"Kihachiro Kawamoto New Animation Production Committee" "Sakura Motion Pictures presents" "Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs" "A film by Kihachiro Kawamoto" "Nara, the capital of Japan in the mid 8th century" "Drip, drop...drip, drop..." "The sleeper awoke from his slumber." "My beloved, Mimimo no Toji." "I saw you only once, but from that moment on" "I have thought of you ceaselessly." "My beloved, Mimimo no Toji." "The Book of the Dead" "Original story by Shinobu Orikuchi" "With the Voices of" "Iratsume Rie Miyazawa" "Prince Otsu Tetsunojo Kanze" "Emi no Oshikatsu Tohru Emori" "Otomo no Yakamochi Takaaki Enoki" "Chief Tamagoi Noboru Mitani" "Musa no Chiomo Noriko Shindo" "Storyteller of Taima Tetsuko Kuroyanagi" "Narration Kyoko Kishida" "We're already at the outskirts of the capital." "On the outskirts of Old Nara" "A meadow grew to the edge of the road." "In the meadow a house was being built." "A wall was already taking shape." "Not stone, but earth-filled." "Military affairs undersecretary and poet, Otomo no Yakamochi saw it and thought:" "' That must be the new style."" "These earthen walls are all the rage now." "I can't stand them personally." "I wonder if..." "I should build these walls around my ancestral home." "Heaven forbid!" "The Otomo clan dates from the age of the gods!" "A new-fangled wall would bring curses upon your sons!" "Now then, off we go." "I spoke in jest." "Who on earth would believe such a thing?" "Another earthen wall." "Yakamochi's heart grew restless." "Look, this stone wall is still standing." "This house belongs to the southern house of Fujiwara." "He had come here as if drawn by some force." "Perhaps his heart was still youthful after all." "Yakamochi smiled wryly." "They say the Lady Iratsume is a real beauty." "Many young men try to work in the house as her retainer." "They probably keep the wall to protect Iratsume from such men and evil spirits." "These crumbling walls have let in disease too." "8ut enough." "Let us return." "Many suitors were vying for the hand of Lady Iratsume." "But the stone wall around the house kept them at bay." "It reminded them that to breach it would break a taboo." "Young ladies delivered love letters." "But Iratsume's nurse, Musa, scolded them for it." "Girls, the Lady Iratsume is a pure maid." "She is worthy to serve the Spirits of her Fujiwara ancestors." "Now, be off with you!" "She moved here with her father, Toyonori Ason, many years ago." "That was after her grandfather, Fujiwara no Muchimaro, died." "8owing to pressure from his brother, Emi no Oshikatsu, her father now lived in the south." "The house was known generally as "the southern branch '." "This is a sutra sent from your father in faraway Dazaifu." "Even the greatest temple here in Yamato does not have a copy yet." "The women of the house had been opposed to Iratsume studying." "It seemed unbefitting, as though she were a commoner." "However, noting her intelligence, they later agreed to her wishes." "Iratsume placed her desk near the window." "She then began copying the latest translation of the Amida Sutra." "Even at night she copied devotedly by lamplight." "She completed 100 copies during winter." "Then she vowed to make 1000." "It was the vernal equinox." "From the house she saw the sunset behind a far mountain just to the south-west." "The mountain shone so vividly she could hardly believe it." "The sacred Mt." "Futakami." "At that moment, Iratsume's heart began to clear." "In summer she finished her 500th copy." "She was visibly fatigued." "It was the autumnal equinox." "I have brought your medicine." "Why don't you rest for a moment?" "Today, is it not the autumn equinox?" "Yes." "Between the two holy summits of Mt." "Futakami there clearly appeared hair a head...shoulders...chest..." "Once more, Iratsume had seen a divine image." "Eight hundred and eighty copies, then nine hundred." "She barely spoke a word, even to her attendants." "The next vernal equinox came." "Iratsume finished the 999th copy." "Finally she began the 1000th." "It was a warm, calm spring." "Iratsume finished the final column, the final character." "Then she let out a sigh." "Rain." "She heard neither