Shigemori * A Physician's Questions and Answers

The lights around the stage dimmed again, and Izuna gently plucked the strings of her harp, the disjointed music leaving people somewhat puzzled.

Then, the surrounding stage lights up again.

Then they saw it— Taira no Shigemori had fallen.

That gentle and refined patriarch who treated Ninjas like human beings.

The Samurai who Taikenmon, his eyes filled with helplessness and restraint.

The man who confronted his father on that night in Shikadani, driven by a sense of familial duty.

At this moment, he lay quietly on his bed, his face ashen and his breath weak, like a lamp whose oil had run out and was rapidly dimming.

A suppressed gasp and uproar erupted from the audience.

Some of them knew how it would end, but most knew nothing at all.

When this admirable character reached his destined end, the visual and emotional impact was so intense that it left them utterly shocked.

The nobles' quarters were completely silent.

They watched Shigemori walking towards death on the stage, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

They were familiar with this history and knew what Shigemori's death meant to the Taira.

The collapse of the mainstay, the disappearance of voices of reason and restraint—once the tide has turned, there is no turning back.

The stage uses a flashback format to take the audience back to the last moments before he collapsed.

Not long after Moriko's death, Shigemori immediately set off to visit the Kumano Shrine.

Inside the solemn and dimly Shrine hall, he knelt devoutly and made a heart-stirring wish.

I wish to use the rest of my lifespan to offset the suffering and sins that the Taira may suffer in the future.

In the Genjutsu light and shadow, a warm yet illusory halo representing life force slowly drifted out from his back and merged into the deep shadows of the Shrine's shrine, as if it had truly been taken away by the gods.

Koremori, who came to pay his respects with them, and Shintarō, who was hiding in the shadows, both witnessed this scene.

On their way back to Beijing, they passed a stream.

Lost in thought, Koremori was suddenly grabbed by Shintarō and pulled into the stream without a word.

Shintarō, unusually proactive and with an almost clumsy attempt at reassurance, scooped up stream water and splashed it at Koremori, trying to break the heavy atmosphere.

Koremori was initially taken aback, but then instinctively retaliated. The two young men frolicked briefly in the icy stream, splashing water everywhere.

The stream water soaked Koremori's white coat, revealing the pale ink color of his inner garments underneath.

It resembled mourning clothes.

Neither of the two young men made the connection, but the servants began to whisper among themselves.

Shigemori this, Shigemori revealed a strange calm, tinged with a sense of relief and understanding. "This is... a sign that my wish will be fulfilled."

He said this and immediately sent someone to Kumano Shrine to express his gratitude. It was as if he had given up not his life, but a Sacrifice that had been gladly accepted.

Just a few days after returning to Beijing, Shigemori ill and developed anorexia.

He saw this as proof that his wish had been accepted, and therefore refused aggressive treatment.

Upon Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa personally came to visit him.

Facing the emaciated Shigemori on his sickbed, the retired Cloistered Emperor, who had developed a complex grudge against him due to the Shishigatani Incident and secretly feared the power of the Taira, spoke with an unusual urgency and earnestness.

"Shigemori, you are the head of the Taira clan. You must outlive Kiyomori Nyudo." Finally, he almost pleaded earnestly, "Please, please... live."

In the audience, as the Cloistered Emperor's earnest words "Live on" echoed through the theater, a long-suppressed emotion finally surged up like a tide.

"Don't give up, Shigemori!" a commoner man couldn't help but shout, his voice exceptionally clear in the silence.

Yes! Get well soon!

"What will happen to the Taira if you fall? What will happen to those young masters?"

"The imperial court needs reasonable people like you! Please persevere!"

"His Cloistered Emperor has said so... I beg you, please accept the treatment!"

"Shigemori Master!"

The shouts started sporadically, but gradually grew louder and louder, eventually merging into a wave of pleading.

They didn't understand the rule about not making noise while watching a play; they only knew that they liked the character and didn't want to see him suffer a terrible fate.

Even amidst the chaotic clamor, no one chose to shout. Some of the nobles clenched their fists.

For the same reason.

They never witnessed Taira no Shigemori's final moments.

The Heikyoku played here is indeed plaintive and poignant, but it is ultimately just words; how can it compare to the impact of a visual performance?

Looking at the gaunt man on the stage, who still maintained his last shred of dignity, the nobles were filled with reluctance and unwillingness.

Throughout the series, the character's gentleness, his forbearance, his fierceness in desperate situations, and the tenderness he showed to the three young Ninjas have deeply captured the hearts of the audience.

They did not want to see Taira no Shigemori die.

Their voices were filled with genuine emotion, as if they could travel through time and space to reach the ears of the person on the sickbed.

However, on stage, Shigemori simply leaned against the pillow, his face ashen, his once bright and determined eyes now filled with deep weariness.

Faced with the Cloistered Emperor's plea, he merely twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a very faint smile.

There was a hint of gratitude in that smile, but...

"Live on..." he repeated weakly, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet carrying a tremendous weight. "Live on... but what good will it do?"

He slowly shook his head and closed his eyes. It was a gesture of clear refusal.

The earnest murmurs from the audience gradually subsided into silence in the face of this silent yet resolute rejection.

The audience understood that their shouts and expectations could not change the blood pact that the person on stage had already made with fate.

