Kappa (河童)

Kappa A FILM BY TATUYA ISHII.

Takanori Jinnai.

Keisuke Funakoshi, Ryuji Harada.

Masao lmafuku, Jiro Sakagami.

Tatsuya Fuji.

Ladies and gentlemen,

thank you all for coming to the Y. Suzumori Exhibition.

It has been fifteen long years since an exhibition

by Yuta Suzumori, a.k.a. Y. Suzumori,

has been held in Japan.

In fact, this is his first trip back in ten years.

He is, of course, here with us today.

Please welcome Mr. Suzumori.

During my thirty-year career...

as a photographer...

I have dedicated myself...

to photographing human insanity...

Easy for you to say!

Who are you?!

Isamu...

No pictures!

Glad you could make it...

Shut up!

Let him go.

So after 15 years without a word, you're a celeb now!

Let go of me!

Let him go. He's my son.

I'm not your son!

Mr. Suzumori!

Call an ambulance!

Are you awake?

Isamu, your father's come to.

Go and see him.

I'm leaving.

Wait, your father...

Mr. Sakuma!

You're his agent... You know my reasons.

You'll regret it!

You're acting like a five-year-old!

You aren't the only one who's suffered!

Are you lsamu Suzumori?

The name's lsamu Toda.

Is he the son?

Yes, he is.

He's better, but still very weak.

When did he last have surgery?

His second operation was five years ago, I believe.

Shrapnel is still lodged near his heart.

It'll have to be removed.

I'd like to operate immediately.

Please do what you can.

Excuse me.

Isamu...

Sakuma sent you an invitation, did he?

I don't have...

long to live.

What is it you want from me?

You look so much like her...

For 15 years, I...

lsamu, are you familiar with Kitagawa village?

I don't have time for nonsense!

It's where I grew up.

I want you to know what happened...

When I was a young boy, I saw kappa there.

SUMMER, 1953

Yuta!

Tomorrow's summer break!

What're ya gonna do?

- What? - Don't know yet.

Clear the road!

Come see the movie!

I wanna go!

Won't there be lots of ghosts?

Not ghosts, monsters.

How's your pa, "Officer Sissy Cop"?

Cut it out!

You like outsiders, don't you, Katsuji?

Do cops in Tokyo all wear smocks?

Your pa might be a woman.

He is not!

Come, Katsuji...

"The cop is a woman."

Now say it.

You will, right?

The cop is... a woman!

Give that back!

Say hi to Sissy Cop for me!

Yuta...

Grampa!

Let's go home.

Why're you keeping this cucumber?

Throw it away.

Yuta, everything that grows in the garden

is a blessing from heaven.

Heaven?

That's why everything is precious.

You weren't born here, so you may not have heard...

See that cave on Tenjin Pond?

That's called Kawarashi Cave.

The Guardian Kappa lives in there.

The Guardian Kappa?

When I was a kid,

we'd all pray like this to Kawarashi Cave.

Thanks to the Guardian Kappa,

our village has never been short of water.

Let's be going.

I'm home!

Just in time for supper!

Wash up.

Move quickly!

Quickly, quickly!

Grampa, do kappa die, too?

I suppose they do.

But after they die,

kappa and humans go separate ways.

When a male kappa dies, it becomes a spirit orb.

And the female kappa becomes an aurora.

Tonight we're having miso soup with turnip greens!

It's your favorite, Yuta.

Stop wearing that!

Grampa first.

Yuta?

Kappa love cucumbers.

Cucumbers?

Grampa!

Something's there!

What?

In Tenjin Pond! I saw it!

Did you pray to Kawarashi Cave like I told you?

Nothin' to worry about!

The Guardian Kappa doesn't bother people.

'Morning, Yuta!

Sorry 'bout yesterday.

Wanna see the movie? Pa gave me two tickets!

Go on, Yuta.

Let's go!

I'll show you what a kappa can do!

Laugh while you can!

I'll be back with my friends!

It won't change a thingi.

Just you wait!

I love human blood..

I'll suck the blood out of every Japanese alivei.

Delicious!

They're like bugs flying to their death.

Yo!

What're you doing?! Close that!

Okay...

Welcome back, Gramps!

Katsuji! Should you be here this late?

Ma's gonna kill me!

Better hurry.

Can you ride, Katsuji?

I'll have to!

Take this.

What's the bat for?

In case of kappa.

Don't be silly!

Kappa protect our village. They'd never attack you!

There's no need for a bat.

But it's scary, so I'm bringing it.

Really, Katsuji... You're such a scaredy cat.

Bye!

Careful now!

Kappa like to come out about now!

Grampa can't make miso soup with turnip greens like your pa.

Yuta...

Every person has his station in life.

There are tasks a person must do,

and tasks that only that person can do.

Understand?

I don't!

Try to sympathize with your father, Yuta.

Officer!

Katsuji's mother...

ls my Katsuji here?

He went home a while ago.

Odd... He hasn't come home.

He used our bike.

He might've taken a spill. Let's have a look.

Sorry to trouble you.

I'll be right back.

Officer... Your smock!

Oh, right.

Kat-chan!

Katsuji!

Watch your step!

Officer, over here!

Kat-chan!

A kappa eye...!

Kat-chan! Calm down!

A kappa!

Don't excite the boy.

Could it have been...

a bear?

A bear?!

Yeah, the one we saw last year!

I agree.

Is that what it was, Kat-chan? Was it a bear?

I'm so glad you're okay!