Original subtitles

A shochiku production

Japan art festival entry 37th year of showa era

"In the year 1630,

"13th day of ma y.

'7-'air skies.

"Extreme/ y hot from early on in the day."

Iyi clan journal

"at 10 in the morning, master bennosu/(E...

"Pays a visit to the kandahashi mansion of the honourable lord dal;

"to present fresh river trout from the shiraka wa river;

"which arrived from our domain.

"No other official business to record.

"Ho we vel; At about four in the afternoon,

"a samurai claiming to he a former retainer

"of the fukushima clan in Hiroshima

"appeared at our gate."

Ha ra kirl

Produced by hosoya tatsuo

original story by takiguchi yasuhiko

screenplay by hashimoto shinobu

cinematography by miyajima yoshio

music by takemitsu toru

Cast:

Nakadai tatsuya

ishihama Akira, iwashita shima

tam ba tetsu ro

mishima masao, nakatani ichiro

sato kei, inaba yoshio, aoki yoshiro

Mikuni rentaro

directed by kobayashi masaki

soto sakurada-machi, edo

official residence of the iyi clan

you were a retainer of the former fukushima clan in Hiroshima?

Correct.

My name is tsugumo hanshiro.

Written with the character "tsu" for "harbour"

and "gumo" for "cloud".

What is the nature of your visit?

The house of my master fell in 1619.

Subsequently, I left the domain and moved here to edo,

where I found shelter in a back-alley tenement.

While eking out a meagre living,

I sought connections for employment with a new master.

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

and my every effort has been in vain.

Failing to find employment and with little to do,

he finds himself in dire straits

and believes that he can endure it no further.

Rather than live on in such poverty and disgrace,

he wishes to die honourably by committing harakiri

and asks for permission to use our forecourt.

Such is his request, sire.

Not again?

Will it never stop?

How shall I respond, sire?

Fine. Show him in, then.

This way.

Please enter.

Thank you.

| am a former retainer

of lord fukushima masanori of Hiroshima.

Tsugumo hanshiro by name.

I respectfully beg your favour.

I am senior counsellor of the house of iyi, saito kageyu.

I am much obliged for this immediate interview.

The purpose of my visit...

I've already been told of your request.

Rather than live on in endless poverty, idly waiting for death,

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

I believe that was the gist of it.

Indeed.

In these times, your resolve is truly admirable.

I can only express the highest esteem.

You mentioned that you served the former lord fukushima.

Did you happen to know a man named chijiiwa motome?

Chijiiwa?

Yes.

Well...

You don't recognise the name?

I'm quite certain he said he'd served the former lord fukushima.

In its prosperous days, the clan's retainers

numbered some 12,000 men.

One could hardly know them all.

I see.

But never mind that.

Earlier this year, perhaps around the end ofjanuary,

this Ronin named chijiiwa motome came calling.

The purpose of his visit was the same as yours.

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

Isthatso?

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

I would indeed.

You say you were a retainer

of the former fukushima clan in Hiroshima?

Correct.

I served the former lord fukushima masanori of Hiroshima.

My name is chijiiwa motome.

And what is the nature of your visit?

After the fall of my master's house,

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

While eking out a meagre living,

I sought connections for employment with a new master.

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

and my every effort has been in vain.

So now it seems it's our turn.

How shall we respond?

Let me think.

It's amazing how such foolishness can take hold.

Blame it on what the sengoku clan did.

- Say what you will, that was a mistake. - No, yazaki.

- That's not necessarily true. - Why not?

The fellow who went to the sengoku house

was serious about committing harakiri.

There was nothing dishonourable about his intent.

It was precisely because they were touched by his sincerity

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

That was good. They made the right decision.

The problem is the shameless imitators who have followed.

They have no intention whatsoever of performing harakiri,

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

they show up at our gate to practise their pathetic extortion.

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

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

and give him a little something and ask him to leave.

No. That will not do.

If we give him money and send him away,

he'll soon be followed by others.

One after the other,

like ants drawn to a mound of sugar.

Ever since the battle of sekigahara,

edo has been teeming with masterless samurai.

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

Think what people will say...

"Everybody thought that the house of iyi had backbone,

"so up until now, the Ronin avoided their gate.

"But look what they've done now.

"They boast of their martial valour,

"but this is a time of peace,

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

Would you have such derisive chatter spreading all over edo?

Especially when our lord is away in his domain.

Under no circumstances

can we allow a stain on our lord's name while he's away.

Giving him money and asking him to leave,

such Lily-livered nonsense is out of the question.

He hasn't the slightest intention of killing himself,

yet he speaks of honourable harakiri.

Counsellor!

If I may...

My apologies for keeping you waiting.

I am kawabe umenosuke, a member of lord iyi's mounted guard.

My name is chijiiwa motome, a Ronin from Hiroshima.

Kindly come with me.

- Excuse me? - I am to show you to the bath.

Since lord iyi is at present away in his domain,

counsellor saito conveyed your request

to his lordship's son, bennosuke.

He finds your resolve most admirable

and wishes to Grant you an immediate audience.

So... I am to have an audience with master bennosuke?

