Original subtitles

Dokuganryu Masamune (One-eyed Dragon Masamune)

Episode 41: Venturing Overseas

Screenplay by James Miki

Based on the novel "Date Masamune" by Sohachi Yamaoka

Music by Shinichiro Ikebe

Theme music performed by NHK Symphony Orchestra

CAST

Masamune Date: KEN WATANABE

Shigezane Date: TOMOKAZU MIURA

Kojuro Katakura: TERUHIKO SAIGO

Princess Mego: JUNKO SAKURADA

Princess Iroha: YASUKO SAWAGUCHI

Shugenobu Suzuki: MITSURU HIRATA

Tadamune Date: HIRONOBU NOMURA

Rin: MIYUKI TANIKAWA Hidemune Date: KOICHI TSUJINO

Tadateru Matsudaira: HIROYUKI SANADA

Munenori Yagyu: RENJI ISHIBASHI

Tsunenaga Hasakura: MUNEYUKI SATO

Iechika Mogami: HIROMICHI HORI Mondonosho Hanai: TADASHI OKUNO

Narrator: SEIJI KASAI

Yoshiaki Mogami: YOSHIO HARADA

Lady Neko: KUMIKO AKIYOSHI

Ieyasu Tokugawa: MASAHIKO TSUGAWA

Hoshun-in: SHIMA IWASHITA

She is here.

Summer 1613 (Keicho 18)

Date Mansion, Edo

I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier.

It's good of you to come.

How are you feeling?

It's nothing serious.

Please take care of yourself.

I just don't understand it.

Why did you allow Princess Iroha to return to Echigo?

If Sir Tadateru is suspected of treason,

Princess Iroha's life will also be in danger.

You should have stopped her

even if you had to confine her to the house.

I could physically restrain her but I can't control her heart.

Iroha is prepared to die with Sir Tadateru.

And you're going to let her die?

That's the fate of a warrior's wife.

Christianity is at the root of the tragedy.

They say the Christians have gathered in Osaka

and are plotting to take over the country.

If one joins them, they'll punish you

even if you're related to the shogun.

Write a letter to Princess Iroha to change her religion.

There's no other way to save her.

Fukushima Castle, Echigo

You win.

My lord. Your wife has returned.

- What? - My lady has returned.

Next.

My lord!

Attack.

Excuse me.

You win.

My lord.

It is good to see you.

I've returned from Edo.

What do you want?

I divorced you.

What are you saying?

You may not return.

Are you out of your mind?

Leave.

Christians are forbidden to divorce.

Leave.

Next.

My lord.

Attack.

Excuse me.

You'll get hurt.

My lord.

You win.

Fool.

Say whatever you wish.

Soon the shogunate army will attack us.

I will fight them from the castle.

I intend to die in battle.

I will accompany you.

Your father will grieve.

This is my fate.

Is that so?

I have a good wife.

I thank you.

- My lord. - But don't die in vain.

Go back to your parents and live for the two of us.

I don't want to hear it.

We'll meet again in heaven where we'll get married.

Do you hate me?

Of course not.

I am in love with you.

Then, for pity's sake, let me stay.

That is the only thing I want.

Iroha!

Tadamune, you will eventually

succeed to the Date and inherit its 620,000 fortune,

and as Sendai castle lord,

you must uphold the family name.

To do that, you must study and cultivate yourself

and become merciful.

Yes, sir.

Hidemune, you must support him as his older brother.

Make up for what he's lacking,

remonstrate against his faults

and contribute to the prosperity of the clan.

That is my intention.

That's all for today.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

We have good news from Sendai.

Come closer.

The great ship is almost finished.

Congratulations.

It's huge.

It's 108 feet long and 33 feet wide.

The foremast is 84 feet tall the main is 95 feet.

Don't you want to take a ride on it?

Yes, yes. I want to see.

I want to go to Nanban.

No. That area is unlucky.

Because you're young, the Christians will trick you

and ruin your life.

I didn't say he will sail on it.

You did.

That's what Hidemune said.

Is that so?

Yes.

What are you thinking?

You are destined to become a castle lord.

What if the ship overturned?

Fool, don't tempt fate.

Listen, both of you.

Blood brothers must love one another.

Look after your little brothers and sisters

so that they look up to you.

You must not fight, no matter what.

Father.

Yes?

I heard you Killed your younger brother.

