Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai Page #3

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You'll ruin the floor.

Here, put this on.

Posh stuff.

The name's Kichiya.

It's a pleasure.

OK, let's go!

Hey you...

It's an Amida Buddha,

by Tanyu-something...

Idiot! This garbage isn't Tanyu!

It's no good?

It's awful!

Huh. You know your stuff.

Why such an

incense-smelling picture?

I get a lot of annoying monks,

so it's to ward off bad karma.

Doesn't work though.

They don't have

the fear of god in them.

No kidding.

Actually, I had a

weird dream recently.

Gods popped up over a mountain,

and everyone was praying

"Thank the Gods!"...

...but the gods squashed

people and houses, and carried on.

Horrible, right?

Is there really a heaven?

Well? Want to quit?

Good! Let's do it!

Hey!

Sorry honey. Just for a little while...

Count to 100 and let me sleep.

I promise...

...we'll have fun...

You're heavy.

Is there really a heaven?

Or a hell?

"Manjido Bookstore"

Right, that's it.

Excellent, thanks.

Oh, by the way.

How about some kabuki today?

Danjuro's playing "Sukeroku."

I was going to go,

but something came up.

I've only one token.

You won't regret it.

It'll help you.

Thank you. I'll be going.

Hatsugoro will go too.

I just gave him a token.

Well well.

O-Ei? So nice to see you!

S-Sure.

What's wrong?

Worried about something?

No, not really.

Going somewhere?

No, just home.

What a coincidence.

I just went to the publisher's.

Care to drop by Asakusa Temple

for Kannon's fair?

I can't stand women who are

clingy or weepy.

I like a lady with

a little danger in her eyes.

The first time I saw you,

I thought "Wow."

"This one's something special."

Er, I mean...

O-Ei, I...

Thank you sir!

What was your wish?

- A safe birth.

- W-What?

Just kidding.

You've sure got a mean streak.

What's the time?

Huh? It was 12 noon before,

so it must be 2pm.

Got something to do?

No, not really.

Fancy some tokoroten?

- Sure.

- Great!

Tokoroten for two!

Yessir!

Sorry, I've got to go.

O-Ei?

What the...?

It's yummy, Mother.

It is? Then you can have mine.

Really? It's mine now.

No, I'll have it.

No way!

O-Nao isn't feeling well.

She was lying down

at Mother's place.

They sent her home.

Mother says it's not serious.

She'll get well soon.

Go see her.

It'd cheer her up.

Yeah.

Her sickness scares you?!

You won't take time to visit

your daughter?!

Birds, lovely birds.

Birds for releasing.

Release these poor sparrows.

Lovely birds.

Birds for releasing.

How many are in there?

Well, about 30.

Release them all.

Sure. Thank you ma'am.

Hey.

Oh.

You're all superstitious now.

That won't do a lick of good.

They've got clipped wings.

They'll get caught again.

Really?

Well, a few lucky ones

might get away.

Say, you'll stop by?

O-Nao'll be surprised.

And I made bean cakes.

That's rare.

Let's share them.

Look at all these snacks.

She's asleep?

She was before.

Who's there?

O-Nao...

How're you feeling?

Father?

Death is most fearsome

and detestable.

It shall never claim me.

It shall never...

Hey, take this to Mother's

tomorrow if you can.

To ward off evil spirits.

He has a brush-like beard

and holds a sword.

It's a long sword

to strike down sickness.

In his other hand,

he seizes all sorts of pain.

His face is very scary,

but he protects children.

Does Father hate me?

Why?

Because, Father hates sick people.

Tetsuzo fears sickness

because he's weak.

You're different,

and that's why he painted this.

They're so soft.

You're home now, so

don't cut your hair, let it grow.

I'll style it for you.

Really?

Sure.

Your sister's talented.

Her hair's always pretty.

She is? Talented?

I can't wait.

I hope it grows quickly.

Yeah!

Maybe I'll stay over.

O-Ei, you should.

We'll all sleep together.

Hey...

O-Ei, are you asleep?

Not yet.

Something's above the net.

It's there.

It was a big bug.

I took it outside.

A bug? A pretty one?

Yeah. Cold and thin,

like a string bean.

Was it gentle?

It was gentle.

Was it cute?

It was cute.

Hey...

Yeah?

I'll go to hell when I die.

In hell, you have to stack stones

on a statue of Monk Jizo.

Why?

Why? Because it's the rules.

You have no choice.

Can I get you anything?

She's a good colour lately.

She is.

She's fine. It's not serious.

She'll get better soon.

Say...

Bring your father to see her.

Tetsuzo's a crybaby.

What a fool.

I'm a crybaby too.

The medicine's working well.

She ate gruel last night too.

Could you go today?

You're a lousy liar.

That's why you can't snag a man.

Huh? That's weird...

I thought a little girl

was following me...

This... little girl...

What was she like?

She had this kind of

outdated bob haircut, you know...

Yeesh, it's blowing a gale.

She made it here by herself.

She's gone.

Maybe I was the one

who stole her sight, and her life.

Huh?

Huh? That's weird...

No, I wasn't spinning a tale!

Somebody really did follow me...

It's true!

Hey Brazen,

something evil's behind you.

Sorry, Zenjiro!

K-Kuninao!

You messing with me?!

I followed you all this way,

but you never knew.

Mr. Hokusai, O-Ei,

you're looking well.

Yeah.

You too.

And you.

Shut up! Shut up!

Why are you here, jerk?!

Well, there's this

peculiar girl in Fukagawa.

She can handle bootleg booze.

Better than you?

Who knows... I'm gonna try

to drink her under the table.

What if you do?

She'll show me the

amazing tattoo on her back.

Nobody's ever seen it.

Huh. Pathetic.

Who's for some noodles?

Hey, count me in!

Well, see you, O-Ei.

Manjido will come knocking.

He'll lose face if it's late.

Never mind his face.

You can paint it.

It's all yours.

I will not!

Hey! By the way,

Manjido had a word.

It's about time

you did your own paintings.

It's gonna be a long night!

O-Nao...

How are things there?

I know that you didn't go to hell...

Things haven't changed here.

This life is nothing special,

but we're enjoying it.

Right?

Tetsuzo kept painting,

and lived until he was 90.

Zenjiro took the name

Keisai Eisen,

enjoying some fame as

a painter of beauties.

He died a year before Tetsuzo.

Stupid Brazen, as always.

I married once,

but returned to Tetsuzo,

and lived with him till he died.

Tetsuzo wanted to live till 100,

but 90 was as far as he got.

On his death bed,

he said if he'd lived

10 more years, or even 5,

he'd have become a real artist.

That old man was really something.

After Hokusai's death,

O-Ei led an itinerant life,

and suddenly disappeared

on one summer day of 1857.

The exact place of her death

is not known.

Eleven years later,

the Tokugawa shogunate collapsed

which spelled the end of

the age of the samurai.

In 1868, the new Meiji government

renamed "Edo" as "Tokyo."

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