Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni (1982) - full transcript

Maya, you haven't
eaten since last night, have you?

You must be hungry

I sold my kimono
in order to buy you this

It's because your father
took all our money

Your father's no good

He's to blame

Look, this is our wedding photo

It was in a place
called Peking, in China

That was my best dress

Your father was
a really kind man in those days

You were born when
we returned to Japan after the war



There was nobody with a camera around,
so we left handprints to commemorate it

That's yours when you were a baby...
that's mine, that's father's

This hand of your father's...

would lovingly...

caress your hair

But your father fell in love
with another woman

He abandoned us both

And he took all the money and jewellery

Your father was so selfish

Only thinking about himself

He left your
invalid mother behind to die

So cruel

Maya

It's all father's fault that
we're starved and frozen to the marrow



So put all the blame on him
and learn to hate him

When I'm gone and you're grown up...

search out your father and take revenge

You mustn't forgive him

Let the two of us make a promise

♪ Come on through, come on through

♪ Where does this path lead?

♪ This is the path to
the shrine of the heavenly deity

♪ Please allow me through

♪ Only those who have cause shall pass

♪ To mark my child's
seventh birthday...

♪ We've come to make an offering

♪ The way there is easy,
but the return is perilous

♪ Even so,
come on through, come on through

FOR MY DAUGHTER'S 7TH BIRTHDAY

English Subs by NLK1971

Oh, you shouldn't have...

These cakes look delicious!

You have this one

I'll take this

You liked your coffee black, right?

What are you...?

Thanks for coming

The victim?

Yoshiko Ikehata, 28

A single female, jobless

Who found her body?

A neighbour called the police when
she heard screaming and strange noises

So a police patrol went
to the flat and broke in

The left carotid artery and throat
have been cut with a sharp blade

Additionally, there are
stab wounds under each shoulder blade

And a huge gouge under the left breast

The murder weapon?

It hasn't been found yet

But what was it?

It seems to have been a sharp blade

Not scissors or a knife though

Neither was it a kitchen tool

These wounds are horrific

A terrible murder for sure

A murder of rancour
rather than a robbery

Isn't it a crime of passion?

Hmm?

The neighbour said she had highly
tempestuous relationships with men

What sort of guys?

A property speculator living
in the vicinity and his sons

She enticed five or six men
to this flat, one after another

So one of them brought these cakes...

and slashed Yoshiko Ikehata
as she served coffee?

So it seems,
although there's no cake box

The assailant took it

Find the bakery that made this

Did the victim smoke?

No, she didn't

Perhaps the assailant does

Foreign cigarettes

Check out the blood type on this

The flat's undamaged,
but the wardrobe's a mess

Why?

Probably the assailant was
wiping the blood from his hands

Why use these clothes?

Bloody handprints?

An abhorrent murder...

Ah, Mr Akutsu

You found out
Yoshiko Ikehata's killer then

No, not yet

You're with Eastern News?

Yes, that's correct

You know Koichi Omoda?

Mr Omoda? I certainly do

He was copy editor when
I joined its local news section

I was put through the wringer

What's he like?

Let me see...

As a journalist, one of the best

Five years ago he left Eastern News,
now he reports for the Monthly Koron

Does he have
some connection to this case?

Mr Omoda

You were going to meet
Yoshiko Ikehata tonight, weren't you?

As you see

There's a memo on
the calendar from her apartment

What of it?

What was your relationship to her?

I only met her three days ago

What for?

For work

And?

Detective,
I'm an investigative reporter

I can't reveal details about my work

Ah, Hope cigarettes?

What about foreign brands?

I only smoke these

Where were you last night?

My alibi?

I'd drinks with
the Monthly Koron's chief editor

So you see,
I'm not Yoshiko Ikehata's lover

Then you know about her affairs?

She was a maid at Ikki Hata's residence

She was dismissed for a
fling with a visiting salesman

Ikki Hata?

A ministerial secretary

He pulls the strings behind the scenes
for the political candidate Isozaki

I just wanted to ask Yoshiko Ikehata
about Ikki Hata's everyday activities

I guess I can leave

Ah, I'm blood type O

You can check with this cigarette butt

Mr Omoda

Well, it's Sudo

How's it going?

Not too bad, I guess

You've done some great reporting
for the Monthly Koron

Revealing the underbelly
of the political world

I don't do it alone

I have the team behind me

You're lucky you can devote
yourself to what you love

I wish I had that talent...

Sudo

It's not talent that is necessary

But a determination
to track down your prey

I think I can match anyone
for determination

Excellent, you should work alongside me

Anyway,
you've been assigned to this case?