Who told you?

Those from the Mogami clan said so at school.

It's a lie, isn't it?

- Yes, of course it is. - No it isn't.

It was a long time ago.

There was an evil faction within the Date.

They championed his brother as their leader

and tried to kill your father.

Your father had no choice but to punish him.

Don't worry, Tadamune.

I will never kill you.

Life is unpredictable.

Parents kill their children and children kill their parents.

Sometimes brothers go to war against each other.

That's why I ask you two to be on good terms.

Remember that.

We must never have bloodshed within the clan.

Excuse me.

Disturbing news.

Thirty Christians have been arrested

at the Nanban temple in Asakusa.

What?

I fear Sotelo was one of them.

What?

It was a raid by the Edo town magistrate.

Bring my horse.

Furthermore, the Christians preyed upon the ill

and forced them to convert.

Their arrogance is out of control.

So they will be prohibited from proselytizing in Edo.

Will they be banished from Edo?

No. The Edo town magistrate intends to crucify them all.

He can't do that.

I have no intention of protecting the Christians.

However, if you massacre them,

it will only strengthen the follower's belief

and it will have the opposite effect.

Or the Spaniards may send a huge army to attack us.

We must act if the occasion requires.

Why don't you send them back by ship?

Not only that, but...

send a delegation to the pope in Rome

to sign a treaty for trade and allow them to preach.

It will be advantageous for us.

How many passengers can your ship take?

One hundred fifty or more.

One hundred fifty!

And when can it sail?

With your permission,

I want to set sail by the end of next month.

So please show mercy and banish the Christians.

If not, at least release Luis Sotelo.

But Sotelo is the leader.

That's why we must take him.

Luis Sotelo is the only one who can take us to Nanban.

And who will be the delegate?

I say this with the utmost abjection.

Please send Tadateru Matsudaira.

Tadateru?

Yes, sir.

If your son is a delegate,

they will treat him with respect

and welcome him with open arms.

Besides, Sir Tadateru is a Christian.

I forbid it.

Please reconsider.

Sir Tadateru has the reputation of

being short-tempered and a ruffian,

but I know him to be intelligent and courageous

with extraordinary discernment though untried.

I think he would be too valuable to lose

and his house disbanded

just because his name was on a dubious covenant.

If possible, absolving him from all accusations

and point his ambition across the sea

would be the best course of action.

What do you mean by covenant?

I have never heard or seen such a thing.

Who said I would disband the Matsudaira clan?

Er...

I apologize for my insolence.

Dear me, I'm such a scatterbrain.

Your son-on-law is secure.

So is his wife.

Thank you, sir.

Send a Date vassal as a delegate.

Excuse me?

Choose someone not high in rank

so that if the delegation ends up failing

we will have an excuse.

An excuse?

That the Japanese shogun knew nothing

about the delegation. You may go.

I understand, sir.

Masamune saved Sotelo on the verge of execution

and took him back to Sendai.

And Tadateru Matsudaira, who was under house arrest

in Fukushima Castle in Echigo,

received a letter from the shogun Hidetada.

My lord.

What does the shogun say?

Rejoice. There will be no punishment.

The Echigo 700,000 is secure.

Oh! Congratulations.

We can't let down our guard.

Brother orders me to build a castle.

A castle?

He says we should build a large castle in Takada.

He means to hem me in.

He's making me use my fortune on castle building

and once I'm defenseless he's going to take me down.

No, it is the shogun's mercy.

Believe that he couldn't bare to kill his blood brother

and made a special dispensation for you.

I don't want his pity.

Early September,

there was an announcement of the delegation

traveling to Spain at Sendai Castle.

Sotelo and General Vizcaino were also present.

The ship will set sail on September 15th.

It will leave at full tide on this lucky day.

Everyone, make sure all preparations are done by then.

Rokuemon Hasekura will head the delegation to Nanban.

I am honored.

Reishi Imaizumi and Chusaku Matsuki

are the vice delegates.

Next I appoint Luis Sotelo

as the captain of San Juan Baptiste.

Wait.

Sotelo knows nothing about ships.

He can't use a compass,

astrolabe for navigation or read maps...

My men will sail the ship.

The ship won't move without my orders.

Shut up, Vizcaino.

That is our lord's orders.

I am the captain of a Spanish Armada.

I am an ambassador. Sotelo won't do.

