A HYOGENSHA-ATG COPRODUCTION
Himiko
What do you want'?
Get off me! Let go of me!
Stop it! Please stop!
Let me go! Why are you doing this to me?
Takehiko is coming back.
Help me!
They killed him just for finding a sacred bronze vessel.
No one makes the vessels now.
They must be afraid of the curse of the mountain god.
They are not believers. They don't worship the mountain god.
They kill does and fawns carelessly.
The mountain god allows us to hunt and kill only stags.
Killed for finding a sacred bronze! We won't stand for it!
They have no understanding of the mountain god.
Or what happens when we band together.
I can weave beautiful cloth with this loom from Wei.
As befits an offering to the sun god. Our god shall be pleased.
Is it dark outside already?
I heard a rumor that Takehiko has returned.
Has he?
It's only a rumor.
He disappeared when he was still a boy.
They say he traveled to many lands.
If the rumor of his return is true, the king will be pleased.
I wonder what countries Takehiko has seen.
They say he even traveled to the lands beyond the sea.
You seem well-informed.
I only know
what people say about Takehiko.
You are always late, Mimaki.
Mimaki excels as a warrior.
But I hear you took another girl of the mountain-god people.
How peculiar you are to chase after a girl of those tattooed people.
It doesn't matter to me to what people a comely girl belongs.
Still, in this kingdom, we don't worship the mountain god.
Besides, whether it is yourself or lkume who succeeds me as king,
we must always think about governing this kingdom.
King, Mimaki has the strength that is essential to govern.
Ikume, you possess the wisdom needed of a ruler.
However, we cannot do without Mimaki's courage in politics.
It's strength that matters!
We must kill those who refuse to worship our god.
Brother, that will be difficult.
The mountain-god people will never renounce their god.
They have worshipped their god from time immemorial.
Himiko.
I have heard enough.
Only you can call upon the sun god through the mirror.
And only you can hear the words of the sun god.
Nothing, including the rites for the god and the ruling of the kingdom,
can be conducted without the words you hear from the god.
You live in the divine light,
but also in darkness where the sun god doesn't reach.
Himiko.
At least in the darkness, I entreat you to find comfort.
Say no more, Nashime.
Leave me.
Are you Takehiko?
I am Takehiko.
I am Adahime.
This is the sacred forest.
Don't you know that men are forbidden to enter?
There's a man!
Nashime! Are you here?
You must know that Takehiko has returned.
I do.
You know everything.
I do.
Bring Takehiko here immediately.
Here? Immediately?
You don't know where Takehiko is?
Yes, but...
You will bring Takehiko to me immediately!
Takehiko is with Adahime, daughter of a chief of the land-gods people.
I am aware of that.
I repeat. Bring Takehiko here this instant!
Very well, I shall do as you wish.
Is that you, Takehiko?
The cock crows, and darkness will fall.
You are the brother of the king.
Therefore, you are my sister,
from a different mother.
Why have you returned to this kingdom?
You need not answer. That is not why I summoned you.
I wanted to meet you.
From the time I saw you in the forest, I've wanted to meet you.
You are known as the shaman queen of the sun god
even in distant countries.
That is only until darkness falls.
Takehiko, you have traveled long in faraway lands.
Yet your strength betrays no sign of fatigue.
Takehiko, let me have a better look at your face.
I saw you last as a little boy.
What a fine man you have become.
I longed to see you, Himiko.
Where is your excellent mother who raised you?
She died.
Women of the land-gods people die young after giving birth.
Oh, Takehiko.
Himiko.
You are my sister.
What do you think of Himiko's last prophecy, Mimaki?
You heard it too.
Her prophecy says
that we sun-god people must also worship the land gods.
That's What I heard.
The people of the land gods worship their gods in the fields.
Their gods bless them with rice that grows in the fields.
We worship the sun. Why must we worship the land gods?
Even if that is the prophecy Himiko received from the sun god,
we ourselves are not able to hear it.
Did Himiko really receive those words?
I cannot think that Himiko has suddenly lost her abilities as a shaman.
But I have to doubt her with this prophecy.
We cannot have doubts about the sun god.
If Himiko is in love with a man,
then it is not surprising that she's lost her prophetic powers.
Is that true?
I've also heard such rumors.
If it is true
that a powerful shaman like Himiko is in love with a man,
then our doubts are not unfounded.
