Harakiri_English.srt

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A SHOCHIKU PRODUCTION

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A 1962 JAPAN ART FESTIVAL ENTRY

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1630.

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13th day of May. Fair skies.

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Extremely hot from eaely in the day.

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IYI CLAN JOURNAL

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10:00 a.m. - Master Bennosuke...

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pays a visit to the Kandabashi mansion
of the Honorable Lord Doi

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to present fresh river trout
from the Shirakawa River,

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which arrived from our domain.

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No other official business to record.

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However,

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at about 4:00 in the afternoon,

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a samurai claiming to be a former retainer
of the Fukushima Clan in Hiroshima

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appeared at our gate.

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HARAKIRI

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Produced by
TATSUO HOSOYA

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Original Story by
YASUHIKO TAKIGUCHI

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Screenplay by
SHINOBU HASHIMOTO

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Cinematography by
YOSHIO MIYAJIMA

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Music by
TORU TAKEMITSU

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Starring

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TATSUYA NAKADAI

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AKIRA ISHIHAMA

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SHIMA IWASHITA

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TETSURO TAMBA

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MASAO MISHIMA, ICHIRO NAKAYA

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KEl SATO

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YOSHIO INABA, YOSHIRO AOKI

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RENTARO MIKUNI

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Directed by
MASAKI KOBAYASHI

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SOTO SAKURADA-MACHI, EDO

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OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE IYI CLAN

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You were a retainer of the former
Fukushima Clan in Hiroshima?

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That is correct.

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My name is Hanshiro Tsugumo.

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Written with the character
tsu as in "harbor"

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and gumo as in "cloud."

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What is the nature of your visit?

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My master's house fell in 1619.

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I subsequently left the domain
and moved here to Edo,

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where I found shelter
in a back-alley tenement.

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While eking out a meager living,

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I sought connections
for employment with a new master.

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But try as I might,
we live in times of peace,

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and my every effort has been in vain.

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Failing to find employment
and with little to do,

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he finds himself in dire straits

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and believes
he can endure it no further.

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Rather than live on
in such poverty and disgrace,

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he wishes to die
honorably by harakiri

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and asks for permission
to use our forecourt.

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Such is his request.

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Not again.

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Will they never stop?

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How shall I respond?

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Fine. Show him in.

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This is the room, sir.

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Please go in.

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Thank you.

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I am a former retainer

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of Lord Masanori Fukushima
of Hiroshima,

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Hanshiro Tsugumo by name.

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I respectfully beg your favor.

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I am senior counselor
of the House of Iyi, Kageyu Saito.

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I am much obliged
for this immediate interview.

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The purpose of my visit -

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I've already been told
of your request.

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Rather than live on
in endless poverty,

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idly waiting for death,

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you wish to end your life in a manner
befitting a samurai, by harakiri.

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I believe that was the gist of it?

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That is correct.

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In these times,
it is a truly admirable resolve.

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I can only express the highest esteem.

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You mentioned

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that you served
the former Lord Fukushima.

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Did you happen to know
a man named Motome Chijiiwa?

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Chijiiwa?

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Yes.

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Hmm...

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You don't recognize the name?

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I'm quite certain he said
he'd served the former Lord Fukushima.

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In its prosperous days,
the clan's retainers

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numbered some 12,000 men.

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One could hardly know them all.

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I see.

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But never mind that.

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Earlier this year,
perhaps around the end of January,

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this ronin named Motome Chijiiwa
came calling,

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and the purpose of his visit
was the same as yours.

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He requested the use of our forecourt
to dispatch himself with honor.

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Is that right?

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Would you like me to tell you
what happened in that case?

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I would indeed.

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You say you were a retainer
of the former Fukushima Clan in Hiroshima?

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That is correct.

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I served the former
Lord Masanori Fukushima of Hiroshima.

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My name is Motome Chijiiwa.

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What is the nature of your visit?

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After the fall of my master's house,

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I moved here to Edo
and found shelter in a back-alley tenement.

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While eking out a meager living,

104
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I sought connections
for employment with a new master.

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But try as I might,
we live in times of peace...

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and my every effort has been in vain.

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So now it seems it's our turn.

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How shall we respond?

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Let me think.

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It's amazing how such foolishness
can take hold.

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Blame it on what
the Sengoku Clan did.

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Say what you will, that was a mistake.
- I disagree, Yazaki.

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That's not necessarily true.
- Why not?

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The fellow who went to the Sengoku house
was serious about disemboweling himself.

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There was nothing dishonorable
about his intent.

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Precisely because
they were touched by his sincerity,

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the Sengoku house decided
to take him in as a back-room retainer.

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That was good.
They made the right decision in that case.

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The problem

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is the shameless imitators
who have followed.

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They have no intention whatsoever
of performing harakiri,

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and just because they're hurting a little
for food and clothing,

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they show up at our gate
to practice their thinly disguised extortion.

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We can't very well allow him
to disembowel himself in our gateway.

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Our only choice is to follow
the example of other clans:

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Give him a little something
and ask him to leave.

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No.

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That will not do.

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If we give him money
and send him away,

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he'll soon be followed by others.

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One after the other,

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like ants drawn to a mound of sugar.

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Ever since the Battle of Sekigahara,

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Edo has been teeming with ronin -
masterless samurai.

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They're like wild dogs
roving about in search of prey.

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Think what people will say.

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"The House of Iyi has gone soft
like the others.

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Everybody thought they had backbone,
so until now, the ronin avoided their gate.

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But look what they've done now.

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They boast of their martial valor,

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but this is a time of peace,

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so they're just
living in yesterday's dreams."

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Would you have such laughable chatter

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spreading all over Edo?

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Especially when His Lordship
is away in his domain.

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Under no circumstances can we allow

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a stain to come upon our lord's name
while he's away.

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Giving him money
and asking him to leave -

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such lily-livered nonsense
is out of the question.

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He hasn't the slightest intention
of killing himself,

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yet he speaks of honorable harakiri.

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Counselor!

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If I may...

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My apologies for keeping you waiting.

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I am Umenosuke Kawabe,
a member of Lord Iyi's mounted guard.

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My name is Motome Chijiiwa,
a ronin from Hiroshima.

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Kindly come with me.

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Excuse me?

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I am to show you to the bath.

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Since Lord Iyi is at present
away in his domain,

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Senior Counselor Saito conveyed your request
to His Lordship's son, Bennosuke.

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He finds your resolve most admirable

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and wishes you to be brought forward
for an immediate audience.

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I am to have an audience
with Master Bennosuke?

165
00:14:25,365 --> 00:14:26,782
That is correct.

166
00:14:28,243 --> 00:14:32,162
I must beg your pardon,
but your present attire will not do.

167
00:14:34,457 --> 00:14:37,084
While you refresh yourself
in the bath,

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we'll see to some new robes for you.

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I place myself in your hands.

170
00:14:45,843 --> 00:14:47,970
Your kindness overwhelms me.

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00:15:01,985 --> 00:15:03,318
I must be dreaming.

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00:15:04,487 --> 00:15:05,988
This is so...

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completely unexpected.

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00:15:10,743 --> 00:15:11,994
Almost -

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Pardon me.

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My apologies
for keeping you waiting so long.

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I must ask you to change again.

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Your robes.

179
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Is something wrong?

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00:16:09,010 --> 00:16:12,054
What about my audience
with Master Bennosuke?

181
00:16:15,308 --> 00:16:17,934
I was told
I'd be granted an audience.

182
00:16:18,269 --> 00:16:19,936
I don't believe so.

183
00:16:20,313 --> 00:16:23,732
You must have misunderstood.
- No, I'm quite certain.

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That was the word I received from
Umenosuke Kawabe of the mounted guard.

185
00:16:29,781 --> 00:16:31,531
Kawabe?

186
00:16:32,742 --> 00:16:35,118
Now that you mention it...

187
00:16:37,246 --> 00:16:38,538
Yes, that must be it.

188
00:16:40,708 --> 00:16:44,252
So I'm not mistaken?

189
00:16:44,712 --> 00:16:47,506
I believe I understand.

190
00:16:49,842 --> 00:16:54,179
When Senior Counselor Saito
personally conveyed your desire

191
00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:57,265
to Master Bennosuke,

192
00:16:57,558 --> 00:17:00,602
he noted how rare it is these days to find
men with such a great sense of honor.

193
00:17:00,770 --> 00:17:04,648
"I would like to add this man
to the ranks of our retainers," he said.

194
00:17:07,151 --> 00:17:12,072
"But when a man declares
that he wishes to tear his belly open,

195
00:17:12,532 --> 00:17:15,909
it can only come
from a most profound resolve.

196
00:17:18,246 --> 00:17:20,956
I am sure it would be no use
trying to dissuade him.

197
00:17:21,541 --> 00:17:24,334
Grant him his final wish.

198
00:17:26,504 --> 00:17:28,505
Although I would like to meet
this man of such uncommon valor

199
00:17:28,673 --> 00:17:32,050
and tell him how much
I admire his purpose,

200
00:17:32,218 --> 00:17:36,304
I am unfortunately scheduled to go
to Lord Doi's residence at this hour.

201
00:17:37,098 --> 00:17:40,642
Extend to him
every courtesy of this house,

202
00:17:40,810 --> 00:17:45,814
and have all our retainers
witness his final act,

203
00:17:46,149 --> 00:17:48,984
that they may remember it
as a proud example."

204
00:17:49,152 --> 00:17:52,279
Such were Master Bennosuke's words,
I was told.

205
00:18:09,839 --> 00:18:12,674
Tell me:
What do you think of this story?

206
00:18:13,176 --> 00:18:15,969
A most interesting tale,

207
00:18:16,345 --> 00:18:19,973
worthy of the famous red armor
that symbolizes the House of Iyi

208
00:18:20,349 --> 00:18:23,185
and its reputation for great martial valor.

209
00:18:24,353 --> 00:18:27,856
May I ask what your intentions are?

210
00:18:28,733 --> 00:18:30,233
You mean...

211
00:18:32,028 --> 00:18:33,987
about this?

212
00:18:34,530 --> 00:18:36,490
Exactly.

213
00:18:40,578 --> 00:18:42,579
You may set your mind at ease.

214
00:18:43,247 --> 00:18:46,416
I came here
with every intention of dying.

215
00:18:48,377 --> 00:18:50,295
Well, well.

216
00:18:50,755 --> 00:18:53,632
A most admirable resolve.

217
00:18:57,220 --> 00:18:59,137
In that case, Master Tsugumo...

218
00:19:00,264 --> 00:19:03,141
perhaps I should recount for you

219
00:19:03,726 --> 00:19:06,520
a little more of Motome Chijiiwa's story.

220
00:19:07,522 --> 00:19:09,272
By all means.

221
00:19:09,565 --> 00:19:13,235
Now then,
we must be aware of the time.

222
00:19:13,402 --> 00:19:15,237
Please change into those robes.

223
00:19:16,405 --> 00:19:19,115
All other arrangements
are already in place

224
00:19:19,784 --> 00:19:22,077
for a harakiri ceremony
with all the proper formalities.

225
00:19:27,333 --> 00:19:29,209
I have a request.

226
00:19:31,045 --> 00:19:34,256
I must beg a brief respite.

227
00:19:34,590 --> 00:19:36,174
Respite?

228
00:19:36,342 --> 00:19:40,136
I will not run or hide.
I will return to this house.

229
00:19:40,596 --> 00:19:42,764
But I beg you
for a day or two respite.

230
00:19:44,642 --> 00:19:46,893
I'm afraid it's too late for that.

231
00:19:47,979 --> 00:19:50,730
- But this is absurd!
- Absurd?

232
00:19:52,191 --> 00:19:57,028
We made the harakiri arrangements
at your own request.

233
00:19:57,196 --> 00:19:59,281
My most abject apologies!

234
00:19:59,532 --> 00:20:02,576
Just a day or two respite.
I will return without fail.

235
00:20:03,953 --> 00:20:06,204
A samurai's word is his bond.

236
00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:09,124
There can be no delay!

237
00:20:51,542 --> 00:20:54,169
Master swordsman Hayato Yazaki.

238
00:20:55,671 --> 00:20:58,465
Fit and eager,
his skills honed to perfection.