Yes

By the way

Why were you
called in for questioning today?

Yoshiko Ikehata had a lot to tell me

It was regarding a story
I've been pursuing

I'm really upset about
Yoshiko Ikehata's murder

My investigation's
come to a shuddering halt

Mr Omoda

What exactly are you pursuing?

Tell me

Okay

Let's go for a drink tonight

You can also hear my whinging

Do you know a cheap place
in Akasaka or Roppongi?

I need a refill!

Miyo

Sorry I'm late

Oh, he's an acquaintance?

Yes, he's my old mentor Mr Omoda

This is the proprietress

Pleased to meet you

My name's Yukiko

I thought about leaving
because of the hostile service

Well, that's a bad habit of hers

She treats new customers really coldly

Yukiko

May I use the back?
I'll be having an involved discussion

That's fine, please feel free

This way

Shall we begin?

What did you want to find out
from Yoshiko Ikehata?

You're a journalist too

You know what sort of man Ikki Hata is?

He's the principal secretary of
conservative party candidate Isozaki

The master manipulator
in the background

However

He didn't turn Isozaki
into a major figure

It was a woman called Seiga

Ikki Hata's common law wife

Seiga?

As in Blue Moth

Seiga, written as Blue Moth

An unusual name

It is

The name of a mysterious fortune teller

Seiga lives with Ikki Hata
in a huge residence in Takanawa,

surrounded by 3 maids, 2 chauffeurs,
4 or 5 servants and several dogs

She examines a handprint in order to
divine someone's fortune or prospects

And her readings seem very accurate

Isozaki's candidacy came about
just as Seiga predicted

But her reputation spread

Now big shot politicians get a forecast
from her before making a major decision

They call it the pilgrimage to Takanawa

Seiga only sees the handprints
of people chosen by Ikki Hata

One divination apparently
earns 3 to 5 million yen

It's absurd that politicians are
influenced by fortune telling

So the future of Japan is
going to be determined by Seiga?

I wouldn't go that far

But that's how our politicians work

They don't have the strength
to make their own decisions

What sort of woman is this Seiga?

I have no idea

No one has seen her clearly

Her real name and history
are a complete mystery

Secluded at the Takanawa residence,
she shuns any contact with the media

It makes you wonder why that is

Maybe she's guarding a secret

She is

I've called at the Takanawa residence
many times in an attempt to reveal it

But I'm always turned away

I've nothing to go on

I was at a loss...

Then I got wind one of Seiga's maids,
Yoshiko Ikehata, had been dismissed

I promptly met with her

Three days ago

It's about Seiga?

I do have some knowledge

She's pretends
to be Japan's top palmist

But she uses underhand methods

However, I won't talk for free

You want money?

Naturally

I'd like five million yen

Since I've lost my job

That's quite exorbitant

I can get it for you,
but is what you have really worth it?

If you need to see evidence...

Seiga is searching for a man
with this hand pattern...

when she does a palm reading

And why is that?

It will cost five million yen
to find out

How did you obtain this handprint?

I stole it from Seiga of course

That woman nonchalantly cast me aside

I want to get my own back
by telling you her secret

Okay

I'll consult my chief editor
about raising the five million yen

In three days,
I'll hear the full story at your flat

I'll look after this

Here's the hand print

Yoshiko Ikehata was going to
reveal to me Seiga's secret tonight

And last night she was murdered

What do you infer?

Seiga killed Yoshiko
in order to protect her secret?

I'm sure that's it

Although, typically...

the police seem to think she was killed
due to her romantic entanglements

It would be a great scandal...

if it was Seiga

Anyhow

I don't know if
she's a political shaman

But to kill someone so inhumanely
is unpardonable

I want to find proof
that Seiga is the culprit

But I can't do it alone

Sudo

Will you help me?

Sounds interesting

I'll do it

Ha ha... you will!

Well, I'd like to stay informed
of police activity

Okay

Alright...

Tonight, we drink to celebrate
the start of our quest

Would you like some more snacks?

It seems someone was listening in

It's okay

She's famously tight lipped

I don't know

In the west, they say
only a woman's kneecaps are tough

Could you prove
that to me with your body?

Don't be so silly

This one likes joking around

The proprietress is an attractive woman

You're in love?

Yes I am

I always frequent this bar
because I'm infatuated with her

But Yukiko is so cold,
it won't go anywhere

She always rejects
the other customers too

Perhaps she finds men despicable?

Or does she have someone?

What do you think?

Mr Omoda!

Hey!

My house is close by
so you take the taxi

Let's go somewhere for another drink

Drink any more and
you won't be able to walk

Rain?

