"Produced by SHOCHIKU DAI-ICHI KOGYO CO., LTD." "In Cooperation with PSC" "Directed by NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI" "How doyou do?" "." "I'm Takiguchi, one ofthis film's characters." "This is the story ofa woman who calls me ""Brother."'" "Her name?" "." "It's Sada." "Yes." "That famous Sada." "Sada Abe." "She insists on telling you about herself." "Facts can easily become fiction when recounted by someone - even by oneself." "But with a bit of sincerity, lies can become truth." "So, why not enjoyyourselves this evening by listening to Sada's story?" "." "She's like a lovable kid sister to me." "I apologize for her rudeness." "I'd appreciateyour generosity." "I'll seeyou again later." "Excuse me." "Step aside!" "." "SADA ABE" "Executive Producer HISAO NABESHI MA" "Written by YUKO NISHIZAWA" "Producer KYOKO OBAYASHI" "Photography NORITAKA SAKAMOTO" "Art Director KOICHI TAKEUCHI" "Set Decorator KOICHI HAMAMURA" "Music SOTARO MANABU" "The Players:" "HITOMI KUROKI" "KI PPEI SHIINA KYUSAKU SHIMADA" "BENGAL RENJI ISHIBASHI" "MIYOKO AKAZA, TOSHIE NEGISHI, WAKABA IRIE" "jlRO SAKAGAMI EMIKO AZUMA, HISASHI IGAWA" "RYO AMAMIYA RIKI TAKEUCHI" "KEIJU KOBAYASHI NORIHEI MIKI" "TSURUTARO KATAOKA" "Screenplay, Editing and Direction by NOBUHIKO OBAYASHI" """"It starts to rain while I'm playing." "It rains outside my latticewindow."" "A literaryfragment by Chuya Nakahara."'" """Sada Abe really lived." "She is well known because she sliced off her man's sexual organ." "But of course, her life cannot be told only through that episode."' i, too, hada childhood." "But let's forget about that." "EARLY SU MMER 1 91 3" "Either way, maybe i lived thinking ofmyself as neither happy nor unhappy." "But in any case, i hated rainy days." "My story begins here." "SU M M ER 1 9 1 9" "Open up." "Please!" "." "I have a question!" "How many ti mes must I repeat this?" "." "I won't leave until you answer!" "Yes?" "." "You a maid?" "." "As you can see." "I must talk to your mistress!" "She's home." "I saw herjust now." "Listen." "Tell me!" "Her son, a college boy, dragged my daughter into an inn!" "Do something!" "Ifworst comes to worst, she'll die." "She's just a schoolgirl." "She's only 1 4." "You hear me, eh?" "." "She's only 1 4!" "You thinkyou can deceive us like this?" "." "Because she's a merchant's daughter, you think she isn't human?" "." "Being here with a man means you know what happens." "Okay?" "." "Stop." "It's too late to stop." "I'm scared." "Silly." "This isn't the first time foryou, eh?" "." "It is." "Liar!" "You're well-known among us." "Atyour ageyou already have a man." "That's not true!" "I'll make it true." "No!" "That hurts!" "That hurts!" "Who areyou?" "." "How rude to barge into my room." "Toshihiko." "Aren'tyou the one who's being rude?" "." "You Okada?" "." "She needs treatment." " Call a doc." " Don't do that." "It'll cause trouble." "I have money." "Use this to take care ofit." "We're friends, right?" "." "I don't like weepywomen." "Take it easy." "I'm a medical student." "I'll treatyou." "This is my aunt's place." "Stay here." "Please." "Stay by me." "You're bleeding." "It's all right now." "Rest for a while." "Stay here." "Stay here, please." "Ifyou leave me," "I'll kill myselfwith this." "I don't want to be left alone." "Look at my blood." "It's scarlet." "Look at that." "I'll bleed even more." "I bought these for my aunt." "Have one." "Eat it." "It's sweet." "FATAL DISEASE" "How odd!" "Raining on a lucky day." "A lucky day?" "." "You're here." "You don't have to talk." "just stay by my side." "I've never met anyone likeyou." "I detest him." "Notyou." "That student." "To think how he tricked me." "I can't get married now." "Will you marry me?" "." "Sorry, I can't." "Then die with me." "Die?" "." "Yes." "Double suicide." "Listen." "Why doyou wear dark glasses all the time?" "." "I knowyou have lovely eyes." "Why hide them?" "." "Sada." "You should know this:" "Though we just met, we mustn't meet again." "Why not?" "." "Tell me." "Why not?" "." "I won't tell you." "Tell me!" "You're nice." "An honest girl." "Don't go astray just because ofthis." "Wherever I am," "I'll watch overyou in my heart." "We'll say good-bye here." "Find happiness." "No!" "You're lying!" "You don't care about me at all!" "Watch over me in your heart?" "." "Where is the heart, really?" "." "You're right." "Even x-rays can't show where it is." "Use this and cut out my heart." "Do like this." "Look." "This is my heart." "It's yours." "Take it with you." "The knife too." "Then you can believe you took my