcome to the festival" "Poison put in the Sake?" "Oh, this cowardly... sneak attack!" "I curse you for all eternity!" "It'll never affect me!" "Any sign of the curse after that?" "The man who conceived the plot" "The youngest village representative, Shozaemon" "Founded the present Tajimi Family" "As the ringleader of the attack" "He was rewarded by the Morri Clan with extensive forestland" "He became a very wealthy man" "One day Shozaemon suddenly became demented" "After killing several villagers" "He finally cut off his own head" "Cut off his own head?" "Lighting flashed just then" "How many villagers died at that time?" "8 including Shozaemon" "Exactly 8?" "The tutelary deity's shrine was transferred to this spot" "So stained with blood" "The villagers said it was all due to the curse" "The 8 warriors' strewn corpses were brought here respectfully" "Given a decent burial" "A small shrine was built to honor them" "That's the small shrine?" "For the 8 warriors' graves?" "Tatsuya" "Before meeting Hisaya, you'll be introduced to relatives" "Why, Mr. Kudo!" "This is Tatsuya" "The school principal" "I'm Tatsuya" "Kudo of the school" "Excuse me" "I wanted to know the village history" "I learned about it from her" "That's Miyako of the West House" "West House?" "A beautiful woman but she lost her husband." "She's a widow" "Since you've already heard the history" "Do you want to see the stalactite cave?" "Before that, tell me more about the killing of the warriors" "Shozaemon Tajimi was one of the 4 village representatives" "What were the names of the other 3 men?" "The son of your father's younger brother" "That makes him your cousin" "I'm Tsunesaburo Kuno" "Tatsuya" "Tsunesaburo, are you running for assemblyman again next year?" "I hear your clinic is very busy nowadays" "This village only has one doctor" "Pay more attention to your practice" "Don't throw money away the way you've been doing" "I did quite well in the last election" "I'll be elected this time" "I ask for your support" "Mori of the West House." "Your father's cousin" "I'm Sokichi Mori" "Tatsuya" "Sokichi, you'll age quickly, puttering around with dwarf trees" "Pay more attention to forestry and lumbering" "You should think more about the future" "Or you won't be able to continue" "Then there's Miyako." "She's still young and pretty" "The life she's leading is that of a half-dead young widow" "Enable her to leave the West House as early as possible" "In the trucking business at Niimi" "He's the son of your father's cousin" "Taichiro Yoshioka" "I'm Yoshioka" "Come and see me at Niimi" "I've something to discuss with you" "Taichiro" "The tunnels under this village will never be profitable" "You might be counting on Tajimi money for your project" "Not one yen will be given for such a venture" "In scale and variety" "It can be developed into a national tourist attraction" "But aside from the problem of funds" "Tajimi Family's land is involved." "I want to talk to you about that" "Tatsuya?" "You've met all the relatives?" "Tatsuya has returned from Tokyo" "Different mothers, but he is my brother" "Listen, Tatsuya" "When in Rome do as the Romans do." "Be well liked" "Above all, see to it" "That no one steals the Tajimi fortune" "The Tajimi Family has found a worthy heir" "Everyone must feel relieved" "Medicine!" "Give me medicine!" "Leave it to us" "We've taken care of Hisaya all along" "Doctor" "He's dead" "The excitement proved too much for him" "A funeral today and another one tomorrow?" "It's the day after tomorrow" "The East House would like it early" "But there are business connections" "In weather like this, what will happen" "To the corpse?" "Nothing for you to worry about" "The East House is buying lots of dry ice" "Dry ice?" "Someone always makes a profit" "When death occurs." "Old people pay money" "To drive away calamity" "It's the curse!" "Curse of the deity of the 8 Graves!" "Excuse me" "We're from the prefectural police" "Who is in responsibility for this funeral?" "My name is Isokawa" "There are some suspicious about Hisaya's death" "Take a look at this" "Surely you're not planning an autopsy here" "Well, you see" "The death certificate and burial permit are in order" "Do you have any proof?" "An autopsy here is irregular" "It should be done at Okayama" "I agree, but the expert conducting the autopsy" "Is Prof. Oi of Okayama U. Medical Department" "So this will be a formal judicial autopsy" "Ushimatsu Igawa's case hasn't been solved yet" "Are you attached to the police