239
00:20:59,216 --> 00:21:02,677
One false step
and he'll slice you in two.

240
00:21:03,846 --> 00:21:05,805
The others will descend on you as well.

241
00:21:13,606 --> 00:21:15,982
Rather than being chopped up
like a dead fish,

242
00:21:16,233 --> 00:21:19,611
perform harakiri
and die like a samurai.

243
00:21:20,863 --> 00:21:23,573
Now, change into those robes.

244
00:21:54,522 --> 00:21:57,399
O ancestors of the House of Iyi...

245
00:21:58,734 --> 00:22:02,696
I must beg your forgiveness
for defiling the mansion courtyard

246
00:22:03,364 --> 00:22:05,407
with unworthy ronin blood.

247
00:22:19,588 --> 00:22:22,424
I do this to preserve
the honor of this house,

248
00:22:22,717 --> 00:22:25,760
as well as that
of the Tokugawa family,

249
00:22:27,221 --> 00:22:30,056
and of the samurai code itself.

250
00:22:31,726 --> 00:22:35,895
I beg you to be witness
to my decision.

251
00:23:22,985 --> 00:23:25,111
His short blade is the same.

252
00:23:25,571 --> 00:23:27,530
Look at it.

253
00:23:27,823 --> 00:23:31,701
It wouldn't cut tofu.

254
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:37,707
He sells off his soul as a samurai,
replacing his blades with bamboo,

255
00:23:37,917 --> 00:23:40,627
and then shows up
saying he wants to perform harakiri?

256
00:23:40,795 --> 00:23:43,338
The nerve of the man!

257
00:23:46,467 --> 00:23:49,552
Everything is in place
for the ceremony to begin.

258
00:24:06,028 --> 00:24:08,446
Master Motome Chijiiwa...

259
00:24:10,491 --> 00:24:12,534
rather than sit and wait
for death in dire poverty,

260
00:24:12,701 --> 00:24:16,704
you've declared your wish
to die honorably by harakiri.

261
00:24:17,623 --> 00:24:20,458
It is a commendable decision.

262
00:24:20,751 --> 00:24:23,878
You are an example for all samurai.

263
00:24:26,257 --> 00:24:28,550
I am ashamed to admit

264
00:24:29,718 --> 00:24:34,264
that even in this house known for martial valor
since our ancestor Naomasa's day,

265
00:24:35,224 --> 00:24:38,685
the resolve you've shown
is seen but rarely.

266
00:24:40,354 --> 00:24:43,398
So that they may witness
the noble demise of a true warrior,

267
00:24:44,233 --> 00:24:46,818
and engrave a lasting impression of it
upon their minds,

268
00:24:47,236 --> 00:24:50,446
I've ordered all retainers
of this household to attend.

269
00:24:53,075 --> 00:24:56,452
May your heart be at peace.

270
00:25:00,082 --> 00:25:01,666
I beg of you!

271
00:25:02,501 --> 00:25:04,169
What is it?

272
00:25:04,336 --> 00:25:09,090
I beg for a brief respite -
a day or two's grace!

273
00:25:09,758 --> 00:25:13,011
I swear I will not run or hide.
I'll return to this spot without fail!

274
00:25:13,262 --> 00:25:15,763
Please! I implore you!

275
00:25:17,349 --> 00:25:19,934
This is most unexpected.

276
00:25:20,686 --> 00:25:24,189
I've heard lately
of incidents all across Edo

277
00:25:24,356 --> 00:25:27,859
in which ronin who don't deserve
to call themselves samurai

278
00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:32,989
demand the use of a clan's forecourt
to commit harakiri

279
00:25:34,033 --> 00:25:37,160
but are happy to walk away
in exchange for a few coins.

280
00:25:38,954 --> 00:25:40,788
Surely you're not -

281
00:25:41,957 --> 00:25:44,667
Absolutely not, sir.

282
00:25:44,877 --> 00:25:46,586
No, no.

283
00:25:46,962 --> 00:25:48,504
Of course not.

284
00:25:49,381 --> 00:25:53,843
I'd never believe that a man
of your noble character and mien

285
00:25:55,054 --> 00:25:57,305
could be such a despicable extortionist.

286
00:25:59,308 --> 00:26:00,558
Now then.

287
00:26:00,976 --> 00:26:02,644
You may proceed.

288
00:26:19,161 --> 00:26:22,080
Unworthy as I am,
I shall be your second.

289
00:26:24,124 --> 00:26:27,043
I am an exponent
of the Shindo-Munen-Ichi school.

290
00:26:32,007 --> 00:26:35,760
I imagine you are aware,
but let me note just to be sure.

291
00:26:37,054 --> 00:26:41,432
The rite of harakiri
has changed over time.

292
00:26:42,059 --> 00:26:45,186
In recent years,
it is often harakiri in name only.

293
00:26:45,562 --> 00:26:48,523
The subject reaches for the blade
on the wooden stand,

294
00:26:48,816 --> 00:26:52,402
and his second immediately
strikes off his head.

295
00:26:53,737 --> 00:26:56,406
In other words,
there is no disembowelment at all,

296
00:26:56,740 --> 00:27:01,577
and in fact sometimes
the stand holds not a short sword

297
00:27:01,745 --> 00:27:03,871
but only a folding fan.

298
00:27:05,374 --> 00:27:06,958
However,

299
00:27:07,126 --> 00:27:10,044
our proceedings today will not sink

300
00:27:10,212 --> 00:27:13,089
to such debased and empty forms.

301
00:27:13,299 --> 00:27:16,634
We shall adhere strictly
to the traditional ways.

302
00:27:19,179 --> 00:27:21,055
Is that understood?

303
00:27:22,182 --> 00:27:26,936
You will rip your bowels open
crosswise, like this.

304
00:27:28,314 --> 00:27:32,400
Once I see you have done so,
I will strike off your head.

305
00:27:36,405 --> 00:27:39,324
Until I'm satisfied
you've fully torn open your bowels,

306
00:27:39,491 --> 00:27:41,617
I will not bring down my sword.

307
00:27:41,785 --> 00:27:45,371
Is that understood?
Now then.

308
00:28:21,950 --> 00:28:23,910
It is your own sword.

309
00:28:24,286 --> 00:28:26,162
That is the blade you will use.

310
00:28:28,957 --> 00:28:31,584
A samurai's sword is his soul.

311
00:28:33,212 --> 00:28:36,672
No blade could be more fitting
for this purpose than your own.

312
00:29:07,913 --> 00:29:10,581
Come. What keeps you?

313
00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:14,502
Proceed.

314
00:30:44,426 --> 00:30:47,803
Strike! Strike me!

315
00:30:48,639 --> 00:30:51,015
No, not yet!

316
00:30:51,350 --> 00:30:52,767
Pull your blade across!

317
00:31:15,332 --> 00:31:16,791
Why do you delay?

318
00:31:16,959 --> 00:31:19,752
Draw your blade across!
Pull it to the right!

319
00:32:07,718 --> 00:32:10,886
I suppose he had no other recourse,

320
00:32:11,346 --> 00:32:13,681
but even so,
to bite off his tongue?

321
00:32:13,849 --> 00:32:17,727
Would you say he was being resourceful,
or just unseemly?

322
00:32:18,270 --> 00:32:20,354
Then again,

323
00:32:20,522 --> 00:32:25,192
who in his right mind attempts harakiri
with just a bamboo sword?

324
00:32:28,196 --> 00:32:29,864
Now then...

325
00:32:31,074 --> 00:32:33,409
what are your intentions?

326
00:32:36,580 --> 00:32:38,581
You mean...

327
00:32:40,167 --> 00:32:41,834
about this?

328
00:32:44,379 --> 00:32:47,131
The account I've given you

329
00:32:47,507 --> 00:32:51,594
of Motome Chijiiwa's fate
is true in every detail.

330
00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:57,308
Take my advice, Master Tsugumo.

331
00:32:58,310 --> 00:32:59,810
Quietly take your leave.

332
00:33:00,687 --> 00:33:04,940
You need have no such concerns with me.

333
00:33:06,234 --> 00:33:10,404
Unlike this Chijiiwa fellow...

334
00:33:11,823 --> 00:33:14,700
the sword in my belt
is not made of bamboo.

335
00:33:15,994 --> 00:33:21,582
Rest assured, I will not bite off my tongue.
I will disembowel myself in grand form.

336
00:33:26,505 --> 00:33:28,214
Very well.

337
00:33:28,674 --> 00:33:30,299
Master Tsugumo,

338
00:33:30,467 --> 00:33:34,720
since you are unswerving in your resolve,
I shall grant your wish.

339
00:33:35,055 --> 00:33:36,764
Attendant!

340
00:33:42,437 --> 00:33:45,439
This ronin from Hiroshima,
Master Hanshiro Tsugumo,

341
00:33:45,607 --> 00:33:48,859
is to be granted use of the courtyard
to perform harakiri.

342
00:33:51,780 --> 00:33:54,615
His present dress will not do.

343
00:33:54,783 --> 00:33:57,076
Give him fresh robes befitting
one who journeys to the next world.

344
00:33:57,244 --> 00:33:58,619
If I may.

345
00:33:58,787 --> 00:34:00,121
What is it?

346
00:34:01,289 --> 00:34:03,999
Please do not trouble yourselves
over such things.

347
00:34:05,252 --> 00:34:08,713
For the final moments
of a down-and-out ronin like myself...

348
00:34:10,215 --> 00:34:14,510
surely nothing is more fitting
than the clothes I now wear.

349
00:34:32,028 --> 00:34:37,575
I am deeply grateful for the courteous
and considerate treatment

350
00:34:38,243 --> 00:34:40,453
you have accorded me today.

351
00:34:41,204 --> 00:34:45,666
I can find no adequate words
to thank you.

352
00:34:46,042 --> 00:34:48,711
Now then, I shall begin.

353
00:34:53,175 --> 00:34:54,884
Might I ask, Counselor,

354
00:34:55,594 --> 00:34:59,013
who will be serving as my second?

355
00:35:01,183 --> 00:35:04,643
I have assigned Ichiro Shinmen.

356
00:35:06,688 --> 00:35:08,522
Master Shinmen?

357
00:35:13,779 --> 00:35:15,446
Did you wish for someone else?

358
00:35:16,031 --> 00:35:17,406
Yes, sir.

359
00:35:17,908 --> 00:35:22,161
I would like Master Hikokuro Omodaka.

360
00:35:22,329 --> 00:35:24,163
You request Hikokuro?

361
00:35:24,539 --> 00:35:27,166
I believe he's a retainer in this house.

362
00:35:27,334 --> 00:35:31,545
I've heard he's trained
in the Shindo-Munen-Ichi school.

363
00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:33,631
Indeed.

364
00:35:33,799 --> 00:35:36,425
Hikokuro is a fine choice.

365
00:35:37,093 --> 00:35:38,677
Hikokuro.

366
00:35:41,932 --> 00:35:45,059
I'm afraid he's not
in attendance today.

367
00:35:46,228 --> 00:35:50,815
He sent a note saying he's ill
and requesting a few day's rest.

368
00:35:50,982 --> 00:35:53,984
I see. That's too bad.

369
00:35:55,278 --> 00:35:56,862
Master Tsugumo.

370
00:35:57,489 --> 00:36:01,075
As you heard,
Omodaka is not present today.

371
00:36:03,245 --> 00:36:05,371
You will need to make another choice.

372
00:36:07,082 --> 00:36:09,542
That is most disappointing.

373
00:36:11,253 --> 00:36:15,005
I had my heart set on Master Omodaka
performing the service.

374
00:36:15,173 --> 00:36:18,592
I wonder if I might not beg
his special consideration.

375
00:36:20,929 --> 00:36:22,680
Well,

376
00:36:22,973 --> 00:36:25,975
he says he's ill,
but he seemed fine yesterday.

377
00:36:27,269 --> 00:36:29,436
Surely it can't be anything serious.

378
00:36:31,773 --> 00:36:33,274
Messenger!

379
00:36:42,617 --> 00:36:46,412
Make all due haste
to Omodaka's residence.

380
00:36:46,746 --> 00:36:50,958
Tell him to come immediately,
if his illness permits. Now hurry.