heartyourself." "Blood gushes from my heart too." "Now let's part here." "I'll be going far away." "I'll never come back again." "Good-bye." "I hate rainy days." "Hansen's disease." "Okada suffered from it." "it was regarded as incurable." "its patients were isolated." "Okada was secretly sent away to a remote island, and Sada never knew." "Okada lived during Sada 's lifetime, but did they meet and part like this?" "Sada spoke little about it, and no one actually knows." "This film trespasses in the mysterious realm ofSada." "Are you goi ng to sel I those ki monos agai n?" "." "Yes." "What's wrong with selling mine?" "." "Now you're just quibbling." "You quit school." "You're a truant." "Your dad says he might makeyou a geisha." "Really?" "." "Why not?" "." "How can I ignore my dad?" "." "Stop asking that student to marry me." "He'll never marry me." "I'll have a miserable life!" "But we must make him pay forwhat he did to our precious daughter." "It's me he did it to." "Don't try to sell myvirginityto him." "That's so lowdown." "Then what am I to do?" "." "He said you made eyes at him." "Like this?" "." "Money isn't the issue." "We should've made him apologize in public." "Don'tyou agree?" "." "But what's done is done." "I can't regain myvirginity anyway." "Sada." "Tell Dad I'll be glad to be a geisha or anything." "Out ofmyway!" "i was still theperson i hadalways been, butperhaps the world saw me differentlynow." "Anyway, it didn't really concern me." "i could be more at ease than before." "in a way, i was enjoying myself." " Wait!" " Run!" "Two cops agai nst the seven of us." "They'll never get us." "Try to get us!" "Hey, wait!" "Only idiots wait for cops!" "Try to get us!" "Let's go!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "That student looked rich, but he was broke." "Let's blackmail rich old men next time." "Where areyou, Okada?" "Didyou run away?" "Cops!" "Which way?" "." "That way!" "Wait!" "Run!" "Sada, run!" "Get away!" "My childhood was over before i even knew it." "I never thought ofyou as this sexy." "Sexy?" "." "You've matured." "Your dad told me." "A lot has happened, eh?" "." "Your brother left home with a woman." "Your dad had a big tatami shop, but he closed it to pay debts." "Anything can happen in life." "Business is slow in Japan." "Recession is everywhere." "But there's no recession whereyou're going to work." "Men can't resist as long as they have money." "A geisha's job is to sell her art, right?" "." "Yes. ""Art."'" "A very feminine art." "Can she play the samisen?" "." "She doesn't just play music, ma'am." "She dances well too." "Right?" "." "Then play this." "Play anything you like." "All right?" "." ""Cat'" is slang forgeisha" "Theycall me cat" "But doyou think a cat comes wearing clogs and kimono" "TH E GREAT EARTHQUAKE OF 1 923" "Mymind is elsewhere." "Only my body is hot." "An endless stream ofmen came and went, and endless days as well." "SU M M ER 1 92 9" "I t's been 1 0 years." "I 've moved all over Japan." "I 've used aliases." "Geishas sell their bodies too, so why not just be a whore instead?" "." "I felt more at ease that way." "I don't dislike this racket, and I get to choose my clients too." "Miyako, there's a client foryou." "A client at this hour?" "." "All right." "Why, it's you, Brother!" "I heard you were ill, so I came to seeyou." "Thankyou for coming all this way." "This racket and this illness go together." "There's an offer foryou." "Why not work at Kusatsu spa?" "." "It'll cureyour illness." "I know." "That's whatyou came for." "You'll make more money off me." "Otherwise, you wouldn't have come all the way to Osaka to see me." "You're a real professional now." "Meaning?" "." "Do I look so sexy?" "." "You've always been sexy and a straight talker." "Doesn't it botheryour clients?" "." "I'm amazed." "Why not become one ofthem?" "." "Silly!" "You're like my sister." "You want to lay me as long as it's free, huh?" "." "Your face says so." "I'm old enough to see that." "It's my long experience." "Sonomaru, a client." " A client?" "." " Yes." "He says it won't take long." "It's myjob." "Brother." "Hurry!" "Come in." "Please take good care ofhim." "I'm being sent to Manchuria tomorrow." "I'm embarrassed to say it, but I've never had a woman." "I put myselfin your hands." "His father's waiting downstairs." "Yes." "Once I taste a woman, I won't let myselfbe killed easily." "That's what Dad said." "Manchuria, eh?" "." "Foryour country?" "." "Yes." "I'll serve my mother country." "How great!" "Men serve their country." "I never thought ofit." "But..." "I'll