We are the people of the sun god.
We cannot worship the land gods.
The rule of this kingdom rests on the cult of the sun.
We conquered other kingdoms by defending our cult.
We must find another oracle to replace Himiko
before our people begin to doubt her.
Mimaki, how well do you understand the rule of this kingdom?
The oracle hears the god's words.
Those words are then applied skillfully to rule the kingdom.
People must be shown the powers of the sun god.
Those are the important points.
Mimaki is right.
But I don't know what should be done to carry out what Mimaki said.
Stand, Nashime! What are you doing?
Nashime must have procured a young slave for Himiko.
Her lover isn't a young slave.
Himiko is in love with a young man.
Who is this man'?
Takeh I k0 .
Takehiko?
The king.
Only Himiko can hear the god's words.
Without Himiko, the rule of this kingdom isn't possible.
Without Himiko,
the king cannot rule the country.
No one must doubt Himiko.
Anyone who doubts must leave.
I have grown too old.
The ruler of the kingdom shall be Himiko when the king passes on.
Or will it be Mimaki?
The emblem of the kingdom of the sun god.
The god speaks.
The kingdom of the land gods is very near.
Climb the hill and look to the west.
The kingdom shall be conquered
by none other than me, Himiko.
In that kingdom, people worship the mountain god
and the god of the land of prosperity.
To conquer the kingdom, their gods must be absorbed.
To do that, the people of the sun god must also worship the land gods.
One can only see the shimmering sea from the hill.
There is no land to the west!
That kingdom
shimmers more brightly than the sea.
These are not the god's words!
King.
I beg you to listen to the god's words.
Play the zither to call forth the god.
The zither!
I beg you to play the zither...
to call forth the god.
The god speaks.
Only Himiko can subdue the kingdom of the land gods.
The king cannot rule the land of the sun god.
The king must go to a faraway land.
Himiko doesn't hear the god's words!
Those who doubt the god's words are banished to the land of the dead!
Stop!
Don't do this!
Please stop!
Help me!
Save me!
At the bottom of the profound darkness
filled with the deep green shadow,
the king has become the ruler of the dark kingdom.
The living welcome the sunlight.
Cast earth into the darkness.
Kick the door of the light.
Shut the door of the darkness.
Oh, the king has become the ruler of the dark kingdom.
The wind blowing from the depth of the darkness
shakes the doors of light and gloom.
Oh, the king has become the ruler of the dark kingdom.
The living welcome the sunlight.
Cast earth into the darkness...
Takehiko, you must have seen amazing things in your travels.
I saw a man on horseback.
A horse?
What does it look like?
It is a grand creature.
It is much taller than a man.
There is such a creature in this world?
It runs like the wind.
Like the wind?
I must go.
You need a new tunic.
Didn't you weave that cloth for the god?
Takehiko!
I follow you, but you always hide.
I don't hide!
You hide under Himiko's robe.
She is the queen of this kingdom.
And my sister.
Do you think I am not aware that she is in love with you?
I know her prophetic powers.
And that the people of the land gods don't love her kingdom?
I also know very well how their chiefs feel.
Himiko has killed the king
because he knew she loved you.
Tell me, Adahime.
Have you been spying on me and Himiko'?
In this land, for an oracle like me to love a man
means to risk death.
Dear Takehiko.
Today is not a day of courtship.
I have seen a man declare his love to a woman on a day of courtship.
Do you want me to read a love poem to you
like I once did on a day of courtship?
A woman declaring her love to a man
would not offend the land gods.
The land gods?
You are an oracle who serves the sun god.
For you, I will renounce my god.
Now, my dear Takehiko,
embrace me, for I have loved you long.
Your wife is not to be Himiko,
but I, Adahime.
Takehiko keeps company with Adahime,
daughter of a chief of the land-gods people.
You must have heard that he is friendly with those people.
You are more perceptive than I in such matters.
We cannot allow Takehiko to stay in this land.
Don't you agree, lkume?
Takehiko will be banished from this kingdom in any case.
Why'?
Don't you see'? Himiko will -
Do you think I'm not aware of Takehiko's plan?
He is persuaded by the land-gods people,
and he plots to have them invade.
They didn't persuade him. He sympathizes with them.
That is forbidden in this kingdom!
Our kingdom hasn't always existed in this land!
They were here long before us.