He can't command a large ship.

He'll sink the ship.

Vizcaino is a traitor.

Tie him up and throw him into the ship's hold.

Traitor!

How desperate.

You're the one who for personal gain...

Silence! You're in the lord's presence.

Without me there will be no trade.

You won't be able to land in Spain.

That's a lie.

I will be your guide.

Silence.

Vizcaino and his forty men

will be hired and paid by Date.

You will not disobey Captain Sotelo's orders.

The arrogant General Vizcaino

was hated by the missionaries.

But without Vizcaino's experienced sailors,

the sea voyage would not be possible.

Shogunate's sailing chief Tadakatsu Shogen Mukai.

We request that you and ten of your man make this voyage.

I agree.

With the addition of shipwrights, translators,

servants and merchants that makes a total of 186.

Try to get along, Sotelo and Vizcaino.

Since you'll be together on a long journey,

meet the other halfway to make it successful.

Yes, sir.

Vizcaino, look after Tsunenaga.

Don't worry. All good.

Be well, all of you.

I want you all to come home safely.

You will be amply rewarded.

I have one question.

Yes?

In the missive to the pope in Rome,

you say you are the king of Japan.

That's right.

It looks like you are the ruler of Japan.

That's fine.

What about the retired shogun and the shogun?

If they hear of this, they will be angry.

The retired shogun personally gave his permission

to build the ship and send the delegation.

Since you're here, you're proof of his approval.

So there shouldn't be a problem if I sign the missive

in the shogun's place.

Sake for everyone.

About the same time,

Yoshiaki Mogami, Yamagata castle lord,

traveled to Edo though gravely ill,

for an audience with Ieyasu.

Request to transfer the headship of the clan?

Yes, sir.

I've been ill for some time

and I fear I only have a short time to live.

Don't be pessimistic Take time to recuperate.

Thank you for your consideration.

In short, you want Iechika back?

It would make me happy

if you could make a special dispensation.

Iechika.

How do you feel?

Do you want to return to Yamagata?

As you can see, my father is very ill

and I am very concerned.

If possible, I would like to return to nurse him

while managing the Yamagata fief

and repay you by serving you loyally.

I commend you.

That's fine.

I will tell Hidetada to approve the inheritance.

Thank you, sir.

Father.

I'm fine.

Now I can die with no regrets.

Well, then. You're Masamune's cousin, aren't you Iechika?

Yes.

What do you think of Masamune?

I think he is an extraordinary commander.

Is that all?

Well?

You can tell me.

Then he's slippery like an eel.

So Masamune's an eel?

He never shows his true self

and can't be trusted.

That's the problem.

Send spies to Sendai.

Get information about the Nanban ship.

Also find out if he's in secret communication

with the Christian lords in Osaka.

Yes, sir.

You have to catch the eel by its tail.

I will use my final strength to accomplish that.

I'm ordering Iechika to do that.

You go ahead and retire and rest.

Tsunenaga.

This voyage will be long.

You're going to a foreign land,

so you'll experience unexpected difficulties.

Have you told your wife and children?

Yes, sir.

Inexperienced as I am,

it is the pride of the clan you've entrusted me

with such an important mission.

You are the representative of Oshu king Masamune Date.

Act as equals in front of the pope and the Spanish king.

Yes, sir.

But be respectful in manner and words.

Tsunenaga, come closer.

That wasn't why I summoned you here.

I want you to know my true intentions before you depart.

I want you to tell King Philip of Spain

exactly what I am going to say.

Until then, mention it to no one... not even Sotelo.

First, tell him that the Red Hairs

from England and Holland are here

and plotting to occupy our land.

The Spaniards will be massacred

and the British and Hollanders will rule Japan.

I understand.

If this angers the Spanish king

and if he wishes to nip such ambitions in the bud,

he should immediately send his armada to Japan.

My lord!

If the Spanish king comes to Japan,

Oshu king Masamune Date will let the ships dock in Osaka

and together with the Christian lords

we will annihilate the Red Hairs.

You surprise me. You just won't quit.

One has to be on one's toes around you.

I heard that the Spanish Armada was wiped out.

That's what the Red Hairs say. They can't be trusted.

What if the armada doesn't come?

If they won't, it can't be helped.

I'll deal with that then.

I see.

Either way, we won't get hurt.

