Village of Eight Gravestones (1977) - full transcript

The Year 1566

VILLAGE OF 8 GRAVESTONES

From the novel by Seishi Yokomizo

Isn't this you?

Whereabouts of Tatsuya Terada sought

Why not contact them for details?

Contact Suwa Law Office in Kitahama,
Higashi Ward, Osaka

Suwa Law Office

A few questions

Your father was Tatsuzo Terada
and mother Tsuruko?

The date of your birth?



16th March 1947

Where did you live?

Izumikawa-cho, Fukiai Ward, Kobe City

It was a company house

Father was with Daido Shipbuilding Co

You have four brothers and sisters. Is that correct?

That's correct

The children of my stepmother

Stepmother?

My mother died of illness
when I was in elementary school

Then you lived with your parents for about 10 years?

No, only about 5 or 6 years

My mother brought me with her

When she married Tatsuzo Terada



I think it was when I was 3 or 4 years old

About your stepmother

My stepmother was kind to me at first

After her own children were born

Her attitude changed

After graduating from high school, I left home

You went away?

Then after that?

I rented an apartment with a friend

Worked in an auto repair shop.

When Father died I moved to Tokyo

To Tokyo after your father's death?

At first I changed jobs two or three times

6 years ago I joined the AGS

Would you mind removing your shirt?

Just turn around and let me look at your shoulder

No more questions but just to make sure

That will do. Thank you

Mr. Igawa,

this is Tatsuya Terada. No mistake

Terada, that is Tsuruko's

Your mother's father

Ushimatsu Igawa

Won't you return to the village where you were born?

You must agree to it, of course

But they want you to do so.

Your grandfather came to take you there

Well, then, I'll leave the room for awhile

Talk things over

Tatsuya!

Grandfather!

Mr. Igawa!

Okayama

Kitahama Police Station, Osaka

Thank you

Tatsuya, what will you do from now?

Will you go with me and Igawa's family members?

Yes. I've taken a week's leave

I'll attend Grandfather's funeral

Traces of Strychnine were found?

Used in the countryside to dispose of stray dogs?

Igawa was suffering from asthma

Always carried medicine

What about Tatsuya?

He said he'd go to the village with us

I'll inform Igawa's son Kanji

about the train time later

I have some business first

I'm out here about 10 days every month

Perhaps I should find a house

Just one more place to go to

Sister!

Why, Kazue!

Everyone well?

So-so. Father said he wanted to see you

Then why doesn't he come to Kawakami Village?

He should on my husband's

7th death anniversary

7 years already?

Be very careful

Don't marry a drunkard.
He died in a traffic accident

A widow has a difficult time.
Nothing about hardships

Near Kawamo on the Hakubi Line

Ushimatsu was sent to meet you

I'm doing this too for the Tajimi Family

You're to meet them

I know that

All I want to do is to see my mother's birthplace

And find out what my real father is like.

That's all about this father of yours

The Tajimi Family will tell you more about it

But it so happens that he isn't at the house right now

Like 20 years ago

It was when I was 5 or 6. That must have been

About 22 or 23 years ago

Your father is working now

at a place far away

Your mother must have been pretty

Those who knew her say so

She looked somewhat lonesome at times

Docile by nature

Most people feel loneliness

Your mother must have been very docile

I wonder

Why didn't she tell me more about her birthplace?

Besides deep in the mountains of Okayama?

I think my son will meet us at the station in his car

The Tajimis' car also

You must be tired

See you tomorrow

The Tajimi house

The villagers call it the East House

It's in the east

My house in the west is the West House

That mountain, this mountain,
the mountains over there

They're all owned by the Tajimi Family

Except one mountain donated 30 years ago

By the Tajimis to the village

Do I sound like a guide?

Listen, Tatsuya

I met my late husband at a Tokyo university

I liked him

Didn't think about marriage

But during summer vacation when we
stood at this pass

I felt that I was fated to live here

My whole life to be spent in this village

I don't mean you should stay here too

That road in front is better. Remember it

Following amalgamation, the village was renamed

Before that it was known

As the Village of 8 Gravestones

8 Gravestones?

Welcome back

It's a curse!