Never say that, lkume.
Mimaki will fall!
Mimaki will perish!
Mimaki will fall!
The lecher Mimaki will fall!
That wicked Mimaki will perish!
He will die before a woman weeps!
Mimaki shall perish! So shall his country!
A little girl ran across a field
proclaiming that Mimaki will fall.
"The king of this country,
Mimaki, is sure to perish.
The lecher Mimaki will fall.
His country will fall."
The little girl proclaimed thus.
"The new king Mimaki of the people of the sun god
is sure to perish in the near future."
The mirror of the sun god
and the sacred clay of the sun god
blessed our land to flourish.
The king has departed to the land of darkness.
No one knows why Takehiko has returned to this land.
None of us knows.
The powerful and clever shaman Himiko is madly in love with Takehiko.
"Mimaki, the new king of the people of the sun god
is sure to perish in the near future."
The little girl ran across the field and proclaimed thus.
Enough, Nashime!
You need not tell me. I know it already.
It's Adahime.
Has Takehiko stolen my heart?
The land gods! They mean nothing to me!
Was it the mountain god or the field god
that led Takehiko astray?
Leave, Nashime!
Takehiko said he loved me. Did he lie to me?
He is not like those rugged slaves you sent me by night!
Oh, has Takehiko stolen my heart?
Leave, Nashime!
Was treachery lurking behind Takehiko's beautiful eyes?
Was it deception in Takehiko's lovely embraces?
You've lived too long, Nashime!
Tell me! What is the price of treacherous love?
Nashime! Capture Takehiko!
Bring Takehiko to the sacred court, and let us face the wrath of the god!
What would happen to the rule of this country?
Himiko, shaman queen of the sun-god people,
what would -
Didn't you hear what the girl Toyo said?
Under Mimaki's rule, this country will fall.
The land of the sun god shall flourish and expand
only under your rule.
This country needs you.
The shaman queen Himiko!
Takehiko!
Who are you?
Who sent you?
Who ordered you?
A prince of both the land-gods people and the sun-god people,
Takehiko crossed fields, rivers, mountains and sea
to return to this country.
Why has he returned?
No one in this country knows why he has returned.
This is the country of the sun god.
There is but one sun god. And he resides in the heavens.
This country stands supreme over all other countries.
Those who dare attack this country are banished to the land of darkness.
No other land boasts a shaman as powerful and wise as our Himiko.
Let him who rebels against the god be judged in this sacred court.
The accused has betrayed his own country.
He intrigues with the land-gods people.
He seduced an oracle and plotted to foment rebellion.
Oh, as the sun god rises
and moves in the sky,
our enemies' soldiers are marching to attack this country.
To aid the enemy country of Kuna, Korea is sending soldiers.
Yet we have no fear!
We have sent many slaves to the land of Wei.
And Wei's messenger brought a mirror to acknowledge
that the country of Himiko is the true sovereign state of Japan.
Thus has spoken the sun god.
He who defies the sun god shall be punished.
Hear, my people! This is the country of the sun god!
We don't believe in the gods of mountains, fields, the sea or the earth.
Nor do we see gods in insects, animals or snakes.
This country has no use for such land gods.
There is but one sun god!
Banish Takehiko!
Expel Takehiko from this country!
Thus the god has spoken.
Thus the god has spoken!
Banish Takehiko!
Tear out his nails!
Tattoo on his face the mark of the impure!
Fools, cocks, dogs!
Flayed and filled with excrement.
To purify the sacred court of the god.
Defiled by human blood, purified by animal blood.
The stain is removed from the sacred court!
Adahime is gone!
Takehiko!
The god destroyed the king.
Because he lost faith in Himiko.
Then why didn't the god destroy the traitor Takehiko?
Is our god powerless against the land gods?
People of this land believe the land gods protect the rice we eat
and ripen the rice grains too.
lkume, are you suggesting that we worship the land gods?
No, I obey the sun god who speaks through Himiko.
How can we make the people of this land change?
We must make our country powerful!
The mirror.
The mirror?
The mirror is the sun god.
Build shrines to worship the mirror.
Distribute mirrors to all the lands.
Share the sun god, have them build shrines to worship.
The sun god shall unite this land.
The mirror will become the god.
It will be the symbol of the sun god.
Takehiko roams over the plains.
