Original subtitles

Launch a surprise attack at Itsukushima and destroy the enemy in one blow.

That's the only way we have.

Mori Motonari versus Sue Harukata.

The Mori are 2,000-strong,

while the Sue are 10,000-strong.

To overturn military inferiority, a surprise attack was the only choice.

But the Mori needed the Murakami Navy for their surprise attack at Itsukushima.

The winning odds are 70% for the Sue and 30% for the Mori.

The Murakami Navy had 300 ships; they were a daimyo lord on the sea.

The Mori had 200 ships, while the Sue had 400 ships.

The tide of battle would depend on Murakami Navy.

Get the navy on our side and immobilize the Mori.

Whether we move or not, we'll make our own decision.

Do everything to lure the 10,000-strong Sue army out to Itsukushima.

Murakami Navy was about to determine the fates of Motonari and the Sue.

MORI MOTONARI

Episode 40: Storms Bring Chances

Screenplay by: Uchidate Makiko

Original story by: Nagai Michiko

Music by: Watanabe Toshiyuki

Theme performed by: The NHK Symphony Orchestra Music performed by: Concert Regnie

Title calligraphy by: Mori Motonari Narration by: Hirano Keiko

CAST

Mori Motonari: Nakamura Hashinosuke

Mori Takamoto: Kamikawa Takaya

Akagawa Motoyasu: Nagashima Toshiyuki

Kodama Naritada: Masuoka Toru

Katsura Motozumi: Tsurumi Shingo

Kikkawa Motoharu: Matsushige Yutaka Kobayakawa Takakage: Megumi Toshiaki

Kunishi Motosuke: Sakamoto Akira Awaya Motochika: Shionoya Masayuki

Fukubara Sadatoshi: Ishihama Akira Kosanta: Nasa Kenji

Sue Harukata: Jinnai Takanori

Kame: Hazuki Riona

Hironaka Takakane: Sagawa Mitsuo

Noda Jiro: Matoba Koji

Mitsu: Iwasaki Hiromi

Amago Haruhisa: Takashima Masanobu

Hirasa Nariari: Sato B-saku Inoue Harutada: Namase Katsuhisa

Murakami Torayoshi: Fujiwara Yoshiaki Shinbei: Oomori Hiroshi

Hotate Masanao: Harada Yoshio

Produced by: Kida Yukinori

English subtitles: Koala Fansubs

Directed by: Imai Yoichi

Itsukushima is a treasure of our nation.

It's the most important port in the Inland Sea.

We must protect Itsukushima at all costs.

Then we'll launch a surprise attack there and destroy the enemy in one blow.

That's the only way we have.

Do everything to lure the 10,000-strong Sue army out to Itsukushima.

The Mori are probably expecting me to be fixated on Itsukushima.

They must be planning tactics at sea, because they want to fight at sea.

I'm moving the entire army by land ...

... to attack Koriyama Castle.

Great Lord.

It's an emergency.

Sue Harukata is leading his entire army.

He seems to be heading for Koriyama Castle by land.

Is that true?

Sue had an unexpected visitor.

-- SUE HARUKATA'S MAIN CAMP (Iwakuni) -- - Let me...

Let me see Sue-dono!

I brought him good news!

Let me see him!

Let me see Sue-dono!

Sue-dono.

I have been waiting for a chance to betray Motonari.

Please trust me.

Let's start over once again.

If they land on Tsutsumiga-ura,

I'll send 300 more soldiers to dampen the Sue's enthusiasm.

We're going to outsmart the Sue.

My Kobayakawa navy will make a night raid.

My entire navy will be on the west side.

We should go by an orthodox method.

Motonari knows you're coming by land.

My father, Katsura Hirozumi, was tricked by Motonari.

He was killed.

I want to avenge my father now.

For a long time, I've been waiting for the chance.

But I thought I should win his deep trust first.

So I've been devoted to work for him.

I pretended being a dumb, good-hearted general ...

- ... to put him off his guard. - You...!

You must have been sent by Motonari.

No, I wasn't!

Please trust me!

To outsmart Motonari,

cross the ocean with your entire army and attack Itsukushima.

-- MIYANOJO CASTLE -- -- (Itsukushima) --

With Hotate Naomasa's cooperation,

Motonari built a stronghold in Itsukushima: Miyanojo Castle.