381
00:36:58,842 --> 00:37:00,926
I'm putting you
to a great deal of trouble.

382
00:37:01,469 --> 00:37:03,804
Please accept my apologies.

383
00:37:04,764 --> 00:37:06,640
Now then,

384
00:37:06,975 --> 00:37:09,393
do you wish to wait here

385
00:37:09,644 --> 00:37:11,896
or would you like
to come inside and relax?

386
00:37:12,063 --> 00:37:13,480
No.

387
00:37:13,648 --> 00:37:17,359
The comfort of your residence
might cause my resolve to waver.

388
00:37:18,987 --> 00:37:24,450
My journey into eternity mustn't grow
distasteful. I shall remain here.

389
00:37:26,202 --> 00:37:28,662
You display remarkable discipline.

390
00:37:29,539 --> 00:37:31,999
I can but express my admiration.

391
00:37:34,377 --> 00:37:36,462
If I may, Counselor,

392
00:37:37,422 --> 00:37:41,842
it could be quite tedious for us both
to sit here and wait in silence.

393
00:37:44,054 --> 00:37:45,804
To pass the time,

394
00:37:45,972 --> 00:37:49,141
perhaps you'll allow me to tell you
a little about myself.

395
00:37:52,354 --> 00:37:55,022
About yourself?

396
00:37:55,732 --> 00:37:57,441
Yes.

397
00:37:57,776 --> 00:38:02,154
The hardscrabble tales of a half-starved
ronin don't amount to much,

398
00:38:02,447 --> 00:38:04,865
but what befalls others today

399
00:38:05,533 --> 00:38:08,118
may be your own fate tomorrow.

400
00:38:10,372 --> 00:38:12,665
Perhaps your retainers

401
00:38:12,832 --> 00:38:17,086
will find some small point or two
worth remembering

402
00:38:17,253 --> 00:38:19,254
among my otherwise
useless ramblings.

403
00:38:21,174 --> 00:38:23,968
"What befalls others today
may be your own fate tomorrow"?

404
00:38:30,767 --> 00:38:33,936
This could be amusing.

405
00:38:38,233 --> 00:38:40,943
I want everyone here
to listen carefully to this man.

406
00:38:41,236 --> 00:38:44,571
The words of one
staring death in the face...

407
00:38:46,199 --> 00:38:49,159
are unlikely to be useless ramblings.

408
00:38:50,912 --> 00:38:54,415
I'm sure we'll all learn something.

409
00:38:56,376 --> 00:38:57,876
Counselor.

410
00:39:03,550 --> 00:39:06,552
That tale you related earlier -

411
00:39:08,346 --> 00:39:11,932
may I be assured
it was true in every detail?

412
00:39:16,813 --> 00:39:17,980
Indeed.

413
00:39:19,816 --> 00:39:23,527
The ronin from Hiroshima
named Motome Chijiiwa

414
00:39:24,279 --> 00:39:27,614
was a man of some acquaintance to me.

415
00:39:47,010 --> 00:39:49,386
Motome Chijiiwa...

416
00:39:51,723 --> 00:39:56,393
was a man of some acquaintance to me.

417
00:40:33,848 --> 00:40:37,351
Motome was a lad of 15,

418
00:40:38,686 --> 00:40:42,356
and my daughter Miho
was an angelic child of 11.

419
00:40:43,566 --> 00:40:45,818
That was 11 years ago.

420
00:40:47,654 --> 00:40:50,197
But when I close my eyes,

421
00:40:50,698 --> 00:40:56,870
their images come back to me vividly,
as if it were only yesterday.

422
00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:19,059
- My turn again.
- Never mind.

423
00:41:19,686 --> 00:41:22,646
All we do all day is count stones
to repair the castle walls.

424
00:41:22,814 --> 00:41:25,149
We won't be needing bows and arrows
for a good long while.

425
00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,735
"The world is at peace.
The four seas are calm."

426
00:41:31,656 --> 00:41:35,409
Incidentally, this coming 22nd

427
00:41:35,618 --> 00:41:37,995
is the seventh anniversary
of Nui's passing.

428
00:41:38,997 --> 00:41:42,499
I knew it was coming up,
but is it seven years already?

429
00:41:42,917 --> 00:41:47,588
Yes, and I'm planning
a modest ceremony at my residence.

430
00:41:47,755 --> 00:41:49,506
Don't bring any offerings.

431
00:41:49,674 --> 00:41:51,175
Very well.

432
00:41:51,342 --> 00:41:53,969
I can hardly believe it.

433
00:41:54,137 --> 00:41:56,180
Seven years already.

434
00:41:58,141 --> 00:42:00,642
What never ceases to amaze me

435
00:42:01,769 --> 00:42:03,770
is how a rough warrior like you

436
00:42:03,938 --> 00:42:07,566
has managed to raise Miho all these years
without taking a second wife.

437
00:42:07,734 --> 00:42:09,151
Come, Jinnai.

438
00:42:09,944 --> 00:42:12,362
Look who's talking.

439
00:42:12,530 --> 00:42:17,117
When your Yuki died,
I wondered how you would ever manage.

440
00:42:17,493 --> 00:42:18,952
But look at you.

441
00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:23,123
You're a perfect example
of the kite begetting a hawk.

442
00:42:23,416 --> 00:42:24,708
Kite begetting a hawk?

443
00:42:25,001 --> 00:42:27,127
You were the widower kite,

444
00:42:27,295 --> 00:42:31,882
doting so on your child
in every aspect of his upbringing,

445
00:42:32,050 --> 00:42:33,425
then lo and behold,

446
00:42:33,593 --> 00:42:38,472
the child grew not into a kite
but a magnificent young hawk.

447
00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:40,140
Nonsense.

448
00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:44,311
He certainly keeps growing,
but he's got a long way to go

449
00:42:44,646 --> 00:42:48,899
before you can compare him
to a young hawk soaring freely overhead.

450
00:42:50,401 --> 00:42:51,944
You know,

451
00:42:52,111 --> 00:42:55,864
I never figured either of us would be good
for anything but battlefield laurels,

452
00:42:56,449 --> 00:42:59,034
but we haven't done too bad
at raising children.

453
00:43:06,626 --> 00:43:11,213
Had life gone on like that,
all would have been well.

454
00:43:13,675 --> 00:43:16,009
But it was not to be.

455
00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:21,515
When all is said and done,

456
00:43:22,225 --> 00:43:25,060
our lives are like houses
built on foundations of sand.

457
00:43:26,312 --> 00:43:28,730
One strong wind and all is gone.

458
00:43:31,734 --> 00:43:36,488
How my master's house
with its 498,000-koku domain

459
00:43:36,656 --> 00:43:38,615
was brought to ruin...

460
00:43:39,951 --> 00:43:44,246
I'm sure you already know
even better than I do myself.

461
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:50,127
Owing to an unreasonable and one-sided
judgment by the Tokugawa shogunate

462
00:43:50,295 --> 00:43:54,881
regarding the repairs
being performed on Hiroshima Castle,

463
00:43:55,717 --> 00:43:58,176
in June of 1619,

464
00:43:58,636 --> 00:44:02,389
my master, Masanori Fukushima,
was ordered into exile at Kawanakajima,

465
00:44:02,724 --> 00:44:07,060
leaving his 12,000 retainers
without any means of livelihood...

466
00:44:08,146 --> 00:44:10,939
through no fault of their own.

467
00:44:42,889 --> 00:44:44,431
Jinnai!

468
00:44:49,771 --> 00:44:51,813
TO HANSHIRO TSUGUMO

469
00:44:56,277 --> 00:45:01,073
In view of our long-standing friendship,
I ask your indulgence in the following:

470
00:45:02,116 --> 00:45:04,451
The castle repairs commissioner,

471
00:45:04,619 --> 00:45:06,953
the Honorable Masakatsu Fukushima,

472
00:45:07,288 --> 00:45:10,248
will be electing death at any moment.

473
00:45:11,667 --> 00:45:15,962
Therefore, I will precede him
on his journey.

474
00:45:16,255 --> 00:45:19,424
My company alone will suffice.

475
00:45:20,635 --> 00:45:22,803
I beg you not to follow.

476
00:45:25,223 --> 00:45:27,641
Regarding my only child, Motome,

477
00:45:28,434 --> 00:45:32,104
he has grown tall,
but he is still only 15.

478
00:45:33,648 --> 00:45:36,983
Please look after him
as he finds his way in life.

479
00:45:49,831 --> 00:45:52,165
Why did he have to be so hasty?

480
00:45:52,500 --> 00:45:54,668
Committing harakiri
even before I have done so.

481
00:45:55,586 --> 00:45:58,588
Hanshiro, I forbid you to follow.

482
00:45:59,382 --> 00:46:02,384
If the house could still be saved, I might
wish you to accompany me in death.

483
00:46:03,136 --> 00:46:06,346
But with the house abolished,
it would be pointless.

484
00:46:08,141 --> 00:46:10,225
Jinnai's company will suffice.
- But, sire!

485
00:46:10,393 --> 00:46:12,269
Don't be foolish, Hanshiro.

486
00:46:13,479 --> 00:46:18,358
Jinnai died because he knew
you would if he didn't.

487
00:46:18,985 --> 00:46:21,570
He died to accompany me
on your behalf as well.

488
00:46:22,530 --> 00:46:24,656
Which means, Hanshiro,

489
00:46:25,199 --> 00:46:27,242
that you must now live on.

490
00:46:28,035 --> 00:46:30,036
Both for you and for him.

491
00:46:34,876 --> 00:46:39,880
And also for his son, Motome.
Who will look after him if not you?

492
00:46:45,136 --> 00:46:49,431
I go now to meet Jinnai.

493
00:46:50,183 --> 00:46:55,520
Hanshiro, is there anything
you'd like me to tell him?

494
00:46:58,566 --> 00:47:01,067
Do you have nothing for me to say?

495
00:47:01,777 --> 00:47:03,778
Tell Jinnai...

496
00:47:04,071 --> 00:47:06,239
Tell Jinnai this.

497
00:47:09,911 --> 00:47:11,578
Have no fears about Motome.

498
00:47:11,913 --> 00:47:15,123
I will watch over his every step
on the path to manhood.

499
00:47:16,417 --> 00:47:21,796
I will not fail him.
I swear this on my life.

500
00:47:23,508 --> 00:47:26,927
Go on, Master Tsugumo.

501
00:47:40,525 --> 00:47:42,317
What did you find out?

502
00:47:43,110 --> 00:47:46,112
It seems his illness
is indeed most serious.

503
00:47:46,447 --> 00:47:48,532
What's the nature of the ailment?

504
00:47:48,699 --> 00:47:51,284
According to his family,
a high fever

505
00:47:51,452 --> 00:47:54,579
and excruciating pain
in all his joints.

506
00:47:55,456 --> 00:47:56,623
Go on.

507
00:47:56,791 --> 00:48:00,126
I asked if I might visit him
at his bedside,

508
00:48:00,294 --> 00:48:03,255
but he sent word back
that his pain was so great

509
00:48:03,422 --> 00:48:06,299
that he did not wish to be seen
in his present state.

510
00:48:07,051 --> 00:48:10,679
All I could do was convey
the message you sent and return.

511
00:48:10,846 --> 00:48:13,473
It seems
there's nothing we can do.

512
00:48:14,058 --> 00:48:18,603
Perhaps he was overcome by
the relentless heat of recent days.

513
00:48:22,441 --> 00:48:24,025
Master Tsugumo,

514
00:48:25,111 --> 00:48:27,237
you heard what he said.

515
00:48:27,405 --> 00:48:31,241
I must ask you to select
someone else as your second.

516
00:48:34,996 --> 00:48:38,373
I am sorely disappointed,
but it appears I have no choice.

517
00:48:40,501 --> 00:48:42,419
In that case...

518
00:48:44,547 --> 00:48:48,008
I would ask for Master Hayato Yazaki.

519
00:48:50,261 --> 00:48:51,845
Hayato?

520
00:48:56,100 --> 00:48:59,603
Inaba, I believe he too
has been absent these four or five days?

521
00:48:59,770 --> 00:49:01,187
That is correct.