force?" "Not exactly with the police" "Something similar" "Isokawa, what will the result of the autopsy be?" "You insisted on having an autopsy, Kindaichi" "I thought it necessary too." "That's why" "But the result." "When will the result be fully known?" "It'll be clear tomorrow morning" "Tatsuya!" "What's happened?" "My brother" "Hisaya's in the cave" "Impossible!" "What do you mean?" "Didn't know about this?" "The grandaunts together?" "On the night when I arrived." "Last night again" "Let's go" "Tatsuya" "This isn't Brother" "No!" "It's none other than our father... yours and mine" "Help!" "Your mother?" "Yes, but" "With this" "Everything fits in" "Father killed 32 villagers" "Then fled into the mountains" "The police mobilized men from neighboring villages combed the hills" "An extensive search was made inside the cave too" "He was not found" "He was finally considered to be missing." "But he died here" "He became like a waxed mummy because of adipocere" "After escaping into the cave, he must have returned home" "To put on this armor" "The grandaunts must have hidden him here" "Bringing him food from time to time" "I'm scared!" "Because" "Father was demented" "He might go into the village and kill again" "So the grandaunts must have put poison in his food" "I'm frightened!" "Father's madness was" "Caused by your mother" "When she left, taking you with her" "When?" "To Osaka today, then from Itami by JAL?" "Take this with you" "I made it especially for you" "I want you to stay" "No one competent is left here now" "Stay for Brother's 7th day." "Don't be angry at Miyako of the West House" "You were bound to know" "Please don't tell Tatsuya" "About Father" "He might not come" "I was the one who asked Miyako not to" "Tatsuya!" "Father's madness was caused by your mother" "When she left the Tajimi house, taking you with her." "Get out!" "Go away!" "You bring a rain of blood" "Curse of the 8 Graves!" "Murderer!" "He's a murderer" "Trying to kill me!" "Help me" "Murderer!" "He's a murderer" "He's a murderer!" "Murderer!" "He's trying to kill me" "What's going on?" "Trying to kill me" "Tatsuya Tajimi?" "I'm Tatsuya Terada" "Come to the police station for questioning" "I don't have much time to spare" "Depends on how well you cooperate" "Let's go" "I know nothing about strychnine" "The same poison killed both Ushimatsu Igawa and Hisaya Tajimi" "You were at the scene both times" "The Osaka police investigated my grandfather's death" "What I want to know now is who gave medicine to Hisaya?" "Grandaunt" "One of the other of the two grandaunts" "How was the medicine selected?" "How should I know?" "Others were around" "Ask some of them" "The villages" "Won't tell the truth" "I'm leaving!" "Wait!" "I came here" "To see my mother's birthplace" "Learn about my father" "I've found out more than enough." "Leaving?" "Several things have come to light already" "Your real father" "Wasn't Yozo Tajimi" "It was someone else" "My investigation isn't completed yet" "I don't know the name" "But you are not the son of Yozo Tajimi, the slayer of 32" "That much is absolutely certain" "The question" "That is most important" "Was Yozo Tajimi really my father or wasn't he?" "Tatsuya" "Let's go over there" "The day before Father left for Osaka to meet you" "I was weeding there" "Father came and said he had something to tell me" "I'm leaving for Osaka." "I don't know if it's really Tatsuya" "But the real Tatsuya is bound to come here someday" "I'm growing old." "There's something you should know" "After Tsuruko was taken to the Tajimis" "And 100 days after Tatsuya's birth" "I was weeding here, just as you're doing now" "When I looked up" "Tsuruko must have wanted to bring the baby home" "But the way she had been taken to the Tajimis" "And what the villagers would think" "Yet, she wanted to pray for the child's happiness" "Even if by herself alone" "The child, in holiday clothes, was taken to a shrine" "I understood exactly how Tsuruko was feeling" "As I watched her from afar, I cried" "Just then, Kanji, someone tapped me on the shoulder" "It was the school principal, Kudo" "Kudo said that" "The baby carried by Tsuruko was not Yozo Tajimi's child" "Kudo said he could not" "Reveal the real father's name or particulars just then" "The Tajimis are rich" "But Yozo's tainted blood does not flow on Tatsuya" "I possess full knowledge about it" "That child will eventually grow up to be a splendid person" "At that time, Ushimatsu" "Instead of Tsuruko alone" "Let us both