Correct.

I must beg your pardon, but your present attire will not do.

While you refresh yourself in the bath,

we'll arrange for some new robes for you.

I place myself in your hands.

Your kindness overwhelms me.

I must be dreaming.

This is so...

Completely unexpected.

Almost...

Pardon me.

My apologies for keeping you waiting so long.

I must ask you to change again.

Your robes.

Is something wrong?

What about my audience with master bennosuke?

I was told I'd be granted an audience.

I don't believe so.

- You must have misunderstood. - No, I'm quite certain.

That was the word I received from kawabe of the mounted guard.

Kawabe?

Now that you mention it...

That must be it.

So I'm not mistaken?

I believe I understand.

When counsellor saito conveyed your desire to master bennosuke,

he noted how rare it was these days to find men with such a sense of honour.

"I would like to add this man to the ranks of our retainers", he said.

"But when a man declares that he wishes to cut his belly open,

"it can only come from a most profound resolve.

"I am sure it would be no use trying to dissuade him.

"Grant him his final wish.

"I would like to meet this man of uncommon valour

"and tell him how much I admire his purpose.

"Unfortunately I am scheduled to go to lord doi's residence at this hour.

"Extend to him every courtesy of this house,

"and have all our retainers witness his final act,

"that they may remember it as a proud example."

Such were master bennosuke's words, I was told.

Tell me, what do you think of this story?

A most interesting tale,

worthy of the famous red armour that symbolises the house of iyi

and its reputation for great martial valour.

May I ask what your intentions are?

You mean...

About this?

Exactly.

You may set your mind at ease.

I came here with every intention of dying.

Well, well.

A most admirable resolve.

In that case, master tsugumo...

Perhaps I should recount for you

a little more of chijiiwa motome's story.

By all means.

Now then, we must be aware of the time.

Please change into those robes.

All other arrangements are already in place

for a harakiri ceremony with all the proper formalities.

I have a request.

I must beg a brief respite.

Respite?

I will not run or hide. I will return to this house.

But I beg you for a day or two respite.

I'm afraid it's too late for that.

- But this is absurd! - Absurd?

We made the harakiri arrangements at your own request.

My most abject apologies!

Just a day or two respite. I will return without fail.

A samurai's word is his bond.

There can be no delay!

Master swordsman yazaki hayato.

Fit and eager, his skills honed to perfection.

One false step and he'll cut you in two.

The others will descend on you as well.

Rather than being chopped up like a dead fish,

perform harakiri and die like a samurai.

Now, change into those robes.

O, ancestors of the house of iyi,

I must beg your forgiveness for defiling the mansion courtyard

with unworthy Ronin blood.

I do this to preserve the honour of this house,

as well as that of the tokugawa family

and of the samurai code itself.

I beg you to be witness to my decision.

His short blade is the same.

Look at it.

It wouldn't cut tofu.

He sells off his soul as a samurai, replacing his blades with bamboo,

and then says he wants to perform harakiri?

The nerve of the man!

Everything is in place for the ceremony to begin.

Master chijiiwa motome...

Rather than wait for death in dire poverty,

you've declared your wish to die honourably by harakiri.

It is a commendable decision.

You are an example for all samurai.

I am ashamed to admit it,

but even in this house known for martial valour

since our ancestor naomasa's day,

the resolve you've shown is seen but rarely.

So they may witness the noble demise of a true warrior

and engrave its lasting impression upon their minds,

I've ordered all retainers of this household to attend.

May your heart be at peace.

I beg of you!

What is it?

I beg for a brief respite, a day or two's grace!

I swear I will not run or hide. I'll return to this spot without fail!

Please! I implore you!

This is most unexpected.

I've heard lately of incidents all across edo

in which Ronin, who don't deserve to call themselves samurai,

demand the use of a clan's forecourt to commit harakiri,

but are happy to walk away in exchange for a few coins.

Surely you're not...

Absolutely not, sir.

No, no.

Of course not.

I'd never believe that a man of your noble character and mien

could be such a despicable extortionist.

Now then.

You may proceed.

Unworthy as I am, I shall be your second.

I am an exponent of the shindo-munen-ichi school.

I imagine you are aware, but let me note just to be sure.

The rite of harakiri has changed over time.

In recent years, it is often harakiri in name only.

The subject reaches for the blade on the wooden stand,

and his second immediately strikes off his head.

In other words, there is no disembowelment at all,

and in fact sometimes the stand holds not a short sword

but only a folding fan.

However,

our proceedings today will not sink to such debased and empty forms.

We shall adhere strictly to the traditional ways.

Is that understood?

You will rip your bowels open crosswise, like this.

Once I see you have done so, I will strike off your head.

Until I'm satisfied you've fully torn open your bowels,

I will not bring down my sword.

Is that understood? Now then.

It is your own sword. That is the blade you will use.

A samurai's sword is his soul.

No blade could be more fitting for this purpose than your own.

Come. What keeps you?

Proceed!

Strike me!

Strike me!

No, not yet!

Pull your blade across!

Why do you delay?

Draw your blade across! Pull it to the right!

