"In March of 1559," "Kagetora went to Kyoto for the second time." "Usami, who was in charge of Echigo during his absence, was plotting the assassination of Takeda Shingen." "Won't you go to Suruga?" "There's someone at a certain temple, who can get at the Takeda." "That person was Toraomaru, who had become a priest in Suruga." "Toraomaru was the son of Suwa Yorishige, who was defeated by the Takeda, and Nene, the younger sister of Shingen." "Please take care of Toraomaru." "But through Kansuke's plotting, he was secretly sent to Suruga and was now named Chokyu." "This is one tragedy caused by a grudge towards the Takeda." ""Swift as the wind"" ""Silent as the forest"" ""Conquer like the fire"" ""Unmovable as the mountain"" "FURIN KAZAN" "Episode 44:" "THE ASSASSINATION OF SHINGEN" "Original Story by:" "INOUE Yasushi" "Screenplay by:" "OMORI Sumio" "Music by:" "SENJU Akira" "Theme Music Performed by:" "NHK Symphony Orchestra Theme Music Conductor:" "TAKASEKI Ken Performed by:" "The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra" "Title Letters by:" "KAKINUMA Koji Narrator:" "KAGAMI Sachiko" "Period Consultant:" "SHIBATSUJI Shunroku Customs Consultant:" "FUTAKI Kenichi Architecture Consultant:" "HIRAI Kiyoshi Wardrobe Consultant:" "KOIZUMI Kiyoko" "Sword Fighting/Martial Arts Coach:" "HAYASHI Kunishiro Conduct Coach:" "NISHIKAWA Minosuke Horse-Riding Coaches:" "TANAKA Mitsunori, TSUJII Keiji" "Photographed in Cooperation with:" "Yamanishi Prefecture Nagano Prefecture Niigata Prefecture" "Cast" "YAMAMOTO Kansuke:" "UCHINO Masaaki" "TAKEDA Shingen:" "ICHIKAWA Kamejiro" "Lady SANJO:" "IKEWAKI Chizuru" "IMAGAWA Yoshimoto:" "TANIHARA Shosuke" "KAWARAMURA Denbei:" "ARIZONO Yoshiki" "KUZUKASA Takichi:" "ARIMA Jiyu" "TAKEDA Yoshinobu:" "KIMURA Ryo Princess Aya:" "HIRATA Kaoru" "AKIYAMA Nobutomo:" "ICHINOSE Hidekazu Shiro:" "IKEMATSU Sosuke" "YAZAKI Heizo:" "SATO Ryuta" "Hisa:" "MIZUKAWA Asami" "Princess Ogoto:" "KONNO Mahiru" "Ritsu:" "MAEDA Aki" "Chokyu:" "EMOTO Tasuku" "Princess Mari:" "YAMAUCHI Ami Jugoro:" "YOSHIDA Sho Mitsu:" "AIHARA Kira" "Toraomaru (flashback):" "SHIBUYA Takeru TAKAMI Koichiro WAKAKOMA HIMAWARI THEATRE GROUP" "Imperial Palace Dialect Coach:" "HORII Reiichi Kyoto Dialect Coach:" "INOUE Yukiko Yamanashi Dialect Coach:" "KASAI Kazuhiko" "Photographed in Cooperation with:" "Joso City in Ibaraki Prefecture Hokuto City in Yamanashi Prefecture" "Hagino:" "ASADA Miyoko" "SUWA Yorishige (flashback):" "KOHINATA Fumiyo" "Nene (flashback):" "SAKURAI Sachiko" "Lady OI (flashback):" "FUBUKI Jun" "Jukei-ni:" "FUJIMURA Shiho" "USAMI Sadamitsu:" "OGATA Ken" "Executive Producer:" "WAKAIZUMI Hisaaki" "Produced by:" "NAKAMURA Takashi Art Direction by:" "SHIMIZU Kensuke Technology:" "KAWASAKI Kazuhiko Sound Effects:" "ISHIKAWA Takao" "Photography by:" "ISHIHASHI Masao Lighting by:" "IUCHI Minoru Audio:" "NOHARA Tsunenori Image Art:" "YOSHIDA Kenji Continuity:" "SATO Hideki Editor:" "ABE Tadashi Art Direction Manager:" "SUGIHARA Hiroki" "Directed by:" "KAMEMURA Tomoko" "YAZAKI RESIDENCE, ECHIGO" "Heizo, do you honestly think you can meet Sir Toraomaru?" "I have to." "Sir Usami is testing me." "Doesn't he think nothing of your life?" "That's not true." "I'm going to tell Sir Toraomaru about the Takeda's brutal ways." "I named our son after my father, and our daughter after the woman you cherished in the past, so that you wouldn't make light of your life." "Those who hold a grudge against the Takeda, die." "But we managed to survive." "So rather than thinking of getting revenge, we should focus on raising new lives." "I am a samurai." "I have to fulfill my duty." "If Sir Toraomaru seeks revenge, he may end up dying." "Even if he were to succeed, there will be consequences." "Then you'll be the one who caused his death." "I'm doing it for the sake of duty..." "Fool..." "TSUTSUJIGASAKI, KAI" "Father!" "Mother!" "Aya has delivered!" "It's a girl." "Both mother and daughter are well." "I'm glad to hear that." "Sir Yoshinobu, congratulations." "Yoshinobu, good for you." "Father, please praise Aya for it." "Tell her for me, that she did well." "I wish I could see them now." "A man can't enter the labor room." "Bear it for a while longer." "Then I'll wait nearby their room." "Excuse me." "He's