voices nor rain, nor the stormy wind." "She was oblivious to all sound." "She knew neither how nor where she walked." "Only that she left the house and headed west." "Always ahead of her were the twin peaks of the sacred mountain rising plainly in view." "Then Iratsume saw a sight that she could hardly believe." "Could it be a red temple gate shining in the morning sun?" "Far above the silent sea of light towered Mt." "Futakami." "Daughter of Toyonari Ason of the southern house of Fujiwara." "Her upbringing had shown her little of the world." "As a child of aristocracy she was ignorant of fear." "So she humbly, yet quite calmly gave worship and approached the eastern pagoda." "Who is there?" "One of the temple attendants shouted in alarm." "Iratsume had entered an area forbidden to women." "She still felt transfixed by the divine figure she had seen." "The man did not call out again." "He had realized that Iratsume had to be a lady of breeding." "Come away!" "Not even men can enter." "The lady must leave at once." "If you are a noble daughter of Nara, why are you here without an escort?" "At first the men were reproachful." "8ut soon they felt protective of this noble lady." "I came to worship the mountain." "Who is the head of your clan?" "My clan?" "Your lineage?" "Lineage?" "I refer to your family." "Oh." "My family!" "I am from the southern house of Fujiwara." "At this, the men grew excited." "That morning, word of Iratsume's disappearance spread." "Everyone ran out to look for her in and around the capital." "They looked in the places they thought it likely she had gone." "The cemetery at Mt." "Takamado and the marshlands at Saki." "South in Yamamura, north in Narayama and up to Iga Province." "8ut their search was in vain." "Iratsume sat in the Manpozoin hermitage." "It was as if she had forgotten how to sleep." "As a noble lady, she was accustomed to remaining silent." "She did not feel at all lonely." "Neither did she sigh with boredom." "Lady Iratsume." "A hoarse voice broke the silence." "It was Taima, the storyteller." "Do you wish to hear of things that happened before your birth?" "I am an old woman who knows." "The old woman went into a trance." "Futakami, in highest heaven" "Lady, bearing blossoms" "I must go." "I slip away" "Please, daughter of Fujiwara, remember me" "In the former capital of Asuka, he was the first to write poems in the Chinese manner." "Prince Otsu." "After the Emperor's death, everyone in Asuka believed he would inherit the throne." "Just one person, the emperor's wife - the future Empress Jito - decided her son, Prince Kusakabe, would inherit the throne." "When Prince Otsu visited his sister, the priestess of Ise shrine, there were rumors of a plot to end his life." "Lady Iratsume, now you will know whence these rumors arose, and why." "In autumn of 686, soldiers stormed the Osada house." "They seized Prince Otsu." "They took him to the pond of Iware." "On hearing the prince would give up his life a woman decided to see him one last time and mourn his parting." "She was Mimimo no Toji." "The girl was the aunt of your grandfather, the founder of the southern house of Fujiwara." "Only today will I see ducks cry on the pond of Iware." "I will vanish into the clouds." "For a fleeting moment, she caught the eye of a man on the verge of death." "From then on, Prince Otsu harbored a lingering attachment to the world." "Do you not find it frightening, this worldly attachment?" "Prince Otsu's remains were buried on Mt." "Futakami." "His spirit grew pure." "He forgot all wordly things, even malice." "It's said only his fondness for Mimimo no Toji remains." "Lady Iratsume, the greatest beauty of the four houses of Fujiwara." "To the spirit of Prince Otsu, you are Mimimo no Toji." "Surely, the power of his spirit drew you here to Taima." "What other explanation could there be?" "May I ask you something?" "Prince Otsu was condemned for a crime." "Why does he now seem so divinely beautiful and pure?" "Even the Gods rebelled some times." "Prince Otsu is another rebellious God of pure countenance and lovely voice." "8e vigilant, my dear." "This is where my story ends." "There were 9 men, or rather 9 gods." "Come