Gisaburo Desa
- He wouldn't be here, would he? - No... he's not here. He's away, working
- And where is he working? In town? - In Tokyo, I think
- Where in Tokyo? - I don't really know
Come on, who would know if not his wife?
What sort of work does he do?
He pulls a rickshaw
How long will he be gone?
- Hear from him, now and then? - Yes
Then you know he is well? Would you show me one of his letters?
I do not have one. You see, he cannot read or write
Tell me... How do you know he is in Tokyo then?
Someone said they saw him there
Someone saw him there... Just who is this someone?
Is she your daughter?
Yes, she is on holiday; and she stayed longer than she should
She must think of returning to her work soon
- What is her name? - Oshin
Oshin! Your father has not tried to contact you, has he?
We are told that his spirit has returned
And you are not the least bit disturbed?
I intend to find out what happened to him Understand?
The last time you heard from your husband was 3 years ago
Wouldn't you say that is a bit peculiar?
No, please... don't make me go home I cannot sleep, I am too afraid!
Listen, you have more to fear from a cop than from a ghost
Use your head, will you? The ghost isn't dangerous, it can't harm you
But if the cop ever discovers the truth, we're done for, you hear?
You haven't seen the ghost, you don't know what it's like!
Every time I see him, it feels like he is sucking my life from me
I keep wondering why it is, Gisaburo never appears to me?
It is strange. All I know is if he tells anyone he is in the well, then were are lost...
You must be strong, okay?
If we lose our courage, it is over! We will finish up at the end of a rope
You've got to be strong
We won't see each other as long as that cop is around. We don't want him to suspect anything
It is easy to say that we mustn't do anything to cause suspicion
But in the beginning, you didn't care! When you shaved me, you weren't careful then!
Now, don't cry! Please, don't cry!
I do not want to go. I do not want to leave you I want to stay here with you
Do not worry... do not worry
Why else would I put you through all this if not so we could be together in the end!
I just cannot bear to go on any longer!
I know you can take it, but I can't! I can't!
Denzo! Charge!
Where did you get the trumpet?
From the Inspector!
Seki, go home, and stay there! We can't be seen together
And do not be afraid of the ghost If he shows up again, give him some sake
Seki, do you know... Do you know what everyone is saying?
They say you have someone
So, you are getting this for him, then?
The thing I do not like though, is all this talk of a ghost
You don't think he is jealous, do you?
Well Seki, if he comes here, don't worry, I will give him good advice
I will tell him he would do you more good, if he'd rest in peace!
You don't look well, sorry if I upset you
Thank you, Seki, and good night
I do not like hearing about ghosts myself
Seki, are you going home now?
Then, get in. I am going that way, too
No, I would prefer to walk
Seki... Won't you get in?
My poor little Seki
Okay, I will get in, then
Are we on the right road?
We are not on the right road!
Strange, I must have forgotten the way home
Seki, you will have to guide me
I will try, but we'll have to turn back
It's not the road! I do not even know where we are!
Don't go so fast! Where are we, anyhow? I do not recognize this!
I do not see anything familiar! If only I could tell... If only I knew where we are!
Wait, will you?! It's useless to keep going, if you don't know the way
Gisaburo! Have you forgotten the way?
Gisaburo!
Gisaburo... Gisaburo! Help me! Help me!
I am afraid, Gisaburo!
Help me, Gisaburo!
Are you really Gisaburo?
Gisaburo, let me see your face
Mother, what happened to you?
Oshin!
Mother!
Oshin!
Mother, I am leaving you now
- Do not leave me! - You said you didn't want me to stay here
I know, since all you talk of is your father
If I stay, I will be reminded of him all the time
Mother... Are you sure you do not know where he is?
Oshin...
Don't worry, I will never tell anyone of my dream
- And I will never return again - Why? What do you mean?
Mother, I have to go
Take care of yourself Don't go out alone at night anymore
It's not good to leave Ishichi alone
- Good-bye! - Oshin!
- Little Seki, helping with the harvest? - Yes
Toyoji has nothing to do from morning till night
Couldn't the lazy bones better help you a little?
Some people have no shame,
they cheat on their husband, then kill him when he finds out!
Some people talk too much! It's easy to gossip, when you don't know the truth. Couldn't you be wrong?
Don't tell me something here isn't fishy?
Aren't you jumping to conclusions?
I know what I am saying, believe me!
You'd be blind not to see what they're up to and the strange goings-on
I agree with you!
Each afternoon, he goes off alone. He is in the woods, up to no good!
Listen, do you know what he does there? He throws a basket of dead leaves into an old well!
Can you believe it?! Strange behaviour, if you ask me
What do you know!?
Ever see him in the woods yourself? Did you ever see him at my house?
There is nothing going on between us! You only gossip!
You worked hard. Thank you
May I come in?
I was following him, but didn't expect him to come here
The young Master saw me throwing leaves into the well
It's trouble if he tells Hotta
Do you think he will?
I will listen to them. Go home and wait, I'll see you there
If the police arrest us, what do we tell them?
Hurry up, we don't want to be seen here
Little Seki! Are you in bed already?
