Original subtitles

Personal appearance represents what the person is.

Fashion shows a person's hobbies and personality.

That applies to the armor of Sengoku warlods.

This armor was...

...used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, during his campaign to Odawara.

The helmet was decorated with bear hair and a fan-shaped gold ornament...

...which contrasts sharply with the overall white tone.

Next is Tokugawa Ieyasu's armor.

Against the overall heavy and modest tone...

this unique helmet like Daikokuten's flap cap...

...shows Ieyasu's personality.

Ieyasu allegedly put a fern-shaped ornament on this helmet.

That's why many Tokugawa shoguns...

...used helmets like this.

Date Masamune's armor is...

...in stylish black and shows his remarkable fashion sense.

In fact, it has five iron plates surrounding torso.

It is very practical.

The three generals' personalities still shine out in the their armor.

MASAMUNE, THE ONE-EYED DRAGON

Episode 15: Mego and Neko (Cat)

Screenplay: James MIKI

Original Story: YAMAOKA Sohachi

Music: IKEBE Shin'ichiro

CAST

Date Masamune: WATANABE Ken

Date Shigezane: MIURA Tomokazu

Katakura Kojuro: SAIGO Teruhiko

Kita: TAKESHITA Keiko

Princess Mego: SAKURADA Junko

Yanbe Kuniyori: OHWADA Shin'ya

Date Sanemoto: RYU Raita

Suzuki Shigenobu: HIRATA Mitsuru

Tose: GODAI Michiko

Neko-Gozen (Lady Cat): AKIYOSHI Kumiko

Lady of the East: IWASHITA Shima

Subtitles: Koala Fansubs

QC: Kame Fansubs

Director: YOSHIMURA Yoshiyuki

October, 1586 (Tensho 14)

Mego.

A messenger came from Miharu.

Sir Tamura Kiyoaki...

in spite of medicinal therapy...

...finished his long life.

Don't lose heart.

I won't.

I was prepared.

Sir Tamura was the Date's sworn friend.

He was indispensable for our battle at Sendosuji.

May he rest in peace.

How mortifying...!

My father was...

...was looking forward eagerly to his grandson's birth.

I'm a bad daughter.

Don't worry.

In his will, Sir Kiyoaki says...

"Tamuta clan must consult the Date on everything..."

"...and take my second son as its heir."

If we don't have sons,

what will happen to the Tamura?

For now...

...I'm going to send Jikumaru there.

That's impossible.

You can't send Jikumaru...

...to a small province like Miharu.

Since Sir Kiyoaki became ill,

the Tamura has been taken over by pro-Soma vassals.

That's why...

I want to send Jikumaru as a pillar for pro-Date vassals.

Sir Kiyoaki's second wife is from Soma, you know?

And I heard she is a dragon lady.

If Jikumaru goes there,

she'll criticize him for everything and suppress him.

Please do not worry.

As long as Mego is here,

she cannot do anything against him.

I cannot agree with that idea.

I'm not sending him now.

We can watch the Tamura clan for a while...

...as we think through this.

In November,

Masamune received a letter from...

...Tamura Kiyoaki's mother (Mego's grandmother).

Kiyoaki's mother is from the Date clan.

She was at odds with Kiyoaki's wife, who was from Soma.

Do you want me to write my mother?

You can just write what I say.

Your clan said your mother would administer...

...the clan as acting head.

That goes against Sir Kiyoaki's will.

- What is my father's will? - Did you forget already?

He wants them to consult with me and follow my orders.

- My mother will do so. - You don't know anything.

They are going to have your mother as leader,

sever their ties with the Date and rely on Soma.

You must be kidding.

My mother isn't evil-minded like that.

There must be some mistake.

To check if there's a mistake, you can write her and find out.

You don't want to?

The letter...

...can be prepared by you, lord.

My letters draw public attention.

Depending on their answer, I'll beat them up.

Is that all right?

My mother has no intention of betraying the Date.

She knows what will happen to me if she betrays.

What will happen to you?

Tell me.

- You'll divorce me. - Quit being a baby!

You're a hostage!