I suppose he had no other recourse,

but even so, to bite off his tongue?

Would you say he was being resourceful or just unseemly?

Then again,

who in his right mind attempts harakiri with just a bamboo sword?

Now then...

What are your intentions?

You mean...

About this?

The account I've just given you

of chijiiwa motome's fate is true in every detail.

Take my advice, master tsugumo.

Quietly take your leave.

You need have no such concerns with me.

Unlike this chijiiwa fellow...

The sword in my belt is not made of bamboo.

I will not bite off my tongue,

I will disembowel myself in grand form.

Very well.

Master tsugumo,

since you are unswerving in your resolve, I shall Grant your wish.

- Attendant! - Sire?

This Ronin from Hiroshima, master tsugumo hanshiro,

is to be granted use of the courtyard to perform harakiri.

His present dress will not do.

Give him fresh robes befitting one who journeys to the next world...

If I may.

What is it?

Please do not trouble yourselves over such things.

For the final moments of a down-and-out Ronin like myself...

Surely nothing is more fitting than the clothes I now wear.

I am deeply grateful for the courteous and considerate treatment

that you have accorded me today.

I can find no adequate words to thank you.

Thus, I shall begin.

Might I ask, counsellor,

who will be serving as my second?

I have assigned shinmen ichiro.

Master shinmen?

Did you wish for someone else?

Yes, sir.

I would like to request master omodaka hikokuro.

You request hikokuro?

I believe he's a retainer in this house.

I've heard he's trained in the shindo-munen-ichi school.

Indeed.

Hikokuro is a fine choice.

Hikokuro?

I'm afraid he's not in attendance today.

He sent a note saying he's ill and requesting a few days' rest.

I see. That's too bad.

Master tsugumo,

as you heard, omodaka is not present today.

You will need to make another choice.

That is most disappointing.

I had my heart set on master omodaka performing the service.

I wonder if! Might not beg his special consideration.

Well, he says he's ill, but he seemed fine yesterday.

Surely it can't be anything serious.

Messenger!

Make all due haste to omodaka's residence.

Tell him to come immediately, if his illness permits. Now hurry.

I'm putting you to a great deal of trouble.

Please accept my apologies.

Now then,

do you wish to wait here?

Or would you like to come inside and relax?

The comfort of your residence might cause my resolve to waver.

Myjourney into eternity mustn't grow distasteful. I shall remain here.

You display remarkable discipline.

I can but express my admiration.

If I may, counsellor,

it could be quite tedious for us both to sit here and wait in silence.

To pass the time,

perhaps you'll allow me to tell you a little about myself.

About yourself?

Yes.

The hardscrabble tales of a half-starved Ronin don't amount to much,

but what befalls others today

may be your own fate tomorrow.

Perhaps your retainers

will find some small point or two worth remembering

among my otherwise useless ramblings.

"What befalls others today may be your own fate tomorrow"?

Well, this could be amusing.

I want everyone here to listen carefully.

The words of one staring death in the face...

Are unlikely to be useless ramblings.

I'm sure we'll all learn something.

Counsellor.

That tale you related earlier...

May I be assured it was true in every detail?

Indeed.

The Ronin from Hiroshima named chijiiwa motome

was a man of some acquaintance to me.

Chijiiwa motome...

Was a man of some acquaintance to me.

Motome was a laa' of 15,

and my daughter miho was an angelic child of 11.

That was 11 years ago.

But when lc/ose my eyes,

their images come back to me vividly, as if it were only yesterday.

- My turn again. - Never mind.

All we do is count stones all day to repair the castle walls.

We won't need bows and arrows for a long while.

"The world is at peace. The four seas are calm."

Incidentally, this coming 22nd

is the seventh anniversary of nui's passing.

I knew it was soon, but is it seven years already?

Yes, and I'm planning a modest ceremony at my residence.

- But don't bring any offerings. - Very well.

I can hardly believe it.

Seven years already.

What never ceases to amaze me

is how a rough warrior like you

has managed to raise miho all these years without taking a second wife.

Jinnai... look who's talking!

When your yuki died, I wondered how you would ever manage.

But look at you.

You're a perfect example of the kite begetting a hawk.

Kite begetting a hawk?

You were the widower kite,

doting on your child in every aspect of his upbringing.

And lo and behold,

the child grew not into a kite but a magnificent young hawk.

Nonsense!

He certainly keeps growing, but he's got a long way to go

before you can compare him to a hawk soaring overhead.

I never figured either of us would be good for anything but battlefield laurels,

but we haven't done too badly at raising our children.

Had life gone on like that, all would have been well.

But it was not to be.

When all is said and done,

our lives are like houses built on foundations of sand.

One strong wind and all is gone.

How my master's house with its 498,000-koku domain

was brought to ruin...

I'm sure you already know even better than I do myself.

Due to an unreasonable judgement by the tokugawa shogunate

regarding the repairs being performed on Hiroshima castle,

in June 1619,

my master, fukushima masanori, was ordered into exile at kawanakajima,

leaving his 12,000 retainers without any means of livelihood...

Through no fault of their own.

