Original subtitles

Ryssyun (Beginning of Spring) Traditional New Year's Start

Mr. Tsutomu.

Mr. Tsutomu.

Mr. Tsutomu, what are you doing?

Oh, Machiko.

Are you cold?

Come warm up by the hearth.

I'll be there soon.

Feeling warmer now?

Yes.

Delicious.

It's time to eat.

I prepared plenty from last year.

Such a splendid man...

I won't argue with that.

About the manuscript?

Keep it down.

Have some tea.

Impossible.

You're not in a hurry today?

Will you have some sake?

Yes, warm sake.

As usual for you, right?

Here you go.

Together with him, please.

Thank you.

What are you doing?

Peeling the skins off the potatoes.

I learned that as an apprentice.

Really?

Can't wait.

It's warming up.

Delicious.

Every time I come, it feels different.

I let it marinate a bit too long.

I prefer it well-marinated.

All the leftovers from the end of the year are gone now.

Now I'll put in fresh ones.

Is that so?

What a pity.

You've had enough potatoes.

Take these.

Oh, careful, it's hot.

Don't rush.

Delicious!

Especially with the skin on.

I won't argue with that.

But if you peel them completely it's like throwing away part of the taste

That's a wise translation.

Delicious.

And indeed,

you're a lover of good food.

Here you go.

Thank you.

And the aroma is delightful.

The soil?

Does it smell like soil?

About the manuscript?

No.

Alright.

Have a drink.

The deadline is approaching.

Maybe the potatoes will save me?

Potatoes may be potatoes, but work is work.

Harsh, isn't it?

It won't do.

At least give me the title.

The editor will be furious.

Here, please.

GIFTS OF THE EARTH 12 MONTHS

KEITSU (AWAKENING OF PUPAE) Creatures emerge from under the ground in the land of Sinsyu.

My life among the Shinshu Mountains

In the village of Suga, I caught the attention

of the editor of a women's magazine,

and she decided to publish a series of articles about life in the mountains.

Since the age of nine, I had been learning to prepare vegetarian food at a Zen temple.

They asked me to write about it.

Amateur cook, self-taught gardener.

When I ran away from the temple at the age of 13,

I didn't know where life would take me,

but I was determined to apply the knowledge I had gained.

In the spiritual book "Dogen's Teaching" by Zen master Dogen,

the temple cooks responsible for the kitchen

must do everything by hand,

from washing the rice to preparing vegetables for meals.

One must carefully examine the future meal

and handle it with attention to every detail.

There is no room for laziness even for a moment.

One should not be inattentive,

noticing one thing while overlooking another.

During the preparation of food,

an ordinary gaze is not appropriate.

A virtuous person does not alter their thoughts or manipulate

their words according to the people.

Absolutely not.

Ouch, it's hot!

In the Zen temple where I lived,

they used to say, "Consult the fields when selecting dishes for the table."

To make the most of an empty kitchen is a form of "purification,

"and the kitchen should

be linked together with the field.

Consulting only the fields means

"eating seasonal food,"

in other words, nourishing oneself with the gifts of the earth.

I absorbed this wisdom without sermons.

Cleaning spinach roots is incredibly challenging.

As an apprentice, I once cut and discarded the bothersome roots.

The head priest, who noticed it, showed no irritation

and said, "Should we throw away the most delicious part?"

And picked them up.

Sansho, sorry. It got burnt.

Here.

I'll humbly accept it.

SAMEI (PURITY AND CLARITY) Plants are blooming.

The water from melting snow burns with coldness,

passing through the thickness of rubber, causing pain to the skin of my feet.

Amidst the squelching sounds of the soil, I move forward

and suddenly freeze, struck

by the sight of a meadowsweet clearing amongst the aquatic grass.

This meadowsweet

respectfully awaits me in the same place as last year.

The snowdrifts have melted away.

There is no happier time for me than when everywhere at once

buds burst open and grasses rise.

