Downsizing the Japan Foundation LibrariesLate November in Tokyo, 2005

November 23, 2005

OOKU〜Hana no Ran: EPISODE 6

O-Oku Drama

Episode 6 of Ooku〜Hana no Ran (Aired 11/17/2005, Fuji Terebi 10-11 PM)

A Restoration of Life Ritual is held invoking the esoteric deity Fudō, but to no avail and Yasuko’s child, Chōmaru, dies. The Shogun’s mother, Keishōin, chides Yasuko for leaving her child unattended and Yasuko responds that it was all Oden’s doing, and furthermore Oden had previously made two attempts on her, Yasuko’s, life. Nevertheless, Keishōin decides that a mother of a possible heir to the Shogunate cannot be punished. In addition, Keishōin decides to have Oden’s child officially designated as the next Shogun.

Oden is greatly relieved, but her position does not remain secure for long. Ōsuke (Grand Lady in Waiting) from Kyoto joins the women’s quarters and her rank as a noblewoman is even higher than Midai-sama, the Shogun’s official wife. Ōsuke is granted permission to construct a private building for her living quarters, paid by with her own funds. On the first night she is to spend with the Shogun, he decides he’d rather be with Yasuko, already arousing Ōsuke’s resentment of Yasuko.

When Midai-sam runs across Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu on the temple verandah at the time of Chōmaru’s funeral, she tells him how much better she can sleep now thanks to the “medicine” he had given her. She adds that she has carefully saved some in case it might come in handy again in the future. She is talking about the poison she used on Chōmaru.

After the ceremony designating Oden’s child, Tokumatsu, as future Shogun, he wanders out where Ōsuke’s new quarters are being built looking for his ball that rolled away. Yasuko is also there and finds his ball, but it reminds her of the loss of her son. She takes out her mother’s hairpin intending to do injury to Tokumatsu, but just then Tokumatsu trips on the ropes supporting the building logs and they come tumbling down. Despite her previous intentions, Yasuko throws herself across Tokumatsu to protect him. Nevertheless, Tokumatsu is never right in the head after that and develops a fever and dies.

Afterwards, Oden attacks Yasuko in the hallway blaming her child’s death on Yasuko and demanding she return him to her. Yasuko repeats the accusation and says she wants Chōmaru back. Yasuko takes out her mother’s hairpin to defend herself but Oden grabs hold of it and is about to stab Yasuko in the throat with it, but just then everyone rushes out to put out the fire that had started when they knocked over a lantern in their struggle. Midai-sama looks on with a smirk from a nearby verandah, but Oden had exclaimed to Yasuko that a child doesn’t die from eating an unripe plum, and that gets Yasuko thinking about the real identity of the culprit.

In the meantime, Someko’s child is born and she says he looks just like Yanagisawa, but Yanagisawa says no, he looks like the Shogun. What do you suppose his plans for his son are?




auberginefleur at 00:12│Comments(0)TrackBack(0) Japan TV and Movies | Ooku Drama 大奥

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Downsizing the Japan Foundation LibrariesLate November in Tokyo, 2005