Jinnai!

To tsugumo hanshiro

"in view of our long-standing friendship, /ask your indulgence in the fol/o wing.

"The castle repairs commissioner;

"the honourable fukushima masaka tsu,

"will he electing death at any moment.

"Therefore, / will precede him on his journey.

"M y company alone will suffice,

"I beg you not to fol/o w.

"Regarding my only chi/oi motome,

"he has grown tall, but he is still only 15.

"Please look after him as he finds his way in life."

Why was he so hasty?

Committing harakiri even before I have done so.

Hanshiro, I forbid you to follow.

If the house could still be saved, I would allow it.

But with the house abolished, it would be pointless.

- Jinnai's company will suffice. - But, sire...

Don't be foolish, hanshiro.

Jinnai died because he knew you would if he didn't.

He died to accompany me on your behalf as well.

Which means, hanshiro, that you must now live on.

Both for you and forjinnai.

Also for his son, motome. Who will look after him if not you?

I go now to meet jinnai.

Hanshiro, is there anything you'd like me to tell jinnai?

Do you have nothing for me to say to him?

Tell jinnai...

Tell jinnai this.

Have no fears about motome.

I will watch over his path to manhood.

I will not fail him. I swear this on my life.

Go on, master tsugumo.

What did you find out?

It seems his illness is indeed most serious.

What is the nature of his ailment?

According to his family,

a high fever and excruciating pains in all hisjoints.

Go on.

I asked if I might visit him at his bedside,

but he sent word back that his pain was so great

that he did not wish to be seen in his present state.

All I could do was convey the message you sent and return.

It seems there's nothing we can do.

Perhaps he was overcome by the relentless heat of recent days.

Master tsugumo, you heard what he said.

I must ask you to select someone else as your second.

I am sorely disappointed, but it appears I have no choice.

In that case...

I would ask for master yazaki hayato.

Hayato?

Inaba, am I to believe he too has been absent these four or five days?

Correct, sire.

He requested leave because he wasn't feeling well.

Master tsugumo,

I'm afraid yazaki hayato is also absent due to illness.

Master yazaki is also ill?

I'm sorry to hear that.

Again, it seems I have no choice.

Then I request master kawabe umenosuke.

Counsellor,

surely it's not possible

that master kawabe is also under the weather?

Well, well.

It seems he is indeed indisposed.

All three of them unavailable on this particular day,

what a very odd coincidence.

Most curious.

- He's up to something. - Clearly so.

Hikokuro was the one who first insisted

that chijiiwa motome be forced to go through with harakiri.

Yazaki was the one

who discovered his blades were bamboo and insisted he use them,

and kawabe was quick to agree.

That's why I urged that he at least be spared the bamboo blade...

- Of what good is that now? - Indeed, sire.

But how shall we deal with him?

I doubt he intends to meekly disembowel himself.

He obviously has something up his sleeve.

Whatever it is...

He won't get away with it.

We'll force his hand and make him commit harakiri.

In fact, if he refuses,

we'll fall upon him and cut him down.

What happens within the walls of this compound...

Is as secret as what happens behind the walls of our own castle.

One signal from me and everyone will know what to do.

But I'm bothered about hikokuro and the other two.

I need to send someone to find out more.

Under the circumstances,

I'd like you personally to find out the real story.

Master tsugumo...

Summer days are long, but the hour advances.

I must ask you to proceed without further delay.

But, counsellor,

the ritual cannot take place without a second.

I understand your concern,

but I've discussed the matter with my senior colleagues.

With all three men of your choice ailing, we cannot accommodate your wishes.

You will have to accept our selection.

Shinmen ichiro!

I command you to serve as second for master tsugumo.

Perform your duty with care.

I must protest!

To act as my second,

I have named three specially selected men.

I must have one of these three.

Are you perhaps deaf?

All three you name are ill and are not present today.

I explained this very clearly. Did you not hear?

Then in that case, I have no choice.

I must call off my harakiri for now.

Enough, tsugumo hanshiro!

Your scheme for extortion has gone too far.

It's bad enough to march in here demanding a place to perform harakiri.

But then you quibble endlessly over naming your second.

You never intended to commit harakiri.

All you really want is money...

Counsellor!

If I were the extortionist you say,

would I be calmly sitting here on this platform?

- Then why do you not quietly proceed? - I am fully prepared to die.

But cutting my belly open does not in itself

ensure a smooth passage to the netherworld.

I need someone to expeditiously strike off my head,

a swordsman of reliable skill.

I do not commit harakiri to atone for a crime.

The least I can expect is to choose my own second!

Further debate on the matter...

Is clearly a waste of time.

You are a fraud, a disgrace to our class.

You never intended to commit harakiri!

Insolent dog!

Wait!

Hold back! Wait, I say!

I beg of all those present

a moment, a brief moment.

You can't possibly have anything more to say.

But I do. I do have more to say.

I haven't finished my story.

I have no ears for your endless ramblings.

Counsellor!

If you force me to,

I will fight desperately to the death, no matter the odds against me.

Some of your men will be wounded undeservedly.

Some may even lose their lives!