You can flag down a taxi
from the street over there

Thanks

It must be challenging

Working as a reporter

However, I wonder if that woman
called Seiga really is the culprit

So you were listening?

It's a small bar, so I could hear you

What is it?

It hurts somewhere?

It's...

my joints

My back's gone numb

And I can't breathe...

Where do you live?

It's nearby

Then I'll escort you

Hold on to me

You made me jump

You stayed to watch over me?

That's very considerate

It's because you lost consciousness
after slumping on the bed

I wondered if you would die like that

The pain's gone?

It's all better now

In the last seven or eight years,
on cold or wet days...

I've been having
sudden attacks of joint pain

I end up lying comatose
for two or three hours

That's awful

Er... Your wife?

We're long divorced

Clash of personalities

As you see,
I'm living by myself in this flat

Each morning, I get up at 10 o'clock

And I go to bed late at 2 or 3 o'clock

The routine of
a dying middle-aged man

What are you dying of?

Not sure

But I smoke 80 cigarettes a day

Cancer

I guess its lung cancer

Anyhow, I won't live very long

So I'll throw myself
into my work before I die

How about a drink?

If I accept a drink, I'll have to stay

That's the aim

However

Even if I'm dying of cancer,
I'd rather not die alone

I want to die with someone like you

I don't think I'll have a long life either

Are you ill as well?

Yes, psychologically

Psychologically?

I'll die soon

That's what I want

I want to die!

You poor soul...

Hey, Akutsu

Regarding the ransacked wardrobe...

Maybe the assailant was searching
for clothes that would fit

What?

In other words

Having been covered in blood,
the killer wanted to change clothes

The murderer was a woman then

You think it's a woman!

It's a possibility

A jealous woman who'd
had her man taken from her

They say nowadays women are crueller
than men when push comes to shove

What's more, the bloody palm prints
were thoroughly examined

It's believed not all of them
were left by Yoshiko Ikehata

Doesn't that mean the assailant's
were mingled amongst them?

Mr Shibusawa!

We found who sold the cakes
at the scene of the murder

The customer who bought them
was a woman wearing sunglasses

Hello?

Ah, it's you

There's news?

They've determined that
the murderer was a woman

The bloody handprints of a woman found
on the wall seem to be the killer's

And it's been established
a woman in sunglasses bought those cakes

The culprit's a woman!

It's looking more and more like Seiga

Thanks

Goodbye

Ikki Hata and Seiga

So Seiga wears sunglasses

Chief!

Oh, Omoda

Well, if Seiga killed Yoshiko Ikehata
it would be an unprecedented case

The Monthly Koron will
cover all your expenses

I certainly want that report

But is there any evidence Seiga did it?

No, it's just my intuition

Seiga bumped off Yoshiko Ikehata
in order to guard her secret

What's her secret?

Any idea?

None at all

I want to bring it to light

But Seiga is well protected

How will you expose her?

I've an idea

I'll investigate Ikki Hata's past

To find out when and where
he came to join forces with Seiga

I seem to recall Ikki Hata
was in the Ministry of Finance

He joins the ministry in April, 1959

The tax bureau office

In 1964, becomes director
of the Maebashi tax office

He rose rapidly

Like a bureaucrat on the fast track

1965, returns to Ministry of Finance as
assistant chief at the banking bureau

But two years later suddenly resigns

Why's that?

He fails to get married

Get married?

Ikki Hata sought to advance his career
by marrying this politician's daughter

But she married a rival and
he ended up getting demoted

The tax office in Kyushu

Then he gives up on
being a public official

And takes up a top position
at a company called Akagi Foods

You've done your homework

It seems Ikki Hata somehow
gets to know Seiga around that time

I'm heading off to Akagi Foods
to make inquiries

It's a bit concerning

What is?

If you dig too deeply into Seiga's past
you could be killed this time

Like Yoshiko Ikehata...

This is Koichi Omoda,
not some bumbling novice!

Ikki Hata is a really pushy guy,
wouldn't you say?

He strode into my company one day
demanding a top job

It's because he did me a few favours
when he was a public official

I had to make him an executive

But a year later, suddenly he said
he wouldn't waste any more time here

He wanted to be
a parliamentary secretary

What led him to politics?

It was recommended by a fortune teller

He was told he'd be successful

That fortune teller was a woman?

You're well informed!

That woman was
the proprietress of a bar

But apparently she was
very adept at reading palms

A proprietress?

Where was the bar?

Azabu, near Ichinohashi

I went there just once
after Mr Hata invited me

And the name of the proprietress?