I cooked some sweet potatoes for you
That was kind of you. Wait, I will let you in
Don't bother, I will leave them outside the door...
I didn't want to disturb you if you were with someone
Gisaburo! Please forgive me,
but I have nothing in the house to drink
and I am too tired to go out and get something for you
Would you like one? Here!
Gisaburo!
I would like to know why you still haven't denounced me yet?
Tell me... that night before you died, you must have seen who was killing you?
You knew it was me?
Why don't you tell someone?
Gisaburo!
Gisaburo, where are you going?
I want to go with you Please take me with you!
Gisaburo, don't go
Seki, it is me!
Seki!
Toyoji, is that you?
What is going on? Open the door!
- Toyoji, just go away! - What?
I do not want to see you again
I cannot hear you The Inspector is still there. They may tell him about the well
I do not care. They can arrest me now. I don't care what they do
Whatever they do to me,
Seki...
it couldn't be worse than this poverty,
the endless aching, hurting... when all hope is gone
Always waiting for you, Toyoji, and you never come...
Open the door!
Toyoji, I told you to go
If you do not go, I swear, I will tell the Inspector, that I killed Gisaburo
Seki, why won't you open the door? What is going on in there?
What is gotten into you? Have you gone crazy?
Go away, leave me alone!
Let me die! I want to die, then everything will be okay!
If I'm dead, they can't do anything to me,
and you can live in peace
Leave here, make a new life somewhere! Travel to Tokyo
I want you to be happy
Open the door! Open it!
No. It won't do any good to die together
No! I want us to live together
- To live together! We are going to live together - It is no longer possible. So, I want to die!
Toyoji! Go away! Go! Don't let them see you here, they will arrest you!
No, I won't go away
Too late!
If I mean anything to you, then you'll go!
No, Seki, I won't go! No, Seki, I love you!
I love you, Seki, don't you understand?!
You don't scare me
Go away!
Gisaburo...
Seki... she cannot die!
Seki!
Seki! Forgive me
Forgive me... please forgive me, Seki!
Three more days...
Three more days
I wanted to live with you
Hurry! We must try to save them!
Are you okay?
Be careful in there!
- Is everyone okay? - Yes
Well, it is the young master! What are you doing in this part of the woods?
I am out for a walk These are our woods
And you, Toyoji?
So, was it you who said you saw me throwing leaves into an old well?
Why, no, I never said a word
But aren't you the only one who saw me do it?
These old woods are full of surprises, full of old wells, too
You may not even recall at which one you saw me
- You did tell the Inspector? - I think so
I don't believe you
You don't even know which well it is If you knew, you wouldn't be out here looking for it
You will die for what you have done!
Maybe I will... but first you are going to die!
Good evening
Toyoji, hurry! Don't keep me waiting for you
It's been already 5 days,
in the cold, being eaten alive by mosquitoes...
- That's very kind of you, Odame, thank you! - It's nothing, don't mention it
My dear Lady, good evening!
Is the little one asleep?
Do be quiet, he sleeps so lightly
My dear Lady, would you like a treat?
You don't call me "Dear Lady" usually, do you, Toyoji?
Seki, you said all you wanted was to be together for 3 days of happiness?
I couldn't think of what to do,
till I remembered, when I called you "Dear lady"
when I had come for tea... it was then we were happy together
And we never gave any thought to being seen together
So, for the next 3 days, why don't we live that way?
The Inspector has no right to stop us
Dear Lady, would you care for a treat?
How kind of you You are spoiling me again...
Why, no, it's nothing at all...
- Where did you get them? - I bought them at a store
They were too tempting to resist, ought to be good, made fresh today
Oh, yes!
I will try one, then. Why do I allow you to spoil me?
Shall I make us some tea?
Dear Lady, won't you have one first? Go on!
Toyoji isn't in love with you, is he?
No, don't cry!
We will ruin everything if we make a mistake now
Good, that's what I am waiting for, for you to make a stupid little mistake
Is anything wrong? What are you looking at?
Why are you laughing?
I was thinking how we used to share the last one
Well, Toyoji, this time... the last is for you.
No, you take it, it is for you dear Lady
- No, you take it - No, I insist
Toyoji...
Seki, stop!
Who's there?
- Who's there!? - What is it?
I heard a noise out there
I didn't hear anything What to you think it was?
It sounded like someone was moving out there
But no one is there... unless it's the cats They're in heat this time of year
Cats, my eye! You're the one in heat
Strange, what they say about the young Master
They say he hung himself to save the family honour
because he was the one who killed Gisaburo!
It's hard to believe that story!
Gisaburo... no one knows if he is really dead
How can we know?
Kurazo dreamt he fell into a well. How could he survive?
I heard he had been daydreaming
I don't believe that story This story is far from clear
I hope to know if he is dead or alive
Why are they so sure the young Master committed suicide?
Inspector Hotta!
Why haven't you arrested Gisaburo's murderer yet?
You must end this talk, that my son was the killer and that's why he took his own life
Madam, I can't make an arrest without proof
But the whole house talks of an old well and someone throwing leaves into it
No one knows which well it is
You should arrest him first, then force him to confess!