Would it not be better to simply hear me out?

Once I have finished my story,

I will disembowel myself without further ado.

Or if you feel harakiri is too good for me,

you may turn your men on me to do what they will.

In any event,

I would first like you to hear what I have to say.

As to these conditions you stipulate, do I have your word?

You have my word.

And as a samurai, you will hold true to it?

Very well, but make it short.

I will not listen to your useless mutterings for long.

Men, fall back.

Now, where was I?

Oh, yes...

My master's house fell and chijiiwa jinnai died.

But before doing so,

he asked me to look after motome.

When my master's house fell,

we immediately left the domain and moved to edo.

The streets of edo were crowded with Ronin,

flotsam from the battle of sekigahara.

In former times, other clans would have gladly taken in any Ronin

who'd earned a name for himself.

But in an era no longer in need of warriors or horses,

so peaceful that no wind even rustled the leaves on the trees,

it was a constant struggle simply to find a meal.

Indeed, it shames me to recall

our miserable lives over these last eight or nine years.

But amidst all our hardships,

my daughter miho was rapidly becoming a woman,

and soon it was the spring of her 18th year.

Father.

I've set out your lunch in case I'm not back in time.

The greatest delicacies taste of nothing when eaten alone.

If you're not back, I'll wait.

I'll collect the money for these

and then stop by yoshizakicho for some dried fish.

Good day!

Welcome, sir.

Busy as usual, eh? On your way out?

Yes, to the wholesaler in kyobashi.

The mikawaya, I suppose. Take care.

Practice makes perfect.

You've become very deft at that.

Forgive me.

I hate asking you for advances all the time,

but my earnings refuse to catch up.

You disarm me by beating me to it.

I came intending to lodge a complaint or two,

but now that you've made the first move...

What can I say?

By the way,

what are your thoughts on that matter I raised the other day?

Have you come to a decision?

Yes, I have decided.

Glad to hear it.

That takes a load off my mind.

I appreciate your proposal regarding miho,

but I've decided to decline.

In the end, her adoption by the joshuya family

would be a mere pretext lasting perhaps six months.

Once established as a member of their family,

she'd be sent to lord sakakibara as his concubine.

Master tsugumo,

the sakakibara are a noble family with a domain of 110,000 koku.

It may seem odd to seek benefit from your daughter's connections,

but you need do nothing and doors will open to you.

I understand that.

But, master seibei, no matter how much I've fallen on hard times,

I cannot profit from making my daughter a concubine.

It's fine to uphold your pride.

But as a parent, you must consider your daughter's feelings too.

What?

She's young and beautiful,

yet she doesn't have a single fancy kimono to wear.

She can only look forward to endless days of slaving at her father's side.

Master tsugumo, you can't fight the world you live in

nor go against the tide of the times.

It's a good proposal for both miho and for you,

no matter which way you look at it.

In fact, to be honest,

is it not precisely because miho was blessed with such beauty

that an Avenue like this remains open to you?

Confucius said:

"He who knows not the will of heaven is not a superior man."

"He who knows not proper decorum must not rise to his feet."

"He who knows not the heart of words cannot know the heart of man."

That will be all for today.

Thank you, sir. Goodbye.

Hey, katsuzo, let's go sparrow-hunting today!

Hello, uncle hanshiro.

It's good to see you.

Some tea?

- Much obliged. - Not at all.

I know this house well enough at least to put water on to boil.

As it happens, motome,

I came today to discuss a matter of some weight.

You sound so formal, uncle. What could it be?

How quickly the days and months fly by.

Miho is now 18.

She looks more like her mother every day.

In fact, it's hard to see... How she could possibly be of my blood.

If she'd taken after me, she'd never have grown so beautiful.

Uncle... what are you trying to say?

Well... motome...

I'd like you to take miho as your wife.

I realise this is all very sudden,

but what do you think?

Motome?

Uncle, you know as well as I the state of my livelihood at present.

I offer classes in the Chinese classics to a handful of children

and live from hand to mouth.

How could I possibly take a wife?

Do you dislike miho?

All I'm asking is how you feel about her.

It's not only because of the promise I made to your father

that I hope you'll marry miho.

Boorish and dull as I am,

I'm not entirely insensitive to your feelings for each other.

It was more difficult than I expected to persuade motome.

I didn't realise he had such a stubborn and wilful streak.

But I knew he loved miho,

and I knew miho would have no objections to the match.

The crane that lives a thousand years

a symbol of m yriad Jo ys

the tortoise that lives 10, 000 years

bears on its back the three worlds of hea ven, earth and man

the sands upon the beach

numberless and smooth

may they ever reflect the morning sun

after two years, a child was born.

It was a boy, and they named him kingo.

Of course, I was the one who chose the name.

Good day.

What's this? Asleep again?

Father, you're too generous.

Nonsense.

Even after I married you off, you still cook for me.

And besides, I now have only myself to support.

I save more money than I know what to do with,

and I can't take it with me!

Well, well.

Did you wake up?

Now, none of that, you little rascal.

A warrior's son should not be flashing his dimples.

What did I tell you now?