ecstatic, isn't he?" "It's obvious that he'll be a doting father." "Yes, I agree." "I've never seen him so happy." "YOSHINOBU'S WIFE, AYA" "Aya!" "You did well!" "Father is pleased, too!" "Mother, Aya gave birth to a Takeda princess." "A princess, huh?" "Yoshinobu is extremely happy, I hear." "Sessai was right, wasn't he?" "He said Aya would captivate the Takeda heir with her beauty." "It turned out the way he said, didn't it?" "Damn Sessai..." "He drank too much saké for a priest, that is why he died so early." "When Yoshinobu becomes lord, the Takeda will serve the Imagawa." "I can't wait for that to happen." "It's obvious what the Takeda will go after next, now that they are the guardian of Shinano." "Before that happens..." "Lord, a man named Yazaki is here to see you, with a letter from Usami, a key vassal of the Nagao clan." "How odd..." "Mother, just when we affirmed our ties with the Takeda..." "A messenger from their enemy has arrived." "Let me meet with him and talk to him first." "I'll leave things to you." "Take this letter from me to the Imagawa." "We need the Imagawa's help on this." "Lord Yoshimoto may not see you, but his councilor or his mother," "Lady Jukei-ni, probably will." "I am sending you there as a surviving vassal of the Suwa clan." "Yazaki Heizo." "According to this letter from Usami, you are running about, trying to get revenge for your former master, Suwa Yorishige." "Yes." "Your loyalty is laudable." "Did you come to the Imagawa, knowing that we are related to the Takeda, the sworn enemy of the Suwa family?" "Yes, I did." "Is it Toraomaru, the Suwa son, that you came to see?" "Yes... please let me see him!" "True, Toraomaru is a priest at our Zentoku-ji Temple in Fuji." "What do you plan to do, by seeing him?" "I'll give him my loyalty." "You, alone?" "If Sir Toraomaru will rise, I shall accompany him." "That's being reckless." "But it won't be right to ignore that will." "If the Imagawa see it as an opportunity to stand against the Takeda, they will back you up." "This is what you call strategizing." "Entice Toraomaru into getting revenge on the Takeda?" "That must be Usami's strategy." "The Nagao clan will have nothing to do with it, and Yazaki will be the scapegoat for it." "Is Toraomaru capable of such a thing?" "If anyone could do it..." "it would be Toraomaru." "Mother, are you going along...?" "If Shingen gets killed, Yoshinobu will succeed as lord." "Letting those two meet... shouldn't affect our relationship with the Takeda." "TAKATO CASTLE, SHINANO" "Meanwhile, Kansuke went to Takato Castle to see Shiro before his manhood rite." "I give up!" "Take over." "AKIYAMA NOBUTOMO" "Sir Yamamoto, what do you think?" "He's improved a great deal." "You've trained him well, Akiyama." "I can't wait to accompany him in his first battle." "Young Lord, please take a good look at this." "This is the "kakuyoku" formation." "It's like a crane spreading its wings." "On the other hand, the "gyorin" formation is used to bring the enemy soldiers in, and kill them within." "What is next?" "You there, hold that." "Hurry." "This is called the "choda" formation." "The snake is..." "Kansuke!" "Yes?" "Even after you've become a priest, all you can think about is battles." "Are you tired of hearing it?" "Are you doing it for my sake?" "Or for the sake of my late mother?" "It's for the sake of the Takeda." "Am I not to succeed the Suwa family, and not the Takeda family?" "That's what Akiyama told me, too." "Are you discontent with that?" "No, I'm not discontent." "If that is what Father wants, then I'll just abide by it." "Succeeding the Suwa family... is what the people of Kai and Suwa desire." "FUJI-GUN, SURUGA" "But here, was Princess Yu's younger brother." "ZENTOKU-JI TEMPLE" "I, Chokyu, am here." "Chokyu, come in." "Lady Jukei-ni, it's been a long time." "So you've been doing well..." "That man there, has come a long way to see you." "I am Yazaki Heizo, a former vassal of the Suwa family." "I have come to get you, Sir Toraomaru." "I am aware of the fact that I am from the Suwa family." "In that case, please make your stand." "But I am currently a servant of Buddha." "What happens in the mundane world is irrelevant to me." "That is what Sir Sessai and Lady Jukei-ni told me, too." "I