Original subtitles

MIO'S COOKBOOK

Original Story Kaoru Takada 'A Cookbook of Devotion' (Kadokawa)

Script Itaru Era Kana Matsui Haruki Kadokawa

Honoka Matsumoto

Nao

Shido Nakamura

Produced & Directed by Haruki Kadokawa

'The fox says kon-kon, kon-kon

'All your tears are gone gone'

Noe?

Where are you?

Noe?

Noe?

1801, Tenjinbashi Bridge, Osaka

Where are you, Noe?

Noe?

Kon-kon.

Kon-kon.

Mio! Here I am.

Mio.

Noe!

You're such a crybaby, Mio!

'Fox says kon-kon all your tears are gone-gone.'

Hana-no-i Well

Now what do I do?

I'll be in trouble, and it's bad luck.

Now what?

Now we'll both be in trouble. We're together.

What are you up to?

Look what you've done!

Watch out, you two, or you'll end up like the girls here.

That's the well all the girls in the pleasure quarter drink from.

Don't ever do that again.

Eat up and go home.

This is so sweet! My mouth feels nice and cool.

Thank you, sir.

It's very generous of you.

Tozai-sensei?

What do you want with Noe?!

Let go of her! She's the Awajiya daughter.

Awajiya?

The big sundries store on Koraibashi Street.

It's been a long time since I was in these parts...

but here I sense great good fortune.

Good fortune!

Wonderful!

Is it that good?

A truly world-conquering fortune.

As if the morning sun were rising vigorously into the heavens.

'Rise like the sun.'

That's wonderful!

World-conquering'!

World conquering'!

Show me!

Yours is 'blue sky beyond clouds.'

Beyond clouds'?

Over your head are rain clouds.

A dark sky, great hardship.

You will suffer unbearably, I'm afraid.

But...

if you endure, and apply yourself with devotion...

you will surely find blue skies.

Skies more blue...

than anyone else can ask for.

Mio!

Great good fortune!

"Rise like the morning sun'!

You're special, Noe.

I'd rather have your 'blue sky beyond clouds'.

It's better.

If you conquer the world...

all of its bad luck comes along with it.

That's not true!

You're you.

What does that mean?

Huh?

Whatever happens, we're together.

Yes! Together forever.

They're beautiful.

1812, Edo

Tsuruya

I wanted Fukagawa oysters!

I can't eat this!

What are you thinking?!

Don't worry about it.

But he's the second.

What are you thinking?' he says.

I wanted Fukagawa oysters!' he says.

But you're really thinking...

'what kind of fool would leave oysters this good?'

It's written on your face.

Interesting.

'Interesting'?

You're leaving?

Yes. I'll see you again.

Thank you.

Wait!

My name's Mio.

Could you tell me what was wrong with them?

I've been here for three months.

Today is the first time I've cooked, and you saw what happened.

I feel sorry for the owner.

Hmm...

I wouldn't know.

But you said it was 'interesting'.

Not 'bad', but 'interesting'.

Your accent is Osaka?

Yes.

In Osaka, do apprentices ask customers to teach them how to cook?

I'm sorry!

But I love...

the way your eyebrows droop.

So here in Edo they fry them in the shell on the brazier?

Yes.

Taneichi fried the rest of the oysters for me.

But I still think they taste best in sweet miso paste.

I love it when the miso melts and you eat them hot.

Yes.

I remember how Sahei would sneak you off to the oyster boats...

when I wasn't looking.

I'm sorry. Whenever I remember...

What are you talking about? He's not dead.

I'm sure the boy's fine, here in Edo or somewhere else.

My husband's watching over him.

Yes.

Leaving that aside, it's true about your eyebrows.

They droop.

Missus! Don't you start!

It's all right.

Don't worry.

...and Taichi was shaking me and shaking me.

I thought it was an earthquake.

He'd just wet the bed!

Good morning.

'Morning, Mio.

'Morning.

We've finally got some sun today.

Taichi...

'Fox says kon-kon all your tears are gone-gone.'

There, Taichi. 'Kon-kon'.

Go on, Taichi! If you don't hurry, Mr Sun will hide his face.

Excuse me...

You know this shrine is for the Ghost Fox?

Yes.

If you anger him, they say he'll curse you.

But I hate to see the poor thing left here all alone!

So you're the one who's been tending the shrine?