Ostrich ferns near water bodies,

Ostrich ferns near water bodies,

golden eagles basking in the sunlight,

near my dwelling is a festive ceremony, where the earth sings after its winter slumber.

Hello.

You've gathered quite a lot...

Is it time for Aralia shoots?

Exactly. Sensei, you know everything.

Hiking in the mountains refreshes wonderfully.

It delights and brings back to life.

We should fix the shed.

Thank you for your help.

My hiking mentor

is also the neighborhood carpenter.

I learned everything about

gathering plants from him.

I have a deep love for construction work.

The sounds of carpentry soothe and calm.

Perhaps because my father was a carpenter.

What are you doing?

I'm roasting the Aralia shoots.

I learned this dish from my father.

The way my father did it. Please try.

It's hot.

Delicious.

I've never tasted it like this before.

In the mountains, my father

only brought rice with miso and went to work.

To have lunch, he would gather plants, roast, and eat them.

Well,

that's the wisdom of the poor.

People in ancient times knew the art of hospitality.

The traveling poet Saigyo-hoshi wrote:

"Oh, let me die

under the shade of cherry blossoms! Leaving this world

on a spring night's moon light."

As he wished, he passed away on a full moon night

under the blossoming cherry tree,

seemingly experiencing bliss.

RIKKA (EARLY SUMMER) Iris baths ward off evil spirits.

Living in a mountain hut,

plow the field,

tidying up the house.

The word "living" means "moving with the whole body,"

and I've experienced it firsthand.

With the arrival of each season,

new fieldwork awaits.

An active life engages your body.

Engaging the body brings hunger.

And with hunger comes even tastier food!

My wife's mother, Yaeko, is eccentric.

She doesn't get along with her son and daughter-in-law

and lives in complete solitude, tending to her fields.

Sanse, wait for me here.

Chie-san

It's Tsutomu.

Come in.

How was the field?

I weeded it early in the morning.

Have you eaten yet?

No, not yet.

Yaeko passed away prematurely

and you're weak.

I'll humbly accept it.

I'll humbly accept it.

You eat the whole appetizer.

And you, Chie-san?

As for me... I'll pass.

No need.

As long as there's Japanese pepper, I don't need anything else.

Sansho.

It looks delicious.

May I have a little too?

This food isn't for such important people like you.

Yaeko also

loved sansho pepper.

Yes.

When she was a little girl, she used to eat it.

She even named our dog "Sansho.

Silly dog.

Have you set up a grave for Yaeko?

No.

Not yet.

It's been 13 years since her passing.

You should do it soon.

Yes.

It's not right to leave her remains like this forever.

You should set up the grave soon.

Yes.

Why... Why did you come here?

Can I borrow some miso from you?

Yes, take as much as you want.

The whole container... Take the whole container.

I don't need the rest.

Alright.

And also, take this, take this.

Keep it for Yaeko.

Today is the anniversary of her death.

Yes.

Give it to her.

Yes.

Place them on top.

Yes.

You've taken...

- I'm going. - Sure.

Hurry up already.

The silly dog can't wait.

Sansho, let's go.

SEMAN (FULL LEAFING)

When I see bamboo,

memories of my childhood pop up in my mind.

At the age of nine, I was sent away as an unwanted mouth to be a novice

in a temple surrounded by bamboo.

When they brought me there,

I resented my father

for separating me from my mother and dragging me to Kyoto.

But in the end, without realizing it,

I became ready for an independent life.

Those that seem to stick out from the ground are solid.

Bamboo shoots push from below.

Look for cracks in the soil.

Yes.

Found one.

Clean it here. It'll be good fertilizer.

Yes.

Humans are amazing creatures.

Tastes and smells

open the drawer of a bizarre calendar for them.

And what they put in their mouths, is produced by the earth,

thoughtfully passing through the calendar,

the ties of the earth intertwine with the flavors.

Oh, what an aroma!

Bamboo shoots?

Bamboo shoots?