offer prayers" "For that child's... for Tsuruko's happiness." "The school?" "This is Miyako of the West House" "Could I talk to the principal?" "The principal?" "This is Miyako" "There's something I want to ask you" "Can I call on you from now?" "What!" "To Okayama?" "10 or 20 minutes will be enough" "I'll go there at once" "I know you're extremely busy but" "Can you drive?" "As to who and what this man was" "I'll tell you two when I return from Okayama" "Yes, but" "The entire circumstances cannot be related in 5 or 10 minutes" "I'm sure you'll realize that" "When are you scheduled to return?" "Education Commission first" "Then an editorial meeting for compiling a local history" "The problem is how to divide the book" "I'll probably be returning 3 or 4 days from now" "It can't be helped" "I must start out now" "The Tajimi Family is probably unaware of this and so" "Please keep it just to yourselves" "Have you ever heard of Dragon's Jaws?" "Dragon's Jaws?" "The 3 main rooms are partitioned" "Everybody can easily come here" "This is how the capsules" "How many strychnine capsules were prepared?" "Health Center prepared them 3 years ago" "Scattered since then in many districts" "People remember the size but not the number" "All that Dr. Kuno says is that they've been used up entirely" "We know both Ushimatsu Igawa and Hisaya Tajimi were killed" "Despite a difference in dissolution" "By poison coming from this clinic" "Should we arrest him as a suspect?" "Appear voluntarily?" "Can't get a warrant yet" "Listen" "What is it?" "Do you think°K" "It's because of the curse as the old people are saying?" "A curse?" "8 killed 400 years ago, 32 slain 28 years ago" "That's 4 times as many" "Multiplied by 4 this time would be 128!" "Counted the households and population 128 people are living in this village right now" "Will all of them... 128... be killed?" "Reading too many mysteries" "Where has Kindaichi gone?" "Kenji Kawai... a real tragedy" "All 5 of the family killed." "No survivors" "Next is Yaichi Koyama." "His family met the same fate" "Kindaichi!" "What's going on?" "There were entire families wiped out by Yozo Tajimi" "What happened here was a terrible tragedy" "This isn't like you" "With an entire family wiped out" "No one would be left to seek revenge" "Yes, of course." "That's true enough" "Instead of that death register" "I have a complete record of the case" "Why not study that?" "That's exactly what I'll do" "Not a grudge against Yozo's mass slaying 28 years ago" "The curse is a ruse to usurp the fortune" "Prime suspect is Dr. Kuno" "I was thinking along the same lines" "I'm leaving the village for awhile" "What about the request made to you by lawyer Suwa?" "I'm not forgetting it." "There's money involved" "You're thinking about the reward?" "Suwa is concerned" "A murder took place in his office" "Didn't you agree to investigate until the case is solved?" "That's absolutely correct" "But I have other work to do" "I'll be back very soon" "I want to question the principal but he's in Okayama now" "Dr. Kuno knows that the police are watching him" "He'll lie low for some time" "I'll be missing the festival here" "I had looked forward to it" "Really easygoing, aren't you?" "Haruyo, what's that tray for?" "It's for Tatsuya." "In the annex" "Why there?" "Why do you do such a thing, Haruyo?" "It's nice to have a change" "You're pampering Tatsuya too much" "He was talking today about going away" "Don't continue treating him as a special guest" "After all, Kotake" "He started to leave once but Miyako's intercession" "Brought him back here" "He may try to leave but he won't be able to" "He'll settle down here and work" "That is, if he has discrimination" "About how to get along in life" "Did Yozo Tajimi know?" "Perhaps he was aware that the child was not his" "Doesn't matter now" "Information About An Individual Sought" "At Kainan City, Wakayama Prefecture" "Search Extended To Gokurakuji Temple, Shiotsu" "Tennoji Station, Osaka" "Lake Biwa" "Ishiyamadera, Shiga Prefecture" "Kyoto" "Higashi Honganji Temple" "Forestry assets worth billions of yen" "They mean nothing to you" "When your real father is known and Dragon's Jaws" "It's back to Tokyo for you" "Tamba Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture" "So this is Tamba Sasayama" "There's a popular folk song that originated here" "Tatsushinji Temple, Hyogo Prefecture" "I want to return too, as soon as possible" "But my work isn't completed yet" "What!" "Arresting Dr. Kuno tomorrow?" "If