makeyou a real man." "Thankyou." "Relax, all right?" "." "just do as I say." "Let's go to Manchuria together." "Yes, let's." "No." "Let's go." " We can't go." " Yes, we can." "Yes, we'll go." "No." "No." "I can't hold it." "Not yet." "Take it slow." "Slow." "We'll go to Manchuria." "That's right." "It feels so good!" "You're amazing, Sada!" "Irresistible!" "It really got me excited." "when you touched him down there." "Soldiers are special." "Thanks." "Okayo, a client." "A client?" "." "Some tea?" "." "No, thanks." "I'm in a hurry!" "One, two " "Boss!" "You're doing well, eh?" "." "What areyou doing?" "." "How can I control myself now?" "." "You'll catch what I have." "Who cares?" "." " Brother." " Who cares?" "." "Why areyou speaking with an Osaka accent?" "." "Who cares?" "." "Thankyou foryour hard work, Kimie." "Thanks." "Your box sure is great." "It's more than just experience." "Sorry about this." "What'll we do?" "." "Shall I payyou?" "." "How can I take money from you?" "." "Instead, there's a man I want to lay me free." "You love him?" "." "No." "He's the one who stole myvirginity." "Why for free?" "." "If a whore refuses money from a man, it's a big insult to him." "I'll get back at him that way." "Look for him and bring him to me." "You're an interesting woman." "No." "You're a dreadful woman." "Thus time passed once again." "Doyou know why flowers are so lovely like this?" "." "Pardon?" "." "SUMMER 1 935" "Flowers are like a woman's equipment." "Oh, madam " "Flowers bloom just for that purpose." "They attract bees, then their petals fall away." "It would be sad if people were the same way." "People are different because they have something called a ""heart."'" "Understand?" "." "Where did you hear that?" "." "I read it in that magazine." "HOUSEWIVES' FRI END" "The master's back." "And don't call me madam." "I'm just a concubine." "She knows what to do, so have a nice time." "Welcome back." "Welcome." "My name is Sada." "Welcome back." "Mr. Tachibana." "Pleased to meetyou." "A bath first, or something to eat?" "." "A bath first." "Let him change his clothes and relax." "Excuse me." "Seeyou later." "I'll do it." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "I'll do it." "Listen." "You were wrong." "You weren't formal enough when introducing yourself." "You must speak more politely to men in my position." "Another thing." "I can take of myself." "Leave me alone." "i felt he hadmade a fool ofme." "i decided to conquerhim forrevenge." "Don't touch me there." "I'm a man, after all." "It makes me feel strange." "Then why not just feel strange?" "." "You have soft hands." "No." "You mustn't do this." "Master." "Don't." "What's your name?" "." "It's Sada." "You were wrong again." "Why not be wrong with me?" "." "Sada." "Aren'tyou Sada?" "." "Mom!" "It's me." "I came home to seeyou." "It's been so long." "Could this really be true?" "." "Yes, it is." "You're seeing the real Sada." "A gift foryou." "Thankyou." "When you wrote you were coming home, your dad didn't believe it." "I believed it." "I prayed to Buddha." "And I told your dad you'd come." "Of course I'd come home." "But still!" "I never lied to Dad oryou." "That's why I got scolded so often!" "Let's go." "You're really beautiful." "I'm a lady." "I'll carryyour things." "No." "It's part of my outfit." "What a nice day!" "How's Dad doing these days?" "." "He sits and looks out on the landscape all day." "Good." "We oweyou so much." "You send us money." "We can buy medicine and pay doctors." "No one else here sees a doctor." "This way." "What aboutyou?" "." "I met a big shot for the first time." "I know." "Takiguchi told us." "You're fortunate." "You worked hard and it broughtyou good fortune." "His name is Tachibana?" "." "He's a school principal." "He'll be in parliament too." "But he didn't tell me that." "I found out on my own." "Maybe he wants to hide what he is." "He pays me and teaches me lots." "He told me to go see my parents." "He said to be a dutiful daughter." "I'm so grateful to him." "After I leave here, he told me to be an apprentice in a Tokyo restaurant." "A restaurant?" "." "To study cooking." "Then he'll give me enough to run a small restaurant." "Let's race, Mom." "Ready?" "." "Go!" "Dad!" "I feel better." "japanese kimonos are something." "This dress suits you too." "It's the ""modern girl" style." "It's the rage now." "I wanted to surpriseyou." "Actually, I hate it." "Why not show it toyour dad?" "." "It'd shock him to death." "I always wanted to tell you this." "What?" "." "That college student who madeyou