Sansho, how's life?

Shoots, shoots...

Did you come here by the scent?

Not sharpening my ears but my nose.

Machiko, I'm coming.

Wait, wait.

There you go. Hurry!

"I'll humbly accept." "I'll humbly accept."

It's impossible.

Here you go.

And some broth, please.

Alright.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Let's go!

Away! Come on!

Away! Let's go!

Let's!

Come on, come on!

Come on, come on!

Machiko, it's time... Plant them.

Away!

Away!

Last year,

I thought they didn't sprout,

but all the seeds I planted were pecked by wild pigeons.

Ah, here they come again!

BOSHU (RICE POUNDING) Receiving the mercy of the rains.

Good day.

Ah, you came again?

How are your crops doing?

This year has been good.

We had plenty of rain.

And dried plums have taught me a lot too.

Marinating dried plums is an annual ritual.

They say if you miss it, misfortune may come.

I pickle them, following my master's method.

The taste is truly wonderful.

Yes.

That's me.

One TV channel invited me for an interview,

and I asked them to find Chizuko,

the wife of my late master, who was so kind.

Is that so?

After his passing,

they evicted both Chizuko and her daughter from the temple,

and since then, both traces have been lost.

During the search, the channel found out

that Chizuko-san also passed away,

and the TV show didn't materialize.

Yes.

("Sutra of the Heart")

The head priest Tikuan,

Without skipping a year, he salted plums

and lined up up to fifty jars in the storehouse.

The monks cannot do without dried plums

They use them for the period of scarcity,

and for medicinal purposes.

That's why they stored them like precious food.

SESE (MINOR HEAT) End of the rainy season, the sun is scorching.

Good afternoon.

Long time no see.

Fumiko from the Zuike Temple.

Fumiko-san, is that you?

It's been so long!

Please, come in.

I've missed him so much.

It reminded me of our childhood years.

The abbot taught us the plum beverage.

As an apprentice, I was not allowed to drink it.

Father was truly strict with the apprentices.

Chizuko-san…

I was told that she had passed away.

Yes, that year.

82 years old.

I can't express in words how grateful I am for her care.

My condolences.

I offer my condolences.

Mother,

upon learning that Tsutomu-san became a writer,

she was very happy.

And these,

the ones that Mother

pickled together with Father,

when they got married 60 years ago.

When they drove us out of the temple,

she took them without permission.

Mother

said, "When you see Tsutomu-san,

be sure to share them."

She said that and passed away.

The dried plum that I rolled in my mouth,

with its first touch, burned with its salty coating,

and then,

resting on my tongue,

it soaked in my dripping saliva,

swelled, became round,

and left behind the sweetness of nectar.

The person who made these plums is already gone,

yet they continue to live on their own.

Their taste made me cry.

RISSU (BEGINNING OF AUTUMN) Cicadas are singing.

SESE (End of Heat) The grains are ripening.

I don't often see them.

Suddenly, my brother-in-law and his wife visited me.

They probably want to ask for something.

Oh, here we go...

Tsutomu-san,

could you visit your mother-in-law?

What are you trying to say

I went to her yesterday about her pension

No matter how much I called her, she didn't respond.

Maybe you could go again?

I have a bad feeling about this.

And you, Tsutomu-san, have good relations with her.

We are pleading with you.

We are pleading with you.

We are pleading with you.

Tie-san!

This is Tsutomu.

Tie-san

passed away at her home.

My brother-in-law and his wife have a small house,

and they offered to hold the funeral there.

I thought this was wrong,

but we couldn't skip the funeral,

so I agreed to have it at my place.

Tsutomu-san.

Tsutomu-san?

I'm sorry for your loss. Such a tragedy...

Machiko.

Forget about being polite and help out.

What do I need to do?

They entrusted me with preparing the memorial service.

Tonight.

Really? Oh, no! How many people?

There won't be any acquaintances, so no villagers.

Maybe a few relatives.