suspicion has increased" "And there's ample evidence, it can't be helped" "Isn't the Tajimi Family observing the 7th Day Service today?" "I hope nothing bad happens" "The priest has arrived" "The sutra has ended" "It's time to serve the meals" "You've returned?" "Just now" "Will it be convenient tomorrow?" "At any time" "Then come to the school at 3 p.m." "Have some?" "No thanks" "Kudo has returned" "The school tomorrow at 3 p.m." "Tomorrow at 3?" "Kudo!" "Is he in?" "Where's Kuno?" "At the 7th Day Service of the East House" "He left the Tajimi house at 8 p.m." "Your phone" "Niimi Police Station?" "Isokawa here" "Let me talk to the chief" "Dr. Kuno, the suspect in the series of murders, may have fled" "Place all Okayama and part of Tottori on full alert" "If discovered at a checkpoint, place him under arrest" "Find it?" "Strychnine in vinegared food" "Kuno nabbed?" "Not yet." "Trouble at the substation" "Trouble?" "Grandpa Igawa and Hisaya Tajimi dying didn't affect us" "Why did Principal Kudo have to die?" "But Principal Kudo!" "What're the police doing?" "The arrest of the culprit will be made before long" "Why not right away?" "The culprit's none other than Tatsuya!" "All this started after he returned to the village" "That's right!" "It has to be him" "Another victim." "One more person has been killed" "The shutters remained closed" "My father said it was strange" "When we opened the door" "It's the curse!" "I tell you, it's the curse!" "Wrath of the deity of 8 Graves." "A rain of blood" "8 persons will die this time... exactly 8" "The curse!" "It's all due to the curse" "This makes 4." "How many more?" "That fellow's father killed my bride of less than 3 months" "The money donated to the village" "Won't compensate for the lives lost" "Arrest him at once" "If you want, we'll beat him to death" "That's going too far" "Ushimatsu Igawa and Hisaya Tajimi" "These 2 murders remain unsolved" "This time Principal Kudo" "Some of the villages are linking" "The killing of fugitive warriors 400 years ago" "With the more recent slaying of 32" "They say a curse is at work" "It is hoped that the murders will be solved quickly" "This has come to you from Okayama" "Kudo, who knew the secret of my birth" "Even if aimed at Kudo" "Who could plan where each tray would be placed?" "I see it now" "The killer didn't care" "As long as someone died" "Come outside!" "Stop it!" "What is it?" "Tatsuya, over there" "The villagers are trying to get you" "Why?" "They say you're responsible" "For the series of murders" "So hurry" "You'll be safe in the cave" "But if I hide" "They won't listen to reason" "They're fearing the curse" "Help!" "Please help" "Help!" "Grandaunt!" "What's happened?" "Koume, it's Koume" "Koume" "What about Koume?" "Seized by what looked like a warrior clad in armor" "Take care of her." "I'll go and see" "Tatsuya?" "It's me" "You say the elderly twins passed through here now and then?" "They must have done so tonight, only to be attacked by someone" "Warrior clad in armor must have been a hallucination" "But let's go there" "I don't know where it was" "The inside of this cave is a labyrinth" "The late Kudo guided me through here once" "I have a general idea but" "This is the Dryad's Crossing" "I think we're going in the direction of the Tajimi house" "These are the Elf Fire Pools" "Tatsuya, please" "Not poisoning." "She's been strangled" "We'll have to wait for an on-spot inspection" "Who's there?" "It's me" "Oh, it's you" "What does this mean?" "We're back at the beginning" "This was the man whom we suspected as the culprit" "This corpse" "And the other one should be kept secret for awhile" "Another corpse?" "Koume, one of the elderly Tajimi twins, has been strangled" "Koume?" "Tatsuya, for your own protection, don't go out of this cave" "But why?" "The villagers are in an ugly mood" "Became excited after the killing of Kudo and the faith healer" "They're beyond control" "Bring Tatsuya!" "Tatsuya, where are you?" "Come on out!" "No more killings." "Seize Tatsuya!" "He deserves to die!" "The passageway from the house to the cave can't be used now" "The villagers are around" "They might start searching in the storehouse" "And find the passageway" "They're waiting at Kawakami entrance too" "For Tatsuya to emerge" "Much easier than searching in a dark cave" "The late Kudo told me that in Kurokawa valley" "There's another entrance" "That people don't know about" "If it's really there" "I'll find it somehow" "You will?" "It seems rather