Two Portraits of MIYAGINO (宮城野)

During the Edo period, ukiyo-e prints were highly popular among townspeople.

Portraits of Kabuki actors were particularly in demand, as were portraits of beauties

like town girls, geisha, and courtesans.

Then, a mysterious ukiyo-e artist named Toshusai Sharaku appeared.

His portraits of Kabuki actors made a powerful impression on viewers.

Sharaku designed a hundred prints in ten months.

and then suddenly disappeared...

The world of suffering?

That's a total misunderstanding.

I never thought of myself as pitiful.

Of course,

I didn't get my own way in everything.

But somehow it seems natural

that things turned out like this.

In the end,

I guess I'm a woman who likes "to give."

Hey, I don't like your ugly leers!

How dare you!

I don't know. How should I know?

He was a god-like figure for the likes of me. Wasn't he?

Truth be told,

he's not the kind of person you'd get to worship in a lifetime.

Even to you officers

and all the people of Edo?

He's a mystery to everyone?

I'm dumbstruck by my own ignorance.

Proof?

That I killed him?

The ukiyo-e print is proof.

The one that's stirring up such a fuss.

I had the drawing of that print.

I did.

A cheap prostitute like me shouldn't own such a thing.

Isn't that right?

It's the last portrait of a Kabuki actor by the Great Master Sharaku.

One look made me want it for myself.

That's why I took his life.

The life of Master Toshusai Sharaku.

Here, take a look.

This is proof that I killed Sharaku!

Autumn, 1794

Shibashinmei Shrine

Takenoya House in Azabu

Sharaku's Residence

Your name's Yoshino?

Arrived yesterday?

The more I hear of your story, the more pitiful you seem.

You're attractive and very young.

Don't stay in this business for long.

End up like me, and you're as good as dead.

Well, maybe that's overkill.

But you'd reach the first "d" in "dead."

I know!

You can escape tonight in secret.

There's no time like the present.

Don't be shy. I'll help you.

Miyagino! Come here, Miyagino!

COMMISSIONED PORTRAITS CAST LIST OF KABUKI ACTORS

ICHIKAWA KOMAZO III AS SHIGA DAISHICHI

What a mole's hole.

Aye, I am very sorry.

So, you're working on Komazo as Shiga Daishichi.

That's it, huh?

Has the publisher arrived?

None of your business.

Yes, sir. I'm sorry.

Kayo!

Kayo!

Where are you?

How annoying.

It grates on my nerves.

They found a corpse in the moat this morning.

When a prostitute dies, the wind always rises.

The madam at the Matsunoya House is having a rough time,

what with her top earner Umegae dying all of a sudden.

Umegae must have been betrayed by her lover.

Or else the senior prostitutes must have driven her out.

Get some other girl to listen to this drivel.

As for advice on how to escape, leave that to me.

Yoshino's not the one who's leaving.

Miyagino, you're the one.

Tomorrow is likely to be windy again.

What kind of a joke is that?

Cut it out.

You think you're being compassionate,

but Yoshino has no home to go back to.

Miyagino.

Do you know what the younger girls call you behind your back?

No idea.

A worn-out, pipe-puffing hooker.

Is it because my customers get addicted to me?

They really don't like you interfering in their lives.

That's a good one.

Take a look at Komazo's prominent nose.

Isn't that quite an artistic feat?

Even I am deeply impressed with my own work.

People may get excited about how much an ukiyo-e looks like the actor.

I don't care about such crude comments.

What I want to portray is the truth of the actor, no,

of the human being under the makeup,

the truth buried in his human nature.

Yes, I am the most taken aback.

In the beginning, my brush strokes were not fluid,

but nowadays, my brush takes over

and creates masterpieces.

You are what you are, thanks to my spirited brushes.

No, no. That fellow's portraits are no good.

His work doesn't have a drop of venom.

He paints what's black, black, and white, white.

When he asks for my critical opinion as his master, I am at a loss for words.

We're not kids playing house, you know.

Yataro, are you leaving now?

Yes, miss.

Please raise your face.

Yes, miss.

Please come again tomorrow.

Yes, miss. Thank you.

Hey.

What's the word for it?

You know, like this morning.

I always get like that when I come across you unexpectedly.

That wasn't unexpected.

I was waiting in ambush for you.

I love to see your natural face without any makeup on.

Dazzled! That's it. That's the word.

Don't shout like that!

Sorry. Whenever I see you, I'm dazzled.

That's what I wanted to say.

My heart is full of thoughts of you.

Like a boiling iron kettle,

my heart goes clink, clink, clink...

Making a clear bell-like sound, it keeps ringing.

Clink, clink, clink.

Oh sorry.

I really bow down in respect to you, Yata.

From sunrise to sunset, you study ukiyo-e.

You really have brain power, don't you?

You became the great master's disciple

because he recognized your artistic abilities.

Master Toshusai Sharaku, was that his name?

He must be very demanding, a great master like that.

I don't know.

I'm just doing exactly what the sarcastic old man says

blindly copying ukiyo-e all day long.

Still that's a big deal, you know.

True. The master's work was fabulous.

The human soul danced in them.

But now...

Yata, you've stopped drinking.

Gulp it all down.

I'm following your example and learning how to play the shamisen.

Practice is best to clear your mind, don't you think?

A shamisen. Come on, bring in a shamisen!

Wait a second!

All right, let's make a drunken deal.

If you can play this, I'll paint a portrait of you.

Yata, you're so mean.

Stop fussing and get on with it.

Come on, drink up. You're hopeless.

Come on, drink more.

What the heck are you doing so early in the morning?

If you're looking for the money, here it is.

There weren't many customers last night.

You didn't take any, did you?

These are the better ones. That's about it.

Wait a second. If you take those, I won't be able to work, you know.

I beg you, please Madam.

You paid for your customer and drank through the night.

You can treat your lover if you want.

But remember you're running up a huge debt.

I'll take lots of customers tonight.

I'll pay off the debt and make some change.

Fantastic.

You can buy yourself new kimono with the cash.

You bloodsucking monster!

It's me, Kayo.

I brought you some tea.

Is it alright if I come in?

Yes.

Please.

Come inside.

Here you are.

Oh, thank you very much.

Uh, where is the master?

He has gone out.

Could you show me?

Some of your ukiyo-e?

It's a silly sketch.

I painted that kind of ukiyo-e until I came here.

It's a beauty portrait.

I had nothing going for me.

If the master hadn't discovered me,

I would have starved to death by now.

This is the first time

you've shared anything about yourself.

So this is what your portraits are really like.

Yes, miss.

They're all of the same woman.

Just scribbles, you see.

This is harmful.