out, good spirit of Iratsume of the southern house of Fujiwara." "Do not stay and lose your way in the mountains." "Go home now." "That ends our labors for today." "The 9 gods became men again." "Our work here is done." "Right now, Lady Iratsume's spirit should return to her body." "Elder, whose grave is this?" "You do not know?" "This is the grave of Prince Otsu, killed at Iware pond." "We were in our prime in those days." "Over 50 years have passed already." "Aye." "This great kaya tree was then just a sapling." "Once, a spirit tried to possess a man who brought tombstones here." "This is a fabled grave." "Shall we chant once more before retiring?" "They each heard a voice, and knew it came from elsewhere." "The nine scattered like wisps of a cloud." "Drip, drop...drip, drop..." "Is it the sound of water filling his ears?" "My beloved, Mimimo no Toji," "I saw you only once, but from that moment" "I have thought of you ceaselessly." "Where am I?" "Who am I?" "Mimimo no Toji." "I remember now!" "Who I am!" "I was in service at Otsu." "I was called back to Asuka." "I am Prince Otsu!" "Come to me, Mimimo no Toji." "Kofuru and his men came to get Iratsume." "But the temple priests were unyielding." "Noble lady or not, she had intruded on sacred ground." "She had entered a forbidden area for which sin she should atone." "She must stay near the temple for a cleansing period." "The temple is right." "You simply must obey." "The nurse, Musa, scolded the old woman." "She had the men take her out." "Her father is too far away to speak for her." "8efore we go on, we must ask Lady Iratsume her wishes." "A noble lady could not be expected to answer this question." "Musa and Kofuru thought it was a useless enquiry." "In fact, Iratsume replied without wavering." "A lady atones for a lady's transgression." "Do not ask me to return until I have paid the debt in my heart." "The nurse had never heard Iratsume speak so clearly." "The storyteller was separated from Iratsume." "8ut now the innocent Iratsume was the object of deep longing." "The voice of that longing pleaded with her always." "I remember!" "My elder sister, the Priestess of Ise, came to call me back." "Dear sister, I was murdered." "I would snap off blossoming branches flowering above the rocks." "But no one will tell me if you are here to admire them." "How much time has passed since then?" "When my sister came, it was as though I had awakened from a daydream." "Now, I feel as if I have awakened from a deep sleep." "He stood there - like a single tree." "Mimimo no Toji," "I have no child." "8ear a child for me, a child to speak my name..." "Iratsume felt at ease." "Even if she did not meet the divine figure, she could rest here where she had seen the vision." "Filled with contentment, Iratsume heard a sound." "Pitter pat - footsteps." "And then they stopped." "Pitter pat again - and then silence." "Pitter pat - Iratsume sat bolt upright." "Tell me, you rebellious Gods..." "will my prince come tonight?" "Mimimo no Toji." "Toji..." "A child..." "A child from the womb of her child." "Let one, just one, belong to me." "'Amida Sutra'" "Suddenly, the words of the Amida Sutra rose from her lips." "Iratsume was overcome by yearning." "Or was it grief?" "She walked on a path near the water." "8ut it was really a path through the sea." "She cradled a pearl in her hands." "Its reflection shone in the waves." "Then moonlight reached the water's depths." "Yakamochi heard rumors of Oshikatsu before visiting him." "Oshikatsu was over 50, but still a romantic." "He was in love with his brother's daughter, Iratsume." "8ut Iratsume would not meet Oshikatsu whatever he did." "The daughter of the southern house..." "In the 5th month of that year, there was a dedication ceremony at Todaiji." "Nobles were already viewing the Four Guardian Kings' statues." "They say the North Guardian resembles Emi no Oshikatsu?" "Aye, sir." "It is the image of him when he lost his temper and flew into a rage." "And how about the West Guardian?" "I shouldn't repeat gossip... 