far away" "But not inside the cave" "It extends both vertically and horizontally" "If Tatsuya is at this Monkey's bench" "That's under the village" "Hard to tell from the map, but it's directly below?" "Kuno and Grandaunt Koume are dead in there?" "That's right 6 persons killed already" "According to the curse, 2 more are fated to die" "I'd like to have it stop at 6" "I'll be glad to cooperate 4 more detectives have come from Niimi" "We'll leave it to the police" "It's concerning Tatsuya that I need your help" "What!" "Tatsuya?" "Because of the succession of unexpected happenings" "He must be thoroughly exhausted" "I'd like to have you help and encourage him" "Until this case is fully solved" "Fate is a strange thing" "Who was my real father?" "Where can the Dragon's Jaws be?" "That's all I came to discover." "Now I'm cooped here" "The culprit" "Must be nabbed quickly" "Tatsuya" "Brace up!" "Dragon's Jaws?" "Dragon's Jaws" "Let's try to find the place" "So this was where" "Yozo Tajimi" "I thought of Kuno" "Not as the culprit but being utilized by someone" "Elf Fire Pools" "Grandaunt Koume, isn't it?" "Like a journey in the realm of the dead" "The spot where you were born... a place called Dragon's Jaws" "Unknown to Yozo, this was where your mother came" "Fearful lest her secret love might be discovered" "No!" "That's wrong" "The one whom my mother loved... it was before..." "Coming to Tajimis" "Yes!" "That was how it was" "In all the world... that man... that one man alone" "With that thought" "She waited patiently in this labyrinth for his arrival" "Welcoming him" "I love you so" "With all my heart" "All that I have is yours" "Then it's 12:25 by the Hakubi Line?" "No!" "I'm not asking the Shinkansen time" "What time will it be at Okayama?" "By car?" "If the connection is poor?" "I'll come back" "The case will be solved very soon" "No one must enter the cave" "No one must enter." "Understand?" "What!" "It'll be solved soon?" "That's right" "That's why no one must enter the caves?" "Can't you see what we're doing?" "We're going to wait at the Kawakami entrance" "There's another in Kurokawa valley" "It's far and only those who know" "But just to be sure, we'll have 3 or 4 there too" "Your cooperation is fine but this is the work of the police" "Don't start giving orders" "The police are too slow in taking action" "You say you have a clue?" "Why can't you be more definite about who's guilty?" "Well, it's like this." "Kindaichi!" "Everything's not clear as yet" "In any case, it's just a matter of time" "Help!" "Haruyo!" "Haruyo!" "Who attacked you?" "The villagers were pursuing me." "I ran in here" "Suddenly someone came out from behind a rock" "Do you know who it was?" "In desperation I..." "I bit a finger" "A person with an injured finger is the attacker" "Injured finger?" "Haruyo!" "Hold me tight" "Tatsuya, you never were..." "You never were my brother" "From the beginning," "I never thought of you... as a brother" "We could do as you say and search fro Tsuruko's son Tatsuya" "Making him the heir but the facts are as I've mentioned" "That's difficult to believe" "Yozo even went to a university hospital in Okayama" "To investigate Tsuruko's and Tatsuya's blood type" "He knew his own blood type from the wartime checkup" "It became clear that Tatsuya wasn't his child?" "That's the reason why Tsuruko..." "Of course, I don't know all the particulars" "She began to fear that Tatsuya might be persecuted and killed" "I think that's the person why she ran away from here" "It doesn't matter." "It's better that way" "Just as I have said" "So many relatives coveting the family fortune" "It's enough to make me lose my mind" "Let Tatsuya be the heir even if he's not a blood relative" "My father became demented" "I seem to have become crazy to before dying" "The Tajimi blood accursed for generations" "Will become entirely new" "Haruyo, do you understand?" "The grandaunts and I won't live much longer" "I want you to find..." "To find Tatsuya." "Bring him here" "Sister!" "You're sure about this?" "I'm wondering how it'll turn out" "It was you who..." "Hey!" "It's terrible!" "Haruyo's gone in from Kurokawa" "What!" "Haruyo?" "Two of us entered too but we were unable to find her" "Suddenly there was a piercing scream" "But that cave is like a labyrinth" "One comes back to the same place" "How long...?" "2 hours must have passed already 2 hours?" "Isokawa?" "I'll go too" "Murata, send one of your men" "Not you, Arai" "Where is the place?" "Sorry to be