Really? Even the matsudaira clan of dewa province?

That's right.

I can understand abolishing the domains of newer vassals,

but to treat vassals who've supported the tokugawa for years so harshly?

The shogunate's policy towards the daimyo is completely beyond me.

We'll see an increase in the number of Ronin.

Did you hear?

One of them tried to commit harakiri at the sengoku clan's gate.

A Ronin named oi shume, formerly of the kurume clan.

I heard the sengoku were so impressed

that they offered him employment.

That much was fine. It's what happened next.

Yes, I heard.

Other Ronin who got wind of the story

began presenting themselves at the gates of daimyo houses all over edo,

insisting on committing harakiri and refusing to budge.

In order to get rid of them,

the houses offered them money to leave.

It's a shameful turn of events.

It certainly is.

No matter how hard-pressed they may be,

it's a despicable thing to do.

In these difficult times, it's no help growing desperate.

Becoming too impatient to seek employment

is a danger we must all take care to avoid.

You are absolutely right.

If you stop worrying about finding employment,

you can sit here like this without answering to a superior,

at no one's Beck and call.

What's the matter, little one?

It's time for his milk. I'll nurse him.

Don't give him your breast every time he cries,

or he'll develop bad habits.

Lookee here, kingo. Ready?

All right?

Upsy-Daisy. Here we go, kingo.

In /(Anda

at the myojin shrine

there's a festival

this very n/ght

kingo was the centre of our existence, and the three of us lived happily

with the constant sound of warm laughter

raising peaceful ripples around us.

It truly was a time of greater happiness

than I'd ever known in the domain.

However, good things never last for long.

"We've been granted to live thus far...

"But it won't last forever...

"We 're destined to leave this world...

"And there's nothing unto ward about it."

One day, miho suddenly coughed up profuse quantities of blood.

She had always been of weak constitution,

and with the endless burden of our piecework labour...

She'd driven her frail body too hard for too long.

Motome panicked.

The poor fellow.

Date clan construction site, fifty labourers at 40 mon.

Fifty labourers at 40 mon.

Just a minute, samurai, sir!

Are you trying to get me in trouble?

There isn't enough work even for the townsmen.

If the authorities spotted a two-sworded labourer,

I'd be in for a real dressing-down.

Hosokawa clan construction site, twenty labourers at 45 mon.

Pawn shop

Poor mo Tome,

he tried everything but to no avail.

Miho was gradual/ y wasting a way.

And the worst was yet to come. It's seared forever in my memory.

We 'd just barely made it through the end of the year;

and the plum blossoms had begun to bloom

shortly after the beginning of the new year.

What's wrong?

Is it miho?

Is it miho?

It's kingo.

What? Kingo?

A fever.

Like he's on fire.

Why, miho?

Why did you just sit by until it came to this?

I thought it was an ordinary cold.

What did the doctor say?

You did have a doctor see him, didn't you?

You haven't had a doctor see him?

Why haven't you had a doctor look at him?

Kingo, fight it off.

Your grandpa, like your mother and father,

has already sold off everything of value.

There's not a thing, not a thing we can do for you.

There's nothing...

Nothing we can do, kingo.

But you're the son of a samurai.

You can't let a little illness get the better of you.

Don't let it beat you.

Don't let it... don't let it...

Father.

I have an idea.

What?

I need to go out.

Please look after kingo.

What do you have in mind?

A former retainer of the kato clan now lives in nihonbashi

and makes his living as a moneylender.

His rates are so high I didn't dare go to him before,

but I can't worry about that anymore.

You're right. If you know such a man, hurry and go!

I'm on my way.

I'll be back by evening at the latest.

As you can see, miho is too weak,

so please take care of kingo.

Of course. I know what to do.

But, motome,

you can see he's barely hanging on.

You must be quick, and you mustn't fail.

I'll return by evening without fail.

Until then.

We're depending on you, motome!

No, no, I'll do that.

It won't be long now, kingo.

What's taking him so long?

He's getting worse.

What could motome be doing?

No, no. Your getting up won't do kingo's fever any good.

Where can motome be?

He swore he'd be back by evening.

What could he be doing?

I waited.

Every moment felt like an eternity.

But motome did not return.

We never saw him again.

"I'll be back by evening, so please look after kingo."

Those were his final words as he went out the door,

and that was the last I saw of chijiiwa motome.

Butthen,

around nine that night, he did return home.

Only not on his own.

He was borne home by a party of retainers from the house of iyi...

Most courteously.

This was the request with which chijiiwa motome came to us.

But our forecourt is a busy place and would have been inconvenient,

so we offered him our courtyard and saw to his needs with all due propriety,

thus allowing him to fulfil his wish to commit harakiri.

We understand there have been incidents all across edo lately

in which Ronin present themselves at the gates of daimyo houses

and threaten to commit harakiri unless given money.

This disgraceful practice has put many houses at a loss as to what to do.

But now we have chijiiwa motome, a samurai of true valour,

who carried out his resolve to die honourably.

And we the members of the iyi clan

responded appropriately to facilitate his wishes.