As occasion demands, I'll kill you!

That's why I want you to write her, to stop the problem.

What would you like me to write?

"The Tamura clan must pledge to follow the Date..."

"...as Sir Kiyoaki's will demands."

Mego.

I think I said that a little too harshly.

Sorry.

Lord.

- I need to talk. - What is it?

Before dawn on the 23rd,

Sir Kameomaru of Aizu died.

His funeral will be held on the 30th.

Died of illness?

Yes.

I heard it was smallpox.

Kameomaru, young lord of the Ashina...

...departed this world at a young age of 3.

His mother is Date Terumune's younger sister.

So he was Masamune's cousin.

Well, the Ahina's male lineage has failed.

What's gonna happen?

They'll have to adopt a boy.

Adopt a boy...

Kameomaru has two older sisters.

Princess Renmitsu is 16.

Princess Take is 12, if I'm correct.

- Can I send Jikumaru? - Sir Jikumaru?

Unlike the Kokubun and Tamura,

the head of the Ashina will be fair enough.

You are right, sir, but...

the Date are the Ashina's sworn enemy.

I don't think they would agree.

With all due respect,

I don't think the Ashina can flatly refuse.

Why is that?

With Sir Jikumaru,

their border with the Date will be secured.

But the Ashina are proud of being the most prominent family in Oshu.

Will they tamely take orders from the Date?

Aizu has quite a few key vassals...

...who have been advocating for peace with the Date.

Are you certain?

- I got a letter from my aunt. - Really?

If Sir Jikumaru becomes the Ashina head,

we can subjugate Aizu without fighting.

- Kojuro. - Yes.

Aside from whether it'll turn to be a success or failure,

start the groundwork for getting them to adopt Jikumaru.

Certainly, sir.

The Ashina head is satisfactory.

He's getting a piece of luck.

But I wonder if the vassals will accept Jikumaru?

I'm doing everything possible to draw Aizu's attention to Jikumaru.

More than anything, they have Kameomaru's mother.

If her nephew, Jikumaru, takes over the clan,

she'll dote on him like her own child.

To send Jikumaru there, you'll have to get an approval from the Mogami.

Why is that?

Sir Yoshiaki wanted Princess Koma to marry Jikumaru.

My father declined that offer.

But Sir Yoshiaki is the main lineage of Ushu.

To avoid any objection from him later,

you'd better do things in a proper way.

Mother.

I, Masamune, is the Date head.

If the Mogami butt in my brother's future,

that's extremely annoying.

Did you forget, Masamune?

You and Jikumaru have the Mogami's bloodline.

If I'm fixated on bloodlines, I'll go off the rails as a clan's head!

What's is important to me is...

...the Date clan's prosperity.

Don't you heed your mother's request?

Just suit youself!

The lord is waiting for you, ma'am.

Please come out.

Tell him I'm not feeling good.

Please don't say that.

I'm already in bed.

I know that.

But he took time coming over to see you.

Please.

- Princess Mego... - I don't want to!

I beg you, ma'am.

If you just see him,

he'll be in a better mood.

I don't care.

What are you saying?

I don't want to!

Please listen to me.

With all due respect,

Lord seems to be regretting that he hurt you unintentionally.

That's why...

...he came over to make up with you.

If you flatly refuse,

Lord will lose face.

Then,

he'll probably be ablaze with fury.

If he is ablaze with fury,

I'll quietly accept his execution.

Princess Mego?

Enough. Begone!

What pathetic words you said.

It's been seven years since you married him.

What have you been enduring for?

I...

...cannot be of help to the Date.

I married him, but...

...I'm not helping him.

- That's not true. - You can't understand...!

...the sufferings of a wife who cannot bear child...!

...and her sorrow!

She doesn't want to obey my orders?

There's nothing she can do, sir.

Lord!

She's acting like this, because you're lenient!

You must understand how she feels!

I already know that.

She's being manipulated by her mother.

She's going to go against me!

You're wrong!

Princess Mego is suffering a lot...

...because she doesn't get pregnant.

She's blaming herself for your troubled relationship with the Tamura.

Come.