suffer so " "He died." "He became a pilot and crashed during a drill." "He was punished." "And the other studentyou mentioned " "His namewas Okada." "I thoughtyou knew this." "He suffered from Hansen's disease." "Hewas sent to an island." "These things happen." "Hansen's disease?" "." "Such lovely flowers!" "This paper's lovely too." "Sulfate paper." "It's the rage, too." "Rain again." "Dad." "What areyou looking at?" "." "Mountains?" "Trees?" "The sky?" "Or the rain?" "Dad." "What about the heart?" "." "The heart?" "." "Can you see a human heart?" "." "Smile." "Smile more, Sada." "I can see it." "Your heart is smiling." "Sada's heart is smiling." "Dad." "Listen." "When you smile, mountains, trees, the sky, the rain " "everything smiles too." "That's a human heart." "Dad." "Why did you buy them?" "." "You're no ordinarywoman." "Sir." "Will you do me a favor?" "." "Money?" "." "I'll giveyou some now, then more atyear-end." "Learn the trade and open a restaurant." "That's not it." "Then what?" "." "I must return to the conference." "Find a man who's in isolation for Hansen's disease." "You can do it." "I know whatyour conference is for." "I know all aboutyou." "You can do anything." "Listen, Sada." "I'm a school principal." "I'll be finished ifwe're seen together." "I can't walk on the street with you openly." "My fate depends on you." "Then find him." "Okada." "A medical student." "I met him in 1 91 9." "His aunt is the proprietress of an inn." "That's all." "Look for him." "A student named Okada?" "." "I must see him at any cost." "Ifyou promise," "I'll work at the restaurant you recommended." "I'll leave this life and run a small restaurant." "I'll dowhatever it takes to learn the trade, even washing dishes." "But Hansen's disease is a secret." "I can't do it." "That's why I'm asking you." "All right." "I'll dowhat I can." "You sure are a nice person." "I loveyou!" "That's enough." "All right." "We'll stay in contact through this place." "I'll ask the madam." "Keep quiet till I'm elected." "I'll make it." "I know." "Mr. Tachibana." "Seeyou again." "Here comes the fateful man " "Tatsuzo Kikumoto." "February 1 936." "It was three months before it happened." "She was 31 and at her best." "Sada is walking along the street" "Passersbyturn to look at her" "But Sada keeps on walking" "Hello?" "." "Didyou dream ofher" "Then you don't love her enough" "Ifyou really fall for her" "You can't sleep at night" "What are you doi ng?" "." "Come i n." "Hey!" "I 'm Sada." "There's a Sada here." "See to her." "I 'm here to work as an apprentice." "My name is " "I know already." "Who was that gentleman?" "." "He owns this place." "He's my husband, Tatsuzo." "Be careful." "He's fast with women." "Shinkichi!" "Help her." "FEBRUARY 1 2" "Will this do?" "." "Notyet." "Ass!" "How can you polish a square dish with circular motions?" "." "Use square strokes." "You have nice, lovely hands." "You've neverworked in a kitchen, haveyou?" "." "Here she comes." "How is she?" "." "She's doing all right." "She is?" "." "We never let a woman touch finished food before." "It's Mr. Tachibana's wish." "Mr. Tachibana?" "." "Sada, how old is he?" "." "He's tough, isn't he?" "." "I admire him." "My kids will come home from school soon." "Give them a snack." "All right?" "." "She's jealous." "Who wouldn't be, with you here?" "." "Come now." "I can tell." "By the way, what doyou think ofthe master?" "." "I already have someone to love." "Someone beside Tachibana?" "." "Tachibana's your patron then?" "." "I must be careful." "Didyou dream ofher" "Thenyou don't love her enough" "Not bad." "Ifyou reallyfall forher" "You can't sleep at night" "Good at this, eh?" "." "No." "I 'm not used to it yet." "But I 'm trying." "That's good." """Upright and steadfast," eh?" "." "Oh, Shinkichi." "The next party starts at 8:.00 sharp." "Okay?" "." "What was the situation from the time the accused began working for Kikumoto until she became involved with Tatsuzo?" "When I first met Tatsuzo, he looked very nice." "I liked him." "But I didn 't show it." "About 1 0 days later, he began to tap me on the neck and stand in my way in the kitchen or hallway." "I thought he liked me." "Still, maybe he was just teasing me." "Let's see what happens." "FEBRUARY 2 8" "MARCH 1 7" "APRI L 1 9" "Even after I started working there, I never forgot Tachibana." "I expected a bright future." "One night I was writing to him when Tatsuzo came in." """I wish I knew what happened regardi ng what I asked you about."" "You're writing to Tachibana, eh?" "." "Damn him!" "The light's