The eyes...

remind me of a childhood friend.

Hey, what's this?

What are you talking about? It's oysters.

I know that.

But the way this woman cooks it, it's...

I dunno...

There's not much taste.

As I live and breathe!

I'll just have soba.

Me, too.

Hi.

'Droopy'.

Good evening.

I see.

Oysters in sweet sauce with ginger, Osaka style.

Interesting.

'Interesting' again? Not 'good'?

Tsuruya Chilled Soba Noodles

Mio! Mio!

Missus has been taken ill.

She'll be fine.

It's called 'poor blood', but she won't die of it.

Thank you.

I'm surprised you two know each other.

You get around, Dr Gensai.

We just met the other day at the Ghost Fox Shrine.

Dr Gensai takes care of everyone around here.

He does?

You came here with your mother?

Yoshi's not her mother. She's the 'Missus'.

'Missus'?

In Osaka, the lady who runs a restaurant.

Poor Mio lost her parents...

in the floods in Osaka ten years ago.

The flood of '01?

Hey! What are you doing?!

Stop that!

What are you doing? She's just a little girl!

Can't you be kind after these floods?

But I'm doing business here.

Business, is it?

Any more complaints?

Keep your hands off this child.

Can you stand?

And the sushi?

No, thank you.

Food is only as good as the cook.

And I know how good a man you are.

Come on.

And since then?

The restaurant we had in Osaka burned down.

The one here closed down.

But even now she still calls me 'Missus'.

I see.

Excuse me. I'll be on my way.

Wait. I can make you a riceball.

That won't be necessary.

With oysters in sauce and ginger, Osaka-style.

That was very good.

Lighter in color, and a more delicate taste.

To me, the flavors in Edo are very strong.

There's a lot of laborers here.

Carpenters work hard.

They lose salt when they sweat, and they prefer stronger tastes.

And so...

'Food nurtures like Heaven.'

What one takes in by mouth creates the body.

Take care.

'Food nurtures like Heaven.'

'Food nurtures like Heaven.'

More bonito flakes.

Bonito flakes?

That smell comes from dried bonito flakes.

It balances the soy sauce.

Try it.

A bit more.

More?

There.

Mio's butterbur simmer. What do you think?

What do I think?

Good, huh?

Getting better.

The soy tastes so mild!

As I live and breathe! Perfect with saké.

Right!

But don't drink too much.

I'll have more of both!

Right!

For me, too.

And me.

Hi, Droopy.

Squire Komatsubara!

Thanks to you, everyone loves Mio's side dishes now.

They do?

Another saké.

Are you satisfied with how this tastes?

People seem to like it as much...

as what I made in Osaka.

But...

'food nurtures like Heaven.'

I can't just go on like this. I have to do something more.

Your cooking...

has no foundation.

Your cooking has no foundation.

'No foundation'?

I try different things...

but the water in Edo's not the same, and people's tastes are different.

In medicine, too...

sometimes you find things are opposite to what you thought.

You study and study, but it's never enough.

Yes.

But...

brooding is bad for you.

I know!

Have you ever been to Yoshiwara?

The pleasure quarter?

It's almost August 1st.

There's a festival that goes on there. Women are allowed to watch, too.

Would you like to go?

Foxes!

Kon-kon!

That's Kikuno, of the Okinaya!

And Someji of the Matsubaya!

Kocho of the Jumonjiya!

Even Hisen of the Ogiya!

All the most famous girls!

The Fox!

Kon-kon!

The Fox!

Kon-kon !

That last fox...it had to be...

the Courtesan Asahi.

'Morning sun'?

Yes! Everyone in Edo knows 'the Courtesan'.

The prettiest in the land.

She plays the koto, the kokyu, the shamisen...

and she dances, recites, and sings as well.

But...

only a very few people ever get to see her face.

In Yoshiwara she's known as 'the phantom courtesan'.

Doctor! Don't disillusion us with how well you know this place.

Doctor, your regular.

What, you really do know Yoshiwara?

You really get around!

Sometimes he's here every day.

Yes. I'm here making house calls.

Um, I only have one chopstick.

Chopstick? Sorry?

Are you all right?

Sorry!

Vinegar and soy sauce. In Osaka this is sweet.

Sweet? Agar jelly noodles?

Yes.

You melt brown sugar into a sauce...

and put the chilled noodles into it.

It's so good!