- Don't go easy on me. - Pardon me!

- I lost. - Next!

What are you doing?

Anyone confident? Bring it on!

Brother.

Please give me a lesson.

- Young Lord. - Great. Come on.

- I won't go easy on you. - That's fine.

- Pull your chin down. - Yes.

- Stand up straight. - Yes.

Jikumaru.

Here.

- How's that? - I'm not done!

Wow! You're pretty strong!

Jikumaru, listen.

Don't lose to anyone in Aizu.

You're Masamune's brother.

Yes!

Good!

Here!

Good.

This is it.

Excuse me.

Sir Iizaka Muneyasu came.

Muneyasu?

"The blossom's belt,"

"That brocade belt below,"

"When it opens up,"

"I can't help myself, whoa!"

"Who could forget"

"The willow's tangled heart,"

"That..."

Hey.

What are you doing?

Hey!

Oh... Hey.

Stop it.

There!

Hey.

I got it.

What is that?

One, two, three.

I apologize for her rudeness.

Please forgive us, sir.

- Face me. - Yes.

Not you.

The cat.

The cat?

Your daughter.

I'm not a cat.

Right. She's too pretty for a cat.

- Thank you. - She doesn't look like her father at all.

I am very honored to meet you, sir.

What brought you here?

I accompanied my father, sir.

- For what? - Well.

I don't know.

Sir Iizaka wants her to serve you as your maid.

Muneyasu, is that right?

That's right, sir.

- Whose plan is this? - Yes?

- Tell me. - Yes?

She's a rare beauty for a Hina woman.

Whoever planned this has excellent judgment.

To tell the truth, I told him to do this.

Fool. I already know that.

You really got me, sir.

You like getting rid of rats?

It was fun, sir.

Yonezawa Castle has so many rats.

You can exterminate them.

Thank you, sir.

Some of the rats carry swords.

Other rats live in gated mansions.

She is Date Masamune's first concubine...

...Lady Iizaka.

Every one in the castle called her by a nickname...

...Neko-Gozen (Lady Cat).

Where are you going?

Over there.

You don't need to get rats here.

What's so funny?

This is Lady of the East's quarter.

Newcomers aren't allowed to loiter here.

It's Lord's order.

Lord told me to pay my respects to Lady of the East.

Before that,

you must pay your respects to us.

Oh.

Morning.

What a sassy girl.

Stop being cocky.

Quit acting so big just because you got a rat.

When Lady of the East married into the Date clan,

she got a big wild boar like this!

Lord told me that.

You keep saying, "Lord."

Miss Cat, you're annoying.

Get out of my way.

Hey, Miss Ochako.

Kneel down.

She's the one who should kneel down.

No way.

Who do you think this lady is?

She's a daughter of Sir Iizaka Muneyasu,

owner of Iizaka Castle.

This cat is...?

Iizaka's...?

Miss Ochako has a rat's face.

Quack, quack, quack, quack...

Flap, flap, flap, flap...

Bravo.

What happened to Kurokawa Shikibu?

He's gone to Echigo.

You had to break up with your fiancee.

Aren't you heart-broken?

Sir Kurokawa is almost 40.

So I was depressed.

- You don't like old men? - No.

And...

And?

My father said...

"If you bear the lord's son, that will be superb.'

"I'll appoint him to the chatelaine of Iizaka Castle and have him take over my clan."

That Munayasu...

He's asking too much.

Is he wrong?

Tell Muneyasu.

"Even if the cat bears my child, he'll be just the cat's child."

That is totally fine with me.

I'll tell everyone, "The cat's child has the lord's blood."

And I'll put a bell around his neck.

Ding, ding, ding...

This girl...

Meow!

Hey, stop it!

Lord hasn't changed his mind.

He wants to get your attention.

That's why he has a concubine.

But, if you leave him alone,

he might fall in love with Miss Cat.

Please go and see the lord...

...and apologize him.

I want to go back to Miharu.

Princess Mego.

I wasn't supposed to marry into the Date clan.

Oh, my. That doesn't sound like you.

Saying something like that will put your life in danger.

You shouldn't say that again.