The wrath of the deity of 8 Graves

It's a curse?Ka curse!

Ushimatsu Igawa isn't the only one

8 will die in all!

Tatsuya,

the countryside is different from a city

There are many long continuing traditions
and customs

The Tajimis are an old family

Your half brother and half sister

Thank you for all your trouble

I've lived alone since I was a boy

There's no use meeting my in-laws now

They'd be strangers

I'll return to Tokyo after the funeral

The Tajimi house

I'm the one who should have gone

I happened to be in Osaka

Tatsuya, this is your elder sister Haruyo

We've been waiting for you

Where will he meet his grandaunts?

After your phone call, there was much discussion

About which room would be appropriate

They finally decided on this room

Grandaunts

Tatsuya

This is grandaunt Koume. That is Kotake

This is Tatsuya

I'm Tatsuya

Koume, blood can never be disputed, can it?

How true

His eyes, the shape of his mouth
exactly like Tsuruko's

Should he meet Hisaya now?

Hisaya is very sick today

They'd better meet tomorrow

I'll be leaving then

Dine with us to celebrate Tatsuya's return

I've phoned the West House

that you would

Tatsuya

We live in a remote area but it's convenient

We can eat sea bream like this nowadays

In the old days, tiny dried fish was all
we were able to get

How is Hisaya's condition recently?

He's being treated by Dr. Kuno

who's nothing but a quack

Why not select an Okayama hospital

or some other doctor?

Kuno may have a poor reputation

But he's a relative. We can't just brush him aside

Tatsuya, you've probably heard
and know how things are

Hisaya's condition isn't good

Haruyo married once too, but it failed.
She was sent back

Operated on to remove the womb

She'll never be able to give birth to a child

You're the only one

Whom we can depend upon now, Tatsuya

Excuse me

I have a drawing of the mountains ready

Tatsuya

You've just arrived

but we'd like to have you learn the work

Can't that be done later?

It's because Tatsuya must be very tired today

Of course. There's Igawa's funeral tomorrow too

You can go

I understand

Speaking of Ushimatsu Igawa, I feel sorry for him

Who could have done such a terrible thing?

Kanji should have been sent. At Ushimatsu's age

He must have wanted to see Tatsuya retire early

Well, then, Kotake.
We should let Tatauya retire early

The annex has been cleaned

Everything's just as when you lived there as a child

I've never been that annex. I'll take a look later

That'll be fine, Miyako

No use hurrying home

There's no one waiting for you there

Remember anything?

Where's the place called Dragon's Jaws?

Dragon's Jaws?

In the stalactite cave?

A cave?

Many tunnels under this village

I never heard that time

Neither have I

I'll be leaving then

Thank you for all your help

See you at the funeral

Would you like to watch television?

No. I feel quite tired tonight

I'll go and prepare your bed

The place where you were born

Dragon's Jaws

Dragon's Jaws

Remember that

Memorial tablet... Kanji Igawa

Murderer! That one's a murderer!

A curse!

Wrath of the deity of Graves!

A rain of blood!

He's a murderer!

Be quiet! Stop this nonsense

Murderer?

The deity of 8 Graves?

The 8 Graves are up there

Kawakami Cave...
Designated As Natural Monument

Long, long ago 400 years in the past

In the age of civil wars,
8 fugitive warriors came here

Are you relating the history of this village?

You won't mind if I listen too?

8 warriors of the Amako Clan.
Defeated by the Morri Clan

Led by Yoshitaka Amako

from is now Hirose, Shimane area

They shuttled down around there

At first the villages feared the warriors

Vigilance was maintained

But the 8 were neither unruly nor violent

They turned waste land into field

Cultivated upland rice and vegetables

They become more farmers than warriors

The villagers ceased to be anxious

Mutual contact came to be established

It really amazes me

But the Morri Clan's inquiry came even
to this remote district

If there are any fugitive warriors, produce them

A big reward offered for capturing
Yoshitaka Amako

4 villages representatives held
a series of discussions

The 8 men were invited to the summer festival

Held at the very spot where we are now standing

Welcome to the festival

Poison put in the Sake?