522
00:49:01,355 --> 00:49:05,400
He requested leave
because he wasn't feeling well.

523
00:49:07,028 --> 00:49:08,778
Master Tsugumo,

524
00:49:10,031 --> 00:49:13,825
I'm afraid Hayato Yazaki
is also absent due to illness.

525
00:49:16,621 --> 00:49:19,122
Master Yazaki is also ill?

526
00:49:20,207 --> 00:49:22,208
I'm sorry to hear that.

527
00:49:26,797 --> 00:49:28,715
Again it seems I have no choice.

528
00:49:29,884 --> 00:49:33,678
I request Master Umenosuke Kawabe.

529
00:49:38,476 --> 00:49:40,018
Counselor,

530
00:49:41,103 --> 00:49:44,314
surely it's not possible

531
00:49:45,274 --> 00:49:48,109
that Master Kawabe
is also under the weather?

532
00:50:01,999 --> 00:50:03,708
Well, well.

533
00:50:04,543 --> 00:50:06,961
It seems he is indeed indisposed.

534
00:50:09,090 --> 00:50:14,886
All three unavailable
on this particular day -

535
00:50:15,930 --> 00:50:18,723
what a very odd coincidence.

536
00:50:21,936 --> 00:50:23,687
Most curious.

537
00:50:31,904 --> 00:50:33,947
- He's up to something.
- Clearly so.

538
00:50:34,990 --> 00:50:38,034
Hikokuro was the one
who first insisted

539
00:50:38,536 --> 00:50:42,914
that Motome Chijiiwa
be forced to go through with harakiri.

540
00:50:43,916 --> 00:50:45,750
Yazaki was the one

541
00:50:46,752 --> 00:50:49,963
who discovered his blades were bamboo
and insisted he be forced to use them,

542
00:50:51,173 --> 00:50:53,383
and Kawabe was quick to agree.

543
00:50:53,551 --> 00:50:56,636
That's why I urged that he at least
be spared the bamboo blade.

544
00:50:56,804 --> 00:50:59,639
- Of what good is that now?
- Indeed, sire.

545
00:51:02,810 --> 00:51:05,395
But how shall we deal with him?

546
00:51:05,563 --> 00:51:07,856
I doubt he intends
to meekly disembowel himself.

547
00:51:08,983 --> 00:51:11,985
He obviously has something
up his sleeve.

548
00:51:14,655 --> 00:51:15,822
Whatever it is...

549
00:51:17,533 --> 00:51:20,368
he won't get away with it.

550
00:51:21,328 --> 00:51:24,914
We'll force his hand
and make him commit harakiri.

551
00:51:26,333 --> 00:51:28,835
In fact, if he refuses,

552
00:51:29,503 --> 00:51:32,589
we'll descend upon him in force
and cut him down.

553
00:51:38,220 --> 00:51:42,015
What happens within the walls
of this compound...

554
00:51:43,267 --> 00:51:46,519
is as secret as what happens
behind the walls of our castle back home.

555
00:51:50,691 --> 00:51:53,443
One signal from me
and everyone will know what to do.

556
00:51:57,198 --> 00:52:00,909
But I'm bothered
about Hikokuro and the other two.

557
00:52:03,412 --> 00:52:05,789
I need to send someone
to find out more...

558
00:52:07,041 --> 00:52:08,583
and under the circumstances,

559
00:52:08,751 --> 00:52:12,754
I'd like you to personally hurry
and find out the real story.

560
00:52:25,851 --> 00:52:27,268
Master Tsugumo...

561
00:52:31,690 --> 00:52:35,902
summer days are long,
but the hour advances.

562
00:52:40,658 --> 00:52:43,451
I must ask you to proceed
without further delay.

563
00:52:43,619 --> 00:52:45,161
But, Counselor,

564
00:52:45,871 --> 00:52:48,373
the ritual cannot take place
without a second.

565
00:52:48,541 --> 00:52:50,416
I understand your concern,

566
00:52:50,584 --> 00:52:53,503
but I've discussed the matter
with my senior colleagues.

567
00:52:54,547 --> 00:52:58,049
With all three men of your choice ailing,
we cannot accommodate your wishes.

568
00:52:59,301 --> 00:53:01,761
You will have to accept our selection.

569
00:53:03,097 --> 00:53:04,848
Ichiro Shinmen!

570
00:53:05,933 --> 00:53:09,352
I command you to serve
as second for Master Tsugumo.

571
00:53:10,729 --> 00:53:13,398
Perform your duty with care.

572
00:53:14,108 --> 00:53:15,775
I must protest!

573
00:53:17,695 --> 00:53:19,279
To act as my second,

574
00:53:19,446 --> 00:53:23,032
I have named
three specially selected men.

575
00:53:24,201 --> 00:53:27,954
I must have one of these three.

576
00:53:29,582 --> 00:53:31,749
Are you deaf?

577
00:53:35,963 --> 00:53:39,465
All three you name are ill
and are not present today.

578
00:53:40,676 --> 00:53:44,971
I explained this very clearly.
Did you not hear?

579
00:53:46,891 --> 00:53:51,728
Then in that case,
I have no choice.

580
00:53:53,063 --> 00:53:56,065
I must call off my harakiri for now.

581
00:53:57,484 --> 00:54:00,236
Enough, Hanshiro Tsugumo!

582
00:54:00,988 --> 00:54:03,448
Your extortion scheme
has gone too far.

583
00:54:05,117 --> 00:54:09,579
It's bad enough to march in here
demanding a place to perform harakiri,

584
00:54:09,955 --> 00:54:13,041
but then you quibble endlessly
over naming your second.

585
00:54:13,500 --> 00:54:16,544
You never intended to commit harakiri.

586
00:54:16,962 --> 00:54:18,671
All you really want is money!

587
00:54:18,839 --> 00:54:20,548
Counselor!

588
00:54:21,258 --> 00:54:23,343
If I were the extortionist you say,

589
00:54:23,844 --> 00:54:27,180
would I be calmly sitting here
on this platform?

590
00:54:27,348 --> 00:54:30,683
- Then why do you not quietly proceed?
- I am fully prepared to die.

591
00:54:32,353 --> 00:54:35,104
But cutting my belly open
does not in itself

592
00:54:35,272 --> 00:54:38,191
ensure smooth passage
to the netherworld.

593
00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:41,819
I need someone to expeditiously
strike off my head -

594
00:54:42,029 --> 00:54:45,198
a swordsman of reliable skill.

595
00:54:46,617 --> 00:54:49,744
I do not perform harakiri
to atone for a crime or offense.

596
00:54:50,704 --> 00:54:53,039
The least I can expect
is to choose my own second.

597
00:55:17,856 --> 00:55:20,400
Further debate on the matter

598
00:55:22,987 --> 00:55:25,571
is clearly a waste of time.

599
00:55:45,092 --> 00:55:48,136
You are a fraud,
a disgrace to our class.

600
00:55:49,096 --> 00:55:51,681
You never intended
to commit harakiri.

601
00:56:20,669 --> 00:56:22,045
Insolent dog!

602
00:56:28,552 --> 00:56:30,178
Stop!

603
00:56:30,679 --> 00:56:33,514
Wait!

604
00:56:33,807 --> 00:56:34,807
Wait, I say!

605
00:57:01,043 --> 00:57:04,128
I beg of all those present

606
00:57:05,005 --> 00:57:08,716
a moment - a brief moment.

607
00:57:09,551 --> 00:57:13,012
You can't possibly have more to say.

608
00:57:13,180 --> 00:57:16,724
But I do.
I do have more to say.

609
00:57:17,893 --> 00:57:21,020
I haven't finished my story.

610
00:57:21,396 --> 00:57:26,025
I have no ears
for your endless ramblings.

611
00:57:26,193 --> 00:57:27,860
Counselor!

612
00:57:30,155 --> 00:57:32,198
If you force me to,

613
00:57:32,783 --> 00:57:36,619
I will fight desperately to the death,
no matter the odds against me.

614
00:57:38,372 --> 00:57:42,792
Some of your men
will be wounded undeservedly.

615
00:57:43,710 --> 00:57:46,045
Some may even lose their lives.

616
00:57:48,298 --> 00:57:50,091
Would it not be better

617
00:57:50,551 --> 00:57:53,594
to simply hear me out?

618
00:57:56,598 --> 00:57:58,474
Once I have finished my story,

619
00:57:58,642 --> 00:58:00,935
I will disembowel myself
with no further ado.

620
00:58:01,395 --> 00:58:04,063
Or if you feel harakiri
is too good for me,

621
00:58:04,231 --> 00:58:07,483
you may turn your men on me
to do what they will.

622
00:58:09,820 --> 00:58:11,404
In any event,

623
00:58:12,281 --> 00:58:16,909
I would first like you to hear
what I have to say.

624
00:58:25,085 --> 00:58:27,420
As to these conditions you state,

625
00:58:27,588 --> 00:58:29,463
do I have your word?

626
00:58:30,424 --> 00:58:32,508
You have my word.

627
00:58:33,760 --> 00:58:35,595
And as a samurai,
you will hold true to it?

628
00:58:52,279 --> 00:58:53,946
Very well,

629
00:58:54,114 --> 00:58:55,907
but make it short.

630
00:58:56,325 --> 00:59:00,286
I will not listen
to your useless mutterings for long.

631
00:59:02,664 --> 00:59:04,665
Men, fall back.

632
00:59:21,016 --> 00:59:23,809
Now, where was I?

633
00:59:28,106 --> 00:59:29,941
Oh, yes.

634
00:59:30,692 --> 00:59:32,985
My master's house fell

635
00:59:33,654 --> 00:59:36,280
and Jinnai Chijiiwa died,

636
00:59:37,491 --> 00:59:39,700
but before doing so,

637
00:59:39,868 --> 00:59:44,497
he asked me to look after Motome.

638
00:59:48,919 --> 00:59:51,837
When my master's house fell...

639
00:59:53,090 --> 00:59:56,342
we immediately left the domain
and moved to Edo.

640
00:59:58,345 --> 01:00:01,305
The streets of Edo
were crowded with ronin,

641
01:00:01,473 --> 01:00:03,683
flotsam from the Battle of Sekigahara.

642
01:00:04,851 --> 01:00:06,686
In former times,

643
01:00:06,853 --> 01:00:11,941
other clans would have gladly taken in
any ronin who'd earned a name for himself.

644
01:00:13,277 --> 01:00:15,653
But in an era no longer in need
of warriors or horses,

645
01:00:15,821 --> 01:00:19,657
so peaceful that no wind
even rustled the leaves on the trees,

646
01:00:20,867 --> 01:00:24,495
it was a constant struggle
simply to find a meal.

647
01:00:24,663 --> 01:00:28,416
Indeed, it shames me to recall

648
01:00:28,583 --> 01:00:31,627
our miserable lives
of these last eight or nine years.

649
01:00:36,341 --> 01:00:40,011
But amidst all our hardships...

650
01:00:41,263 --> 01:00:44,724
my daughter Miho
was rapidly becoming a woman,

651
01:00:45,809 --> 01:00:49,437
and soon it was
the spring of her 18th year.

652
01:01:17,007 --> 01:01:18,299
Father.

653
01:01:19,551 --> 01:01:24,430
I've set your lunch out
in case I'm not back in time.

654
01:01:24,765 --> 01:01:29,769
The greatest delicacies
taste of nothing when eaten alone.

655
01:01:30,270 --> 01:01:32,897
If you're not back, I'll wait.

656
01:01:33,607 --> 01:01:38,152
I'll collect for these and then stop
by Yoshizakicho for dried fish.

657
01:01:40,155 --> 01:01:41,906
Hello.

658
01:01:42,074 --> 01:01:43,282
Welcome, sir.

659
01:01:43,450 --> 01:01:45,785
Busy as usual?
Looks like you're on your way out.

660
01:01:45,952 --> 01:01:48,245
Yes, to the wholesaler
in Kyobashi.

661
01:01:48,413 --> 01:01:52,041
The Mikawaya, I suppose.
Take care.

662
01:02:00,801 --> 01:02:02,927
Experience is the best teacher.

663
01:02:03,095 --> 01:02:05,971
You've become very deft at that.

664
01:02:06,139 --> 01:02:07,640
Forgive me.