- Excuse me. - Who is it?

Lady of the East sent me here.

Princess Mego is here.

Masamune had built the west wing for his widowed mother.

He had his mother and Jikumaru move in here from Tateyama.

Mego. Come closer.

Yes.

This is Iizaka Muneyasu's daughter.

You already know that, don't you?

I shouldn't even have to say this, but...

...she is Masamune's favorite.

You must be feeling unpleasant and uneasy.

- My lady. - I'm asking Mego.

I heard you and Masamune aren't really getting along.

Is that because of her?

Mother.

I am the Date lord's wife.

No matter how many women sleep with my lord,

they belong to a different class.

They have nothing to do with me.

I'm relieved to hear that.

Please do not worry about me.

It's not only Masamune.

Most generals have concubines.

It's not because they don't neglect their wives or that they are lustful.

A general must have as many children as possible...

...so that his clan becomes stable and prospers.

His clan can make peace with other clans through marriages.

I know that well.

- Miss Cat. - Yes.

She's the lord's wife. You're only his woman.

Know your status and be courteous to her.

Yes, I already know it.

There's nothing funny about it.

Yeah, yeah.

Even if you have a boy first, he's not the lord's heir.

Unless Mego cannot bear a boy,

never think about making your boy become the Date's heir.

Not at all.

Kita's late father, Oniiwa Sagetsu, didn't have a boy with his wife.

Instead, he had a boy with his concubine.

So he divorced his wife and married his concubine.

But his divorced wife married into the Katakura family...

...and had a boy there.

The boy is Sir Katakura Kojuro...

...Miss Kita's younger brother.

The seeds and the field weren't bad,

but the combination was bad...

Please forgive my rudeness.

In short,

the wife and the concubine are like...

No seeds, no fields...

- Ochako. - Yes?

Your blabbering veered the course of our talk.

I am sorry, ma'am.

In other words,

women shouldn't lock horns with each other.

You should get along with her.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

- I'm talking to Mego. - Yes.

Don't hate Masmune. Be generous.

February 1587 (Tensho 15) - Open the gate!

Damn Ashina...!!

They're unforgiveable!!

Of all things, they adopted a Satake boy...

Kojuro!

What did your groundwork do!?

- I'm so ashamed. - Lord.

A rumor says, this marriage was arranged by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

- What? - Hidesyohi did?

Being recommended by the Regent,

the Ashina and Satake must be so proud.

They might have resorted to a cheap trick...

...to get Hideyoshi's approval.

I don't pay attention to Hideyoshi!

After all, the Ashina threw dirt on my face.

They openly expressed their defiance.

You're right, sir.

I'm going to make them pay for this!

As soon as snow melts, we'll attack and destroy them!

Satake Yoshihiro?

He's Satake Yoshishige's second son.

He's 15-years-old.

What about the Date's position?

We lost face completely.

Key vassals of the Ashina split into half and had heated debates.

Should they adopt Jikumaru from the Date...

...or Yoshihiro from the Satake?

How absurd.

I told you to ask your uncle of the Mogami.

I'm sorry, Jikumaru.

Rest assured.

I'm with you. You can trust me.

I'll avenge you.

Avenge him?

I was ill-advised, but the Ashina are worse.

If they adopted you, they could have save their name as part of the Date clan.

I'll destroy them in the name of goodness.

In March, Satake Yoshihiro married Princess Renmitsu.

He succeeded her clan and became Ashina Yoshihiro.

That strengthened the tie between the Satake and Ashina.

HACCHOME CASTLE

In April, Date Sanemoto fell into critical condition because of old age.

Sanemoto is a younger brother of Harumune, Masamune's grandfather.

Tell Sir Masamune...

...not to set foot in the minefield.

I will.

Aizu and Satake cut ties with Date.

They must be all prepared and waiting for his attack.

He should just cast a side glance at Hideyoshi's campaign to Kyushu...

...and wait for an opportunity.

One more thing.

Tell him not to worry about Jikumaru's future.

A long time ago,

I met the same fate as Jikumaru.

By my father's order,

I was going to be adopted by the Uesugi.