I'd have it in summer with my best friend.

The girl who looks like the fox?

Yes.

'Fox says kon-kon all your tears are gone-gone.'

I used to cry a lot. She's always tell me that.

Was she lost as well...

in that flood?

No one knows.

But one day, I'm sure...

I'll see Noe again.

She'll 'rise like the sun.'

Kikuno was wonderful, wasn't she.

Yes.

On the same stage as the Courtesan, doing the kon-kon dance.

I'm happy with that alone.

It was a great success!

Asahi shone like the morning sun!

But she's still the phantom.

That's best.

That's why our Okinaya is the top establishment in Yoshiwara.

Mataji? Come in.

Mataji, this looks delicious.

Chilled Jelly Noodles

What's going on?

Jelly noodles at a soba place?!

As I live and breathe!

Here you are.

Washed red algae for jelly noodles! What an idea!

That's the Osaka way. There's more smell of the shore than with agar.

It goes with vinegar and soy.

It was just a late-summer treat, but it's very popular.

Mio...

I'm getting way too old to be pounding soba flour.

I was wondering...

if you'd take the place over.

I named the place after my late daughter Tsuru.

Keep the name...

but otherwise you can do what you like.

You'd do very well with it.

I'm serious about this.

Make an old man's dream come true.

Really?

So what are you going to do?

I don't know. It's just...

The 'foundation'?

Yes. I think the foundation of cooking is the soup stock.

But I don't feel that the water in Edo suits the kelp we use.

And I'm still not used to cooking with bonito flakes.

I'm not sure if I can be the face of the Tsuruya.

You're the fox's bride.

We call a sunshower 'the fox's wedding'.

Remember that, Droopy.

Taneichi has asked me to take over the Tsuruya.

I've been thinking about what you said about the foundation of cooking.

But I still haven't found mine.

I'm still in a fog.

Always in life, there's one way forward.

One way forward?

Kahei

Mio...

use this to buy the very best bonito flakes.

But you treasure that!

Mio, do you remember when you were 12?

The taste of the well water changed, and you were the only one who noticed.

The one who saw your gift...

and set a girl to cooking...

was Kahei.

The Tsuruya owner is a man like my husband.

He's willing to wager on you.

Do it, Mio.

To me you're like my own daughter.

These are our best bonito flakes.

There's no need to boil them first. Just count to ten, and strain them.

Ten?

One, two, three, four...

With soba broth, you'd boil it again.

Yes, but boiling the bonito flakes again makes them bitter.

Soba goes well with a strong sauce base.

One, two, three, four...

I'm trying...

to get the best of Edo and Osaka into the Tsuruya stock.

I'll try bonito flakes with kelp.

Mio...

Does that mean you'll take over the Tsuruya?

Yes.

I'm going to bed.

One, two, three, four...

five, six, seven, eight...

Three, four, five, six...

One, two, three...

Missus!

Mio!

Is this...?

Yes. I've finally done it.

The Tsuruya stock.

So what are you going to make with it?

I've been thinking about that.

And I think I know what I'm going to make.

Your specialty at the Tenman Icchoan in Osaka.

That?

Yes.

This stock, in that custard.

Savory Slow Egg Custard

A custard for me, too!

As good as everyone said!

Thank you. Please come back again.

One, two, three...

Mio, can we handle all this?

I can't believe it!

As I live and breathe!

Look!

People are even bringing their wives!

This is that strange place with the woman chef?

Missus!

This one?

Slow egg custard... I can hardly wait.

Slow egg custard, the specialty of the house.

Be careful, it's hot.

What's the big deal?

It's adorable!

Hyaku!

Calling food 'adorable' makes you sound silly.

Excuse the hour.

What do you want?

I'm Mataji, cook at the Okinaya in Yoshiwara.

Okinaya? The Courtesan...

Forget that.

Could you put some of that slow egg custard of yours in this?

I'm sorry, but the custard needs a custard cup...

Then sell me the cup, too.

We don't really have enough.

A certain person has asked me to bring some...

to remind her of home.

She's from around Osaka?

Yes, but...

she can't come here.

I know!

Could you use this?

A bamboo vase?

Bamboo...

With that, you can steam it again.

Could we use your idea for people to take it home?

Not at all.

I'm told you're from Osaka, too.

Tell me something about the place the lady will enjoy hearing.

About Osaka?

Really!

It's real slow custard.