665
01:02:08,475 --> 01:02:12,019
I hate asking you
for advances all the time,

666
01:02:12,479 --> 01:02:14,522
but my earnings
simply refuse to catch up.

667
01:02:14,689 --> 01:02:17,691
You disarm me
by beating me to the punch.

668
01:02:19,319 --> 01:02:22,988
I came intending
to lodge a complaint or two,

669
01:02:23,156 --> 01:02:27,326
but when you make the first move,

670
01:02:28,495 --> 01:02:30,830
what can I say?

671
01:02:31,498 --> 01:02:33,040
By the way,

672
01:02:33,208 --> 01:02:37,503
what are your thoughts
on that matter I raised the other day?

673
01:02:41,508 --> 01:02:45,052
Have you come to a decision?

674
01:02:46,221 --> 01:02:49,807
Yes, I have.

675
01:02:50,058 --> 01:02:52,476
Glad to hear it.

676
01:02:53,019 --> 01:02:56,647
It takes a load off my mind.

677
01:02:57,107 --> 01:02:58,441
No.

678
01:02:58,942 --> 01:03:02,695
I appreciate your proposal
regarding Miho,

679
01:03:04,030 --> 01:03:06,657
but I've decided to decline.

680
01:03:13,373 --> 01:03:17,293
In the end, her adoption
by the Joshuya family

681
01:03:17,544 --> 01:03:20,546
would be a mere pretext
lasting perhaps six months.

682
01:03:20,797 --> 01:03:23,048
Once established
as a member of their family,

683
01:03:23,216 --> 01:03:26,385
she'd be sent to Lord Sakakibara
as his concubine.

684
01:03:28,305 --> 01:03:29,847
Master Tsugumo,

685
01:03:30,015 --> 01:03:33,142
the Sakakibara are a family
with a domain of 110,000 koku.

686
01:03:33,310 --> 01:03:35,895
It may sound odd to seek benefit
from your daughter's connections,

687
01:03:36,062 --> 01:03:39,565
but you need do nothing,
and doors will open to you.

688
01:03:39,733 --> 01:03:41,650
I understand that.

689
01:03:42,569 --> 01:03:44,195
But, Master Seibei,

690
01:03:44,946 --> 01:03:47,239
no matter how far I've fallen,

691
01:03:47,407 --> 01:03:50,618
I cannot make my daughter a concubine
to profit from her connections.

692
01:03:50,827 --> 01:03:53,245
It's fine to uphold your pride.

693
01:03:53,413 --> 01:03:57,333
But as a parent, you must consider
your daughter's feelings too.

694
01:03:57,834 --> 01:03:59,293
What?

695
01:03:59,753 --> 01:04:03,047
She's young and beautiful,

696
01:04:03,298 --> 01:04:05,841
yet she doesn't have
a single fancy kimono to wear.

697
01:04:06,426 --> 01:04:11,680
She can only look forward to endless days
of slaving at her father's side.

698
01:04:12,766 --> 01:04:14,517
Master Tsugumo,

699
01:04:14,684 --> 01:04:17,394
you can't fight the world you live in

700
01:04:17,687 --> 01:04:20,272
nor go against
the tide of the times.

701
01:04:21,441 --> 01:04:24,568
It's a good proposal for Miss Miho,
and for you,

702
01:04:24,736 --> 01:04:26,570
no matter how you look at it.

703
01:04:27,489 --> 01:04:29,782
In fact, to be honest,

704
01:04:29,950 --> 01:04:33,827
is it not precisely because Miss Miho
was blessed with such beauty

705
01:04:33,995 --> 01:04:36,830
that an avenue like this
remains open to you?

706
01:04:39,960 --> 01:04:41,835
Confucius said:

707
01:04:44,714 --> 01:04:49,134
"He who knows not the will of heaven
is not a superior man."

708
01:04:55,850 --> 01:04:59,228
"He who knows not proper decorum
must not rise to his feet."

709
01:05:05,235 --> 01:05:10,239
"He who knows not the heart of words
cannot know the heart of man."

710
01:05:16,663 --> 01:05:18,038
That will be all for today.

711
01:05:18,206 --> 01:05:21,208
Thank you, sir. Good-bye.

712
01:05:21,459 --> 01:05:24,295
Hey, Katsuzo,
let's go sparrow hunting today.

713
01:05:38,059 --> 01:05:40,060
Hello, Uncle Hanshiro.

714
01:05:49,529 --> 01:05:51,030
It's good to see you.

715
01:05:59,372 --> 01:06:00,873
Have some tea.

716
01:06:02,751 --> 01:06:04,752
Much obliged.

717
01:06:05,670 --> 01:06:10,049
I know this house well enough
to at least boil water.

718
01:06:14,387 --> 01:06:16,680
As it happens, Motome,

719
01:06:17,724 --> 01:06:20,559
I came today to discuss
a matter of some weight.

720
01:06:22,187 --> 01:06:26,106
You sound so formal.
What could it be?

721
01:06:28,985 --> 01:06:31,945
How quickly the days
and months fly by.

722
01:06:32,739 --> 01:06:35,240
Miho is now 18.

723
01:06:35,950 --> 01:06:40,037
She looks more
like her mother every day.

724
01:06:41,039 --> 01:06:46,251
In fact, it's hard to see
how she could possibly be of my blood.

725
01:06:47,545 --> 01:06:51,882
If she'd taken after me,
she'd never have grown so beautiful.

726
01:06:52,175 --> 01:06:55,219
What are you trying to say, sir?

727
01:06:57,430 --> 01:06:59,932
Well, Motome...

728
01:07:04,646 --> 01:07:08,315
I'd like you to take Miho as your wife.

729
01:07:16,783 --> 01:07:19,368
I realize this is all very sudden,

730
01:07:20,787 --> 01:07:22,496
but what do you think?

731
01:07:23,581 --> 01:07:25,290
Will you do it, Motome?

732
01:07:25,625 --> 01:07:27,167
You know as well as I

733
01:07:27,335 --> 01:07:30,504
the state of my livelihood at present.

734
01:07:31,965 --> 01:07:35,884
I offer classes in the Chinese classics
to a handful of children

735
01:07:36,469 --> 01:07:39,596
and live from hand to mouth.

736
01:07:42,475 --> 01:07:45,769
How could I possibly take a wife?

737
01:07:45,937 --> 01:07:49,231
Do you dislike Miho?

738
01:07:51,735 --> 01:07:54,153
All I'm asking
is how you feel about her.

739
01:08:01,745 --> 01:08:06,623
It's not only because
of the promise I made to your father

740
01:08:06,791 --> 01:08:09,418
that I hope you'll marry Miho.

741
01:08:11,379 --> 01:08:13,797
Boorish and dull as I am,

742
01:08:14,340 --> 01:08:17,426
I'm not entirely insensitive
to your feelings for each other.

743
01:08:19,929 --> 01:08:22,473
It was more difficult than I expected

744
01:08:23,183 --> 01:08:25,976
to persuade Motome.

745
01:08:26,853 --> 01:08:28,479
I didn't realize

746
01:08:28,855 --> 01:08:32,441
he had such a stubborn
and willful streak.

747
01:08:34,319 --> 01:08:37,154
But I knew he loved Miho,

748
01:08:37,697 --> 01:08:41,867
and I knew Miho
would have no objections to the match.

749
01:08:43,369 --> 01:08:49,500
The crane that lives a thousand years

750
01:08:49,959 --> 01:08:56,548
A symbol of myriad joys

751
01:08:56,925 --> 01:09:04,223
The tortoise that lives 10,000 years

752
01:09:04,641 --> 01:09:11,355
Bears on its back the three worlds
of heaven, earth and man

753
01:09:12,732 --> 01:09:17,402
The sands upon the beach

754
01:09:17,695 --> 01:09:21,782
Numberless and smooth

755
01:09:21,950 --> 01:09:27,788
May they ever reflect the morning sun

756
01:09:28,998 --> 01:09:31,250
After two years

757
01:09:31,876 --> 01:09:34,169
a child was born.

758
01:09:35,547 --> 01:09:39,258
It was a boy,
and they named him Kingo.

759
01:09:40,635 --> 01:09:41,969
Of course,

760
01:09:42,887 --> 01:09:45,264
I was the one who chose the name.

761
01:10:01,281 --> 01:10:02,990
Hello, Father.

762
01:10:08,788 --> 01:10:11,415
What's this? Asleep again?

763
01:10:23,094 --> 01:10:26,722
Father, you're too generous.

764
01:10:27,515 --> 01:10:29,308
Nonsense.

765
01:10:29,475 --> 01:10:32,311
Even after I married you off,
you still cook for me.

766
01:10:32,604 --> 01:10:35,898
And besides,
I now have only myself to support.

767
01:10:36,065 --> 01:10:38,984
I save more money
than I know what to do with,

768
01:10:39,152 --> 01:10:41,695
and I can't take it with me.

769
01:10:46,326 --> 01:10:48,118
Well, well.

770
01:10:48,286 --> 01:10:50,454
Did you wake up?

771
01:10:52,498 --> 01:10:54,541
Now, none of that, you little rascal.

772
01:10:54,709 --> 01:10:58,295
A warrior's son
should not be flashing dimples.

773
01:10:58,463 --> 01:11:00,172
What did I tell you now?

774
01:11:09,307 --> 01:11:12,684
Really? Even the Matsudaira Clan
of Dewa province?

775
01:11:12,852 --> 01:11:13,769
That's right.

776
01:11:13,937 --> 01:11:17,064
I can understand abolishing
the domains of newer vassals,

777
01:11:17,231 --> 01:11:21,526
but to treat vassals who've supported
the Tokugawa for generations so harshly?

778
01:11:22,528 --> 01:11:28,200
The shogunate's policy toward
the warlords is completely beyond me.

779
01:11:28,910 --> 01:11:32,371
We'll see another jump
in the number of ronin.

780
01:11:38,878 --> 01:11:40,462
Did you hear?

781
01:11:40,755 --> 01:11:44,424
One of them tried to commit harakiri
at the Sengoku Clan's gate.

782
01:11:44,717 --> 01:11:48,929
A ronin named Shume Ooi,
formerly of the Kurume Clan.

783
01:11:50,056 --> 01:11:53,141
I heard the Sengoku
were so impressed

784
01:11:53,309 --> 01:11:54,935
that they offered him employment.

785
01:11:55,103 --> 01:11:57,938
That much was fine.
It's what happened next.

786
01:11:58,272 --> 01:11:59,982
Yes, I heard.

787
01:12:00,400 --> 01:12:03,402
Other ronin who got wind of the story

788
01:12:03,569 --> 01:12:08,281
began presenting themselves at the gates
of daimyo houses all over Edo,

789
01:12:08,741 --> 01:12:11,159
insisting on committing harakiri
and refusing to budge.

790
01:12:11,327 --> 01:12:14,496
In order to get rid of them,

791
01:12:14,914 --> 01:12:17,916
the houses offered them money
to leave.

792
01:12:19,085 --> 01:12:21,920
It's a shameful turn of events.

793
01:12:22,088 --> 01:12:24,172
It certainly is.

794
01:12:24,340 --> 01:12:27,092
No matter how hard-pressed
they may be,

795
01:12:27,760 --> 01:12:29,636
it's a despicable thing to do.

796
01:12:30,930 --> 01:12:35,976
In these difficult times,
it's no help growing desperate.

797
01:12:37,979 --> 01:12:40,897
Becoming too impatient
in seeking employment

798
01:12:41,399 --> 01:12:44,234
is a danger we must all
take care to avoid.

799
01:12:45,028 --> 01:12:48,447
You are absolutely right.

800
01:12:49,699 --> 01:12:51,783
If you stop worrying so much
about finding employment,

801
01:12:52,326 --> 01:12:56,079
you can sit here like this
without answering to a superior,

802
01:12:56,247 --> 01:12:58,623
at no one's beck and call.

803
01:13:03,004 --> 01:13:05,464
What's the matter there, little one?

804
01:13:05,631 --> 01:13:08,800
It's time for his milk.
I'll nurse him.

805
01:13:08,968 --> 01:13:11,678
You mustn't give him
your breast every time he cries.