But my brother was against it.

He wanted to save our military strength and settle domestic affairs.

Thus, he and my father clashed against each other.

The Tenbun War occurred.

Now, I can't say which was right.

Human fate is uncertain.

Father.

I'll call the physician!

- Tose. - Yes?

You've taken good care of me for a long time.

Thanks.

I don't deserve it.

- Shigezane. - Yes.

Don't let your youth affect your decisions. Don't go wild.

With Kojuro, the two of you flank Sir Masamune.

Work hard for the Date's diplomacy.

Certainly.

Princess Mego.

Good news.

Your mother's messenger came from Miharu.

He said, the Tamura clan will remain the same.

They have no intention of disrespecting the Date.

- Really? - Yes.

Lord seems to be very happy.

Tonight, he'll have a drinking party for the messenger...

...with Noh actors performing.

You should attend the party and hear news from Miharu.

That's what the lord said.

- He did? - Yes.

Remember your place.

Just sit quietly in a corner.

I know it, sir.

Hey! You tickled me!

- Stop it! - Excuse me.

Everything is ready for the party, sir.

All right.

He's coming now.

Oh, my.

How beautiful.

All other flowers look wilted in front of you.

Lord will be happy.

Lord.

I'm sorry to bother you, but...

...Sir Shigezane sent you an urgent message.

Around noon, today,

Sir Date Sanemoto passed away at Hacchome Castle.

What?

He died a peaceful death.

Lord...?

Sanemoto...

Sanemoto died...?

I extend my heartfelt condolence to you.

Tell Kojuro to send a condolence messenger.

Certainly, sir.

Kuniyori.

I'll cancel the party tonight.

I know how Shigezane is feeling.

I cannot have fun.

On May 3,

Shimazu Yoshihisa's messenger arrived at Hideyoshi's camp at Taiheiji Temple in Sendai.

He said Satsuma would surrender.

On May 4, Shimazu Yoshihisa, who shaved his head, saw Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi forgave Yoshihisa's treason and secured Yoshihisa's fief in Satsuma.

On June 7, in Hakozaki, Chikuzen,

he made judgment on Kyushu daimyo lords' fiefs.

Boy oh boy,

how powerful the Reagent's authority is.

He inhaled Kyushu in a second.

After western Japan, he'll try to conquer eastern Japan.

That's not going to happen.

We aren't coward like the Shimazu.

I don't get it.

Why did Hideyoshi save Shimazu's life and secure his fief?

With all due respect, sir,

I think that's what makes him different from Lord Nobunaga.

How different?

I think he showed the entire country that...

...he would secure your fief as long as you surrender.

There are daimyo lords who haven't fallen on their knees.

He's implicitly telling them to surrender.

What a puffed-up guy!

Don't underestimate him.

- Hideyoshi isn't an ordinary man. - Right.

The Mori surrenderd and the Shimazu apologized.

He must be the second coming of Lord Yoritomo.

- Know your place, Shigenobu. - Yeah?

You talk too much for a new comer.

Be quiet and serve tea.

You're mistaken.

What?

My duties aren't only accounting.

Lord hired me with a high stipend because I'm familiar with affairs in western Japan.

Lord made a mistake.

- You'll reveal yourself soon. - Enough.

Both of you.

What are you doing in front of the lord?

With all due respect,

I think you should keep an eye on Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Ieyasu's caliber is well-known.

He's even respected by Hideyoshi.

His daughter, Princess Go, married Sir Hojo Ujinao.

Lord Hojo is located in Odawara, gateway to eastern Japan.

He'll eventually counter-attack Hideyoshi's forces.

When that happens,

which side will Lord Ieyasu take?

I see.

I can't wait to see.

For the time being,

we should just watch what's going on across the county.

We shouldn't attack the Ashina thoughtlessly and fall into disfavor with Hideyoshi.

We should remain neutral.

Like Sir Sanemoto's will, we should wait for an opportunity.

You have a valid point.

But we must attack the Ashina.

On my honor,

I will destroy them someday.

End of Episode 15

Historical Information Provided by: Sendai City Museum