Yes.

Mataji, is this chef really a woman?

Yes, and a very good cook.

I'm told the custard stock...

blends the best of Osaka and Edo tastes...

in one cup.

Would you know the Hana-no-i Well in Shinmachi?

Hana-no-i?

Yes, I remember it well.

That takes me back.

The chef says...

when she was small, she dropped a sandal into that well.

And then she says her best friend...

deliberately dropped her sandal, too, so they'd be scolded together.

Courtesan?

Sorry! Sorry!

Thank you.

Ryo! What's wrong with you today?

No, no, I'm fine.

Everyone! Something's happened!

Restaurant Rankings

What?

Missus!

Mio!

You're incredible! Look!

Mio!

The Tsuruya egg custard's on the list!

In the second-highest rank!

What?!

And a woman chef, too!

As I live and breathe!

'Zoni' Rice/Vegetable Soup

Our New Year's soup.

Goodbye.

Thank you very much!

Are you all right?

Should you be worried about me?

Your place is very quiet for New Year's.

Customers just left.

Your mouth is as foul as your face!

Look who's talking!

But if you're competing with the highest rank...

you get shoved out of the ring.

Highest?

The Toryuro's always highest in these rankings.

What about them?

You didn't know?

They're offering a new egg custard.

They're charging 40 mon for it.

Forty?

We charge 20 for ours.

Silly!

Everyone dreams about eating there.

To eat it for 40 mon for it there...

you just have to go without twice at a cheap place like this.

With Edo men, it's all show.

No. It's pride.

'Pride'?

The pride of the common folk.

And their egg custard has abalone.

Abalone...you say?

So are you going to go without twice to eat at the Toryuro?

I'm here because I don't!

Even though the owner and chef are rude!

How do you know they have abalone?

How do you think?

You're ugly?

That doesn't make any sense!

Toryuro Savory Egg Custard

Toryuro

Very good!

Custard of the highest rank.

Yes.

So, Onodera...

what became of that marriage negotiation?

Well...

I hope your thoughts are not on some other young lady.

No.

Two egg custards.

Lord Komazawa and Squire Onodera. What a delightful surprise.

I, Soma Uneme, am honored...

to welcome two who manage the meals...

for His Lordship the Shogun.

As suits your reputation, the food is excellent.

And Squire Onodera?

Yes.

I understand you have sampled the dish at that second-rank establishment.

Oh?

Well, please enjoy yourselves.

This soup stock...

It's the same as ours!

Missus!

Cowards!

You copied your soup stock from the Tsuruya!

Madam?

This is Mio's soup stock!

The taste she worked day and night to find!

Get lost!

Missus!

What do you think you're doing?!

It would seem the famous woman chef has a hot temper.

Are you the owner?

What do you mean by serving that soup stock?

Aren't you ashamed?

You mean the kelp and bonito soup stock?

That's been around for years.

So what if they taste alike?

Rumor has it you were the Missus of the Tenman Icchoan in Osaka.

Your son opened a place in Edo and went broke.

Then he went missing.

And now you come accusing us of trying to steal your clientele.

It's the truth!

To pay a doctor.

I don't need that.

I don't want you complaining later.

I wouldn't do a thing like that.

Food is only as good as the cook.

And I know how good a place this is.

Toryuro...

I will take vengeance through food.

Remember that.

Sounds like quite the ruckus.

It was nothing.

That Tsuruya woman chef was making false accusations against us.

Interesting.

'Interesting'?

The tsuru crane versus the ryu dragon.

Where are all our customers?

You men!

Here's some salt to drive away evil!

Out here like you own the street!

I'm sorry!

Bunch of louts standing around out here!

I'm not calling you a lout.

Hey! We have customers!

What are you doing here?!

That was a terrible thing for me to do.

That's all right.

He needed purifying anyway.

But you know, if it was the Toryuro that sent them...

as a writer you should be interested.

A writer?

Yes. He's the novelist Seiemon Takizawa.

'Takizawa'?

Of 'The Princess and the Dog'?

The 'Tale of Eight Dogs' is actually quite good...for him.

I just thought you were some foul-mouthed old...

Yep. Foul mouth, bad attitude...

and ugly.

And he'll pay, too.

Mio, could you come here?

Coming.

Clear Mirin Sauce

What a beautiful color!

Yes! I knew you'd like it.

Thank you.