Mr Hata was close to her

He addressed her intimately, as Reiko

Reiko?

What was she like?

It's hard to remember,
anyway, it was 10 years ago now

Not to mention,
I was drunk when I got there

Do you recall the bar's name?

I'm sure it was written in katakana...

That's right... Nouveau...

It was Nouveau

Nouveau?

So it was Nouveau

The French word for new...

Yes

I looked for it in Ichinohashi

But it folded seven years ago

That's the exact time Ikki Hata
became Isozaki's secretary

So then Reiko took the name Seiga
and started divining for politicians

Yes

There's no doubt Reiko is Seiga

Very interesting

The truth about this woman
is now being uncovered

Mr Omoda

All you ever talk about is Seiga

It's an obsession

There's a murderer on the loose!

Yoshiko Ikehata entrusted me with this,
and I'll solve its mystery...

Why is Seiga searching for
the man who formed this handprint?

I had a palm reader look at it

Of these fingerprints
only the ring finger has a whorl

It indicates power and virtue

A man like this knows how
to take advantage of current events

And he can succeed as
a top politician or industrialist

I don't have that pattern

Neither do I

Me neither...

We're not fated to be big shots

Next, this dual heart line
represents strength of will

Furthermore

The head line runs vigorously towards
the wrist, which indicates intelligence

In short, this is a man who will stop
at nothing in order to reach the top

And the mole
at the base of the ring finger?

I have the same mark

Ah, damn it!

I forgot to ask about the mole

But, who exactly is the man
who left that handprint...

and how is he related to Seiga?

The key to unlocking
that mystery lies in Aizu

Aizu... in Fukushima?

Yes. Tomorrow, I'm heading
there to investigate

You need to be careful though

Seiga killed Yoshiko Ikehata
to protect her secret

If you make too many ripples you may...

You think I'll be killed?

My boss was worried too

So am I,
so why not abandon this trip to Aizu?

No, I'm going

A reporter will sniff after his prey
no matter where it takes him

Besides, Sudo here is my deputy

Sudo, if I'm killed by Seiga
please avenge me!

Excuse us

Mr Omoda,
what's going on with you and Yukiko?

You let her see the print

Don't worry!

Anyway, I'll be heading
for Aizu in Fukushima

Omiya. This is Omiya

Thank you for riding with us

Aah, take me to Tokyo

Mummy! Mummy!

Mummy...

Mummy!

Mummy! Mummy!

Mr Omoda?

It's you...

You've been here long?

Since evening

I guess you had
another one of your attacks?

Are you okay now?

Indeed, the pain has disappeared

And my back has recovered

Here, eat this

Thanks

Wearing yourself out
from travelling brings it on

You won't go to Aizu again, will you?

I don't need to go again

I've completed my investigation

Have you?

Yes

Finally, I've found out
the truth about Seiga

The mystery has been resolved

Then you know why Seiga was searching
for the man who left that handprint?

Absolutely

And you'll write it up
for the Monthly Koron?

Yes, I can't allow this woman to wield
her influence over Japanese politics

I want her charged
with murder and jailed

It would bring
those politicians to their senses

They'll lose faith in divination

You're pleased?

Yes, I'm pleased

I want to give a toast

Make me a whisky and water

Let's both have a drink

You can drink so soon
after having a turn?

Who cares?
I've finished a major investigation

I want to get drunk with you

I see

Stay over tonight

Fine

Once you've published your report,
how about we take a trip to an onsen?

Somewhere around Hakone or Nikko

A quiet inn where we can relax

Sounds great,
but it would be hard on Sudo

He's madly in love with you

He's still young though,
he'll soon find someone better than me

Don't you think you've
had enough to drink now?

I'm no shrinking violet, but I
need to be drunk to be able to say this

What is it?

Yukiko!

I love you

You mean more to me
than any woman I've ever met

To how many women have you said that?

You're the first one

Really? If so, that makes me happy

I'm in love with you, Yukiko

Like warm milk...
You have a scent like warm milk

It smells nice...

It smells so nice

Mr Omoda!

It's Sudo

Mr Omoda?

It's past noon...

Mr Omoda...

Sudo

What judgement did the police come to?

He killed himself by cutting his wrist
and taking a big dose of sleeping pills

That was the conclusion

His chronic illness meant
he suffered sudden fits...

during which his whole body was in pain

He said he wouldn't live long
due to lung cancer

I suppose those worries got to him...

Mr Omoda wouldn't abandon a job
when it was only halfway done

Suicide is far-fetched

He was murdered,
like Yoshiko Ikehata

Murdered?