8ut they say it looks just like the priest Dokyo." "Dokyo?" "People thought these two guardians were glaring at each other." "Wherever the monks placed them, the statues glared at each other." "Finally, the monks gave up and waited for the rumors to die." "They hope there will be no disturbance of the peace." "But this is only hearsay..." "Oshikatsu had round features." "He always moved at his own pace." "For Yakamochi, a noble of ancient lineage," "Oshikatsu's quiet self-assurance was unsettling." "They say nobles belong with nobles, peasants with peasants." "We find ease in our nobility;" "but there are usurpers, peasants at heart, who can only envy and begrudge." "Yakamochi could not compare Oshikatsu to the North Guardian." "In his opinion he more resembled the Great 8uddha at Todaiji." "I heard that you read the poems of Song Yu and Wang Bao from a tender age." "Lately I have tired of Chinese poetry." "These days I dip into Zhang Wencheng." "A fine choice, indeed, but surely" "Song Yu is the reason you walk about in secret even in middle age." "Perhaps." "When I read Chinese poets, my mind fills with strange, new ideas." "Aye." "But who knows what comes from excess study?" "Especially with young ladies." "One prays they will find peace of mind." "Aye." "Intelligent ladies will not be content in ladies' quarters." "The daughter of the southern house..." "Go on..." "You refer to the disappearance of my niece?" "Is that how you interpret it?" "How interesting!" "Lady Iratsume was making 1,000 copies of the Amida Sutra." "A real woman of learning, unlike us who lose ourselves in novels." "Have you been writing to her?" "I guess you have tried your luck as well." "She is the chosen one of the Fujiwara family." "The divine belongs to the divine." "Now she is beyond a man's reach." "8e it shrine, temple or palace." "All promise an untouchable life." "It seems a shame to let her go." "Don't get too close, sir." "I hope the azaleas will bloom soon." "This garden is always at its best in that season." "Pit, pitter pat." "Iratsume waited for the dark of night." "That was when she could hear footsteps." "Of late, the sound seemed to have ceased." "Iratsume kept her vigil in prayer." "Azaleas were in full bloom." "Some village girls returned from their seclusion on the mountain." "Something had walked over their roof on its way down." "It had gone straight down." "Then they had heard rocks falling." "From right above Iratsume's hermitage." "In the morning nothing had changed." "There were no traces to be seen." "There had also been a light in the sky at night above the mountain." "Once they heard a voice moaning." "Scared by this, and their tales, they returned." "Shoulders...chest...bare skin." "Oh, what a pity..." "What a pity, to be so cold..." "A bright summer's morning." "Musa, who rarely even chuckled, burst into hearty laughter." "Lady Iratsume, you must see!" "It was time for lotus yarn making." "The fibers had to be drawn from the stems, then spun." "So much spinning to do!" "This yarn is more fair than butterfly wings, but weaker than cobwebs." "This yarn is too weak." "I have an idea." "Please try it." "Dry it well in the sun, like flax, to make it fine." "Iratsume spoke, and it was as though she was inscribing a divine message on her heart." "The lotus stems were laid to dry in the sun." "Then they were soaked in a stream, and dried once more." "Dried, soaked and dried again." "Then they were placed on a straw mat and pounded to soften them." "The fibers were spun into yarn and the yarn wound into skeins." "Day by day, the pile of skeins grew higher." "Is today the first day of the 7th month?" "The autumnal equinox was approaching again." "Iratsume could sense it physically." "Finally, it came." "The hermitage shuddered as though it might fly into the air." "Lady Iratsume is gone!" "Everyone's heart skipped a beat." "Musa had been holding Iratsume until that moment." "Where is the bow?" "We must quiet the spirits!" "Now, all together, stamp your feet!" "Louder!" "That's it!" "Have you seen Lady Iratsume?" "Someone who fits her description was seen at the temple gate!" "Iratsume knew she had broken a taboo by entering the temple." "This time she stood at the threshold of the gate." "Skin...neck...shoulders...chest." "The figure appeared, yet the face was obscured." "Show