only said that out of pure pity for you..." "My father was defeated in battle, and the Suwa lands now belong to the Takeda..." "To add to it, my mother is from the Takeda family." "My grandmother in the Takeda, was worried about my future." "To cherish those feelings, I trained hard here until now." "There are things that you are unaware of..." "They are too brutal for me to mention..." "Sir Toraomaru..." "Takeda Shingen forced your sister to become his concubine!" "A boy was born between your sister and him, so you became a nuisance to him." "You should be the rightful heir to the Suwa family." "You should be the rightful heir to the Suwa family." "With such a promise from the Takeda, Suwa Yorishige killed himself." "Does that mean my father died for me?" "I feel so sorry for my father..." "How cruel!" "How cruel..." "What has become of my sister, who had become his concubine?" "The princess was... killed by the Takeda." "She was as good as killed by them." "She was confined in Suwa." "After she gave birth, she was like a prisoner until she collapsed from illness and passed away." "He wanted a child with the Takeda and Suwa bloodlines, to quell the anger of the Suwa people." "You, who were entrusted to the temple in Suruga, are as good as gone from this world." "We, Imagawa, were assigned as your overseers." "Should we have just pretended not to see or know anything... and just kept custody of you?" "If they should find out that we revealed the truth to you..." "They will hate us." "Lady Jukei-ni!" "I will not cause trouble for the Imagawa." "Please let me escape from here." "The Imagawa are not holding you captive." "Just do what you need to do, as the Suwa family's heir." "You can count on the Imagawa for help." "Yes." "Yazaki Heizo." "Why are you so loyal to the Suwa family?" "Because of your father." "I see." "What kind of general was my father?" "He was revered by all, like the Suwa god." "He was a truly great general." "So the Takeda killed the Suwa god?" "Yes." "Yazaki, are you single?" "No." "I left my wife and children behind." "In that case, I can't take you along." "Sir Chokyu..." "I can't take you with me." "I'll go alone from here." "No, please let me accompany you." "Aren't you a father?" "If I rob another father from a child, my justice won't stand." "Sir Chokyu..." "The name is Toraomaru." "Hereforth, I am going by the name, Toraomaru." "I will be fine by myself." "Yazaki, thank you for coming to see me." "Take care of your wife and children now." "A few days later, Kansuke returned from Takato Castle." "KANSUKE'S RESIDENCE, KAI" "Ritsu, did anything happen while I was away?" "No, nothing." "Oh, if anything..." "There is a young priest who visits Princess Ogoto." "Priest?" "Have you been visiting Princess Ogoto?" "I've been idle everyday." "For someone so young, he is very knowledgeable." "He reads and tells the bored Princess Ogoto all kinds of stories." "I've been enjoying his visits, too." "Is the lord going there, too?" "Yes." "He might be seeing him tomorrow, if anything." "Lady Sanjo, even after the lord became a priest, he is still visiting Sekisui-ji Temple." "It's all right, Hagino." "Will you just look at her?" "She looks just like Yoshinobu." "Yes, truly..." "She's adorable." "When Yoshinobu becomes a fine lord in Kai, my duties will be over." "I will have nothing more to desire." "Are you truly happy to have come to Kai?" "Yes, I'm happy..." "I am happiest now..." "SEKISUI-JI TEMPLE" "Hurry." "Princess." "Princess, it's dangerous." "If Sir Toraomaru seeks revenge, he may end up dying." "Then you'll be the one responsible for his death." "Yazaki, thank you for coming to see me." "Take care of your wife and children now." "Heizo?" "Is that you, Heizo?" "Heizo!" "So you were alive!" "What's with the attire?" "I will tell you a story." "Is that right?" "She's good at repeating it." "Lord, this is Chokyu." "So you are Chokyu." "I am honored to meet you." "Both Ogoto and Mari are happy to see you." "Will you tell me your story on the "Tale of Heike"?" "Chokyu, we want to hear the continuation of the story." "The lord comes after that." "Hey, how about some tea first?" "Heizo!" "So you were alive!" "He won't talk..." "If anything, there's a young priest visiting Princess