Original subtitles

The toho company

a Tokyo films production

7th year of meiji era

Tokyo prison, hachiojl; Kanagawa prefecture

Yuki...

You were born for vengeance. Poor child...

A child of the netherworld.

Shura yukl—h/me lady snowblood

Move it! Out of our way, woman!

Who do you think you are?

Do you realise he's genzo shibayama, the asakusa senryo gang leader?

It doesn't matter! Just kill her! — bitch!

What are you, an assassin? — little bitch!

Don't kill her.

Make her tell us who hired her. — yes, sir.

Who are you? Tell me!

Who ordered you to come after me?

Who are you?

Revenge.

For who?

For all those helpless people that have suffered thanks to you.

Woman...

Who the hell are you?

Lady snowblood.

Produced by kikumaru okuda

original story by kazuo koike and kazuo kamimura

cinematography by masatoshi tamura art direction by kazuo satsuya

snow falls like a funeral

for the dead morning

stray dogs howl in the distance as she walks

the sound of her (geta' piercing the air

she walks on, weighed down by Karma...

Starring:

Meiko kaji

toshio kurosawa, masaaki daimon

miyoko akaza, takeo chii, noboru nakaya

Justice and mercy

tears and dreams

yesterday and tomorrow

words that have no hold on her now

the woman who has immersed herself in the river of vengeance

gave herself up long ago

directed by toshiya Fujita

chapter one: Vengeance binds love and hate

over 20 years have passed

since the new era of meiji ended 300 years of peaceful tokugawa rule.

European ideas of social progress that once greatly unsettled the people

are becoming widely accepted

still, provincial disputes continue unabated,

as do unfair practices by mercenary plutocrats and businessmen,

and actions taken by corrupt ofl'icials seeking only to benefit themselves.

While the pleas of poor peasants remained unanswered

at this time, there lived a woman of the netherworld

Everyone knew of her flowery beauty,

but few knew that deep inside her seemingly gentle heart

burned a raging desire to hunt down her enemies.

People say, what cleanses this world of decay is not pure white snow,

but the stained fiery-red snow of the netherworld

Pardon me...

I would like to see lord matsuemon.

Where can I find lord matsuemon, your leader?

Will you please take me to him?

Come with me.

Come on, come on!

Pass it around!

Pass it around! Pass it around!

Anything that comes here gets passed around!

That's the law of our band!

Pass it around! Pass it around!

The goddess of sex has arrived for us!

You think you're tough?

Kill this bitch!

Stop!

Stop! Stop it!

Fool! Idiot!

How dare you!

How dare you act like stray dogs in heat, you fools?

But, boss... — idiot!

This lady is a very important guest of mine.

As you know, that ruthless bastard genzo shibayama

mwinllllem mmwmlml

I was told that you make your living as an assassin, miss.

Yet, looking at you, I cannot imagine you hurting a fly.

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Lord matsuemon...

I would like to request your assistance in finding these individuals.

Banzo takemura, gishiro tsukamoto, okono kitahama...

All three of them

seem to be from the koichi village, in aimi, shimane prefecture.

Now, koichi village... That's where I grew up.

Iltllimmmlinenwlldlbym mmmnlllwtwrym

but tell me why?

You're familiar with the blood tax riots that occurred in the 6th year of meiji?

The blood tax riots? I can't say that I don't know of them.

These three exploited that situation

and swindled large sums from the villagers of koichi,

by running a draft—exclusion scam.

Then they disappeared without a trace.

I do not know all the details,

but I heard that there were four culprits, not three.

Yes, sir.

Of the four, tokuichi shokei, is now dead.

He was killed.

I beseech you, sir. Please find those three men.

I hear you, but without knowing what they look like,

knowing only their names won't be much help.

"Illiall'smttlun. Ibdllnvatlmltwumdblhalrl

it should be possible to find many people who know of them.

Your clan is spread widely across the entire nation,

!!! M to use m!!! M minimwvllllwlm» w I www!!! Mm mi

I don't believe that it is impossible.