Hotate decided to bet on Motonari's ingenuity.

-- KORIYAMA CASTLE -- -- (Aki Province) --

Motonari's third son, Takakage, was in charge of negotiating with the Murakami Navy.

He was trying hard to get more ships.

Takakage-sama is here, sir.

Let him in.

Ah, Takakage.

How's it going?

Well,

I'm trying everything to persuade them, but ...

... they won't give me a favorable answer.

I see.

Without the Murakami Navy, we cannot make a surprise attack.

Father.

Do the Mori have a chance of winning?

Sue-dono.

I betrayed the Mori and am in a secret communication with you.

None of Mori are aware of that.

Sue-dono.

The Sue have a worse hand in fighting on land.

You already know that, don't you?

If the entire Sue force attacks Itsukushima,

the entire Mori force will go there.

Then, they will be vulnerable at their back.

Are you going to attack them from behind?

Right.

I already told Motonari that ...

... I'm not going to Itsukushima. I'm going to stay in Sakurao Castle.

They have the Sue force in front of them.

At their back is my force coming from Sakurao Castle.

The Mori will be caught by our pincer attack.

We can destroy the Mori in one blow.

You don't trust me yet, do you?

Now...

please have this.

That's my written pledge that I have no second thought toward you.

You know a written pledge by a general has grave meanings.

Now...

I'm going to tell you something unbelievable.

Three days from now, Motonari is going to Itsukushima secretly.

He's going there to check on Miyanojo Castle.

I'd never disclose such important information ...

... unless I were betraying the Mori.

If you want to kill Motonari,

you have a chance.

-- ITSUKUSHIMA -- -- (Aki Province) --

Three days later, as Motozumi said,

Motonari went to Itsukushima secretly.

Get down!

- Are you all right, sir? - Yeah.

They must be Sue spies.

- Go. - Yes.

Here.

Get a grip.

Are you all right?

How...

How did they know about you coming over here?

I'm going to send the entire force to Itsukushima.

You trust me now?

Katsura Motozumi gained Sue's trust and went back to Sakurao Castle.

-- MIYANOJO CASTLE -- -- (Itsukushima) --

I heard you had trouble at the dock.

Yeah.

Instead...

Instead, you're more concerned about the navy's reply?

Takakage has been trying to negotiate with them many times, but...

...it's not going well.

By all accounts,

the Sue have all the advantages in this battle.

So they have a good reason to not side with the Mori.

You got me, didn't you?

There might be more weirdos.

I called Jiro-dono over here.

You should talk with him personally,

and drag him into your group of weirdos.

Jiro.

Thanks for coming.

Jiro.

You know,

I'm 59 years old now.

"It's long enough to live 50 years."

I could be dead now.

Even if I'm alive,

I should be retired now and just enjoy playing with my grandchildren.

But...

I just rose now.

Sue Harukata, 35 years old, with 10,000 soldiers.

Mori Motonari, 59 years old, with 2,000 soldiers.

How stupid I am.

Until this age,

I've been fighting to help someone else.

I've been gauging the Ouchi's moods,

and the Amago's moods.

To manage to survive,

I let them use me to work for them as necessary.

But, Jiro.

This battle ...

... isn't for somebody else.

It's a battle that I rose ...

... because I couldn't remain silent.

Under the strong, like the Ouchi and the Amago,

we've been used for their battles as they want.

Union under the strong is wrong. Don't you think so?

Whoever wins, Harukata or you,

people end up uniting under the winner.

Instead of the Ouchi, the Sue or the Mori will become the strong.

- Nothing will change. - No.

It'll change, if I win.

I don't want a country where the weak fall by battles.

I want the strong and the weak to prosper together.

Coastal provinces trade with other countries by sea,

while midland provinces deliver goods by land all over the country.

We can all live together freely ...

...without slaying each other. Don't you think so?

Jiro, I...

I want to make a country like that.

Such a nation will bring immeasurable profits to my navy.

But...

what you're saying is a pipe dream.

An impossible dream unless you beat the Sue.

Even if my navy sides with you, we'll have only a 50-50 chance.

If the Mori loses, there'll be no tomorrow for us, either.

Do you really think...

... you can definitely beat a force five times bigger with my navy's help?

I don't know.

But...

I'm burning with excitement now.