late" "What's that?" "A phone call isn't enough" "I have to see it in writing before I'm convinced" "Who's there?" "Haruyo at Dryad's Crossing..." "That makes 7 already" "If it's because of the curse, who will be the final one?" "There mustn't be any more." "I'll go out and nab the culprit" "You mustn't!" "It's dangerous" "The police are doing their best" "I must go" "Please be patient a little longer" "I want you to stay here" "When this is solved..." "I'll leave this village together with you..." "I'll go anywhere" "I hope it'll be soon" "And when that time comes, Tatsuya..." "The culprit is none other than Miyako Mori" "Of the West House" "Utilized the curse of the 8 Graves to usurp..." "The Tajimi fortune" "Haruyo told you?" "The exact figures later" "The enterprises that Miyako has been managing up to now" "Have been losing money" "In particular, the company operated by her parents" "In Wakayama City is on the brink of bankruptcy" "If she could make free use of the Tajimi fortune..." "Everything would be solved" "The line of succession to that fortune" "In case the family dies out" "Would go to the nearest of kin" "Dr. Kuno, first of all" "Then in case Dr. Kuno died" "It would be Sokichi Mori of the West House, a weakling" "Who would obey Miyako" "Thus Miyako planned the murders, making use of the curse" "Ushimatsu Igawa first" "Then it was Hisaya Tajimi" "Next, in order to instill fear ion the villages" "It could have been anyone" "It happened to be Kudo" "The faith healer's death had a dramatic effect" "Inside the cave:" "Dr. Kuno" "Koume of the Tajimi Family" "Haruyo hasn't come out but..." "Most likely a victim too" "The prison that was used" "Was obtained from the easily entered Kuno Clinio" "As planned, Dr. Kuno became suspected" "Finally he too was lured out and killed" "Kotake is the only Tajimi left" "If she is killed, the total will be 8" "The curse will have been utilized splendidly" "No, Tatsuya won't be killed" "Not unless she's found out" "She doesn't intend to kill him" "If he's added, that would be 9" "The curse would lose its effect" "The motive and the method are understandable" "Is there evidence to support your theory?" "This is a bizarre case" "Underlying it are very strange facts" "That even the culprit, Miyako, is completely unaware of" "When Yozo Tajimi killed 32 villagers 28 years ago" "There were three families entirely wiped out" "The Kawai, Hase, Koyama families" "On tracing back their histories" "I discovered that they were the descendants" "Of 3 of the 4 village representatives" "Who plotted to slay the 8 fugitive warriors" "Yoshitaka Amako cursed them forever" "Ironically the descendent of the leader..." "Of the 4 representatives, Yozo Tajimi..." "Was the one who made the curse come true" "Yozo died and became mummified in the cave" "But one of the accursed Tajimi Family" "Still remains alive" "Miyako doesn't know about these things..." "What I have told you and will tell you from now" "Her lineage goes back from generation to generation" "To what is now the town of Hirose in Shimane Prefecture" "And can be traced back to Yoshitaka Amako" "Before fleeing to this village..." "He left his wife in Harima" "She wandered later in various districts" "Carrying Yoshitaka's child" "Miyako's family is the 24th generation descended..." "Directly from Yoshitaka Amako" "I meant to spare you alone" "Look!" "Hurry!" "Then Tatsuya's father, Yoichi Kamei, is alive?" "He's now an industrialist." "Quite successful too" "There's one thing that puzzles me" "When Tsuruko took Tatsuya and left the Tajimi house" "Why didn't she hurry to that man who was waiting for her?" "But she didn't" "Love takes strange paths at times" "A case with a deep undercurrent" "All that Kamei, a school teacher in an adjoining village, did..." "In loving Tsuruko, was to make Yozo demented" "That was something that bothered me too" "I checked his birthplace" "It was near the town of Hirose, Shimane" "The Amako area?" "I checked no further" "If definitely Amako's Kinsman..." "Even though Tatsuya may have been completely unaware of it" "It was not Miyako alone" "But Tatsuya and Miyako combining their strength" "It gives me the creeps" "That's why I told Tatsuya this:" "Your real father is living." "He is not in Japan" "He's a successful businessman in South America" "At times he longs to meet you" "It would only revive a tragic past" "It's better not to meet" "But no matter how far apart, he's praying for your success" "That's what I said" "To Tatsuya"