By that shaman
of the political world Seiga?

Yes

He was taken out because he went
to Aizu and uncovered her secret

However

Yoshiko Ikehata's killing was brutal,
while Omoda's death was rather subdued

Knocking him out with sleeping pills

And gently slitting his wrist

That sly method suggests a woman

This is Mr Omoda's notebook

He would take detailed notes
when collecting information

But there's nothing
about his trip to Aizu

I'm sure Seiga removed it all

A cunning woman...

I'll take over this investigation

I'll do all I can to ensnare Seiga,
to avenge Mr Omoda

What about Eastern News?

I'll leave them

Mr Kashiwabara

Will you employ me as a reporter at
the Monthly Koron to replace Mr Omoda?

I see no reason not to

But you must be ready to face danger

You'll be the next person
targeted by Seiga

I understand

I know that only too well

Good, then take up the reins

Oh, right

Here's something Mr Omoda wanted

What?

We ran a check on the owner of
a bar Nouveau of some years ago

This contains the various findings

Genshichi Furuya...

Okay

I'll meet with him at once

Genshichi Furuya

Eh? So Mr Omoda saw you
before he travelled to Aizu?

Said he'd return but never showed

What's up?

He died in a incident

He died?

Yes

Ahh... And he was a young'un

And what did Mr Omoda ask you about?

Asked about my bar, the Nouveau

It was something
I let my daughter Reiko take care of

Your daughter?

She was the result of getting
one of my fancy women pregnant

A very sexy girl, took after her mother

And the bar thrived

So what is Reiko's whereabouts now?

Dunno

Seven years ago,
she said she was marrying and scarpered

She was just like her hostess mother,
something of a loose woman

I got pissed off and sold the bar

But Reiko was a skilled palm reader,
wasn't she?

Known for her unerring forecasts

Not Reiko

Mr Omoda said the same

It was Maya, a hostess at the Nouveau

Maya?

Yeah

What was she like?

A burn had scarred her right cheek,
but a really lovely girl

Her palm readings were infallible

Maya drew in the punters, not Reiko

Could Seiga be this woman called Maya?

Seiga, what's that?

Nothing

What became of Maya
after the bar was closed down?

Said she'd go back to Aizu

In Fukushima?

Yeah

She was an orphan

Seems she was brought up in a workshop
in Aizu called Yuki

Said she was gonna get married

Aizu? The Yuki workshop?

Yes

Mr Omoda...

Mr Omoda...

Aizu-Wakamatsu Station

Do you know
a workshop called Yuki?

This way please

A visitor

Something's the matter with Maya?

A reporter from Tokyo
called the other day

He asked a few questions about her

I assume it was this gentleman,
Koichi Omoda?

Yes, that's him

Mr Omoda has died in an incident

So I would like to hear Maya's story

I see

Back in 1955,
I moved to Tokyo to learn dressmaking

I lived in an apartment in Omori

Maya lived with her mother
in the apartment next door

They only had each other as
the father had abandoned them

Her mother was bedridden,
so I would take care of Maya sometimes

Maya, listen carefully

Your mother's illness is getting worse

Next year, you're seven,
you'll have primary school

You can survive until then

If I die, you must search out
your father and take revenge

You understand, Maya?

Mummy! Mummy...

And on new year's day, Maya's mother
dressed her for her seventh birthday

Before killing herself

Mummy!

Auntie! Auntie...

Her mother had slit her wrist
and throat with a razor

A horrible way to die

For a year afterwards,
Maya was unable to speak out of shock

There was a letter
asking me to look after Maya

And she had bequeathed
a large sum of money

So when I finished dressmaking school,
I brought Maya back with me to Aizu

I took over this place when I married,
and I raised the child here

But after completing high school,
she was resolved to look for her father

And she left for Tokyo

I wasn't able to stop her going...

In search of her father...

When she comes face to face with him,
she'll surely carry out a dread revenge

Day and night, her mother brooded
upon the wickedness of her father

Are you saying
she may be planning to kill him?

Yes

However, she said she'd return to Aizu
once she'd taken her revenge

So she must still be searching

Mr Sudo

Please find Maya's father before
she does and tell him of her intentions

Did you ask the police
to search for Maya?

Yes

But they think she's a standard runaway

They won't search in earnest

If we don't do something, then...

Okay

What's Maya's father's name?

Michio Takahashi

This is Maya's birth certificate

Her mother's called Mayumi

It also shows birthplace

Is there anything that would aid
the search for Michio Takahashi?

A photo album the mother owned

A wedding photo of Michio and Mayumi
was affixed in it

And there were handprints

Handprints?