still on." "We made love forthe first time there." "We didit, but it was no fun." "Everyone knew aboutyouraffaair, soyou two decided to stay at an inn?" "Mr. Tachibana phoned me the morning ofApril 23." "I took leave and went to see him." "APRI L 23" "Listen." "About Okada " """ February 2 6 Coup d' Etat"" "Answer my question!" "I don't like your attitude." "Some young military officers rose up on February 26." "It shocked the whole nation." "You should take more interest in current events." "I don't understand anything about such affairs." "I understand only Okada." "He misses me." "I must see him." "He's in an asylum in Okayama Prefecture." "Where is it?" "." "On an island." "Is he well?" "." "I don't know." "What doyou mean?" "." "About Hansen's disease " "I asked about him, not the disease." "Understand about the disease first, or I won't tell you anything." "The cause is unknown." "Hansen's disease is considered hopeless." "It's incurable." "The patients are isolated from their families." "Nothing is reported about them." "Then I can't see him ifl go?" "." "No, you can't." "He won't seeyou either." "It's too much." "Nevertheless, that's how today's Japan is." "Then I can understand those officers." "They tried to improveJapan!" "Not so loud." "When someone plots something, he first needs the world's help." "It's not easy." "Definitely not." "It's sad." "That's life." "Why aren't we meeting at the usual inn?" "." "I hate this place." "I must leave soon." "I broughtyour favorite food." "Physical love has only secondary meaning between a man and woman." "A close rapport should come first." "Just someone holding your hand seems to exciteyou." "You're easily aroused." "When you're with a man, you must control yourself." "Good-bye." "I foundhis theories boring, but at the same time I regarded him as a great person." "Sada is telling us her story" "It surprises people greatly" "She never stoops along the way" "Why is this, Okada?" "." "I can't remem ber your face." "I t hurts." "I t pains my body, but " "I walked on the beach alone." "Tatsuzo gave me a note as I was going out." "I went to the inn he mentioned in his note." """See you at Yoshinoya I nn"" "So you came." "I knew you'd come." "Come in." "Wasn't it cold?" "." "Sit over here." "Though I must say, when you're standing, I can look atyour cute butt." "Give me some sake too." "Sure." "You drink?" "." "You believe in omens?" "." "Omens?" "." "Drink up." "I'll get more." "Why?" "." "Omens?" "." "I like to believe in omens." "Like:. ""She who drinks with me will never leave me."" "There are hundreds of restaurants in Tokyo, and lots ofwomen are training in them." "I know." "You chose mine." "That in itselfwas destiny." "Is that whatyou meant?" "." "Yes." " You're smarter than you look." " My mind isn't my only strong point." "You really speakyour mind!" "What happened?" "." "We're getting drunk." "Want to go to bed before we're too drunk?" "." "Is that whatyou wanted after all?" "." "What areyou saying?" "." "What else would a married man like me want from you?" "." "We could enjoy talking and then just say good-bye." "Talk?" "." "About that coup d'etat or things like that." "Don't try to sober me up." "You care about that?" "." "It's big news, isn't it?" "." "That's enough." "As I told you " "You know, right?" "." "I'm " "I know." "You're married and have children." "You can't spend money endlessly, even ifyou own a restaurant." "Can you pay for this place?" "." "You're mean when you're drunk." "What ifl am?" "." "Can you drop me just like that?" "." "I can, and I will." "I'll dropyou." "Thankyou." "What's this?" "." "Give me that." "What is it?" "." "Show me." "No." "Master." "Don't call me that." "I've liked you since I first metyou." "I likeyou too." "We'll hold a wedding today." "We'll call geishas." "I'm glad." "It sounds like fun." "That night we made love overandoveragain." "That night I couldrelax forthe first time in a long time." "Before I realized it," "I found that my body couldn't do without a man." "How many men had I known?" "They were countless." "They had left me craving a man 's body." "Among the many I had affaairs with," "Tatsuzo was the best in a sexual sense." "Even when dozing offa, he gently stroked my body all over." "For the first time," "I had met a man who could care for me and really excite me." "I loved him and didn 't want to be apart from him." "But without money, what could we do?" "More, please." "Sada." "Okada..." "You know how many men Sada has had?" "No need to be mean." "APRI L 2 4" "How dare you talk like