The Sound of the Bell

The Decline of the Rosen Clan - Episode 1 |

The sound of the great cathedral bell reminds us that all things in this world are constantly changing, never staying in one place. Just as the colors of the flowers before the cathedral fade and shift, so too does the flourishing of the powerful inevitably give way to decline.
Even when someone holds immense power, they cannot maintain it for long. It is as fleeting as a spring night's dream. Those who boast of their might will eventually perish, no different from dust before a gust of wind.

This truth holds equally throughout the orient and the occident, and in our own country, we have seen it happen time and again. Yet in recent times, when I hear of the deeds of the former Grand Minister, Duke Henry of Rosen, I find no words to express the overwhelming arrogance of his heart and the fearsome power he wielded.

Tracing the lineage of Henry, we arrive at the Emperor Hadrian. Three generations later, in exchange for losing their royal standing, the family was granted the surname of "Rosen". For six generations afterward, they were appointed governors of various lands, though they were still not permitted entry into the imperial palace.

This is a story based on a Japanese classic.