But what exactly are you after?

The 6th year of meiji?

I doubt that you'd even been born then.

It can be said that Karma can stain the unborn.

'94ll young men of the nation, as of their 77th birthday,

”will be registered for the draft and ass/gned to the army or reserves.

"Their service is required to defend the nation.

"B y no vember 70th, all famrly heads must register

"their sivteen—year—old boys with town ofi'icials.

"Upon reaching the age of 20,

hannmuumm mum..-

going back over twenty years ago,

r'n march of the sivth year of merjr;

the nation's first draft mandate was enacted by the cabinet

the new government sought strength through militarism,

believing that the modernisation of Japan must be based

on the de velopment of military power simrlar to that of forergn superpowers.

However, the peasants did not consider it to be a reasonable measure,

and soon their discontent exploded r'n riots.

The end to these uprisings was nowhere in srght.

Destruction, robbery, arson and other acts of rebellion continued without end

many strange rumours circulated,

the most famous being about the "men in white ".

These men r'n white were said to be the pawns of the new government,

who krlled conscripts and collected their blood for sale to forergn nations.

This is where the first chapter of the tragedy begins.

6th year of merji era, June

koichi I/il/age, aimi district, shimane prefecture

Shiro!

Shiro! — let me go! Mummy!

Shiro!

Let go of me! Mummy!

Look at him, he's wearing white!

-Ii-ile'sllllenawgwammontlmnl -iiii1illmnll

don't be ridiculous, I'm...

I'mllllnnawodllodlwlm I'veludtnwvodlhtlmlbvllllhml

shut up! Die!

Gishiro tsukamoto

banzo takemura

Tokuichi shokei

dead

okono kitahama

this is unthinkable!

How could this be?

Dear! Dear!

- Has the moment come? - I believe so.

Then you ought to go.

There is nothing to pre vent you from walking your path.

Reverend,

lmust thank you for all these years of training.

I am disheartened because lha ve not been able to repay you.

Don't be ridiculous.

You have a destiny that needs to be realised

forget joy, forget sorrow, forget love and hate,

except for vengeance, these must be forgotten.

And thus, there should be no sadness in you.

A chrld of the netherworld ought not talk like that.

A chrld of the netherworld ..

How many times you've scolded me by calling me that!

The grave of sayo kajima

the grave of tora kobayashi

you are a child of the netherworld,

you are not a being of this earthly realm.

You are a devil that abides by netherworld/y principles,

a beast, a devil, one whose disguise is human.

One so e vrl that e ven lord Buddha cannot save you.

Be strong, sayo! Be strong!

Otora, don't just sit there!

Blltll'venwarmnnblrllh thisdlllflculllt.

If it goes wrong, sayo could die.

I... I don't care if I die!

But at least save my baby! Please, otora!

This isn't good. The baby's overdue and it's twisted around.

It doesn't matter!

At least save my baby! My baby!

You don't even know whose child you're bearing!

Should my... Should my baby be stillborn...

If that should happen, otora, I'll kill you!

But tell me, why did the four of them commit such a hideous crime?

For profit.

"For profit"?

They told the people that draftees could be excused from service

by paying them a sum of 270 yen.

Thus they swindled the vrllagers out of tens of thousands of yen.

After splitting the money among themselves,

they fled from the vrl/age as planned

shokei tokuichr; Who desired my body,

took me along with him to Tokyo.

In Tokyo, tokuichi opened a little restaurant.

I did as I was told, and waited for the rrght moment.

I killed tokuichi.

I was in the midst of hunting down the remaining three,

when I was arrested.

Three more vengeances remain.

But I've been sentenced to life in prison.

I can no longer exact my revenge with my own hands.

Then, you mean for this newborn child to...?

That's why you kept saying you wanted a strong boy?

Otora...

I can't remember how many times you told me that I was a slut.

But that's all right, because it was true.

Because I wanted a child so much...