He roams the vast plains and hides in the mountains,
rebelling against this country.
How wretched! The blood of Takehiko spills the blood of the land gods.
The blood flows forth in a roaring torrent.
Takehiko's blood covers the land and the sea.
Protected by the land gods, Takehiko no longer bleeds.
Crawling creatures of the land and the sea have stopped his blood.
Takehiko shall not be banished to the land of the dead.
He will come back here, protected by the land gods.
The god should have destroyed Takehiko!
He is one of us!
I hear footsteps.
I hear Takehiko's footsteps.
This is the land of the sun god.
Takehiko runs. Takehiko flees!
This is the sun god's land.
Takehiko, come back!
Himiko is mad with love!
She has lost her powers!
We must confine her!
We cannot let the people see her in this state.
Mad with love, she speaks Takehiko's words!
No longer the god's!
Capture Himiko! Lock her up!
I have stolen the sacred clay and thus defeated their country!
No, not yet.
The sacred clay is the emblem of their country!
With it stolen, their strength is gone!
Mimaki trusts his own strength more than the god's.
He doesn't fear the god's anger,
and he will make a false emblem.
Shall I steal the mirror'?
That will do no good!
To destroy the sun god, we must kill its worshippers!
You will kill Himiko?
She is the only sister I have.
You'll spare her after what she did to you?
Adahime, tell the people of the land gods.
It's war with the sun god!
Somebody stole the sacred clay!
Who stole it?
lkume! They took the sacred clay!
The emblem of this country has been stolen!
I brought some food.
You may not leave this room.
I have told you many times.
You must not show yourself
to the people of this country.
And the war?
Hidden from the people, you will become the god.
How goes the war?
It will be over soon.
You must not leave here!
You will become the god.
Himiko is the god.
The god must not be seen.
No one shall come in here.
Himiko has one man: Nashime.
Only Nashime!
Takehiko!
Can't you see there are hundreds of our men lurking here?
Takehiko! You are surrounded!
I stole the emblem of the sun god!
I have the cloth woven for the sun god.
But Himiko wove the cloth for me!
Not the god!
Himiko is no longer the bride of god!
Just an ordinary woman!
Here, before the sun god!
I have brought the rebels.
Where is Mimaki? Where did he go'?
Mimaki is the king of this land.
You hide me from the people
so that Mimaki may become the king?
What are you saying?
After ten years residing in the temple,
you do not understand me?
You, of all people, must know that Himiko must remain as Himiko.
It is for the good of this country and yourself
that I keep you hidden here.
Mimaki. The king of this land!
And you are Himiko!
Mimaki merely rules this country.
But only Himiko can hear the voice of the god.
This country exists only because of Himiko.
Enough, Nashime.
Mimaki.
What shall we do with Himiko'?
Himiko?
Himiko has become the god during these last ten years.
Shall she remain so?
Indeed, Himiko has become the god not seen by the people.
The time has come for a visible god.
You think so, Nashime?
Yes.
Therefore, in place of Himiko...
In her place?
We will place
Toyo.
Two'?
That little girl?
Indeed, that very one.
Of course. I see, Nashime.
She suits our purpose.
Mimaki, without a doubt,
you are a born statesman!
Nashime! Where is Nashime?
Nashime!
Where is Nashime?
Nashime!
Himiko!
Hear the voice of the god!
Himiko receives the words of the god! Listen!
Hear the divine words Himiko receives!
Look to the west!
There are people coming!
They number more than a thousand slaves of Himiko!
To the country of Wei beyond the sea,
we must send many slaves and offerings!
It is a great country!
The land of Himiko!
Himiko!
STARRING
SHIMA IWASHITA
IVIASAO KUSAKARI RI E YOKOYAIVIA
CHOICHIRO KAWARAZAKI KENZO KAWARAZAKI
YOSHI KATO J U N HAMAM U RA
TATSUMI HIJIKATA ANKOKU-BUTOH-HA
RENTARO MIKUNI
Produced by KIYOSHI IWASHITA
Screenplay by TAEKO TOMIOKA Dialogue by TAEKO TOMIOKA
Cinematography by TATSUO SUZUKI
Music by TORU TAKEMITSU
Production Design by KIYOSHI AWAZU
Sound by HIDEO NISHIZAKI Edited by SACHIKO YAMAJI
Directed by MASAHIRO SHINODA
THE END