At an age when I'm supposed to play with my grandchildren,

as long as I'm alive, no matter how old I am,

I can feel this burning excitement. I just found this out.

That's not bad.

But...

I cannot move my navy only out of a desire like that.

I see.

Still...

I must fight, you know?

On September 21, 1555 (Tenbun 24),

Sue Harukata finally headed for Itsukushima with his entire force.

He had called the Murakami Navy for reinforcements once again.

Emergency message!

-- KORIYAMA CASTLE -- -- (Aki Province) --

The news of the Sue's departure was delivered to Moronari, who had returned to Koriyama Castle.

The Sue finally moved, huh?

Miyanojo Castle can hold out for only ten days.

We must run off within ten days.

The rest ...

..... depends on the Murakami Navy's decision.

The Sue forces landed on Itsukushima.

They took no time surrounding Miyanojo Castle, led by Hotate,

and prepared for attacks.

-- SUE HARUKATA'S CAMP -- -- (To-no-Oka or Tower Hill) --

Noda Jiro-dono is here, sir.

Let him in.

Jiro.

Kame-dono.

You two came over to see me.

You must have decided to side with us.

We haven't.

I saw Motonari in person.

I wanted to do the same thing with you.

Without any convincing profits and vision of a future country,

our navy won't side with either party.

We already told you to restore the guard fee we banned.

You already heard that.

That'll bring enough profits to your navy.

The Ouchi clan had been letting us collect the guard fee.

But Sue-dono banned it one-sidedly.

You're trying to restore it. That's not profit for us.

You're just restoring it.

Harukata.

After this battle,

how are you going to change this country?

I'm going to rule the country.

Jiro.

Under the name of the Ouchi, I'm going to unite Japan.

If all the provinces unite under the Ouchi,

there'll be nothing to fear.

So it'll be one battle after another until you rule the country.

You must sacrifice today for tomorrow.

We'll certainly win.

Please side with us.

Jiro.

If you can't make up your mind, that's fine.

But I'll tell you one thing.

A man's life is about winning.

Siding with the winning side is the right thing.

Hard work has no meaning.

Your work is meaningful only after you win.

First, just watch how I fight.

Watch my tenacity to win.

Then, you can make up your mind.

Fire!

Sue Harukata launched a full-scale attack on Miyanojo Castle.

His attack was fierce so that he showed off to Jiro, his tenacity to win.

While the Mori force at Miyanojo Castle was trying hard to hole up,

all the other Mori forces led by Takamoto and Motonari finally moved.

The Kikkawa force led by Motoharu,

and the Kobayakawa force led by Takakage joined them.

They all gathered at Jigozen on the other side from Itsukushima.

Katsura Motozumi didn't move from Sakurao Castle.

Shishido Takaie stayed at Koriyama Castle to guard the Amago off.

-- GASSAN-TODA CASTLE -- -- (Izumo) --

Sire.

Isn't this a chance for you to attack the Mori?

No, the Amago clan hasn't been settled down.

That's because you killed my father and destroyed the Shingu Party.

Mitsu.

Are you mad at me because I killed Kunihisa?

I'm not.

We live in a chaotic period. That's the way it is.

The Mori will lose for sure.

Mori Motonari, 59 years old.

Sue Harukata, 35 years old.

The Mori are 2,000-strong. The Sue are 10,000-strong.

It's obviously reckless.

The navy will surely side with the Sue.

Sire, after the Mori lose,

you're going to take Bingo and Aki, aren't you?

Our clan will be settled down by then. That's what you think.

Exactly.

You know it well.

I'm a daughter of the Shingu Party's Kunikusa, so I know a little bit about battles.

-- MURAKAMI NAVY'S CAMP -- -- (Innoshima Island) --

In the face of the all-out confrontation between the Mori and the Sue,

the Murakami Navy was pressed for a decision.

Finally, all the Mori forces moved.

Which side are you going to take?

I don't care which side you guys take. You don't have to take any side.

It's your and Kame's time now.

You two make the decisions.

Actually, I just received letters.

One is from Sue-dono, the other is from Motonari-dono.

Are they telling us to side with them?

Yes.

The two letters are identical in content.

Except for one extra line in Motonari-dono's letter.

He wrote, "I would like to borrow your ships only for one day."

Is he determined to win the battle in a day?

No.

Probably, he just wants us to let his soldiers cross the sea to Itsukushima.