At the women's prison r'n lchrga ya,

and after I arrived here,

lacted like a mad bitch in heat.

I wantonly seduced men, one after another.

I knew this made you look upon me with disgust.

For me, there remain things left undone.

Even if I have to devote my next seven lives to it,

my vengeance cannot be denied.

So I must let this child wreak my vengeance for me.

I will die so my spirit can be embodied in her.

That's the only method of vengeance I have left.

Otora...

I beseech you.

Okiku, take care of this child.

You were born for vengeance, poor child.

A child of the nethennorld.

You must avenge us without fail.

Your father, your elder brother...

And me.

Yuki... my...

Sayo? — sayo!

Some time later, otora ll/likazuki was released

she took care of the baby with the help of dokar;

a priest and former liege vassal.

Being a chrld of the netherworld,

yuki received severe trainr'ng from dokai.

Werghing down her little shoulders were sad thoughts of vengeance,

but despite this, yuki endured great hardships and survived the training.

15th year of meiji era

Yuki kashima, age 8

stretch out your hands and feet. Don't get thrown out, yuki!

Yes, sir! — here we go.

Yuki!

Stand up! Stand up, yuki!

Yuki!

Do it again!

You must not become dislodged until the barrel stops naturally!

You were not born as a human child

you were born a chrld of the netherworld,

devoting your own life to avenge another's death.

You must ne ver forget that this is your duty.

Feel like a beast. Become like a beast.

What are you looking at? Look into my eyes!

You must look me in the eyes!

Fool! Stand up!

What's the matter with you?

Come on now!

Come on!

What's that face for? Step out! On your feet!

At long last...

At long last, I've managed to come this far...

Dear mother.

Though born and raised as a chrld of the netherworld,

human compassion was ne ver absent from her heart.

Unforgettable memories of her mother overwhelmed her with sadness.

Yet her journey of vengeance was far from over.

This day marked the 20th anniversary of her mother sa yo's passing.

Chapter two: Crying bamboo dolls of the netherworld

a few days later,

a letter arrived from the leader of the beggar clan, matsuemon.

Banzo takemura, one of the vrllains she sought, had been located

Father, I'll go and sell all the bamboo dolls I've made.

Forgive me, I'm always making you work so hard.

Not at all.

There are so many orders, I can't keep up with demand.

Is that so?

They're selling that well?

You saw me? — why...?

Www-dim”

Here, keep it.

I made it.

Here.

What's your name?

Ikdbua. Ikdbua tnlwmum.

Goodbye.

Hama

here's your three yen, as usual. Please count it.

It's correct.

One more thing...

Here.

Take it.

Your customer for tonight is a prefectural officer.

So we expect the best from you.

I know that.

Is that you, kobue?

It's you fellows. — who did you think it was?

What's with you, takemura?

You don't look too well.

We're here today representing the house of hamakatsu.

It doesn't look like kobue is home yet.

She's out selling her wares.

She's probably shopping on her way back home.

What's so funny?

Look_.

Open your eyes, will you?

Do you really think that people are buying her bamboo basket dolls?

You fool.

Your daughter, you see, throws everything she makes into the sea.

But she brings home money...

Mmmwm

eighty yen in all.

You're kidding me?

It's all your fault to begin with.

You're forcing her to sell herself!

Poor thing!

She has to do it to pay for her drunkard father's booze and medicine.

Quiet! Kobue would never do such a thing!

Watch the dice.

Place your bets! — bets, please!

Isn't that woman the travelling gambler?

Yes, sir. Apparently, she's from sanshu. An independent.

She's known as oyuki. Lovely looking...

- Sllasulammomlm. - Wsnoordllmrymllllllm.

It's number one! — one!

Number one!

Banzo?

Deal me a card. — next round!

Watch the dice!

Bets, please! — place your bets, please.

Number four. — four!

Number four!

Next game!

Watch the dice.

Bets, please. — all bets!

Watch the dice.

Next round!