that?" "I've been patient as a favor to Mr. Tachibana, but I'll fire that bitch!" "Give that to me!" "Are you plotti ng to take over by sleepi ng with the master?" "." "I f I were, wouldn't it be better to go afteryou?" "." "What a thing to say!" "You're terrible." "You heard us, eh?" "." "Why did you seduce my husband?" "." "You're just kitchen help!" "Can't the kitchen help sleep with men?" "." "He started all this." "Perhaps ifhis wife were more attractive " "What?" "." "Bitch!" "Stop that!" "You started it, you villain!" "Nonsense!" "What's the difference who started it?" "." "Was he that good?" "." "He was great!" "And he said I was better than you." "Shall I call the police?" "." "Idiot!" "What didyou think ofYoshi, the madam?" "I thought she was a fool forbad-mouthing herhusband." "What a mess!" "Sada, wait!" "Are you hurt?" "." "No." "It's nothing, compared to the other pain." "What do you mean, the other pain?" "." "Men wouldn't know." "Wereyou kicked out, too?" "." "I was just an heiress's husband." "They say, ""Never marry an heiress."" "Don't make fun of me." "What'll you do now?" "." "I have no idea." "What aboutyou?" "." """My sorrow is stained." "What do I want?" "." "What can I wish for?"" "What's that?" "." "A poem." "A young man wrote that sad poem." """Stained sorrow... dreams of death in lassitude."" """Lassitude"?" "." "Yes." "It means feeling tired and dull." "Soyou want to die?" "." "No, it's just a poem." "I'm all right." "Let's go to that inn again." "Whileyou were fighting with Yoshi," "I stole some money." "I wish you happiness." "Doughnuts, please." "How comeyou like that stuff?" "." "Thankyou." "Hey, Sada." "Yes?" "." "Why not toss those doughnuts?" "." "Toss them?" "." "Look." "I'll catch them." "Idiot!" "You see?" "." "I'm still young, eh?" "." "One, then two" "Two, then three" "Then four" "Then five" "Then finallysix" "What's that song?" "." "It was years ago." "Maybe I sang it when I was a child." "It's coming back to you now?" "." "No." "Now is like the past." "How many didyou count" "How manyandhowmany" "Count manynumbers" "They can bring tomorrow" "They can bring backyesterday" "That picture." "I 've seen it somewhere." "It's by Yumeji." "He drew it." "Whether a poem or a painting," "I envy those who leave behind something important." "I, on the other hand, spend my life in vain." "As for me," "I'm beginning to find something to live for." "What's Okada toyou?" "." "You called me Okada the other day." "You said his name." "I did?" "." "Who is he?" "." "He may not beyou... or he may beyou." "What can it be?" "." "I mean, a man's name." "What didyou do whileyou were with Tatsuzo?" "For two weeks, from April 24 to May 7, we moved from inn to inn." "Normally people would get tired of each other, but I actually grew more and more fond ofhim." "He went back to Yoshi to get money." "I was left alone for three days." "I was sojealous andimpatient." "That was the hardest time ofmylife." "MAY 8" "MAY 9" "MAY 1 0" "One, then two" "Two, then three" "Then four" "Then five" "Then finally six" "Those three days seemed like a month to me." "MAY 1 1" "Did you m iss me?" "." "Yes." "Did you m iss me too?" "." "Yeah, but it was a rough time." "A horse went wild." "It kicked a girl." "I hope she's all right." "Was that the ""rough time"?" "." "No, that wasn't all." "Are you angry?" "." "In a bad mood?" "." "I was upset too." "You know Yoshi." "She was hard to convince." "Did you lay her too?" "." "Did you let her feel you?" "." "What?" "." "Why do you let that botheryou?" "." "I know." "That's why she got jealous." "Ifwe balanced ourlove on a scale," "I loved Tatsuzo more than he loved me." "Hey, Tatsuzo!" "I'm mad at you." "I'll never let you go back to your wife again." "Ifyou do, I'll kill us both!" "As a joke, I bound his wrists with a sash." "It made him happy." "He tickled me with his bound hands." "We hardlyslept." "We made love till morning." "Tatsuzo." "He couldn't get moneyfrom his wife." "I decided to ask Tachibana for some." "I 'm sorry to make you come so far." "MAY 1 6" "I have work to do here anyway." "You're looking well." "That woman told me she fired you." "I was worried about you." "I didn't know where you were." "Are you here for another conference?" "." "No." "I'll go to the usual inn with you." "Then I'll go home." "Welcome." "Coffee, please." "Is this your ""work"?" "." "A Calpis, please." "It's raining." "Let's take a trip together for a few days." "We'll go to the Seto Inland Sea." "We'll see the island where that student is." "We might get some information