Ogoto." "Don't tell me...?" "Kansuke!" "Who is the priest that is visiting Princess Ogoto?" "You must know who it is!" "Priest?" "Heizo... did you bring him here?" "Do you think an assassin like him can kill the lord?" "You and the assassin will just be killed instead..." "Heizo!" "Kansuke, please stop Sir Toraomaru!" "Please forgive Sir Toraomaru!" "Please stop him!" "That priest is Sir Toraomaru?" "Toraomaru..." "Kansuke!" "When Yorimasa took a stern glance..." "He saw a suspicious figure in the clouds." "Yorimasa then said his prayers... and shot the arrow towards the clouds." "He had magnificently hit the evil spirit... and it fell to the ground, in front of everyone." "Lord?" "Have you fallen asleep?" "He seems tired." "We should put something over him." "Ritsu?" "Perhaps we should be quiet." "Let me put something over him." "Toraomaru!" "Lord!" "Refrain!" "It's all right." "Don't make a commotion." "Chokyu..." "Did you think I did not know that name?" "It's good to see you in Kai." "You've always been on my mind." "Come to my mansion." "I want to talk to you." "Lord!" "Lord!" "Kansuke, look here." "It's Toraomaru." "He's come back to me as a fine priest." "I'm rather disappointed that you showed up here, but..." "I must've caused you great distress." "Please forgive me." "I mean it from the heart." "My mother died before that statue." "To gain something from nothing..." "You'll understand it someday." "Train hard now." "Do you remember my mother?" "She was most worried about you." "I vow to my mother and your mother, Nene, who is my sister..." "That I want to keep you by my side." "I want you to see the real me, and the real Takeda..." "You can hate me after that, can't you?" "Yoshinobu!" "What is the matter?" "Is it true that he attacked you?" "Refrain, Yoshinobu." "He is your cousin." "I can't think of him fondly, after he tried to kill you!" "Sir Yoshinobu, it is the lord's order." "Silence!" "Yamamoto Kansuke, you are the cause of all this!" "This happened because you were tricked by his sister!" "Sir Yoshinobu!" "The Suwa family has caused my mother great grief as a result." "Yoshinobu..." "Father maintained peace with the Suwa clan, at the expense of keeping a Suwa woman as his concubine." "He's got the nerve to seek revenge for a defeated soul!" "Everything had come to an end." "Take your leave, Yoshinobu." "Sir Yoshinobu, I was kept alive, unaware of everything." "I didn't know the truth." "But now, that grudging feeling I suddenly had, is gone." "Is that true?" "Yes, it is." "Please see me for who I am..." "What is the matter?" "Sir Yoshinobu, please leave." "Insolent!" "You, leave!" "Sir Yoshinobu!" "Hagino!" "Hagino..." "Lady Sanjo, is Sir Yoshinobu safe?" "I'm glad..." "Hagino!" "Hang in there!" "Someone, call a doctor!" "Princess..." "You are so kind..." "I was very happy to have served you..." "Princess..." "Please be happy..." "Hagino!" "Hagino...!" "Lord..." "Lock him up in the temple." "Master." "Where... is Heizo?" "He has a wife and children in Echigo." "Did you let him go?" "Master!" "What could Heizo possibly do?" "Lady Jukei-ni in Suruga is the one who tricked Toraomaru!" "That's what Heizo told me." "The one behind all this is Lady Jukei-ni!" "Jukei-ni?" "Damn Jukei-ni!" "Damn Jukei-ni!" "This fury would lead to a major incident that would jolt Suruga." "Episode 44:" "THE ASSASSINATION OF SHINGEN The End" "PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE" "Episode 45:" "THE PLOT AT OKEHAZAMA" "Kofu city, Yamanashi prefecture." "There is a temple that was built by Takeda Shingen in the bottom of Atago mountain..." "Kai Zenko-Ji." "During the battle of Kawanaka-Jima," "Shingen have moved sacred statues and treasures from Shinano Zenkou-Ji to this land." "He also re-located the priests and temple town merchants." "One of the top temple in the Kofu, Toko-Ji." "Shingen have confined Toraomaru's father Suwa Yorishige in this temple and ordered him to commit seppuku." "(Grave of Suwa Yorishige)" "Next to Yorishige's grave," "Shingen's eldest son, Takeda Yoshinobu is resting here." "(Grave of Takeda Yoshinobu)" "Yoshinobu have opposed father Shingen and confined to this temple until his life have ended." "It convey the harsh life of civil war era to this day."