Last year's sesame harvest.

Will you clean it?"

How do I do this?

Give it a try.

Tsutomu!

Are you home?

I've been waiting for you.

The coffin and the altar, right?

The memorial service is tonight.

- I'll take care of everything. - Thank you for your help.

I've already cleaned everything.

And now

let's dry them in the sun.

Exactly.

A photo studio from Shinano!

Yes, yes.

I want this one.

This exact one?

Yes.

The memorial service is tonight.

What size do you need?

It's your choice.

Which frame should we use?

Your choice. Thanks for the help.

Is it too fancy?

What are you saying?

It's nicer when they send you off beautifully.

We need to adjust the coffin.

Easy, Chie-san…

Did you ever think we'd be carrying her coffin?

Good day!

Photography Studio from Shinano!

Please come in…

Beautiful.

It's better this way, when it's beautiful.

You all say the same thing.

Grind the sesame seeds like this.

Exactly.

A lovely fragrance.

- A sub-menu? - Yes.

Machico.

- Dasi. - "Oh, yes.

Like this.

Uh-huh.

Turned out well.

Oh, pungent.

I'll finish the rest myself.

Can you bring two lagenarias?

Lagenarii? Flowers?

About the size of this pumpkin.

Be a dear.

Exactly.

Don't confuse them with watermelons.

I can tell the difference between watermelons.

Peel them and cut them into slices.

Exactly.

The thickness of a sun.

Exactly.

Lagenarias sliced.

Uh-huh.

Now boil the noodles.

Exactly.

- Machiko, sake. - Coming.

Horrible.

So many people came.

This won't be enough.

What should we do?

I'll come up with something.

You prepare the steamed rice.

Exactly.

Eating ginger makes us dumber.

Like this.

Tsutomu-san,

didn't you live in the temple

Do you recite sutras for your mother?

What about the monk?

I didn't invite him. We're very sorry.

But I did,

I can only recite the "Heart Sutra."

Well, that's okay. It's up to you.

We humbly request you.

Machiko,

continue.

Exactly.

Ah! No, I can't.

I'll be right back.

Please.

Yes.

Look, it's so delicious.

What is it made of?

Ah... ah... well…

Tofu with sesame seeds.

Exquisite.

Sesame seeds are so refined.

How did you prepare it?

Tsutomu-san!

Tsutomu-san?

Yes, yes?

Well? How did you prepare it?

Grind the sesame seeds

and mix them with kudzu.

Kudzu?

Now I understand.

So, did you make it yourself?

Yes.

When I was little, I lived in a temple in Kyoto.

I cooked vegetarian dishes every day.

Everyone, listen.

This person learned to prepare

tofu with sesame seeds in a temple in Kyoto.

Such Kyoto dishes

are rare to find.

Enjoy the taste.

For good fortune in the afterlife.

For good luck in the afterlife?

Well, that's true.

Namu amida butsu, namu amida butsu…

Take care of your mother during her lifetime...

Chie-san was a wonderful person.

All the miso we eat is thanks to Chie-san.

Yes, yes, yes.

You're not much of a guy, but you should understand.

- "I must understand. - Yes.

Yes.

Are you okay?

They brought more delicious things!

And you, join us.

"Lovely. "Come on, sit with us.

This is Chie-san's miso, right?

Exactly.

We all

learned to make miso from Chie-san.

And this year, I made some. I'll bring it when it's ready.

It goes well with ginger.

Where do you get such ginger?

I broke some roots in my garden.

Tasty.

- Let's just act foolishly. - We'll become fools then, yes.

Indeed. Like silly little gingerbread cookies. We all acted foolishly.

Fools through and through.

It's a shame that Chie-san won't try it.

If Chie-san try it, she'd become a fool too.

- That's for sure. - Really?

Look at how she's staring at you.

Terrifying, isn't it?

Chie-san,

become a Buddha, become a Buddha.

- Namu amida butsu... - Namu amida butsu…

What are you doing?"