on him." "What's wrong?" "." "You were so eager before." "Don't bother about him anymore." "Ifhe doesn't see me orwrite to me," "I feel as if he were here all the time." "Please enjoy." "I'm beginning to understand the things you tell me." "So please don't bother." "I see." "Then" "let's not go to that inn together." "That's better, eh?" "." "I'm sorry." "Here's 200 yen foryou." "Keep in touch." "I'll send more." "Excuse me." "Would you have a match?" "." "Thankyou." "Isn't a man waiting foryou?" "." "Ifyou have a beau, tell me." "I'll inquire about him." "I'll sponsoryourwedding." "I thinkofyou as my kid sister." "I'll take care ofyou even ifl die." "It's as ifyou belonged to anotherworld." "Imissed Tatsuzoso badly andhurriedback to him." "I'm lonely." "So lonely." "What's wrong with you?" "." "I'm very lonely somehow." "I'm here." "Just like usual." "It's odd, very odd." "I've never been so lonely." "You won't go away." "You won't leave me, will you?" "." "Why not tie me up so I can't leave?" "." "I wish I were a sash myself." "I could tieyou up with my body." "Please strangle me." "Squeeze my throat." "Strangle me." "Let's stop." "Let's stop." "I feel sorry foryou." "Then I'll strangleyou." "I'll use this sash." "I'll stopyou from breathing." "Stop it!" "You're tickling me." "How can I make love like this?" "." "Stop!" "At first he enjoyed it." "Heslappedhis forehead andmade faces." "He was having fun." "When I squeezed his throat, his bellytrembled nicely." "I told him so." "Ifyou like it," "I 'll endure it, even thought it hurts." "That's what he said." "I don't care what happens to my body." "He said that, too." "Hey, it's shrunk." "What happened?" "." "My neck's hot." "Lookwhatyou did to me." "They're dead." "They got wet in the rain, huh?" "." "Human life is short." "How long can birds live?" "." "How brief!" "." "Theywere alive just a while ago." "Everything dies someday." "I'm 42 already." "I've done almost everything a man can do in his life." "As for the rest, my assets are mortgaged." "It'll take a while, but I'll helpyou open a restaurant." "Not a bad way to spend the rest of my life." "I'm glad, but I'm sad, too." " I suppose." " If" "If" "Don't say that." "There are no ""ifs" in life." "To live, you must stop saying ""if."" "Really?" "." "Absolutely." "Let's drop this gloomy subject." "There may be no ""ifs,"" "butyou're here, and that's for sure." "Let's go to bed." "Let's do it again." "Staying with you," "I'll end up a skeleton." "On the 17th, youstrangled Tatsuzo to death in his sleep." "Tell us how it happened." "He kept saying that he was sleepy." "As I watched him sleep," "MAY 1 7 he opened his eyes and was glad to see me." "Listen." "After I fal I asleep," "I 'll bet you strangle me again." "He said so." "Then I said " "Yes." "I said so, laughing." "When you strangle me, don't loosen your hands." "Otherwise itwill hurt afterwards." "That time," "I wondered ifhe wanted me to kill him." "I thought so." "Butsoon afterward," "I thought he was onlyjoking." "Before long, he fell asleep." "I reached with my right hand and grabbed a pink sash." "I slid the end under his neck and wound it twice." "I gri pped both ends and slowly strangled hi m." "Tatsuzo opened his eyes." "Saying that, he tried to hug me." "I pressed my head to Tatsuzo's chest." "Forgive me!" "I cried." "I pulled on the sash as hard as I could." "Then I went downstairs and looked around." "I saw a clock in the offaice." "It was a little past 2:00 a.m." "Why did you slice off his penis?" "." "I thought if I carried it with me, he would always be with me," "and I wouldn't feel lonely." "Why did you carve your name into his flesh?" "." "I wantedhim to carryme with him forever." "So I carved my name." "What did you do with his penis?" "." "It was a keepsake he left me." "I wrapped it in special paper and tucked it under my waistband." "What about the weapon?" "." "I put it in my bag and carried it with me." "It was a gift from someone special." "MAY 1 8" "I 'm goi ng out for a whi le." "He's sleeping." "Don't wake him till noon." "If it isn't Sada!" "Such a long time." "What a surprise!" "You, in Tokyo?" "." "What's up?" "." "You look happy." "Has something good happened?" "." "I feel as ifsomething heavy that had been here a long time suddenly disappeared." "Is that so?" "." "I heard your father died." "I didn't make it to his funeral." "Eighty-two?" "." "A nice long life." "A lot happens in this life, eh?" "." "Where areyou going?" "." "Never mind." "We'll meet again." "Good-bye." "Good-bye." "Take care." "Thankyou." "Same