In contrast to many disgraceful Ronin

and the spineless timidity of other daimyo households,

both parties in this instance acted in an exemplary manner

that will open eyes and clear the air.

It is truly an occasion for mutual congratulations.

- We bid you... - Wait.

To avoid any misunderstanding, show the blades.

That's right.

For the record, we wish you to examine the swords chijiiwa was carrying.

You will note that both blades are of bamboo.

Bamboo?

As you can see, both are made of bamboo.

No one must accuse us later of having switched blades.

So take a good look.

Is it clear?

In that case,

motome must have borrowed a blade from your household?

No, he did not.

He died magnificently using his own blade.

Motome... killed himself with that bamboo blade?

Exactly.

The entire household witnessed the spectacle

of harakiri performed with a bamboo blade.

As you may imagine, an unsightly affair.

It would have been more fitting for a samurai

to end his life with a true blade, which is a warrior's soul.

- So long. - We bid you good night.

Miho wept.

She wept...

And wept.

Motome!

Forgive me!

I had...

I had no idea.

You had even sold your blades.

For miho's sake, you even sold your blades.

But I...

But I...

I would never let this go.

It never entered my mind.

The stupid thing was too dear to me...

And I clung to it.

To this stupid...

With his fever still raging and in a coma,

kingo died two days later.

Three days after that,

as if chasing after him,

miho died as well.

Thus did tsugumo hanshiro find himself utterly alone in the world,

having lost every last person he had ever cared about.

Master tsugumo,

does that conclude your story?

I suppose it does.

There's one more thing.

May all those here listen carefully to what I'm about to say.

No matter how grinding his poverty and hunger,

for a samurai to present himself in someone else's entryway

and declare that he wishes to commit harakiri there

is an unspeakable act that can in no way be excused.

Having said that...

The manner in which the house of iyi handled the matter...

Surely left a great deal to be desired.

If a samurai risks shame and ridicule

to beg for a day or two's grace, he must surely have good reason.

A simple inquiry as to the reason for the request

would have told so much.

Yet with this many witnesses present...

Not a single one among you had the consideration to ask.

His wife lay on the very verge of death,

while his beloved son burned with fever, in dire need of a doctor.

Motome no doubt wished to explain the situation to me,

make whatever last effort he could for his son,

before turning all further care over to me,

and then return here to the house of iyi.

Tsugumo hanshiro!

Enough of your self-serving excuses!

What?

As to chijiiwa motome,

the circumstances that drove him here were no doubt complex.

But it was he who declared his wish to commit harakiri.

What followed upon that request may not have been what he intended,

but he reaped what he himself sowed.

He was in no position to complain, or to blame or condemn anyone.

At that point,

all he had to do was cast all else aside and die a magnificent death.

To face death without wavering,

that is the true way of the samurai.

But what did this man do?

He cravenly asked for a day or two's grace.

One might well accuse him of having gone mad!

True enough.

Motome had indeed gone mad.

But I say good for him!

I praise him for it.

He may have been a samurai,

but he was also a man of flesh and blood.

He could not live on air alone.

When a man has reached the point of no return,

even one as strong as motome will go mad trying to protect his family,

and I would praise him for it!

They'll call him the "bamboo Ronin".

Not only samurai, but townspeople, too, will scoff at his wavering.

But let them laugh all they want.

Who can fathom the depths of another man's heart?

Thanks to the shogunate's ruthless policy of wiping out the provincial lords,

countless samurai lost their masters

and were cast out to wander the depths of hell.

How can those who never want for food or clothing understand their misery?

To those who find motome loathsome for his pleading, I ask you,

what if you found yourself in the same position?

Would you do any differently?

After all, this thing we call samurai honour

is ultimately nothing but a facade.

Is that your grievance?

- Grievance? - Is that what you're trying to tell us?

That samurai honour is nothing but a facade?

Exactly.

"Even if I say I want to commit harakiri,

"they surely won't make me do it."

Such wishful thinking is where these Ronin go wrong.

If a man says he wants to commit harakiri, we will let him.

In fact, since he has proposed it himself, we'll make sure he does.

That is the policy of the house of iyi.

For us, samurai honour is no mere facade!

And so tsugumo hanshiro too

has come here with no intention of committing harakiri,

but rather out of deep bitterness

over the manner in which the iyi clan treated his son-in-law chijiiwa motome,

and the desire to vent his many grudges.

Is that what you think?

That's not for me to say.

You can only look into your own heart.

But all the same,

you have no intention of letting me leave here alive?

That is my decision to make.

I need make no excuses to you.

Counsellor,

there is a proverb, "the suspicious mind conjures its own demons."

Do you know it?

When I say I will disembowel myself, I truly mean it.

Yet, even after all I have said, you still refuse to...

Suppose I were to go on living,

what could I possibly have to look forward to?

The fact is, I can hardly wait to join motome and miho and kingo

in that world to which they have preceded me.

But I would never be able to look them in the face

were I to go empty-handed.

I think you can understand that.

I thought perhaps once I had explained,

even members of the iyi clan would surely say, "so that's how it was?

"Perhaps we were overzealous that day in pressing towards that end.