Madam... you have my sympathy
My dear lady, according to the present laws in Japan...
if I arrest an innocent man, then I am the guilty one
- What are you saying? - I'm stating the law!
Inspector, you've got some nasty mosquito bites there
Been chasing girls in the woods again?
Toyoji, I thought you'd like some cakes
They are funeral cakes
Think the Inspector will come tonight?
Seki, you know, it really does not matter, I have decided to confess to killing Gisaburo alone
You had no part in it, you knew nothing about it. As soon as Hotta arrests me,
I will say Seki is innocent
No, do not talk like that!
Funny, I am no longer afraid of them
Toyoji, tell me something
I shouldn't be asking, but was it you who killed the young Master?
Toyoji...
I knew it. I don't understand... if you killed him,
so he wouldn't give us away, so we'd be safe, then, now that he's dead, why must you confess?
True, I killed him so we'd be safe
Only, it doesn't matter whether I go on living or not
I couldn't live without you!
Look, Seki, I want you to go on living
What if they arrest us? They won't hurt us, will they?
100 strokes with the cane
When young, I saw a man caned...
You’re stripped and bound hand and foot,
and beaten with a cane till given 100 strokes
Completely naked?
It's horrible torture to have your back laid raw and your flesh torn open
No one can take the pain, the unbearable agony
Forget it. Don't think about it
Just remember: you didn't kill Gisaburo It's as if nothing happened
You had nothing to do with it You know nothing about it
But, how can I forget he is in the well?
There still the Gisaburo's body
Gisaburo doesn't exist
There is no body anymore There is nothing left of him by now
Yes there is! It is still there in the well
The body's there, slowly rotting...
What must it look like now?
You know, we must get it out of there
We will get the body out of there, and bury it
We can't do that
Yes, we can
I don't see how, Gisaburo's ghost still loves you I'm sure he wouldn't want to hurt you
He wouldn't let them arrest you, if he could help it
I can't see!
Oh, my eyes!
My eyes... I can't see!
I can't see! I can't see!
What's wrong with you?
Toyoji... I am blind!
- Can you see this? - No, I can't
- Look at me! Look at my face! - But, I can't see!
Hold me, Toyoji!
Toyoji...
Seki...
Toyoji...
Seki, is it true, you really can't see?
You know... I'm not young any longer
I thought we said once that age didn't matter?!
You must try to get away, while there's still time
Didn't I told you? I've nothing to be afraid of
I am no longer afraid, either. I killed Gisaburo all alone! You had nothing to do with it
You must escape while you can Don't stay here any longer
Then we'll both go away together As far as we can
- No, I can't go, now! - Why not? I can guide you
I would only be a burden to you
That's what I've been all along, a burden to drag you down
Seki, wouldn't you be sad if we left each other?
I'd rather die. Life would have no meaning without you
As long as we live, we'll always be together
Nothing but death is going to separate us now
You don't have to die with me
You must go on, Toyoji... go on to live
Not alone!
Then... Kill me!
Then take your own life
No!
You said you were no longer afraid of anything
Toyoji...you know...later on,
while I'm asleep... you could do it, then
Toyoji, look at me, now!
I know I'm... I'm not beautiful anymore
But look at me, so you'll always remember me
Seki...
Toyoji, can you still love me, now?
Seki, even if you can't see, open your eyes, as if you're looking at me!
You are very beautiful!
Toyoji...
Toyoji... let me touch you
- Toyoji! - Seki!
Kill me, please!
I beg you to kill me!
Promise me you'll kill me while I'm asleep!
Do you still say you didn't kill him?
No, I didn't kill him! I did not kill him!
Mount Shibano was the place of torture
The two were arrested and taken there
On Mount Shibano they were hung from the great oak tree
And then, the excruciating torment began...
Inspector Hotta was determined to extract their admission of guilt
Without it, he himself would be ruined
Time and again, the bamboo rods whistled through the air
landing their cruel blows on the helpless, swinging bodies
Time and again, Seki lost consciousness
and each time, she was revived with a bucket of cold water
Her face was soon hidden by her long hair matted with blood and water
Not a trace of her former beauty remained
At last, crazed with pain they admitted their crime
I did it! I murdered him! I did it alone!
I killed him all alone!
There was a hint of autumn in the air on Mt. Hacho
A chill breeze rustled through the forest
touching the first leaves with colour
before they swirled to the ground
Slowly, very slowly, as villagers gathered by the well
the unrecognizable remains of Gisaburo's body were pulled from the well
For 3 years, Gisaburo had lain in the well
Now, as he appeared, they were stunned into silence
Although his features were decayed beyond recognition
a length of rope was still seen around his neck
At this moment Toyoji lowered his gaze
But Seki, suddenly uttered a heart-rendering shriek
Had her sightless eyes somehow seen Gisaburo?
The autumn leaves had fallen and several years went by
the woods of Mount Hacho were green, then gold
then white with snow again as winter returned to the countryside
On day, gossip reached town of the two lovers
who'd been taken away and were all but forgotten
According to the idle tongues
Seki and Toyoji were condemned to death, and executed