toyou." "What's this?" "." "What happened?" "." "His member has been cut off." "Cut offwith a knife, perhaps." "A murder case?" "." " I'm not sureyet!" " Double suicide?" "." "I wonder." "I've been a cop a long time, but I've never seen anything like this." "Let's look for this woman Sada." "What wereyou doing beforeyour arrest?" "." "That day, I strolled along the riverbank." "Then I went to Asakusa andsawa historical drama at the movies." "Didn'tyou plan to run away?" "Tatsuzo was dead, so I must die." "I thought so vaguely." "Besides, it started to rain, so I didn't run away but just wandered around town." "I sat on a park bench, thinking." "Then I decided to meet Tachibana at his inn." "He happened to be in Tokyo." "Where are you going in this rain?" "." "I can't just stay and get wet." "He said" "Then why not come here?" "." "I insisted on going somewhere we'd neverbeen." "We took a taxi towards Otsuka and took a room at an inn." "I didn't tell him that I'd killed Tatsuzo." "I was veryvague." "Whatever may happen, just think thatyou bought a whore." "You paid me." "I kept repeating things like that." "I knew how he felt at that time." "Let's go to bed." "I slept with him merely out ofduty." "This has a secondary meaning foryou, right?" "." "I hate to say this, but you sort of stink." "MAY 1 9" "Then we parted." "I moved to another inn bymyself." "Although I tried to kill myself there, the transom was too low to hang myself." "I couldn't die." "So I wrote to Tachibana and Tatsuzo, who was already dead." ""You whom I loved most have died." "You became mine." "I willjoinyou." "You are mine." "From Sada. '"" """Dear Mr. Tachibana:" "You saidyou'd help me to live decently." "You treated me with love, though you didn 't satisfy me." "But it's for another reason that I'm going to die. '"" "MAY 2 0" "I couldn't mail the letter to Tatsuzo." "I asked a maid to post my letter to Tachibana the next day, and thus his name was disclosed to the world." "It caused him troubles, and I'm sorry for that." "Then" "I drank two bottles of beer." "I lay i n bed, wonderi ng how to die." "The police came about 4:00 p.m." "Yes, I 'm Sada Abe." "Then they arrested me." "Here's a strange picture." "It was taken when she was arrested." "She's smiling, feeling relieved, as she stated in her confession." "The cops are smiling too." "I wonder what that implies." "Actually, the Sada case was looked upon favorably by the public." "Sada became a heroine, a winner in love." """This i ncident tel Is that thei r pl us and m i nus satisfied each other."'" "Meaning?" "." "The man and woman fit each other." """Their plus and minus satisfied each other and led to this rare outcome."'" "It's the talk ofthe town." "Her lawyer's speech softened up the public prosecutors." "She staked her life on love." "I envy her." "It was an act oflove." "It sure is something great in these gloomy times." "I'll applaud." "Loud enough for all to hear." """What a problem for Mr. Tachibana!"" "Last question:" "You, the accused, loved Tatsuzo, the victim, so much thatyou wanted to have him all foryourself," "even ifyou had to murder him?" "." "What is the meaning ofthat?" "." "I don't know." "I don't even know myself." "At that time, I did as I wished." "That's all." "Come to think ofit, it's hard to know" "how anyone feels - even myself." "The trial began on May20, 1936, andendedon December21." "The accused shall serve six years." "Do you have anything to say?" "." "No." "A long time passed once again." "Everyone forgot about it." "Ifforgetting means dying," "I guess I died at that time." "On April 1, 1 996, the Anti-Leprosy Law, which caused bias and segregation, was abolished 90 years after it was enacted." "The island was opened to everyone." "But no one knows where Okada went." "Sada's term was shortened to five years." "She was released on May 1 7, 1 94 1." "Some say she changed her name and got married, or that she staged a drama about herself and toured Japan." "But everything faded with the passing oftime." "Few people know about Sada now." "Japan is in a dark age again." "But thejapanese were beautiful in those days." "I felt that way." "It's been all of 61 years." "Sada's days are over, I guess." "I who fret like this am no longer needed these days." "It's about time to exit this stage." "Well, then, good-bye, everyone." "Be careful." "Howmanydidyou count" "Howmanyandhowmany" "Count manynumbers" "They can bring tomorrow 1 998" "They can bring backyesterday" "IfSada's still alive, she'd be 93 years old." "Di rected by NOBU H I KO OBAYASH I"