806
01:13:11,846 --> 01:13:13,805
He'll develop bad habits.

807
01:13:13,973 --> 01:13:15,432
Lookee here, Kingo.

808
01:13:15,600 --> 01:13:18,810
Ready?
See my funny face?

809
01:13:22,482 --> 01:13:24,024
All right?

810
01:13:24,484 --> 01:13:27,694
Upsy-daisy. Here goes, Kingo.

811
01:13:28,738 --> 01:13:33,492
In Kanda

812
01:13:34,077 --> 01:13:38,997
At the Myojin Shrine

813
01:13:42,210 --> 01:13:46,171
There's a festival

814
01:13:46,631 --> 01:13:50,300
Tonight

815
01:13:52,178 --> 01:13:54,721
Kingo was the center of our existence,

816
01:13:55,056 --> 01:13:58,517
and the three of us lived happily

817
01:13:58,684 --> 01:14:01,144
with the constant sound
of warm laughter

818
01:14:01,312 --> 01:14:04,773
raising peaceful ripples around us.

819
01:14:05,983 --> 01:14:09,569
It truly was
a time of greater happiness

820
01:14:09,737 --> 01:14:13,031
than I'd ever known in the domain.

821
01:14:18,788 --> 01:14:20,372
However,

822
01:14:20,998 --> 01:14:25,377
good things never last for long.

823
01:14:54,448 --> 01:14:58,285
One day, Miho suddenly coughed up
profuse quantities of blood.

824
01:14:59,787 --> 01:15:02,622
She had always been
of weak constitution,

825
01:15:02,790 --> 01:15:05,667
and with the endless burden
of our piecework labor...

826
01:15:08,004 --> 01:15:12,966
she'd driven her frail body
too hard for too long.

827
01:15:46,918 --> 01:15:49,002
Motome panicked.

828
01:15:52,924 --> 01:15:54,716
The poor fellow.

829
01:15:55,718 --> 01:15:59,262
Date Clan construction site.

830
01:15:59,722 --> 01:16:05,477
Fifty laborers at 40 mon.

831
01:16:09,106 --> 01:16:11,441
Just a minute, samurai, sir!

832
01:16:11,692 --> 01:16:13,610
Are you trying to get me in trouble?

833
01:16:13,778 --> 01:16:15,904
There isn't enough work
even for the townsmen.

834
01:16:16,280 --> 01:16:18,281
If the authorities spotted
a two-sworded laborer,

835
01:16:18,449 --> 01:16:21,409
I'd be in for a real dressing-down.

836
01:16:22,536 --> 01:16:24,788
Hosokawa Clan construction site.

837
01:16:25,081 --> 01:16:29,125
Twenty laborers, 45 mon.

838
01:16:32,588 --> 01:16:35,674
PAWN SHOP

839
01:16:46,560 --> 01:16:49,312
Poor Motome.

840
01:16:50,147 --> 01:16:53,149
He tried everything, but to no avail.

841
01:16:54,277 --> 01:16:57,320
Miho was gradually wasting away,

842
01:16:58,239 --> 01:17:01,533
and the worst was yet to come.

843
01:17:02,827 --> 01:17:04,953
It's seared forever in my memory.

844
01:17:05,121 --> 01:17:08,290
We'd just barely made it
through the end of the year,

845
01:17:08,457 --> 01:17:10,959
and the plum blossoms
had begun to bloom

846
01:17:11,127 --> 01:17:13,920
shortly after the beginning
of the new year.

847
01:17:36,694 --> 01:17:37,861
What's wrong?

848
01:17:50,791 --> 01:17:57,505
Is it Miho?

849
01:17:58,883 --> 01:18:00,508
It's Kingo.

850
01:18:00,760 --> 01:18:03,136
What? Kingo?

851
01:18:06,599 --> 01:18:08,099
A fever.

852
01:18:09,685 --> 01:18:11,519
Like he's on fire.

853
01:18:16,525 --> 01:18:18,943
Why, Miho?

854
01:18:19,111 --> 01:18:21,821
Why did you just sit by
until it came to this?

855
01:18:23,240 --> 01:18:27,202
I thought it was an ordinary cold.

856
01:18:27,536 --> 01:18:30,205
What did the doctor say?

857
01:18:33,292 --> 01:18:36,503
You did have a doctor see him,
didn't you?

858
01:18:48,099 --> 01:18:52,310
You haven't had a doctor see him?

859
01:18:53,479 --> 01:18:56,439
Why haven't you had
a doctor look at him?

860
01:19:15,292 --> 01:19:17,794
Kingo, fight it off.

861
01:19:21,757 --> 01:19:26,594
Your grandpa,
like your mom and dad,

862
01:19:26,762 --> 01:19:30,056
has already sold off
everything of value.

863
01:19:30,641 --> 01:19:32,183
There's not a thing,

864
01:19:33,144 --> 01:19:35,812
not a thing we can do for you.

865
01:19:40,693 --> 01:19:42,235
There's nothing...

866
01:19:43,612 --> 01:19:46,156
nothing we can do, Kingo.

867
01:19:48,242 --> 01:19:50,201
But you're the son of a samurai.

868
01:19:50,995 --> 01:19:53,204
You can't let a little illness
get the better of you.

869
01:20:00,337 --> 01:20:02,505
Don't let it beat you.

870
01:20:25,029 --> 01:20:28,072
Don't let it... Don't let it...

871
01:20:34,705 --> 01:20:36,372
Father.

872
01:20:42,379 --> 01:20:45,673
I have an idea.

873
01:20:46,091 --> 01:20:47,550
What?

874
01:20:47,718 --> 01:20:49,928
I need to go out.

875
01:20:50,888 --> 01:20:52,555
Please look after Kingo.

876
01:20:56,602 --> 01:20:58,019
What do you have in mind?

877
01:21:02,066 --> 01:21:05,568
A former retainer of the Kato Clan
now lives in Nihonbashi

878
01:21:05,736 --> 01:21:08,321
and makes his living
as a moneylender.

879
01:21:08,489 --> 01:21:11,366
His rates are so high
that I didn't dare go to him before,

880
01:21:11,534 --> 01:21:15,620
but I can't worry about that anymore.

881
01:21:15,788 --> 01:21:20,625
You're right. If you know such a man,
hurry and go!

882
01:21:20,793 --> 01:21:22,335
I'm on my way.

883
01:21:22,836 --> 01:21:26,089
I'll be back by evening at the latest.

884
01:21:28,884 --> 01:21:31,094
As you can see, Miho is too weak,

885
01:21:32,137 --> 01:21:34,973
so please take care of Kingo.

886
01:21:35,140 --> 01:21:37,767
Of course.
I know what to do.

887
01:21:38,602 --> 01:21:40,436
But, Motome,

888
01:21:40,771 --> 01:21:42,772
you can see
he's barely hanging on.

889
01:21:43,440 --> 01:21:47,819
You must be quick,
and you mustn't fail.

890
01:21:49,822 --> 01:21:52,031
I'll return by evening without fail.

891
01:21:53,617 --> 01:21:55,451
I'll be off, then.

892
01:22:01,250 --> 01:22:03,793
We're depending on you, Motome!

893
01:22:42,124 --> 01:22:44,292
No, no, I'll do that.

894
01:22:59,850 --> 01:23:03,019
It won't be long now, Kingo.

895
01:23:36,595 --> 01:23:38,805
What's taking him so long?

896
01:24:15,134 --> 01:24:16,634
He's getting worse.

897
01:24:19,972 --> 01:24:22,140
What could Motome be doing?

898
01:24:51,503 --> 01:24:55,923
No, no. Your getting up won't do
Kingo's fever any good.

899
01:25:12,691 --> 01:25:16,068
Where can Motome be?

900
01:25:17,362 --> 01:25:21,449
He swore he'd be back by evening.

901
01:25:21,617 --> 01:25:25,661
What could he be doing?

902
01:25:27,873 --> 01:25:29,999
I waited.

903
01:25:32,211 --> 01:25:35,755
Every moment felt like an eternity.

904
01:25:37,591 --> 01:25:39,550
But Motome did not return.

905
01:25:39,718 --> 01:25:42,845
We never saw him again.

906
01:25:45,516 --> 01:25:50,436
"I'll be back by evening,
so please look after Kingo."

907
01:25:51,772 --> 01:25:55,399
Those were his final words
as he went out the door,

908
01:25:55,567 --> 01:25:59,570
and that was the last I saw
of Motome Chijiiwa.

909
01:26:10,040 --> 01:26:11,791
But then...

910
01:26:12,835 --> 01:26:17,588
around 9:00 that night,
he did return home.

911
01:26:19,258 --> 01:26:21,342
Only not on his own.

912
01:26:21,760 --> 01:26:26,722
He was borne home by a party
of retainers from the House of Iyi.

913
01:26:28,725 --> 01:26:30,810
Most courteously.

914
01:26:33,355 --> 01:26:35,398
This was the request

915
01:26:35,566 --> 01:26:38,150
with which Motome Chijiiwa
came to us.

916
01:26:38,902 --> 01:26:42,488
But our forecourt is a busy place
and would have been most inconvenient,

917
01:26:43,198 --> 01:26:47,076
so we offered him our courtyard and saw
to his needs with all due propriety,

918
01:26:47,828 --> 01:26:51,247
thus allowing him to fulfill his wish
and perform harakiri.

919
01:26:53,584 --> 01:26:56,919
We understand there have lately been
incidents all across Edo

920
01:26:57,254 --> 01:27:00,172
in which ronin present themselves
at the gates of daimyo houses

921
01:27:00,340 --> 01:27:04,802
and threaten to commit harakiri
unless given money.

922
01:27:06,179 --> 01:27:11,267
This disgraceful practice has put
many houses at a loss as to what to do.

923
01:27:12,227 --> 01:27:17,356
But now we have Motome Chijiiwa,
a samurai of true valor,

924
01:27:18,025 --> 01:27:20,693
who carried out his resolve
to die honorably.

925
01:27:20,861 --> 01:27:24,780
And we have
the members of the Iyi Clan,

926
01:27:25,282 --> 01:27:28,534
who responded appropriately
to facilitate his wishes.

927
01:27:29,286 --> 01:27:33,539
In contrast to many disgraceful ronin,

928
01:27:33,707 --> 01:27:37,543
and the spineless timidity
of other daimyo households,

929
01:27:37,794 --> 01:27:39,378
both parties in this instance

930
01:27:39,546 --> 01:27:43,841
acted in an exemplary manner
that will open eyes and clear the air.

931
01:27:44,676 --> 01:27:49,055
It is truly an occasion
for mutual congratulations.

932
01:27:50,432 --> 01:27:52,099
We bid you -
- Wait.

933
01:27:54,102 --> 01:27:55,978
To avoid any misunderstanding,
we must show the blades.

934
01:27:56,813 --> 01:27:58,731
Oh, yes.

935
01:27:59,149 --> 01:28:03,110
For the record, we wish you to examine
the swords Chijiiwa was carrying.

936
01:28:08,200 --> 01:28:09,825
You will note

937
01:28:10,160 --> 01:28:11,786
that both blades are of bamboo.

938
01:28:12,913 --> 01:28:14,914
Bamboo?

939
01:28:31,848 --> 01:28:34,517
As you can see,
both are made of bamboo.

940
01:28:34,685 --> 01:28:38,813
No one must accuse us later
of having switched blades.

941
01:28:40,023 --> 01:28:41,983
So take a good look.

942
01:28:46,446 --> 01:28:48,364
Is it clear?

943
01:28:53,203 --> 01:28:54,704
In that case,

944
01:28:54,871 --> 01:29:00,418
Motome must have borrowed
a blade from your household?

945
01:29:01,086 --> 01:29:03,629
No, he did not.

946
01:29:04,047 --> 01:29:07,591
He died magnificently
using his own blade.

947
01:29:11,513 --> 01:29:13,014
Motome killed himself

948
01:29:13,890 --> 01:29:16,726
with that bamboo blade?

949
01:29:18,353 --> 01:29:20,062
Exactly.

950
01:29:21,106 --> 01:29:24,525
The entire household
witnessed the spectacle

951
01:29:24,776 --> 01:29:27,236
of harakiri performed
with a bamboo blade.