yourself clearly now, I beg you!" "Smiling faintly, the face looked at Iratsume for the first time." "With lips slightly pursed." "They seemed about to speak." "'Amida Sutra'" "'Amida Sutra'" "The hermitage had become even more cramped." "This was because Iratsume had ordered a loom from Nara." "She tried to weave from morning to night, sometimes longer." "8ut the lotus yarn often broke or snagged." "Yet Iratsume's heart was at peace." "She would weave, and then clothe his bareness." "Click clack." "Click clack." "Then the yarn in her hand stopped moving." "What shall I do?" "Here, let me." "It won't stick like this." "It was the storyteller, Taima." "Click clack." "Lotus yarn must be handled just so, or it can't be woven." "Like this." "Do you see?" "Iratsume's mind became clear." "Click clack, clickety-click." "Even the sound grew clearer." "Please, daughter of Fujiwara, remember me" "Prince Otsu was also a rebellious God." "He aimed his bow at heaven, but he was divinely beautiful." "Weave the cloth quickly for winter is nigh." "The very rocks will freeze!" "When she changed the shuttle, she could see a fine cloth forming." "Click clack, clickety-clack." "Iratsume had moved to a new level of wisdom." "How lovely!" "It looks like fine silk, but there is nothing better than this pure, white cloth." "After weaving 5 bolts of cloth, Iratsume began sewing." "As the nights grew colder, she thought of his bare, white skin." "She would not delegate the work to anyone." "So, she sewed and cut, cut and sewed..." "In this world, he would be the size of many men." "How could she make clothes for him?" "She cut her painstakingly woven fabric into smaller pieces." "The attendants looked on in wonder." "They had no notion of what Iratsume was making." "Yakamochi felt a pang of disappointment." "She is the chosen one in the four houses of Fujiwara." "That which is divine belongs to the divine." "She may be out of a man's reach." "8ut giving up would be too easy." "My father, Otomo no Tabito, was more devoted than me." "Of the fabled humans and gods those who never give up are the superior ones." "Yakamochi felt something akin to regret." "One warm day, Iratsume was engrossed in her work." "What are you thinking, my dear?" "All we can do is put them together like a kabeshiro curtain." "Attach a cord here, tie it about the shoulders, and it becomes a cloak for daytime." "Untie the string, and it becomes a quilt for nighttime." "Monks in India wear just such a garment, the samghati." "Sew it up, now, quickly!" "She realized that she had been daydreaming." "She joined together the pieces she had cut up." "In 2 days she finished a large square." "Lady Iratsume made a simple square, with all that lovely fabric!" "Like this it is so dull." "It is nothing but a coffin cover." "Then draw, Lady Iratsume!" "Draw the beautiful figure who stole your heart." "Iratsume remembered she had Chinese colored inks at home." "They were sent for, and when they arrived she cried out in glee." "Iratsume sat quite still, looking intently at the lotus cloth." "At last, she took up her brush." "Iratsume's brush traced the vision she had seen." "The features of the face that had drawn close to her." "The face that she had stored in her heart." "The nurse and attendants simply stared on, transfixed." "No one noticed when Iratsume silently left the room." "Iratsume looked back." "8ut doubtless no one saw the tiny tear glisten on her cheek." "Iratsume had drawn the likeness of only a single figure." "Yet those who looked upon it thought not." "They saw countless numbers of Buddhist saints." "Or maybe they were all sharing the same daydream." "Noh "Taema" Song Tetsunojo Kanze VIII" "Written and Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto" "Executive Producer Hideyo Murayama Producer Junko Fukuma" "Director of Photography Minoru Tamura Kunihiko Itami" "Production design Mizuki Kudo Music by Ryohei Hirose" "Animation Kohichi Oikawa" "Masaaki Mori Kihachiro Kawamoto" "Special guest animation Yuri Norshtein" "Puppets" "Kihachiro Kawamoto Sumiko Hosaka" "THE END" "(c)2005 Sakura Motion Picture Co.,Ltd./ The Kawamoto Productions Ltd." "Translator Avery Fischer Udagawa"