A young woman out to make her way with a kitchen knife.

That makes me want to help.

Well!

Such a refined taste!

This is wonderful!

Nagareyama is a clear mirin the Sagamiya owner finally created...

after years of trying.

Thank you!

Mirin sauce this good...

We'll definitely use it here.

Make sure you mention 'Sagamiya Mirin Sauce'.

You'll amaze my husband even more.

Believe it or not, he's important to me.

What a shame! And it's such good egg custard.

I'll get some saké.

Thanks.

Oh, no!

Oh, no!

Taneichi!

No! Mio, don't! No!

Mio! Stop it!

We have to get out!

Put it out!

Quick!

Hurry!

My Tsuruya!

Someone set this fire!

I saw someone running away.

Mio?

It's my fault.

I got people angry.

Mio, that's not so.

'Blue sky beyond clouds.'

Beyond clouds'?

Great hardship.

You will suffer unbearably, I'm afraid.

'Blue sky beyond clouds.'

Great hardship.

It's my fault.

Mine.

I apologize for the hour. It's Mataji, from the Okinaya.

Come in.

I hate to ask at a time like this.

The lady would like you to cook for her again.

But our place is...

Theard from the Tsuruya owner. If you really can't...

What's that?

Shredded tangle.

Like this, even in a soup...

it's sure to remind anyone from Osaka of home.

I'd be grateful.

Not at all.

But this might be the last.

What's this?

There's a note inside.

Blue sky beyond clouds.

Noe!

Yes.

The Courtesan Asahi.

Please!

Take me to see Noe!

Impossible.

You know what kind of place Yoshiwara is.

She said...

that if you no longer wished to cook for her...

I should simply leave.

But if you were willing to make even one rice ball, then I should...

give you that note.

It's ready, Noe.

Tell the Courtesan I'll pay her back, little by little.

I'll devote myself, with her note folded next to my heart.

Asahi Morning Sun Box Meal w/shredded tangle soup

Delicious!

The girl cried, and said she wanted to see you.

Mio's still a crybaby, isn't she.

We can't meet.

But I'm not...

the Courtesan Asahi.

I'm Noe.

In Mio's mind, I'll always be Noe.

You're such a crybaby, Mio!

Noe...

I don't cry any more.

Don't worry.

Mio...

Taneichi!

I'll change the water.

The Toryuro had the highest ranking again this year.

Thank you.

Then there was that woman's place, with the second rank.

The Tsuruya.

She's opened again in the same place. I'm told it's very popular.

I'm also told that fire was deliberately set.

If that's true, it had better not happen again.

Sorry!

Sorry! Sorry!

Just wait a little longer.

Push in a bit, please.

Thank you for coming.

I was worried after the fire, but it's a fine place now.

And with a second floor, too!

As I live and breathe!

Oyster Lucky Boat

Coming through!

Your oyster boat.

Excuse me.

Here you are.

The oyster lucky boat!

To celebrate the opening of the new Tsuruya!

A lucky day!

Thank you.

It's just fried oysters!

Hey, that's mine!

Milord's leaving.

Thank you for coming.

Very good.

Right, Nakagawa?

Yes.

Thank you.

Well! Thank you very much!

Lord Saito, Squire Nakagawa, thank you!

Please come again.

Take care.

Thank you, Doctor.

Very good.

People love your new place.

Yes.

The first thing I had here was oysters.

I worked hard on my oysters.

The boat was great.

Thank you.

Hi, Droopy.

Squire Komatsubara!

Come in.

Taneichi! Five sakés!

'Interesting'?

This is...unspeakable.

Unspeakably good.

People never get tired of that egg custard of yours.

Just like I never get tired of your eyebrows.

Um...

Nothing.

Um...

are you warm enough?

Yes.

Egg custard and saké keeps me quite warm.

I'm sorry!

What the hell?!

Kikuno's patron has bought out her contract. I'm sorry!

Sir, please!

Help!

Courtesan!

Kikuno!

Take your hands off me!

Asahi!

Get Dr Gensai!

Quick! Get going!

Mataji, no!

Don't kill him.

Here you go.

Thanks.

What are you grinning about?!

He's not getting anywhere on his new book.

It's about the phantom courtesan.

Courtesan Asahi?

You know about her?

But the Courtesan Asahi isn't a phantom.

The more Yoshiwara says she's not real, the more we know she is.