Oh, this cowardly... sneak attack!

I curse you for all eternity!

It'll never affect me!

Any sign of the curse after that?

The man who conceived the plot

The youngest village representative, Shozaemon

Founded the present Tajimi Family

As the ringleader of the attack

He was rewarded by the Morri Clan
with extensive forestland

He became a very wealthy man

One day Shozaemon suddenly became demented

After killing several villagers

He finally cut off his own head

Cut off his own head?

Lighting flashed just then

How many villagers died at that time?

8 including Shozaemon

Exactly 8?

The tutelary deity's shrine was transferred
to this spot

So stained with blood

The villagers said it was all due to the curse

The 8 warriors' strewn corpses were
brought here respectfully

Given a decent burial

A small shrine was built to honor them

That's the small shrine?

For the 8 warriors' graves?

Tatsuya

Before meeting Hisaya,
you'll be introduced to relatives

Why, Mr. Kudo!

This is Tatsuya

The school principal

I'm Tatsuya

Kudo of the school

Excuse me

I wanted to know the village history

I learned about it from her

That's Miyako of the West House

West House?

A beautiful woman but she lost her husband.
She's a widow

Since you've already heard the history

Do you want to see the stalactite cave?

Before that, tell me more about
the killing of the warriors

Shozaemon Tajimi was one of the 4 village
representatives

What were the names of the other 3 men?

The son of your father's younger brother

That makes him your cousin

I'm Tsunesaburo Kuno

Tatsuya

Tsunesaburo, are you running for
assemblyman again next year?

I hear your clinic is very busy nowadays

This village only has one doctor

Pay more attention to your practice

Don't throw money away the way
you've been doing

I did quite well in the last election

I'll be elected this time

I ask for your support

Mori of the West House. Your father's cousin

I'm Sokichi Mori

Tatsuya

Sokichi, you'll age quickly,

puttering around with dwarf trees

Pay more attention to forestry and lumbering

You should think more about the future

Or you won't be able to continue

Then there's Miyako. She's still young and pretty

The life she's leading is that of

a half-dead young widow

Enable her to leave the West House
as early as possible

In the trucking business at Niimi

He's the son of your father's cousin

Taichiro Yoshioka

I'm Yoshioka

Come and see me at Niimi

I've something to discuss with you

Taichiro

The tunnels under this village will never
be profitable

You might be counting on Tajimi money
for your project

Not one yen will be given for such a venture

In scale and variety

It can be developed into

a national tourist attraction

But aside from the problem of funds

Tajimi Family's land is involved.

I want to talk to you about that

Tatsuya?

You've met all the relatives?

Tatsuya has returned from Tokyo

Different mothers, but he is my brother

Listen, Tatsuya

When in Rome do as the Romans do.
Be well liked

Above all, see to it

That no one steals the Tajimi fortune

The Tajimi Family has found a worthy heir

Everyone must feel relieved

Medicine!

Give me medicine!

Leave it to us

We've taken care of Hisaya all along

Doctor

He's dead

The excitement proved too much for him

A funeral today and another one tomorrow?

It's the day after tomorrow

The East House would like it early

But there are business connections

In weather like this, what will happen

To the corpse?

Nothing for you to worry about

The East House is buying lots of dry ice

Dry ice?

Someone always makes a profit

When death occurs. Old people pay money

To drive away calamity

It's the curse!

Curse of the deity of the 8 Graves!

Excuse me

We're from the prefectural police

Who is in responsibility for this funeral?

My name is Isokawa

There are some suspicious
about Hisaya's death

Take a look at this

Surely you're not planning an autopsy here

Well, you see

The death certificate and burial
permit are in order

Do you have any proof?