952
01:29:27,612 --> 01:29:29,905
As you may imagine,
it was an unsightly affair.

953
01:29:30,365 --> 01:29:32,533
It would have been more fitting
for a samurai

954
01:29:32,909 --> 01:29:36,787
to end his life with a true blade,
which is a warrior's soul.

955
01:29:39,082 --> 01:29:40,666
Now then.

956
01:29:41,084 --> 01:29:42,793
We bid you good night.

957
01:31:32,362 --> 01:31:34,155
Miho wept.

958
01:31:37,242 --> 01:31:38,826
She wept...

959
01:31:41,288 --> 01:31:42,121
and wept.

960
01:33:18,677 --> 01:33:20,344
Motome!

961
01:33:22,722 --> 01:33:24,306
Forgive me!

962
01:33:28,603 --> 01:33:30,062
I...

963
01:33:30,855 --> 01:33:33,315
I had no idea.

964
01:33:42,659 --> 01:33:44,827
You had even sold your blades.

965
01:33:46,788 --> 01:33:50,291
For Miho's sake
you even sold your blades.

966
01:34:09,436 --> 01:34:13,188
But I... but I...

967
01:34:15,400 --> 01:34:17,818
I would never let this go.

968
01:34:19,487 --> 01:34:21,405
It never entered my mind.

969
01:34:22,991 --> 01:34:25,159
The stupid thing
was too dear to me...

970
01:34:26,536 --> 01:34:28,704
and I clung to it.

971
01:34:30,373 --> 01:34:32,708
To this stupid -

972
01:34:49,476 --> 01:34:53,937
With his fever still raging
and in a coma,

973
01:34:55,440 --> 01:34:59,193
Kingo died two days later.

974
01:35:00,570 --> 01:35:02,571
Three days after that,

975
01:35:03,823 --> 01:35:06,367
as if chasing after him,

976
01:35:06,951 --> 01:35:09,745
Miho died as well.

977
01:35:13,541 --> 01:35:15,626
Thus did Hanshiro Tsugumo

978
01:35:16,252 --> 01:35:19,671
find himself utterly alone in the world,

979
01:35:19,839 --> 01:35:24,259
having lost every last person
he had ever cared about.

980
01:35:24,928 --> 01:35:26,804
Master Tsugumo,

981
01:35:29,516 --> 01:35:32,184
does that conclude your story?

982
01:35:34,187 --> 01:35:37,356
Yes, I suppose so.

983
01:35:42,278 --> 01:35:44,696
There's just one more thing.

984
01:35:48,660 --> 01:35:52,621
May all those here listen carefully
to what I'm about to say.

985
01:35:55,291 --> 01:35:58,794
No matter how grinding
his poverty and hunger,

986
01:35:59,587 --> 01:36:03,048
for a samurai to present himself
in someone else's entryway

987
01:36:03,341 --> 01:36:06,927
and declare that he wishes
to commit harakiri there

988
01:36:07,095 --> 01:36:12,391
is an unspeakable act
that can in no way be excused.

989
01:36:14,352 --> 01:36:16,645
However...

990
01:36:18,773 --> 01:36:23,610
the manner in which
the House of Iyi handled the matter...

991
01:36:25,613 --> 01:36:30,075
surely left a great deal to be desired.

992
01:36:32,912 --> 01:36:35,664
If a samurai risks shame and ridicule

993
01:36:36,166 --> 01:36:41,670
to beg for a day or two's grace,
he must surely have good reason.

994
01:36:42,505 --> 01:36:44,298
A simple inquiry

995
01:36:44,466 --> 01:36:48,010
as to the reason for the request

996
01:36:48,178 --> 01:36:50,679
would have told so much...

997
01:36:51,848 --> 01:36:54,224
yet with this many
witnesses present...

998
01:36:55,685 --> 01:36:58,395
not a single one among you
had the consideration to ask.

999
01:37:02,692 --> 01:37:05,819
His wife lay gasping for breath,
on the very verge of death,

1000
01:37:06,321 --> 01:37:10,741
while his beloved son burned with fever,
in dire need of a doctor.

1001
01:37:11,910 --> 01:37:15,746
Motome no doubt wished
to explain the situation to me,

1002
01:37:15,914 --> 01:37:18,540
make whatever last effort
he could for his son

1003
01:37:18,708 --> 01:37:21,627
before turning all further care
over to me,

1004
01:37:21,794 --> 01:37:24,046
and then return here
to the House of Iyi.

1005
01:37:24,214 --> 01:37:25,797
Hanshiro Tsugumo!

1006
01:37:27,383 --> 01:37:29,801
Enough of your self-serving excuses!

1007
01:37:31,054 --> 01:37:32,846
What?

1008
01:37:33,681 --> 01:37:35,599
As to Motome Chijiiwa -

1009
01:37:37,185 --> 01:37:40,646
the circumstances that drove him here
were no doubt complex.

1010
01:37:42,148 --> 01:37:45,067
But it was he who declared
his wish to commit harakiri.

1011
01:37:46,361 --> 01:37:50,572
What followed upon that request
may not have been what he intended,

1012
01:37:50,740 --> 01:37:52,824
but he reaped
what he himself sowed.

1013
01:37:54,285 --> 01:37:58,872
He was in no position to complain,
or to blame or condemn anyone.

1014
01:38:00,250 --> 01:38:01,833
At that point,

1015
01:38:02,001 --> 01:38:06,213
his was but to cast all else aside
and die a magnificent death.

1016
01:38:07,257 --> 01:38:10,008
To face death without wavering -

1017
01:38:10,593 --> 01:38:13,262
that is truly the way of the samurai.

1018
01:38:13,429 --> 01:38:15,138
But what did this man do?

1019
01:38:15,890 --> 01:38:18,809
He cravenly asked
for a day or two's grace.

1020
01:38:19,936 --> 01:38:22,771
One might well accuse him
of having gone mad!

1021
01:38:23,273 --> 01:38:25,274
True enough.

1022
01:38:26,276 --> 01:38:28,610
Motome had indeed gone mad.

1023
01:38:29,904 --> 01:38:32,239
But I say good for him!

1024
01:38:32,615 --> 01:38:34,700
I praise him for it.

1025
01:38:36,452 --> 01:38:38,287
He may have been a samurai,

1026
01:38:38,621 --> 01:38:40,956
but he was also
a man of flesh and blood.

1027
01:38:41,124 --> 01:38:43,959
He could not live on air alone.

1028
01:38:46,170 --> 01:38:48,505
When he has reached
the point of no return,

1029
01:38:48,673 --> 01:38:52,050
even a man as strong as Motome
will go mad trying to protect his family,

1030
01:38:52,218 --> 01:38:53,885
and I would praise him for it.

1031
01:38:55,680 --> 01:38:57,723
They'll call him "the bamboo ronin."

1032
01:38:58,808 --> 01:39:04,271
Not only samurai, but townspeople, too,
will scoff at his wavering.

1033
01:39:05,315 --> 01:39:08,275
But let them laugh all they want.

1034
01:39:08,568 --> 01:39:13,030
Who can fathom the depths
of another man's heart?

1035
01:39:15,074 --> 01:39:18,118
Thanks to the shogunate's ruthless policy
of wiping out the provincial lords,

1036
01:39:18,703 --> 01:39:20,912
countless samurai lost their masters

1037
01:39:21,080 --> 01:39:25,250
and were cast out
to wander the depths of hell.

1038
01:39:25,627 --> 01:39:28,837
How can those who never wanted for food
or clothing understand their misery?

1039
01:39:31,007 --> 01:39:35,010
To those who find Motome
loathsome for his pleading, I ask:

1040
01:39:35,178 --> 01:39:37,929
What if you found yourself
in the same position?

1041
01:39:38,097 --> 01:39:41,224
Would you do any differently?

1042
01:39:44,020 --> 01:39:47,856
After all,
this thing we call samurai honor

1043
01:39:48,858 --> 01:39:51,568
is ultimately nothing but a facade.

1044
01:39:52,153 --> 01:39:53,737
Is that your grievance?

1045
01:39:54,614 --> 01:39:55,822
Grievance?

1046
01:39:56,199 --> 01:39:58,158
Is that what you're trying to tell us?

1047
01:39:59,327 --> 01:40:01,578
That samurai honor
is nothing but a facade?

1048
01:40:02,872 --> 01:40:04,456
Yes.

1049
01:40:07,418 --> 01:40:09,586
"Even if I say I want
to commit harakiri,

1050
01:40:10,546 --> 01:40:12,673
they surely won't actually
make me do it."

1051
01:40:13,049 --> 01:40:16,385
Such wishful thinking
is where these ronin go wrong.

1052
01:40:17,679 --> 01:40:20,430
If a man says he wants
to commit harakiri, we will let him.

1053
01:40:20,598 --> 01:40:23,850
In fact, since he has proposed it himself,
we'll make sure he does.

1054
01:40:24,018 --> 01:40:26,728
That is the policy of the House of Iyi.

1055
01:40:27,188 --> 01:40:30,232
For us, samurai honor
is no mere facade!

1056
01:40:48,418 --> 01:40:51,253
And so Hanshiro Tsugumo too

1057
01:40:52,046 --> 01:40:55,382
has come here
with no intention of committing harakiri,

1058
01:40:56,426 --> 01:40:59,511
but rather out of deep bitterness

1059
01:40:59,679 --> 01:41:04,266
over the manner in which the Iyi Clan
treated his son-in-law Motome Chijiiwa,

1060
01:41:04,767 --> 01:41:07,853
and the desire to vent
his many grudges.

1061
01:41:08,730 --> 01:41:10,981
Is that what you think?

1062
01:41:11,399 --> 01:41:13,942
That's not for me to say.

1063
01:41:14,944 --> 01:41:17,237
You can only look into your own heart.

1064
01:41:18,281 --> 01:41:20,782
But all the same,

1065
01:41:20,950 --> 01:41:23,744
you have no intention
of letting me leave here alive?

1066
01:41:24,078 --> 01:41:26,288
That is my decision to make.

1067
01:41:26,914 --> 01:41:29,833
I need make no excuses to you.

1068
01:41:30,877 --> 01:41:32,502
Counselor,

1069
01:41:33,129 --> 01:41:37,132
there is a proverb, "The suspicious mind
conjures its own demons."

1070
01:41:37,633 --> 01:41:39,760
Do you know it?

1071
01:41:41,637 --> 01:41:45,849
When I say I will disembowel myself,
I truly mean it.

1072
01:41:51,814 --> 01:41:55,025
Yet, even after all I have said,
you still refuse to -

1073
01:41:57,445 --> 01:42:01,031
Suppose I were to go on living.

1074
01:42:01,532 --> 01:42:04,493
What could I possibly have
to look forward to?

1075
01:42:07,163 --> 01:42:09,080
The fact is, I can hardly wait

1076
01:42:09,248 --> 01:42:13,001
to join Motome and Miho and Kingo

1077
01:42:14,295 --> 01:42:18,173
in that world to which
they have gone ahead.

1078
01:42:20,051 --> 01:42:24,179
But I would never be able
to face them

1079
01:42:24,639 --> 01:42:27,015
were I to go empty-handed.

1080
01:42:28,017 --> 01:42:30,268
I think you can understand that.

1081
01:42:35,358 --> 01:42:40,111
I thought perhaps once I had explained,
then even members of the Iyi Clan

1082
01:42:41,322 --> 01:42:43,657
would surely say,
"Oh, so that's how it was.

1083
01:42:43,825 --> 01:42:49,871
Perhaps we were overzealous that day
in rushing to that end.

1084
01:42:50,706 --> 01:42:54,501
Anyone can see that our handling
of the situation was less than ideal.

1085
01:42:55,169 --> 01:43:00,215
Perhaps there were ways
in which we carried things too far.

1086
01:43:01,509 --> 01:43:06,471
No doubt both parties could have
conducted themselves to better effect."

1087
01:43:07,473 --> 01:43:11,601
If I could take with me
even a single word in this vein,

1088
01:43:11,769 --> 01:43:14,312
it would be a comfort to Motome.

1089
01:43:17,400 --> 01:43:23,405
Was this not the most fitting gift
I could hope to take him?