From the time she was at junior high,
Maya read up on palmistry

She devoted herself to analysing
her father's hand pattern

Was Michio Takahashi's handprint
the same as this one?

I couldn't say for certain,
but it looks very similar

Where is the photo album?

Maya took it with her to Tokyo

Do you have any photos of her?

Yes. I'll be back in a moment

That tool used for
cutting cabbage cores is unusual

That's a planing rod

Planing rod?

In the old days, woodworkers
used it to finish off making a bowl

Hiro-Chan!
Lend me that planing rod a moment

Okay

This tool was used by my grandfather

When worn down by repeated sharpening,

it can be used as a knife, or to
trim small branches, or to pare bamboo

It comes in very handy

Then it could be used to stab and cut

This may be what was used
to kill Yoshiko Ikehata...

Did Maya take a planing rod
to Tokyo with her?

Yes

She got one from my father

Oh, this is a photo of Maya

Just before leaving high school...

Maya is Yukiko...

Yukiko...

It can't be

There must be a mistake...

Good to see you, Mr Hata

So Isozaki is the front runner
for conservative party leader

The event looks a big success

I'm surprised to see you
at this celebration, Mr Takahashi

Given your disdain for politics

I didn't come to celebrate

I wanted to see you

Come

We're going to build
a hotel in Quebec in Canada

I would like your wife's forecast
on whether it will be successful or not

Seiga's?

You consent?

I couldn't refuse the renowned
hotel magnate, Yoshiya Takahashi

Please deliver your handprint
to my home address

So Seiga can see it right away

Thank you

Here

I want you to look at
this print straight away

Who does it belong to?

That one's Yoshiya Takahashi

A wealthy businessman who owns
a string of hotels around the world

If we could get him indebted to us,
election fund raising would be a cinch

Yoshiya Takahashi...

Who is it?

It's me, Reiko

The handprint of
your father has finally turned up

I see...

Here

This is it

This is the handprint of
Michio Takahashi, your father

Here is a copy

This is Yoshiya Takahashi's

The names are different,
but I think they're identical

You're right

Identical

The same person

Maya

Maya!

You were sure your father would be
eminent in business or politics...

And you were dead right

Your palm readings really are amazing

Reiko

Turning you into
the fortune teller Seiga has paid off

At last, Michio Takahashi
has landed in the net!

He's a well known hotel magnate

He wants to know if a hotel project
in Canada will pay off...

Will you give a forecast as usual?

Or will it be as you've always said...

I just need a day to think about it

Yoshiya Takahashi

Still working, dear?
Why not take a break?

That's not happening

You go off to bed

You should take your foot
off the pedal as you get older

With our two children married,
we may see our first grandchild soon

My job is what keeps me going

I'm what I am today thanks to
40 years of devotion to my work

I'll work until the end

Taito Ward Public Office

What's the current address
of Michio Takahashi?

I need to know...

The original family records
were destroyed during the war

They were reconstructed in 1948, but
the name Michio Takahashi isn't there

And this old address
is now a playground

Hmm... That's right

There was once a barracks standing here

Returnees from China and the south
were living here straight after the war

Returnees?

Yeah

Do you know anyone familiar
with that period?

Yes, there is one guy

He now runs a love hotel

He used to live in the barracks
and look after the returnees

Er...

His name was Oimatsu

Yes, there was a couple
by the name of Takahashi

Returnees from China

I'm looking for a Michio Takahashi,
but I haven't a clue where he is

Any ideas?

You'll be searching in vain

His real name isn't Michio Takahashi

That's a pseudonym

A pseudonym?

His real name is Yoshiya Takahashi

You know, that hotel magnate
or whatever, a super rich bastard!

You should know his name at least

Yes, I do

So he's that Yoshiya Takahashi...

That's a turn up

But why did he use a false name?

He secretly confided the reason to me

During the war, in Shanghai, he was
a profiteer who used Chinese slaves

It seems keeping his real name would've
led to his detainment by the Chinese

I heard Yoshiya Takahashi abandoned
both his wife and a daughter named Maya

Is that true?

No, it's not

A child called Maya was indeed born

But she died within three months

She died?

Yes

Then the marriage suddenly turned sour

One day, the wife, Mayumi, walked out

Maya didn't die

She's alive

Look,
I haven't gone senile yet, y'know

Maya died

She's dead!

Maya

How will you deal
with Yoshiya Takahashi?

No matter what happened in the past,
he's still your father, isn't he?

If you came together
and discussed things...

I had just one parent,
my mother who killed herself

But don't carry out another murder

I can't bear it

I don't want to do it either

I don't want to...