An autopsy here is irregular

It should be done at Okayama

I agree, but the expert conducting the autopsy

Is Prof. Oi of Okayama U. Medical Department

So this will be a formal judicial autopsy

Ushimatsu Igawa's case hasn't been solved yet

Are you attached to the police force?

Not exactly with the police

Something similar

Isokawa, what will the result of the autopsy be?

You insisted on

having an autopsy, Kindaichi

I thought it necessary too. That's why

But the result. When will the result be fully known?

It'll be clear tomorrow morning

Tatsuya!

What's happened?

My brother

Hisaya's in the cave

Impossible! What do you mean?

Didn't know about this?

The grandaunts together?

On the night when I arrived. Last night again

Let's go

Tatsuya

This isn't Brother

No!

It's none other than our father... yours and mine

Help!

Your mother?

Yes, but

With this

Everything fits in

Father killed 32 villagers

Then fled into the mountains

The police mobilized men from
neighboring villages

combed the hills

An extensive search was made
inside the cave too

He was not found

He was finally considered to be missing.

But he died here

He became like a waxed mummy
because of adipocere

After escaping into the cave,

he must have returned home

To put on this armor

The grandaunts must have hidden him here

Bringing him food from time to time

I'm scared!

Because

Father was demented

He might go into the village and kill again

So the grandaunts must have put
poison in his food

I'm frightened!

Father's madness was

Caused by your mother

When she left, taking you with her

When?

To Osaka today, then from Itami by JAL?

Take this with you

I made it especially for you

I want you to stay

No one competent is left here now

Stay for Brother's 7th day.

Don't be angry at Miyako of the West House

You were bound to know

Please don't tell Tatsuya

About Father

He might not come

I was the one who asked Miyako not to

Tatsuya!

Father's madness was caused by your mother

When she left the Tajimi house,
taking you with her.

Get out!

Go away!

You bring a rain of blood

Curse of the 8 Graves!

Murderer! He's a murderer

Trying to kill me!

Help me

Murderer! He's a murderer

He's a murderer! Murderer!

He's trying to kill me

What's going on?

Trying to kill me

Tatsuya Tajimi?

I'm Tatsuya Terada

Come to the police station for questioning

I don't have much time to spare

Depends on how well you cooperate

Let's go

I know nothing about strychnine

The same poison killed

both Ushimatsu Igawa and Hisaya Tajimi

You were at the scene both times

The Osaka police investigated

my grandfather's death

What I want to know now is who gave
medicine to Hisaya?

Grandaunt

One of the other of the two grandaunts

How was the medicine selected?

How should I know? Others were around

Ask some of them

The villages

Won't tell the truth

I'm leaving!

Wait!

I came here

To see my mother's birthplace

Learn about my father

I've found out more than enough.

Leaving?

Several things have come to light already

Your real father

Wasn't Yozo Tajimi

It was someone else

My investigation isn't completed yet

I don't know the name

But you are not the son of Yozo Tajimi,

the slayer of 32

That much is absolutely certain

The question

That is most important

Was Yozo Tajimi really my father or wasn't he?

Tatsuya

Let's go over there

The day before Father left for Osaka to meet you

I was weeding there

Father came and said he had something to tell me

I'm leaving for Osaka. I don't know
if it's really Tatsuya

But the real Tatsuya is bound to
come here someday

I'm growing old. There's something
you should know

After Tsuruko was taken to the Tajimis

And 100 days after Tatsuya's birth

I was weeding here, just as you're doing now

When I looked up

Tsuruko must have wanted to bring the baby home

But the way she had been taken to the Tajimis

And what the villagers would think

Yet, she wanted to pray for the child's happiness

Even if by herself alone

The child, in holiday clothes, was taken to a shrine

I understood exactly how Tsuruko was feeling

As I watched her from afar, I cried

Just then, Kanji, someone tapped me
on the shoulder

It was the school principal, Kudo

Kudo said that

The baby carried by Tsuruko

was not Yozo Tajimi's child

Kudo said he could not

Reveal the real father's name

or particulars just then

The Tajimis are rich

But Yozo's tainted blood does not flow on Tatsuya

I possess full knowledge about it

That child will eventually grow up to be
a splendid person

At that time, Ushimatsu

Instead of Tsuruko alone

Let us both offer prayers

For that child's... for Tsuruko's happiness.