A profound sorrow spread through the crowd.

Watching someone you hope will get better walk step by step, Earth Flow the end they chose, is a feeling that can bring some sentimental people to tears.

At this moment, Izuna's Biwa gently entered, briefly showcasing Shigemori sitting alone under the veranda, and the lotus flowers blooming in the pond.

After the conversation, the Cloistered Emperor encountered Sukemori, Kiyotsune, and Takuichi and Shinrei who were following him.

Sukemori already understood that his father probably didn't have much time left, and the next generation had to find a way to maintain relations with the royal family.

So he took the initiative to invite the Cloistered Emperor to pray for his father, and suggested singing and dancing to show his filial piety, and also to take this opportunity to demonstrate the obedience and vitality of the younger generation of the Taira.

The Cloistered Emperor, understanding their intentions and also wanting to observe and appease them, agreed.

Suddenly, cheerful singing filled the courtyard.

While caring for his father indoors, Koremori heard the sounds of singing and dancing coming from the courtyard. He frowned, feeling annoyed. "Sigh... Father is clearly ill..."

Shigemori, lying on his sickbed, smiled weakly and waved his hand to comfort his son, "It's alright... There are too many worries these days, so it's necessary to relieve your stress."

"Koremori, you are very much like your father; you tend to overthink things... You must be careful not to overwork yourself."

After a long silence, Koremori could only suppress his dissatisfaction and sorrow, and whispered, "Yes."

The singing and dancing that day slightly dispelled the gloom over the mansion.

Upon learning the news in Fukuhara, Taira no Kiyomori rushed back to Kyoto, determined to do everything in his power to save his eldest son, even planning to invite renowned doctors from other countries.

However, Shigemori declined again.

He said:

If fate is predetermined, treatment is useless; if life is not meant to end, it will heal itself without treatment.

If we were to bring in a renowned doctor from another country and heal the patient, it would make our own medical skills seem inadequate, which would be a national disgrace.

If it cannot be cured, bringing it here will be in vain.

This logic is almost obstinate, revealing Chong Sheng's Shigemori- seated pessimism and a weariness of no longer wanting to struggle in vain.

Shortly after Kiyomori rushed back, Shigemori had a terrible nightmare while he was ill.

The dreamlike illusions and fantastical light and shadow created by Genjutsu once again stirred the audience.

Shigemori saw a clear silhouette.

That was the head of his father, Taira no Kiyomori, held high atop a long spear.

The monk wielding the spear had an indistinct face, but his voice was icy as he declared, "This is Kiyomori's head! This man's evil deeds were countless, and he has been taken by Kasuga Daimyojin! The Taira... their fate is sealed!"

The head atop the spear still bore Kiyomori's usual nonchalant smile, asking the nightmare-ridden Shigemori, "This... is quite interesting, isn't it?"

"No--!" Shigemori screamed as he woke up from his nightmare, his nightgown soaked with cold sweat.

He covered his mouth, his suppressed breathing unusually clear in the silent room, his eyes filled with extreme fear and grief.

"Father... he... and the Taira..."

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

This patriarch, who had always been self-disciplined, patient, and strong, finally broke down in tears when he foresaw the terrible future of his family's destruction.

The suppressed, desperate cries clearly reached the audience, causing countless viewers to feel their hearts clench and their noses to sting.

After the nightmare, Shigemori seemed to have a premonition that his time was coming. He summoned his eldest son Koremori.

When Koremori rushed over, he was shocked to find his father already dressed and sitting upright with difficulty. "Father! Why don't you lie down and rest!"

Shigemori's face was ashen, his breath weak, but his eyes were unusually Seimei.

His hand trembled as he pointed to an ancient Tachi beside his pillow. "Good thing... Koremori, this... I'll pass it on to you."

"Is this... the famous sword 'Kogara' passed down through generations of the Taira?"

"No..." Shigemori gasped, each word seemingly uttered with all his might, "This is... the unadorned Tachi worn at the funeral."

Looking into his son's shocked eyes, he instructed him, word by word, "When Kiyomori enters the Daoist path and is on his deathbed... you shall... be equipped with this sword..."

"Why... why give this to the child?"

"I, your father, am powerless to dissuade Kiyomori from entering the Dao. Koremori... please, in my place... pass this on..."

Shigemori couldn't finish what he wanted to say, but the unspoken meaning weighed heavily on Koremori like a thousand-pound burden.

Koremori stood there, stunned, all color draining from his face.

All sounds on the stage disappeared, except for the chirping of birds that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

After a long pause, Taira no Koremori lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "... Yes... I... understand."

Having given this final entrustment, Taira no Shigemori seemed to have exhausted his last bit of energy.

Soon after, the head of the Taira, who had tried to steer the ship through the turbulent waves but was ultimately swallowed up by the tides of the times and the destiny of his family, returned to the Pure Land.

He passed away at the age of 43.

The stage lights went completely dark, leaving only a cold, desolate beam of light shining on the empty hospital bed.

There, it seems, still retains the last breath and warmth of a Samurai.

The desolate sound of the zither bids farewell to Taira no Shigemori.

The actors on stage have already dressed in black and are heading to the funeral.

Backstage, Sarutobi Sasuke, having finished his final scene, breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and remained heavy-hearted.