Ooku The Inner Chambers Ending Explained: Two stories were narrated in the realm of the unique society; however, both of them had completely different endings. What was the fate of the characters in both tales? Let us discuss.
Ooku The Inner Chambers (『大奥』本予告)is a brand new anime series that premiered on July 29, 2023, on Netflix. Based on the manga series written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga, the show is directed by Noriyuke Abe and animated by Studio Deen. Mamoru Miyano, Eriko Matsui, Yuki Kaji, Tomokazu Seki, and Sanae Kobayashi are amongst the many cast members who voiced various characters.
The story follows Japan’s alternate historic timeline where after a deadly disease befalls the nation that only affects men, the equilibrium of the society begins to tremble. Thus, women take on important roles in the society. With a total of 10 episodes, the runtime of the first episode is over an hour, and the rest is for approximately 25-30 minutes each. The show is shot in Japanese and is also available in English dub and subtitles.
Ooku The Inner Chambers Ending Explained
The first episode of the series offers a prologue to the main plot, which revolves around Yunoshin, who joins Ooku to offer a better life to his family. Meanwhile, the second story follows Arikoto, a monk who gets tricked into living in Ooku and ultimately falling in love with the female shogun, Iemitsu. However, the characters’ stories end in a very different way.
What happened to Yunoshin?
Yunoshin quickly moved up the ranks in the Ooko chambers due to his talents and massive popularity among the men. He was chosen to tend to the eighth shogun, Yoshimune’s needs and offered the role of the secret swain, which is the first person to lay with the female shogun. However, the job came with the condition that since he would inevitably be hurting the honourable body and taking her virginity, he would be beheaded in secrecy.
He accepted the offer since his family would be receiving a large sum of money. After 10 days, the secret beheading process began, but the swordsman did not kill him, revealing that Yoshimune planned this from the beginning. She spared his life and made arrangements for him to begin a new life with a completely new identity. He went back to the village and married the love of his life, Onobu.
What was Kasuga’s fate?
After years of serving the royal bloodline and carrying out intricate plans to protect the nation from war and crimes, she became an integral part of the political affairs in Ooku. However, due to old age, she ultimately fell ill and became bedridden due to poor health. Her last days were spent lying down and Arikoto attending to her rigorously. During her last moments, she appointed Masasuke as Chief Scribe, who would be responsible for documenting the major events in the Tokugawa clan and appointed Arikoto to take care of the shogun and oversee the inner chambers. Her health deteriorated further and she ultimately met her death.
What changes did Iemitsu bring?
Following Kasuga’s death, Iemitsu brought a number of changes to the village. She appointed female feudal lords since there was a deficit of males in the population. However, each of them was recorded under male names in order to maintain the secrecy of the clan. She retained the name and position of her father and officially became the third Shogun, Iemitsu. Additionally, she dismissed 100 men from the chambers to serve in the government-licenced pleasure district, Yoshiwara. In a few days, the district became popular among young women and gave birth, revitalising the population of the clan.
Later, Iemitsu gave birth to two more children, each with Onatsu and Otama, and both of them were girls. She tried to give birth again with other concubines, but they ended up in miscarriages. However, after a while, she fell ill and, at the age of 27, met her untimely death leaving behind an empty space to rule the Tokugawa clan.
What happened to Arikoto?
The monk who was forced into living life inside the chambers accepted his fate and fell in love with Iemitsu. However, when he could not impregnate Iemitsu, his life came crashing down. Even then, he stuck by her side throughout the years until her death. He also tended to the ones affected by the red face pox in Ooku and Kasuga on her deathbed. His service to the Tokugawa clan had been insurmountable. Iemitsu appointed him as the Senior Chamberlain, and he was the only concubine to be evaluated to such a high position.
Following Iemitsu’s death, he continued to work within the walls of the chambers. He raised her daughter like his own and groomed her to take over the role of the fourth shogun, under the name of Ietsuna.
Ooku: The Inner Chambers is now streaming on Netflix. Did you watch the series yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Also Read: Ooku The Inner Chambers Review: Spellbinding Journey Through a Uniquely Crafted World