"Anyone can see that our handling of the situation was less than ideal.

"In some ways, perhaps we carried things too far.

"No doubt both parties could have conducted themselves to better effect."

If I could take with me even a single word in this vein,

it would be a comfort to motome.

Was this not the most fitting gift I could hope to offer him?

Such were my thoughts!

But I see now it was nothing but wishful thinking.

If you can see that, then it makes the rest easy.

This world does not bend to sentimental tales.

If you really think that samurai honour

is ultimately nothing more than a facade,

then you never had a chance of swaying us.

So in the end,

these have been nothing but the useless grumblings of an old man.

But it does no good to lament that now.

Well, then, forgive me for my long-winded recitation.

I will now proceed with the ritual.

Tarry a moment.

Before that,

I must return some items that belong to this house.

For identification, I have placed name tags on each.

Please examine them carefully.

Master yazaki hayato

and master kawabe umenosuke...

I understand they're both among the best swordsmen of the iyi clan,

held in high esteem for their courage and honour.

But, counsellor,

gentlemen, let me set your minds at ease.

I took only their topknots.

Not their lives.

In the case of yazaki hayato,

it was six days ago.

Hold it!

In the case of kawabe umenosuke,

it was five days ago, on may 8th.

However,

when it came to that master swordsman of the shindo-munen-ichi school,

master omodaka hikokuro, I had a little more difficulty.

Perhaps aware of what had befallen yazaki and kawabe,

I could not catch him off guard.

In fact, to be honest, I found myself at quite a loss

as to how to deal with master omodaka.

May I enter?

If you reach for your sword,

I'll slice you in one motion from shoulder to waist.

However...

I fear the lintel will catch the tip of my blade.

If you lunge to the side,

then this pillar will get in the way.

It took a few days to locate your home. My apologies for the delay.

I ask you to make ready.

This is obviously no place for a sword duel.

It's a bit far, but I must ask you to accompany me to gojiin-gawara.

As miserable a hovel as this is,

your landlord will be inconvenienced if you do not return.

And without someone to retrieve your remains, your soul will wander aimlessly.

I suggest you leave a note.

It should indicate you're going to gojiin-gawara

for a duel with omodaka hikokuro of the iyi clan.

Taking advantage of the wind was brilliant,

but a blade can do more than cut.

It can also stab, or even snap another blade in two.

Swordsmanship untested in battle

is like the art of swimming on tatami mats.

On the other hand,

I had not seen battle either

since the siege of Osaka castle 16 years ago.

Taking his head would have been difficult enough,

but taking only his topknot proved more difficult still.

Whatever the differences in our skill,

for a samurai to have his topknot taken

is the same as having his head stricken off.

It is an ineptitude, a disgrace,

that can scarcely be atoned for even by death.

Yet these men claim illness and shirk their duties

while waiting for their topknots to grow back. Counsellor!

This house boasts of its red armour and its martial valour,

but it seems that even in the great house of iyi,

samurai honour is nothing more than a facade.

Madman!

Cut him down!

Fall back!

Tsugumo hanshiro has been killed, sire.

And our casualties?

What were the casualties among our men?

Sugita masakatsu, uemura sobei.

Shinmen ichiro, yoshioka uemon.

Fourdead.

Eight more seriously wounded.

The Ronin from Hiroshima,

tsugumo hanshiro, committed harakiri.

All our own men died of illness.

The house of iyi has no retainers

who could be felled or wounded by some half-starved Ronin.

Former retainer of the fukushima clan, tsugumo hanshiro,

committed harakiri honourably, according to his wish.

All our men died of illness.

Their deaths have nothing to do with tsugumo's.

Furthermore, we cannot allow any more to die of illness.

See that the wounded are treated immediately.

I have just returned, counsellor.

Omodaka hikokuro...

Last night at his home...

Kawabe and yazaki both claim illness.

- But in fact... - Fooh

why did you not order them to commit harakiri on the spot?

Go back at once and order them to do so!

And take some skilled swordsmen with you.

If they fail to willingly disembowel themselves, make them do it by force.

Of course, these two men and omodaka too,

did not officially commit harakiri.

They died of illness.

Imbecile!

You weren't born yesterday, you know the ways of the world!

Do you not realise the implications? Idiot!

I am on my way, sire.

The former retainer of the fukushima clan, tsugumo hanshiro,

died by harakiri at six in the evening.

His speech and behaviour had been erratic.

Many of those present felt he showed s/gns of derangemen t.

Furthermore, it has become clear

when another former retainer of the fukushima clan,

one chijiiwa motome, asked to commit harakiri in January of this year;

we did not err in our chosen response.

Word of the martial r/gour of this house echoed throughout edo.

In the present case too, word of our resolute handling

spread across the city before two days were out.

As a result,

on the third day, in a formal session at edo castle,

lord doi took the occasion to confer words of praise

upon our young master bennosuke as follows...

"A t peace, yet ever vrgi/an t.

"Let the house of m continue to embrace this principle,

"and your fortunes are sure to prosper for ages to come."

The 16th day of may,

1630.

Ha ra kirl