But...

Her blood...

My mother's blood!

When I turned seven, my mother killed
herself by cutting her wrist and throat

My mother's voice has been
etched in my mind ever since

'Maya, your father's a cruel,
wicked man. He abandoned us.'

'When you're grown up,
you must take revenge.'

Up until I was six years old, my mother
would whisper in my ear, day and night

Her words have haunted me ever since

At the age of 13, I became a woman

And when the blood
flowed from my body each month,

I could hear that insistent voice

'Maya, why haven't you swiftly
dispatched your father to avenge me?'

Yoshiya Takahashi must be dealt with...

Maya, you've lost your mind!

How many people have to die?

Yoshiko Ikehata, Koichi Omoda...
I don't understand you any more

I'll alert the police!

Reiko, please don't get in my way

If you interfere,
I don't know what I'll do...

Reiko...

Maya! Stop it, Maya!

Maya, the pain of being burnt
will help you understand my torment

I don't want to do this,
but I want you to understand my pain

Mummy!

Maya! In future, this scar will be
a reminder when you look in the mirror

Of how much hatred
I bore towards your father

My suffering is far more distressing
than the pain of being branded

You will hate father too

And you will take revenge against him

Forgiving him is out of the question,
you understand?

Mummy!

Mummy!

I'm sorry, Reiko

We were good friends
ever since the days of the Nouveau bar

But when I hear my mother's voice,
I go crazy... and lose control...

Forgive me, Reiko...

Once I've killed Yoshiya Takahashi,
I'll join you in death

Forgive me, Reiko

Who is it?

Sudo of the Monthly Koron

I have an urgent need
to speak with Mr Takahashi

Please let me in

I won't leave until I see him

Indeed, I used
the pseudonym Michio Takahashi

I was married to Mayumi,
and we had a child named Maya

Did the child die, or did she survive?

A little while ago...

I received a phone call from Maya

She said she wants to meet me

You'll go?

Maya's my daughter

I can't refuse

When she was a baby,
you abandoned her and her mother

She may try to kill you in revenge

Kill me?

Maya?

Yes

She's already killed two people

She's likely to brandish
her weapon against you

The more reason to see her

I just have to talk to Maya

Where'll you meet?

An apartment

Apparently,
Maya bought one that was vacant

May I come along with you?

Maya said she's waiting in the room
at the far end of the second floor

I'll head in first, you follow behind

Maya!

It's your father, Yoshiya Takahashi

Listen carefully to what I have to say

It's not an excuse

I just want you to know the truth

Okay?

I was deployed at
a Shanghai munitions factory in the war

And when Japan fell to defeat...

I barely escaped with my life

My name was on a blacklist
compiled by Chinese forces

Being captured
would have led to my execution

I took the name Michio Takahashi,
a missing Japanese soldier

And managed to sneak into
the Japanese quarters in Peking

However

In Peking, lone Japanese men and women
were being interred in detention camps

They were forced into labour

So I entered into
a fake marriage with Mayumi

I had met her in Peking

Eventually, we were able
to board a rescue vessel

And we landed safely
at Sasebo in Kyushu

My real wife who I married
four months earlier was still in Japan

But I didn't know if she was alive

Mayumi and I lived in a dormitory
for returnees in Tokyo's Taito ward

And I kept the name Michio Takahashi

In due course,
we had a child who we named Maya

We were poor,
but the days passed happily

'The days passed happily?'

Then why did you abandon mother and me?

Liar!

I'm telling the truth

It was the happiest period of my life

Stop this charade!

Mother brought me up
in this apartment when I was a baby

She would hug me tight...

while repeatedly telling me
that father abandoned us

That I must learn to hate
such a cruel man

And...

When I reached seven years old

She killed herself
by slitting her wrist and throat

My kimono and futon
were drenched with her blood...

I see...

So that's what happened...

She was always saying that
I must get revenge when I'm older,

that father can't be forgiven

Finally, the time has come

Wait!

If you're so determined to kill him,
at least listen to the full story first

Do you mean there's more to it?

Absolutely

The baby Maya who made this handprint
died just two months after being born

Died?

Yes, she died!

Mayumi had taken her eyes off her

Her face was gnawed by a rat

It bit her throat

She died

Maya...

Why did you have to die?

Maya...

My baby...

Wake up!

It must be a lie!

Her face and throat
were bitten by a rat?

An obvious fabrication

No, it's true

That was the state of Japan
after it had been defeated

Maya was another victim of the war

If Maya died,

then who exactly am I?

Your real name is...