We all turned foolish.

If you keep saying that, she'll get angry

Well...

Yes?

Well...

Tsutomu-san,

could you take her ashes with you?

Why?

We're begging you.

You were close to her, Tsutomu-san, it's better if it stay with you.

By the way,

you're also keeping Yaeko's ashes, right?

Let the mother and daughter be together.

We're really asking you.

Getting tired, huh?

Thank you.

It's nothing.

It must have been tough.

Although I've never met Chie-san before,

I started thinking of her as my grandmother.

Here.

Take it with you.

Thank you.

And I've collected plenty of chestnuts.

Machiko,

would you like to live here?

What are you saying?

You can eat delicious food every day.

It would be great.

But what about work?

You can still commute from here.

It's a bit far.

But it's possible.

Thank you.

Let me think about it.

It's already been 13 years.

Yaeko-san taught me everything

about the charm of creating books

Hakuro (White Roses) The dew forms on the grass.

When I see the red earth, it's like the earth is bleeding,

and deep in my memory, it begins to ache.

That's right.

My parents' house was in the village of Wakasa,

right by the entrance to the cemetery.

My father was a carpenter who made coffins.

And I, as a temple disciple,

read the sutra for the deceased,

so I've been familiar with death from a young age.

When I started working at the crematorium,

I saw labels on the furnace doors, "Special" and "Regular."

It seemed strange to me - the deceased are all burnt, but they're divided by status.

The white urn where ashes are placed

after the person is cremated

seemed like a cheap stamped trinket to my childish mind.

So now, in my old age,

I decided to burn the urn where my ashes will be kept myself.

Tsutomu-san,

I bought some delicious tofu.

What?

Tsutomu-san?

Tsutomu…

Tsutomu-san…

Patient - a man over 60. Suspected myocardial infarction.

The siren wails "wee-oo wee-oo," the ambulance speeds.

The paramedic keeps calling the hospital without a break,

but it seems there's no doctor,

and I hear the medic clicking his tongue.

Just hold on!

It'll be alright!

Machiko cries with a tearful face.

It seems the end has come,

and I try to say, "Take care of Sansho" -

but my mouth is numb and won't move

"What a mess,"

I'm so angry now.

Are you conscious now?

You're at Shinano Hospital.

You had a heart attack three days ago.

Two-thirds of your heart muscle is necrotic.

Out of ten thousand people, only one survives.

Shubun (Autumn Equinox) Reach the shore of Pure Land.

Tsutomu-san.

I only survived thanks to you.

I'm so glad you're alive.

It's not every day,

but I mixed it together.

It's turned a lovely color.

Thank you.

What did I do in the ambulance?

You held my hand.

Did I say anything?

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die," you repeated it many times.

I see.

I knew it.

Do you remember everything?"

Yes, I think so.

In any case, I was scared.

What a pitiful person I am, right?

Since then, I've been contemplating a lot.

And I've decided to move here to live.

I'm glad you have such feelings,

but if you move here,

it will be inconvenient for me.

Why?

After all,

I want to live alone.

But what if you die?

What will be, will be.

You kept saying you didn't want to die.

That's true.

I don't want to die.

I hate death.

That's why I

want to try and understand

why I loathe death so much.

And write a story about it.

Maybe I won't come back here.

Nothing can be done about it.

Ultimately, we are all lonely wanderers.

We are born alone, and we die alone.

You're just an egotist.

In "Notes from Boredom," Yasuda Kenko

speaks of how the god of death creeps up from behind

and carries us away to the realm of shadows.

Death indeed approached my very feet.

However,

when my turn came,

I found it abhorrent and terrifying.

It was scary.

Why is that?

Why am I so repulsed by the inevitable end?

I believe it is due to the undying thirst for life.

From the moment

a person is born, they must also die.

The concept of "living"

inherently contains the notion of "dying."

When faced with the certainty of death,

you start thinking:

"It would have been better never to be born into these hardships."