Courtesan!

Please open your eyes.

Excuse me.

Mataji!

Could you cook for the Courtesan again?

A meal?

No. Could you simmer these in something sweet?

Is Noe ill?

Noe only ate sweet-simmered kumquat when she was sick.

Is she?

All the more reason to ask you.

If you've made it, she's bound to feel better.

All right.

You know the Courtesan very well, don't you.

We haven't seen each other for ten years...

but Noe is Noe.

How do you know her?

Are the two of you...?

I owe the Courtesan my life.

That's all.

I was born without a father in Yoshiwara.

For a worthless eight-fold like me...

she put her life on the line.

'Eight-fold'?

Human scum who lack the eight virtues.

Charity, justice, gratitude, wisdom...

honesty, loyalty, filial piety, and harmony.

Like all the whoremasters there.

It was a long time ago...

but just once...

I fed the Courtesan when she was a little girl.

The kid's gone!

Where?

Find her!

Mataji.

A little girl of ours took off. Did you see one?

No.

Hey!

She's not here.

Mataji's Tofu Lees Soup

Tofu lees soup. Do you like it?

Now you're in Yoshiwara, don't think of running away.

Just keep thinking that whatever happens...

you're going to live, and keep on living right through it.

Promise me..

you'll keep on looking after the Courtesan.

I will.

Sweet-simmered kumquats

Mio?

Mio...

Have you stopped crying?

So Doctor, how was the cherry-leaf rice cake this year?

Perfect. Just sweet enough.

There's the jelly-noodle girl.

Mio!

The Courtesan Asahi is a childhood friend of yours?

Yes.

Please! I'd like you to take this to the Okinaya.

What is it?

Fallen petals'. Mirin lees from where they make Nagareyama clear sauce.

We'd have them as a snack when we were small.

'Food nurtures like Heaven.'

This is the only thing I can do for Noe.

In that case, come with me.

For the Courtesan. 'Fallen petals'.

They'll nourish her.

Good day.

Wait.

Mataji? What's that?

Fallen petals! I haven't had these in years.

To 'Rise Like The Sun', with thanks.

Mio...

Mio...

Kon-kon...

Kon-kon...

Kon-kon...

Noe!

'All your tears are gone-gone.'

'All your tears are gone-gone.'

'All your tears are gone-gone.'

Kon-kon...

Would you open that?

What's this all about?

Is it the right one?

Check and see that it is.

It looks like it's glad to be back.

That's all right!

We've done well on the soup stock it bought.

For the Tsuruya, that's a very important hairpin.

It's all right!

Stop bowing.

Sweetfish and Rice

Delicious!

Right? And I was the first to find this place.

And who said 'I can't eat this', threw his money down and left?

And you, too! Now you've brought your wife.

What?

You're Yakichi's wife?!

Yes.

What a waste!

You make a lovely couple!

What can I do? She's after me all the time to bring her.

What?! You're the one who dragged me here.

'Mitsu,' he said, 'I'll take you to...

'the best place in Edo.'

But I'm glad I came.

Thank you, honey.

Really!

Yes! As I live and breathe!

'What are you thinking,' huh? How soon we forget!

This year the Tsuruya will make the highest rank!

Lady chef!

Yes?

Your sweetfish was...great!

Is he feeling all right?

Maybe he's not feeling well.

Thank you.

He's finally found a clue as to who Courtesan Asahi his.

It seems a certain writer has been sniffing around here.

I don't mind.

Mataji, don't do anything foolish.

I owe you my life, Courtesan.

I will protect you with my life.

That's all.

Throw him out.

Stop it!

I am in this man's debt!

He is the man...

who gave me the strength to live through this hell.

Asahi!

Lay one finger on him and see what happens.

Asahi! No! Asahi!

Then save this man.

Mio...

writing is that man's work.

And what is yours?

You must do what you can.

Are you Mio?

Yes.

Mataji's going to kill him?

He'll go to any lengths for the Courtesan.

In Yoshiwara...

no matter how hard you wish, some dreams never come true.

And that wishing can drive you mad.

I made the Courtesan a promise.

If a patron bought my contract...

I would be happy with him, no matter who he was.

Do you have somebody you're in love with?

A very unusual person.

I can't tell what he's thinking.

And I can never find the words...

to tell him how I feel.

That's how it goes, doesn't it.

