Kojin Tokuda

This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.

Himeshiro is a wandering yakuza, his father was the best doctor in the eight provinces of the Kanto region, and Himeshiro took over the knowledge of medicine from his father. If he encounters a sick person on the way, he uses his right hand, wrapped in a rosary, to give medical attention, while if he sees a bad person, he draws his sword with his left hand and uses it to punish the evildoers. So he travels on the verge of life and death along the Nakasendo highway...