If it doesn't come to pass, it was worth a try.

May I ask...

are you going to write that down in a letter?

No.

You should use a translator and tell him directly.

I understand.

The Gamo incident has put me off letters.

The eye of the wagtail?

September 15th, 1613.

San Juan Baptiste departed Tsukinoura

with 186 men and Masamune's dream on board.

How long would it be

until this delegation, led by Tsunenaga Hasekura,

crosses the seas and return safely to Japan?

Late in 1613,

Yoshiaki Mogami was gravely ill in Yamagata.

Please lie down. It's not good for you.

Brother?

There's an oak tree in the back garden.

Strange, isn't it?

When you're near death,

you keep remembering your younger days.

You were such a tomboy.

You climbed up the tree and couldn't get down.

But you stayed up there even after dark

because you didn't want to get scolded.

You never cried.

You found me and helped me down.

Brandishing a pole sword and short sword,

you put on armor when you were fifteen

and rode around on a horse...

You remember such odd things.

You took care of me, Yoshi.

Not at all.

You too good care of me.

When I die, go to Sendai.

Go and live with Masamune.

No... I can't go back there.

Why?

I have to apologize to you.

I tore you and Masamune apart and killed Kojiro.

That's water under the bridge.

He was the better man.

He swept up Oshu

and dodged the taiko's cruel treatment

and dared to stand up to Ieyasu...

Now he's a lord worth 620,000.

You, too, are admirable.

You dammed the river and constructed waterways

and made your territory a renowned rice producer.

You also developed saltpans

and enriched the lives of your people.

I bungled everything.

Masamune's head and shoulders above me.

I fought with my father,

forced my younger brother to die.

Okoma was killed by the taiko

and my wife committed suicide.

Brother...

That's not all.

I was misled by my vassal's false accusation

and killed my son Yoshiyasu.

Yoshiyasu who was beloved by his vassals...

Don't indulge in vain regrets.

It was all fate.

Oyoshi. Let me ask you this.

What do you think of Iechika?

What?

There are those who complain about him.

They ask me why I don't let Yoshichika inherit.

Yoshichika is your mistress' child.

However, many of the vassals are attached to him.

I hope nothing bad happens after I'm dead.

I will keep a sharp eye on them.

I want you to ask Masamune.

Masamune?

To look after Iechika

until he becomes a full-fledged lord.

In exchange, I will tell Masamune

an important secret.

Brother...

Listen well.

Ieyasu... Ieyasu Tokugawa does not trust Masamune.

He's waiting for a chance to destroy Masamune.

What?

Ieyasu is displeased that Masamune built

a huge castle and then

ceremoniously sent his ship to Nanban.

Tell Masamune not to let his guard down.

He should promptly banish the Christians

and prove his loyalty to the Tokugawa.

It's not too late.

I'm not lying, Oyoshi.

This is my once-in-a-lifetime good deed

for a nephew from an uncle upon his death bed.

I understand.

I will tell him immediately.

Brother...

Please lie down.

I am happy...

It feels like the black mist

that hung between the Date and the Mogami

has been lifted.

January 19th, 1614.

Yoshiaki Mogami died at the age of 69.

So he finally died.

My condolences.

The retired shogun is secretly plotting

to disband the Date.

It's Yoshiaki's last words.

That's ridiculous.

He intends to fool us til the end.

He wasn't in his right mind?

I can't say that it's nonsense.

If I were Ieyasu, that's what I'd do.

There's no one that's an eyesore like me.

If you say so yourself.

Whether it's true or not, we must be cautious.

I can't wait to see

what plot Ieyasu comes up with.

Shigenobu reporting.

What is it?

An urgent message from our Edo mansion.

He says the shogunate has announced

a ban on Christianity.

A ban on Christianity?

There will be no proselytizing anywhere in the land.

Those who disobey,

whether they are believers or Nanbans,

will be severely punished.

Anywhere in the country? Even Sendai?

Yes.

He got me.

What's going to happen to my ship?

Tsunenaga Hasekura won't be able to return.

The retired shogun outwitted us.

He made the Date build a ship and send it to Spain

and had us approach the pope

then pulled the rug from under us.

Damn him. Was that his plan from the start?

Ieyasu finally ordered

a complete ban on Christianity.

After arresting believers,

he began a severe crackdown all over Japan.

Father. Father...

Father!

Iroha...