Kie

Kie?

Stop crying

When Maya died, I turned to drink
while Mayumi cried constantly

Around that time, I happened
to come across my wife Miyako

Miyako

Yoshiya!

What's so funny?

I know perfectly well that you're
meeting your previous wife in secret

You must prefer Miyako's good cheer
to my despondency

After that, Mayumi started going crazy

Die... Die... Die...

Getting cold feet,
I went to live with Miyako

And the child we had together
was named Kie

After some thought,

I handed over to Mayumi
the money I'd earned up until then...

and asked that we separate

That's fine by me,
I'll gladly stay out of your way

Miyako and the baby... Kie, isn't it?
Make them happy, won't you?

Kie, there you go...
I'll be back in a moment

Maya! Maya! Mummy's here to collect you

There, let's go home

Mayumi was a terrifying woman

She made off with Kie
and concealed their location

Kie! Kie! Kie!

We searched all around Tokyo,
but couldn't discover Kie's whereabouts

A year later, Miyako died in grief

I threw myself into my work
to try and forget everything

And finally, I married my current wife

You understand now?

You're Kie, not Maya

I am your father,
but your mother wasn't Mayumi

It was Miyako

Your mother was Miyako...

You're lying

It's all a huge lie!

It's true

Mayumi abducted you,
and hid with you in this apartment

And she brought you up
with the name Maya

Why?

To avenge the man who abandoned her

She devised a dreadful scheme

It was revenge

Where is the proof of this?

The killer of Yoshiko Ikehata left
this handprint on a wall of her flat

Of course, you killed her

In other words, this is your handprint

Your handprint...

closely resembles that of your father

But Mayumi's handprint
is totally different

Why?

There are three types of fingerprint:
whorls, loops and arches

For mother and daughter, the chance
is 80% of having the same fingerprint

And with the heart, head and
life lines the probability is higher

90% of daughters take after the mother

However, your handprint
is completely different from Mayumi's

Why?

It's because you're not Mayumi's child

You're not Maya

You're Kie, the daughter of Miyako

I recall at the base of the ring finger
on her right hand, Kie had a mole

What about you?

I have it

As you see, there's a mole

Yes, you're Kie

Without doubt

If I'm not...

If I'm not who I thought I was,
what has my life been for?

Yukiko,
why did you kill Yoshiko Ikehata?

She was going to reveal to Mr Omoda
that Seiga is a fraud

That the palm readings
were really provided by me

It would have derailed my plan
to find father, so I had to kill her!

You killed Mr Omoda
for the same reason?

Yes

But weren't you in love with him?

Yes, I was...

He taught me how to love someone
for the first time

And he was in love with me

Mr Omoda was devoted to his job,
but indulgent towards people he loved

So for your sake he discarded the facts
he'd brought to light, didn't he?

Yes, he did

Even though he knew all about me,
he didn't try to notify the police

I really feel sorry for you

Well? Will you admit to the police
that you killed Yoshiko Ikehata?

I can't... I can't do it

You're determined to find
your father and kill him?

What a crazy idea!

Well then, how about it?
I'm going to die of lung cancer anyway

Let's die together
by taking these sleeping pills

But I couldn't kill myself

Seeing he was asleep,
I killed him by slitting his wrist...

I love you...

I love you...

Koichi... Koichi!

Mr Omoda knew just about everything...
I killed him deliberately

Besides Mr Omoda, I even killed
my friend Reiko who'd stuck by me

What have I done with my life?

Why did I come into this world?

You were taken in by Mayumi's deception

Becoming her marionette

You were a puppet
rather than a human being

I was just a puppet... Just a puppet?

But don't blame Mayumi

She lost her parents in China
and only had me to depend on

What happened was a result
of my abandoning her

I'm the one most at fault

If you're going to blame anyone,
blame me

Mother...

Is it true?

Tell me the truth

Mother...

It's cold

It's cold and dark...

Mother

Help me

♪ Come on through, come on through

♪ Where does this path lead?

♪ This is the path to
the shrine of the heavenly deity

♪ Please allow me through

♪ Only those who have cause shall pass

♪ To mark my child's
seventh birthday...

♪ We've come to make an offering

♪ The way there is easy,
but the return is perilous

♪ Even so,
come on through, come on through

♪ Where does this path lead?

♪ This is the path to
the shrine of the heavenly deity

♪ Please allow me through

♪ Only those who have cause shall pass

♪ To mark my child's
seventh birthday...

♪ We've come to make an offering

♪ The way there is easy,
but the return is perilous

♪ Even so,
come on through, come on through

Director
Yasuzo Masumura