Episode 4 (Hanyō no Yashahime)

The Gateway to the Past is the fourth episode of Hanyō no Yashahime.

Synopsis
Moroha discovers a way back to the Feudal Age, striking a deal with Root Head she intends to break.

Setsuna bonds briefly with Moe Higurashi, learning to play the violin. Towa spends one last night with her adoptive/distant relative family.

The Tree of Ages informs the trio of their dog-demon heritage, and urges them to seek and defeat the demon lords Kirinmaru and Sesshōmaru. Moroha agreed, but Setsuna and Towa refused, and the trio are left to battle Root Head.

Summary
It started that Moroha teaching the elders the martial art exercise. As the three girls spend a few days in the modern world, Great Grandpa Higurashi gives Moroha a gift: a kappa's foot as she hugs him that she likes it and he tells his granddaughter "Kagome give birth to wonderful child" and thank her wherever she is there's no meaning to have, until Moroha senses a demon in the dirt approaching to the Sacred Tree. At Saint Gabriel Academy, Towa is at the English classroom. Towa narrates the three girls resolve to return to the past where Towa came from to capture the Dream Butterfly and restore Setsuna's ability to sleep. Setsuna masters the violin and becomes fond of it, while Moroha discovers Root Head in the Tree of Ages and negotiates with him to reopen the portal in exchange for their Rainbow Pearls. At Sōta's appartment, Setsuna takes the violin with her while Moroha brings a massive bag of modern supplies (which she bought by stealing Sōta's credit card, leaving him with a huge bill). Kagome's old room in their house, Sōta showed Towa the pictures of her Aunt Kagome and Uncle Inuyasha. Later that night, Great Grandpa Higurashi gives another gift to Moroha when she leaves and her grandmother tells her if you see her mother say hi from her. Moe tells Setsuna to care the violin. Towa bids farewell to her family, with Mei begging the three to promise to return, and the three jump into the portal. They are interrupted by the Spirit of the Tree of Ages, who takes Kikyō's form. She asks them to slay Kirinmaru, an old rival of their grandfather, the Great Dog General, who plans to take over Japan, and Sesshōmaru, whom she says walks a similar path to Kirinmaru. Towa and Moroha agreed to take down Kirinmaru as Setsuna refuses, saying she doesn't care about the father she never met, while Towa doesn't want to kill her father on principle. The spirit transports them to Root Head, who attacks them for their Rainbow Pearls.

Root Head is able to drain their respective dog-demon powers, but Moroha throws the kappa's foot into his eye to weaken him. They defeat him and arrive in the past to be greeted by Kaede, Kohaku, and Hisui. Towa realizes that without Root Head, they have no means to return to the modern world. Meanwhile, the Spirit of the Tree of Ages watches over an adult Rin, who is in suspended animation, with the Dream Butterfly circling overhead. While commenting on the girls' refusal to heed her request, She tells Sesshōmaru that if he forsakes Rin, she will never wake up. She then comes to realize that to remain unchanged may be for the best.

Trivia

 * In the beginning of the episode, Moroha suggests to some elders that she is about 450 years older than them in the modern era while they are doing a martial art exercise.
 * Grandpa Higurashi offers Moroha the same alleged mummified foot of a kappa he tried to offer Kagome for her 15th birthday in the very first episode, and Moroha makes the same expression Kagome did, but otherwise has the opposite reaction. Moroha noted that such an item is treasured (due to coming from when the demon is still alive); it later DOES provide good luck by serving as a distraction.
 * Moroha stole Sōta's credit card to buy supplies, much to his utter horror due the massive bills.
 * Moroha is to blame for the book of future knowledge that was discovered by Towa's captors in the first episode.
 * The path used to go back to the feudal era is similar to the spirit road often used in Kyoukai no Rinne.
 * The Sacred Tree mentions the sealing arrow on its trunk, which Kikyō had demonstrated to her younger sister Kaede in "Episode 148." However, it does not inform Moroha that her father had been sealed on its trunk for half a century.
 * Towa sees Kagome in a picture but is not aware that she is Moroha's mother at the time.

Errors

 * When Moroha throws the kappa foot at Root head, Towa's demon energy blade was shown to be active, despite the latter having her demon energy absorbed by Root head.