1090
01:43:23,573 --> 01:43:25,866
Such were my thoughts,

1091
01:43:26,033 --> 01:43:29,411
but I see now it was nothing
but wishful thinking.

1092
01:43:29,745 --> 01:43:32,664
If you can see that,
then it makes the rest easy.

1093
01:43:32,832 --> 01:43:35,333
This world does not bend
to sentimental tales.

1094
01:43:38,588 --> 01:43:40,922
If you really think
that samurai honor

1095
01:43:41,132 --> 01:43:45,010
is ultimately nothing more
than a facade...

1096
01:43:46,387 --> 01:43:49,264
then you never had a chance
of swaying us.

1097
01:43:52,852 --> 01:43:55,061
So in the end,

1098
01:43:55,229 --> 01:43:58,899
these have been nothing but the
useless grumblings of a cranky old man.

1099
01:44:01,068 --> 01:44:05,572
But it does no good
to lament that now.

1100
01:44:10,995 --> 01:44:12,454
Well, then,

1101
01:44:12,622 --> 01:44:15,457
forgive me
for my long-winded recitation.

1102
01:44:16,042 --> 01:44:18,960
I will now proceed with the ritual.

1103
01:44:23,299 --> 01:44:25,050
Wait.

1104
01:44:27,386 --> 01:44:29,095
Before that,

1105
01:44:30,014 --> 01:44:34,392
I must return some items
that belong to this house.

1106
01:44:55,289 --> 01:45:00,251
For easier identification,
I have placed name tags on each.

1107
01:45:00,419 --> 01:45:02,921
Please examine them carefully.

1108
01:45:10,262 --> 01:45:12,639
Master Hayato Yazaki,

1109
01:45:13,182 --> 01:45:16,851
and Master Umenosuke Kawabe -

1110
01:45:17,228 --> 01:45:21,398
I understand they're both among
the best swordsmen of the Iyi Clan,

1111
01:45:21,565 --> 01:45:25,151
held in high esteem
for their bravery and honor.

1112
01:45:25,820 --> 01:45:27,696
But, Counselor,

1113
01:45:28,864 --> 01:45:32,200
gentlemen,
let me set your minds at ease.

1114
01:45:32,910 --> 01:45:36,830
I took only their topknots,

1115
01:45:37,289 --> 01:45:39,916
not their lives.

1116
01:45:46,424 --> 01:45:49,217
In the case of Hayato Yazaki...

1117
01:45:51,137 --> 01:45:52,345
it was six days ago.

1118
01:47:48,546 --> 01:47:50,463
Hold it!

1119
01:48:00,015 --> 01:48:02,600
In the case of Umenosuke Kawabe,

1120
01:48:03,352 --> 01:48:06,437
it was five days ago, on May 8th.

1121
01:49:15,174 --> 01:49:16,883
However,

1122
01:49:17,051 --> 01:49:21,429
when it came to that master swordsman
of the Shindo-Munen-Ichi school,

1123
01:49:21,931 --> 01:49:27,477
Master Hikokuro Omodaka,
I had a little more difficulty.

1124
01:49:28,312 --> 01:49:32,649
Perhaps aware of what had happened
to Yazaki and Kawabe,

1125
01:49:32,983 --> 01:49:35,735
I could not catch him off guard.

1126
01:49:35,986 --> 01:49:40,448
In fact, to be honest,
I found myself at quite a loss

1127
01:49:40,616 --> 01:49:45,328
as to how to deal
with Master Omodaka.

1128
01:49:49,416 --> 01:49:50,959
May I enter?

1129
01:50:42,344 --> 01:50:45,555
If you reach for your sword,

1130
01:50:46,682 --> 01:50:50,143
I'll slice you in one motion
from shoulder to waist.

1131
01:51:00,029 --> 01:51:01,696
But I fear...

1132
01:51:03,032 --> 01:51:06,117
the lintel will catch
the tip of my blade.

1133
01:51:10,372 --> 01:51:12,707
If you lunge to the side,

1134
01:51:14,293 --> 01:51:16,878
then this pillar will get in the way.

1135
01:51:20,674 --> 01:51:24,218
It took a few days to locate your home.
My apologies for the delay.

1136
01:51:26,472 --> 01:51:28,514
I ask you to make ready.

1137
01:51:31,852 --> 01:51:34,270
This is obviously no place
for a sword duel.

1138
01:51:34,646 --> 01:51:37,982
It's a bit far, but I must ask you
to accompany me to Gojiin-gawara.

1139
01:51:41,945 --> 01:51:43,821
As miserable a hovel as this is,

1140
01:51:44,490 --> 01:51:47,867
your landlord will be inconvenienced
if you do not return.

1141
01:51:50,621 --> 01:51:54,749
And without someone to retrieve your remains,
your soul will wander aimlessly.

1142
01:51:57,378 --> 01:51:59,879
I suggest you leave a note.

1143
01:52:06,136 --> 01:52:10,056
It should indicate you're going
to Gojiin-gawara

1144
01:52:10,224 --> 01:52:13,559
for a duel with Hikokuro Omodaka
of the Iyi Clan.

1145
01:56:49,878 --> 01:56:53,005
Taking advantage of the wind
was brilliant,

1146
01:56:53,173 --> 01:56:55,800
but a blade can do more than cut.

1147
01:56:55,967 --> 01:56:59,387
It can also stab,
or even snap another blade in two.

1148
01:56:59,930 --> 01:57:02,598
Swordsmanship untested in battle

1149
01:57:02,766 --> 01:57:05,226
is like the art of swimming
mastered on dry land.

1150
01:57:27,374 --> 01:57:29,417
On the other hand,

1151
01:57:29,835 --> 01:57:32,128
I had not seen battle either

1152
01:57:32,462 --> 01:57:37,383
since the siege of Osaka Castle
16 years ago.

1153
01:57:38,051 --> 01:57:40,386
Taking his head
would have been difficult enough,

1154
01:57:40,554 --> 01:57:44,724
but taking only his topknot
proved more difficult still.

1155
01:57:50,147 --> 01:57:52,481
Whatever the differences in skill,

1156
01:57:52,649 --> 01:57:55,735
for a samurai to have
his topknot taken

1157
01:57:55,902 --> 01:57:58,612
is the same
as having his head stricken off.

1158
01:57:58,989 --> 01:58:01,198
It is an ineptitude, a disgrace,

1159
01:58:01,366 --> 01:58:04,493
that can scarcely be atoned for
even by death.

1160
01:58:05,620 --> 01:58:09,498
Yet these men claim illness
and shirk their duties

1161
01:58:09,666 --> 01:58:13,627
while waiting for their topknots
to grow back. Counselor!

1162
01:58:17,883 --> 01:58:20,968
This house boasts of its red armor
and martial valor,

1163
01:58:21,595 --> 01:58:23,929
but it seems that even
in the great House of Iyi,

1164
01:58:24,097 --> 01:58:27,600
samurai honor is nothing more
than a facade.

1165
01:58:42,324 --> 01:58:44,074
Maniac!

1166
01:58:44,576 --> 01:58:46,535
Cut him down!

1167
02:05:40,575 --> 02:05:42,367
Fall back!

1168
02:06:52,939 --> 02:06:55,983
Hanshiro Tsugumo
has been killed, Counselor.

1169
02:06:59,279 --> 02:07:01,238
And our casualties?

1170
02:07:02,532 --> 02:07:04,992
What were the casualties
among our men?

1171
02:07:06,369 --> 02:07:08,996
Masakatsu Sugita, Sobei Uemura,

1172
02:07:09,497 --> 02:07:11,999
Ichiro Shinmen, Uemon Yoshioka -

1173
02:07:12,166 --> 02:07:13,625
four dead.

1174
02:07:14,210 --> 02:07:16,670
Eight more seriously wounded.

1175
02:07:19,173 --> 02:07:20,966
The ronin from Hiroshima...

1176
02:07:23,177 --> 02:07:25,887
Hanshiro Tsugumo,
committed harakiri.

1177
02:07:28,683 --> 02:07:31,810
All our own men died of illness.

1178
02:07:33,855 --> 02:07:36,440
The House of Iyi has no retainers

1179
02:07:37,400 --> 02:07:41,445
who could be felled or wounded
by some half-starved ronin.

1180
02:07:44,490 --> 02:07:47,909
Former retainer of the Fukushima Clan,
Hanshiro Tsugumo,

1181
02:07:48,494 --> 02:07:51,204
committed harakiri honorably,
according to his wish.

1182
02:07:52,040 --> 02:07:54,333
All our men died of illness.

1183
02:07:54,625 --> 02:07:57,544
Their deaths have nothing to do
with Tsugumo's.

1184
02:08:02,216 --> 02:08:05,802
Furthermore, we cannot allow
any more to die of illness.

1185
02:08:06,387 --> 02:08:10,349
See that the wounded
are treated immediately.

1186
02:08:21,819 --> 02:08:24,029
I have just returned, Counselor.

1187
02:08:27,700 --> 02:08:30,827
Hikokuro Omodaka,

1188
02:08:31,954 --> 02:08:34,206
last night at his home -

1189
02:08:38,586 --> 02:08:44,174
Kawabe and Yazaki both claim illness,

1190
02:08:44,801 --> 02:08:46,927
but in fact -
- Fool!

1191
02:08:48,930 --> 02:08:51,765
Why did you not order them
to commit harakiri on the spot?

1192
02:08:53,059 --> 02:08:56,770
Go back immediately
and order them to do so.

1193
02:08:58,898 --> 02:09:00,816
And take some skilled swordsmen
with you.

1194
02:09:01,776 --> 02:09:06,405
If they fail to willingly disembowel
themselves, make them do it by force.

1195
02:09:08,116 --> 02:09:13,912
Of course, these two men, and Omodaka
too, did not officially commit harakiri.

1196
02:09:15,164 --> 02:09:16,790
They died of illness.

1197
02:09:16,958 --> 02:09:19,000
- Sire?
- Imbecile!

1198
02:09:22,296 --> 02:09:26,967
You weren't born yesterday.
You know the ways of the world.

1199
02:09:27,718 --> 02:09:31,179
How can you not realize
the implications? Idiot!

1200
02:09:31,722 --> 02:09:33,515
I am on my way, sire.

1201
02:11:03,272 --> 02:11:07,234
The former retainer of the Fukushima Clan,
Hanshiro Tsugumo,

1202
02:11:08,694 --> 02:11:12,155
died by harakiri
at 6:00 in the evening.

1203
02:11:13,741 --> 02:11:17,160
His speech and behavior
had been somewhat erratic.

1204
02:11:17,328 --> 02:11:21,706
Many of those present felt
he showed signs of derangement.

1205
02:11:23,668 --> 02:11:26,086
Furthermore, it has become clear

1206
02:11:26,254 --> 02:11:28,421
that when another former retainer
of the Fukushima Clan,

1207
02:11:28,589 --> 02:11:31,841
one Motome Chijiiwa, asked to commit
harakiri in January of this year,

1208
02:11:32,677 --> 02:11:35,011
we did not err in our chosen response.

1209
02:11:35,555 --> 02:11:38,431
Word of the martial rigor of this house
echoed throughout Edo.

1210
02:11:41,435 --> 02:11:45,272
In the present case too,
word of our resolute handling

1211
02:11:45,731 --> 02:11:50,026
spread across the city
before two days were out.

1212
02:11:51,237 --> 02:11:55,240
As a result, on the third day,
in a formal session at Edo Castle,

1213
02:11:56,367 --> 02:12:00,370
Lord Doi took the occasion
to confer words of praise

1214
02:12:00,788 --> 02:12:05,625
upon our young master Bennosuke
as follows:

1215
02:12:07,003 --> 02:12:09,921
"'At peace, yet ever vigilant. '

1216
02:12:11,132 --> 02:12:13,466
Let the House of Iyi
continue to embrace this principle,

1217
02:12:14,051 --> 02:12:18,263
and your fortunes are sure to prosper
for ages to come."

1218
02:12:19,807 --> 02:12:22,142
The 16th day of May,

1219
02:12:23,102 --> 02:12:25,061
1630.

1220
02:12:46,000 --> 02:12:47,834
HARAKIRI

1221
02:12:48,127 --> 02:12:51,046
THE END