Watch the dice.

Bets, please! All bets in!

No more bets! — score!

Hold it!

Takemura... we need to talk.

Forgive me.

I can't do that.

Spare me.

Boss, why don't we roll him up and throw him into the sea!

Nollmilimry. If Ilulwatllmiimlmlm.

Please forgive me! You can have kobue.

Too late for that!

You bastard...

Please wait.

As a professional, it's my fault for not detecting his cheating.

Allow me to pay compensation. — It's none of your concern!

Out of the way!

What the hell's going on?

What do you want, stranger?

I beg of you, sir.

I must ask you to spare this man's life, no matter what the cost.

Don't tell me you knew he was cheating!

Well, in any case...

Masa! Kame! Let him go. — but boss...

We mustn't concern ourselves with trivialities like this!

Thank you, sir.

You bastard!

Next time you show up, forget about being thrown into the sea,

I'll cut you up and feed you to the pigs, you bastard!

Oh?

What brings you here?

If something happens, you should go to Tokyo.

Okiku tajire, who lives in ueno, can put you in touch with me.

Thank you, but I can't leave my dad here.

You're still here?

I owe you for what you did for me.

But it wouldn't really matter anyway whether I lived or died.

If it weren't for my daughter...

By the way, why did you save my life?

Because we have a little business to settle, banzo takemura.

Shall we go?

Go? Where to?

Who are you?

Il'vecolinomwmwu bulwamtmlybdhm.

Come now, it's time to start your journey of death.

Who...?

Who on earth are you?

What do you want with me?

Are you scared, banzo?

I bet you are.

A man like you has memories too gruesome to be able to forget.

What are you talking about?

Along time ago,

you lived in the village of koichi.

You and gishiro tsukamoto,

okono kitahama and tokuichi shokei, the four of you,

in order to swindle money from the unsuspecting villagers,

you killed an innocent man.

Youmpadllmlcwllb fortlmudmnndlnlghh

I know nothing! I know nothing about it!

Look closely at my face.

Does this face not remind you of a woman that you raped?

My name is shurayuki.

There was a woman who died in jail, died cursing you.

I am the daughter of sayo kashima.

It was wrong! It was wrong of me!

Gishiro and that lot made me do it.

I'venavarbundblbmmw mhtlmlcdbvllfllbual

where is gishiro?

Where is okono?

I don't know! I really don't know!

Please forgive me! Please spare me!

I will neither forgive nor spare you!

I beg you!

Don't kill me. Don't slay me.

I beg of you, don't kill me!

I beg you!

If I die...

What will happen to my daughter kobue?

Please!

For kobue's sake...

All life is transitory, but the virtues are eternal.

Having slain one more of her enemies, it is now the break of dawn.

The sea assaults the shore,

a" mmm

The path continues on this journey of vengeance.

Chapter three: Umbrella of blood, heart of strewn flowers

The grave of gishiro tsukamoto

Tajire

It's just unfortunate.

Whenmlllmdl'mlolinwu

she didn't want to believe it, no matter what I said.

But now that she's seen his tombstone with her own eyes,

what else can we do?

It's frustrating, isn't it?

If only...

If only we'd searched for him much earlier...

When did he die?

Three years ago.

In a shipwreck during a voyage to america, or so the story goes.

When he was alive,

itmnldltlialteldlmlmmllnvdlndl millimloldgmsmumlllmqplum.

Three years ago, you say?

The training I have received from the master and from you, auntie,

it's all so that I can personally avenge my mother's death.

Gishiro was the leader of the four villains...

How I longed to destroy him,

oyuki!

Be strong.

You still have one more wrongdoer to face!

Lord matsuemon...

I beseech you,

please try to find okono kitahama as fast as you can.

I have my men working on it, but there's only so much we can do.

Looking for someone?

We meet at last. I've been looking everywhere for you.

What for? — I'd like you to explain something.

That tombstone, it belonged to a gishiro tsukamoto, did it not?