Try your best to come together...

with this person you love.

Somehow I feel like I'm talking to Noe.

This is the last thing I will do for the Courtesan.

I can't be with her any more.

I leave her in your hands.

Excuse me.

As promised.

Are you really the one who sold the Courtesan Asahi into Yoshiwara?

There's a famous fortune-teller called Tozai Mizuhara in Osaka.

He found a little girl and told her her fortune was to 'rise like the sun'.

'Rise like the sun.'

The Great Flood of '01 came that night.

Her home was washed away, and she lost her family.

She didn't even know who she was any more.

I picked her up and took her to Yoshiwara.

I told them her fortune was to rise like the sun...

and got a good price for her.

Who are you?!

Then I've got a score to settle with you!

No, wait!

Mataji! No!

Stop it!

You promised you'd look after the Courtesan!

You can't kill a man!

She asked me to make sure you don't!

You!

I'll see you in hell!

What happened after that?

Who was that man?

You won't say?

Seiemon...

will you make a bet with me?

I will cook you something.

If it pleases you, grant what I request.

And if not, you'll tell me what happened here?

Three days.

You have three days to astonish me.

Courtesan...you called?

I was thinking...

it's been a long time since I had some of your tofu lees soup.

Would you make me some?

That was the first thing I thought tasted good...

after I came to this hell-hole.

Mataji...

never stop making it, will you?

Right away.

Mio...

Dr Gensai!

I've brought some books on cooking.

Thank you!

What can Onodera be thinking? This is an important marriage meeting.

I'll conduct him here the moment he arrives.

'Tortoise Jewel'

Closed Today

Hello!

You're alone?

Tonight it's one-on-one.

I wondered what you'd make.

It's just egg yolk and miso.

Egg yolks are very nutritious. And good for your eyes, too.

Squire Komatsubara?

Where's Droopy?

Upstairs, with the writer.

What did you put in the miso? It's not sugar.

Fallen petals'. Mirin lees.

What do you call the dish?

'Tortoise Jewel'.

'Tortoise'?

I'm told tortoiseshell hairpins very much suit the phantom courtesan.

Wait!

Who wins?

Fool!

Betting on how someone feels?

Of course the bet was going to go my way.

But...

However...'tortoise jewel'?

I'm astonished.

One request.

Then...

Quick, before I change my mind.

The book you're writing now.

Give it to me.

What?

The Courtesan...

'Noe' is a childhood friend. She's not a phantom courtesan.

We've been separated since we both lost our parents when we were eight.

I've still can't meet her.

But...

we're still together in my mind.

One day she'll be happy.

She has to be!

Please! Don't torment Noe any more than you have.

You want a writer to stop writing? Do you know what that means?

Yes.

Then...

give me an even better story.

How a woman chef rises in Edo....

and through her cooking redeems a prostitute from Yoshiwara.

Me? Buy out Noe's contract?

I'm told that would cost 4,000 ryo.

My book...

I will leave it until I see the two of you together.

You're leaving?

Yes.

Squire?

Wait!

Squire Komatsubara, I...

4,000 ryo.

As that writer says...

if you surpass the Toryuro to be the greatest chef in Edo...

that dream might come true.

One way...

forward.

Yes.

Food nurtures like Heaven.

Go firmly ahead.

Don't droop, Droopy.

Mio?

Now...

Squire Komatsubara...

will never...

come back here.

Here they are at last!

It's been two years.

Think we'll see Courtesan Asahi's face this year?

All these people!

It's exciting just standing here!

For the flowers of Yoshiwara, this is normal.

Nothing to get excited about.

Missus! What do you think of Edo now?

The Fox God returns a favor.

This is as far as I can go. The rest is up to you.

Noe!

Mio!

Whatever happens, we're together.

Noe!

One day...

we'll meet on that bridge!

In Tenjinbashi.

For sure!

Mio Honoka Matsumoto

Courtesan Asahi Nao

Taneichi Koji Ishizaka (Guest appearance)

Mataji Shido Nakamura

What a beautiful sky.

Mio...

it really is 'blue sky beyond clouds'.

Yes.

And you really rise like the sun.

Original Story Kaoru Takada 'A Cookbook of Devotion" (Kadokawa)

Script Itaru Era, Kana Matsui & Haruki Kadokawa

Produced & Directed by Haruki Kadokawa

Subtitles lan MacDougall