The school? This is Miyako of the West House

Could I talk to the principal?

The principal? This is Miyako

There's something I want to ask you

Can I call on you from now?

What! To Okayama?

10 or 20 minutes will be enough

I'll go there at once

I know you're extremely busy but

Can you drive?

As to who and what this man was

I'll tell you two

when I return from Okayama

Yes, but

The entire circumstances

cannot be related in 5 or 10 minutes

I'm sure you'll realize that

When are you scheduled to return?

Education Commission first

Then an editorial meeting for
compiling a local history

The problem is how to divide the book

I'll probably be returning 3 or 4 days from now

It can't be helped

I must start out now

The Tajimi Family is probably unaware
of this and so

Please keep it just to yourselves

Have you ever heard

of Dragon's Jaws?

Dragon's Jaws?

The 3 main rooms

are partitioned

Everybody can easily come here

This is how the capsules

How many strychnine capsules

were prepared?

Health Center prepared them 3 years ago

Scattered since then in many districts

People remember the size but not the number

All that Dr. Kuno says is that they've
been used up entirely

We know both Ushimatsu Igawa

and Hisaya Tajimi were killed

Despite a difference in dissolution

By poison coming from this clinic

Should we arrest him as a suspect?

Appear voluntarily?

Can't get a warrant yet

Listen

What is it?

Do you think?K

It's because of the curse as the old people
are saying?

A curse?

8 killed 400 years ago, 32 slain 28 years ago

That's 4 times as many

Multiplied by 4 this time would be 128!

Counted the households and population

128 people are living in this village right now

Will all of them... 128... be killed?

Reading too many mysteries

Where has Kindaichi gone?

Kenji Kawai... a real tragedy

All 5 of the family killed. No survivors

Next is Yaichi Koyama. His family met
the same fate

Kindaichi!

What's going on?

There were entire families

wiped out by Yozo Tajimi

What happened here was a terrible tragedy

This isn't like you

With an entire family wiped out

No one would be left to seek revenge

Yes, of course. That's true enough

Instead of that death register

I have a complete record of the case

Why not study that?

That's exactly what I'll do

Not a grudge against Yozo's mass
slaying 28 years ago

The curse is a ruse

to usurp the fortune

Prime suspect is Dr. Kuno

I was thinking along the same lines

I'm leaving the village for awhile

What about the request

made to you by lawyer Suwa?

I'm not forgetting it. There's money involved

You're thinking about the reward?

Suwa is concerned

A murder took place in his office

Didn't you agree to investigate until
the case is solved?

That's absolutely correct

But I have other work to do

I'll be back very soon

I want to question the principal

but he's in Okayama now

Dr. Kuno knows that the police are watching him

He'll lie low for some time

I'll be missing the festival here

I had looked forward to it

Really easygoing, aren't you?

Haruyo, what's that tray for?

It's for Tatsuya. In the annex

Why there?

Why do you do such a thing, Haruyo?

It's nice to have a change

You're pampering Tatsuya too much

He was talking today about going away

Don't continue treating him as a special guest

After all, Kotake

He started to leave once but Miyako's intercession

Brought him back here

He may try to leave but he won't be able to

He'll settle down here and work

That is, if he has discrimination

About how to get along in life

Did Yozo Tajimi know?

Perhaps he was aware that the child was not his

Doesn't matter now

Information About An Individual Sought

At Kainan City, Wakayama Prefecture

Search Extended To Gokurakuji Temple, Shiotsu

Tennoji Station, Osaka

Lake Biwa

Ishiyamadera, Shiga Prefecture

Kyoto

Higashi Honganji Temple

Forestry assets worth billions of yen

They mean nothing to you

When your real father is known and Dragon's Jaws

It's back to Tokyo for you