There's nothing I can tell you. — I doubt that's true...

Not something one would do without good reason.

You must have had something against that man.

- 'I'ilialtlcnobunllnmol'ymliu. - Imlymrno'slryumlmimlo.

I write novels too.

Youwuldlow il'lrnnvorycullloucl'dllbw.

Iillalmllrolllllllalllullil. -

like a stray dog.

Iifll'lllndloolinollamvarnmt. Rill durum wdll.

Stop pestering me from now on.

Why?

Your curiosity might cost you your life.

Is that a threat? — take it how you like.

I'm known to people as the "man of threats".

I use my newspaper as a weapon and I'm feared as a blackmailer.

So when somebody threatens me, that makes me even more curious.

What is it that you want?

Idon'ttlmlnll: I'mtmlmhtlmrulhnwu.

I just seek the truth.

Leave me alone.

Netherworld

snow

lady

"shurayuki—hime"

by ryurei ashio

Long ago, r'n the 6th year of the merji era,

a gruesome and hellish tragedy befe/I an innocent famrly.

They were victims of a blood-chil/rng plot.

Time has passed, but who will exact vengeance?

Time has passed, but what dark deed remains una venged?

Whose tears fill the river of re venge?

Whose soul is filled with turbulent Karma?

Who krl/s without any thought for her own safety?

Knowing neither forgiveness nor compassion she seeks out her enemies,

leaving their corpses without a second glance.

Her name was shurayuki the chrld of vengeance.

Indeed_.

Mmmwmwum dbolltwumcarhlmllymol

but why, sir?

I just cannot understand why you did that, master.

Don't you see?

It's bait, to lure out the one villain that remains: Okono kitahama.

Matsuemon's men are not without their limits.

However, should ryurei's novel become widely read,

I'm certain that okono will read it.

And when she does, she will surely take action.

Alldltliflltwlllbatlionmnmt whenwumdutlwllm.

Besides,

I'vecornohradllylllllm tlmlclryuilal'i'dllw.

He's using his talents as a writer

to express his hostility and malice towards the political system.

He may be a rogue,

biltll'i'fllllie'stlmelldbdllmnmflllllo volllrumymeol'tllnmlllmmm.

But will okono kitahama take action?

Will she reveal herself?

Wait and see. Be patient.

Yuki, you must not rush things.

If you must endure a moment of peace and tranquillity

when the winds of carnage do not blow the snow of the nethennorld,

then lord Buddha will not punish you.

From mount kazusa, looking deep into the valley

a little child picks up a pebble...

Born to settle an old score. Born to seek vengeance.

Yet, listening to the children sing, she could not help but be moved.

As she continued on her lonely path,

Just tell me, please.

No. I've written nothing but the truth.

So it's the truth? — the absolute truth.

Then... oyuki killed my father.

Just who are you?

I'm... banzo takemura's daughter.

This is awful! Just awful!

So now we have another woman seeking vengeance.

Born under unlucky stars.

Both you and her.

Wait!

Wait!

There's no way you could possibly understand how I feel!

I understand!

I do understand.

Are you ryurei ashio?

Yes. What do you want from me?

Because your lady snowblood story seems so real,

the people have become confused and riotous, so we must question you.

Accompany us to headquarters!

There's no way... — silence! Take him!

Who's that?

Who are you?

Kobue takemura.

Kobue? Takemura?

You must be banzo's...

You came here to see yuki? — I would never want to see her!

Then what brings you here?

The authorities have arrested ryurei ashio.

I never knew there was a police station there,

inside a restaurant called kagetsu.

Wait! Wait a second! Wait, I said!

Take that!

You bastard! Get up!

You scum!

Come on, out with it!

Where's shurayuki?

I spent a considerable amount of time reading the story in your paper.

Clearly, it's based on a real event.

There's no way someone who didn't know shurayuki could've written it!

Okono kitahama...

So the money you pocketed from that ruthless murder 20 years ago

has paid for this shady little hideout of yours, eh?