I think he's determined not to make us fight with him.

Determination is important, but victory is important, too.

Jiro.

Remember our pride as a navy.

Since Miyanojo Castle hadn't fallen yet,

the Sue made another strategy utilizing local geography.

Miyanojo Castle is faced on three sides by water.

So they decided to drop huge rocks from the ridge of the back mountain ...

... to crush the castle.

Release!

Release!

- Oh, no! - No!!

Earthquake?

No, this is...!

It's Harukata!

He's dynamic as usual.

Miyanojo Castle barely made it through September 28.

On the ocean surface, seen from both sides,

a grand fleet of Murakami ships appeared.

-- SUE HARUKATA'S CAMP (To-no-Oka, Itsukushima) -- - It's the navy!!

It's the navy!

The navy's coming.

It's the navy!

Which side are they heading for?

-- MORI MOTONARI'S CAMP -- -- (Jigozen) --

Which side are they heading for?

Probably, for the Sue.

Even so,

we just lose a few chances of winning.

That doesn't determine our loss.

I'm going to see Sue to tell him my decision.

Why are you doing that?

That's so like Jiro. He wants to do everything rightfully.

Jiro, I'm going with you.

Shinbei.

You're in charge. Do as we planned.

Anchor the ships at Omotoura.

Kame.

Stick with me.

Noda Jiro-dono is here!

Jiro!

I knew you were coming!

Jiro.

The ships were sailing in the middle.

We were so worried which way you were going.

The Murakami Navy will ...

... side with the Mori!!

It was a hard decision ...

... because I admire you as a man more than I admire Motonari.

But...!

I cannot side with you for the sake of my navy.

That's the opposite!

Siding with us, who are trying to rule the country,

will open a new chapter for your navy.

As long as you're after rulership, the bloodletting is repeated.

The closer you get to rulership, the stronger the power you start wielding.

Siding with someone like that ...

... will make us abandon our pride as a navy.

Harukata.

You're strong.

Too strong.

You devour people who come near you.

Motonari is weak.

He harnesses people who come near him.

Hasn't Jiro-dono come back yet?

Not yet.

He's late!

The tide will start to change soon.

Head for the Mori camp.

To the Mori camp.

- To the Mori camp. - To the Mori camp.

- To the Mori camp. - To the Mori camp.

To the Mori camp.

Yay!!

Come over here!

Come over here!

Sire, we did it!

Takamoto, we did it!

I thought ...

... you were my only ally.

Everybody left me.

Everybody fears me.

Everybody betrayed me.

Only you, Jiro.

Only you...

Get them!

- Fire! - Hurry.

This way.

Don't let them get away!

Get them!

Are they over there!?

Our boat is over there.

We're alright, Kame.

Jiro...

Kame!

Am I going to die alone?

What are saying!? Come on!

You'll be alright, Kame.

I'm taking you with me.

Takamoto.

Please leave everything about the navy to me.

Start talking with them on how to move all the soldiers to Itsukushima.

Motoharu.

Get a grip, Kame.

Kame.

Kame...

I got shot...

Kame...

Whoever is touched by me...

will never die.

- Everyone. - Takamoto.

Please survive ...

... and protect the Murakami Navy in future.

Please survive...

Kame.

I promise.

Hey.

Hey, Kame.

I'm...

I'm touching you ...

... with my hand that was touched by you.

You'll never die, Kame.

You won't die.

Motonari-dono.

Many women die as wives.

Few women get shot and die.

I, Kame...

I had a happy life.

Jiro.

Kame...?

Kame!

Kame...

Kame!!

-- SAKURAO CASTLE -- -- (Aki Province) --

Sire.

The entire Mori force is ready for war.

The navy is all prepared, too, the messenger said.

I see.

The time has come.

At the very end of September 1555 (Tenbun 24),

a storm fell upon the Mori, who were about to go to battle.

Hurry!

Don't be late! Hurry!

Sire, we cannot take ships in this storm.

The Navy, too, is making a big fuss because their oars will be pulled by the big waves.

- It's dangerous. - Sire.

All right.

We'll wait for the sunrise.

- Wait until the storm... - No.

We're leaving now.

With this storm,

the Sue will never think we're coming.

Storms bring ...

... chances in your life.

Let's go!!

Mori Motonari, at 59 years old,

made a decision in a storm.

End of Episode 40