Yet, even when contemplating this,

You are alive, and your body is here now,

You can contemplate and think about it.

But once you die,

you can no longer think about anything.

There will be only death.

[Ways to overcome death]

Then it occurred to me:

What if I befriend the unpleasant death?

In that case

death would no longer be so abhorrent.

It would not be as terrifying.

It would feel as if

like a friend who's always there for you. [Make friends with Death]

[Living in harmony with the god of death]

KANRO (COLD DEW) The air cools, the sky clears.

Zen Buddhism

teaches us to detach ourselves.

If we are born, then there is death too.

We must live with what we have.

However, even though I believe this,

I'm just an ordinary person,

and death saddens me in such a form.

But even

I keep running away, I won't find the answer.

In an attempt to make peace with the god of death,

I decided to experience death once.

Well, I will die.

Farewell, my friends.

Amazingly,

morning came even

to one who should be dead.

I suppose I am still alive.

Thinking about tomorrow and the day after

makes life burdensome.

But living just for today is more than enough.

"Beauty shines for a moment, and then everything withers.

Tell me, what endures in our world?

Now cross the bounds of worldly cares,

abandon empty dreams, and being intoxicated by them!"

SOKO (FROST) Autumn is in full swing, and frost appears.

Tsutomu-san!

Well done, Machiko.

You arrived just in time.

Let's go mushroom hunting.

I called you so many times.

Really?

I hadn't noticed.

Stop right here.

Machico, let's go.

Machiko, come here.

These naméko mushrooms are so beautiful.

Delicious.

For dinner, we'll have a pot of mushrooms.

The naméko

naméko mushrooms grew in the forest, gazing at whom?

Gazing at the wild geese over the bog."

It's just a joke.

Stop it.

What are you saying such things for?

Having a meal with a loved one is the most delicious.

I agreed to get married.

Really?

That's good.

And who's the lucky guy?

Murata Shoji-kun.

I know him.

What do you think about Shoji Murata's novel?

Thank you.

A chestnut,

won't you take it?"

No, it's not needed.

There's something I've been wanting to ask you, if you don't mind.

What is it?

What will you do with your wife's ashes?

I'm sorry.

No need.

Okay, I'll be going now.

Take care. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

The mushrooms!

Thank you.

RITTO (EARLY WINTER) Cold winds blow.

Farewell, my friends.

TODZI (WINTER SOLSTICE) A satisfying meal, praying for good health.

Thank you very much.

Sansho.

Here, please.

I humbly accept.

Tsutomo - SAVADA Kenji

Machiko-MATSU Takako

Brother-in-law-OMI Toshinori Brother-in-law's wife-NISHIDA Naomi

Photographer-TAKIGAWA Koitachi Chie-NARAOKA Tomoko

Carpenter-HINO Shohei Tsutomu as a child — SATO Yutaro

Yaeko — MATSUDA Hiroko Fumiko-DAN Fumi

Based on the essay by Mizukami Tsutomo, "Gifts of the Earth, Day by Day: 12 Months of My Purification."

The moonlight plays on the water, creating ripples.

It splashes onto your sleeping face like a wave.

This seemingly ever-changing, fragile world

Moves into action with a barely audible sigh.

But when the day comes

And you are no longer with me in this world

It's nothing.

I was with you, loving so deeply.

Every moment we lived together will become a thing of the past,

No need to regret any one of them.

Because there is nothing eternal in this world.

I wish for the strength to accept this.

But when I hear

A few farewell words from you

It's nothing.

I was with you, loving so deeply.

It's nothing.

All my prayers are for you.

It's nothing.

Only the sound of the wave remained.

Cinematographer: MATSUNE Hirotaka Music: OOTOMO Yoshihide

The song Itsuka kimi wa is performed by SAWADA Kenji

Writer, director: NAKAE Yuji

Translated by Akiradesu Edited by Verrueckter Junge https://t.me/gyarandu