How very nice for you. — silence!

Tell me! Where's shurayuki? Tell me!

Tell me! Tell me!

Ildmll'tllmwl il'mwlllmwwhwifihlllnh

you stubborn fool!

Ian'tllidldlmk whenwumaltlllmlcwuml

We'll make you suffer a lot more!

Suffer!

That's enough. Hold off for the time being.

But... — he's no good to us dead.

We'll use him as bait. — bait?

Exactly. No doubt shurayuki will show up soon.

She's here!

So you've come, shurayuki. I've been waiting for you.

Okono kitahama, at last...

- Welllwlaltiwl. - 'Ii'ilmt'slrllwlhlll.

I deliberately acted just as you expected I would.

A thunder—sand bomb!

Hold your breath!

Okono...

Has she escaped?

It's all done now, oyukr; Your vengeance, everything.

Is it supposed to feel like this, now it's all over?

It's all over. Forget it now.

Can the netherworld's snow, soaked r'n bloody carnage, regain its purity?

You were born in a jarl, a chrld of vengeance.

How can you live like a normal human being, oyuki?

I do remember...

From the moment I was born.

I remember e verything I saw.

I can strll picture it all before my eyes.

That's why my mother's vengeance is my own.

This revenge... is mine.

Chapter four...

Just as I thought... You're alive after all.

I'd hoped that I was only imagining it.

Why?

-Wliydlldlyouilhllmymiirdultlw -wilomyouwllhlhgdboull?

Ifwntmfilhlmdbmltnwwm mmoleldlmlm'll'sullmnnwjiwsm.

He died in a shipwreck 3 years ago... — not true!

Gishiro is alive. He's here, right in front of my eyes!

Yes, the boat you were on did sink.

However, as the police were after you for opium smuggling,

the shipwreck provided you with a wonderful opportunity

to fake your own death!

You survived and continued to engage in shady dealings.

You haven't changed a bit since you escaped my clutches 10 years ago.

Why have you come here?

To make you forget.

To forget about gishiro tsukamoto, and the man you now see.

You must forget them all.

Your story about shurayuki has come to an end.

It'sdllwar withollwmllfllmlmmsdulth.

There's nothing more to write about.

Are you threatening me? That's typical of you.

No. Just giving advice.

Let me tell you something.

These days I'm mostly involved in trading weapons.

Even the government can't buy weapons without my involvement.

I believe that Japan will soon be at war.

Www mmm im'dmu

and I'm lending a hand, helping to expand the empire.

I don't have time for some silly, twenty—year—old tale of vengeance.

The building where I conduct my business is the rokumeikan.

It's supposed to be the place where we negotiate with foreign powers

and debate the use of western ideas to modernise our society.

But what really goes on there

are nightly parties for the elite members of our society

who indulge themselves in self—gratification and hedonism.

But society is changing.

And I will float with the tide,

all the time harvesting more money and power!

It's fine to be concerned with justice and upholding principles,

yet it all amounts to nothing more than empty words.

Forget newspapers and all that!

If you feel like it, come and work for me.

I severed ties to you many years ago.

Very well. But let me say this...

Don't stick your nose in places where it's not welcome. Stay out!

That's my final advice, from the bottom of my heart.

Gishiro is alive. — what?

He was just here.

That man in the rickshaw... — wait! Please wait!

He won't get away. I swear I'll finish him!

And listen, there's one more thing I have to tell you.

Gishiro is...

Gishiro tsukamoto is...

My father.

When I found out that one of the scum you sought was my own father,

what kept me going was that I thought he was dead.

If it weren't for that, I couldn't have written your story of carnage.

However, when okono kitahama was killed,

alttlinltnlolinenummudl whohndlwtwllylhlllbdlllinr.

"Illialt'utlilyllwuldh'twlwu. "Illleiamnoww...

I won't be writing any more tales of shurayuki.

I can't write it anymore.

However...

Chapter four: The house of joy, the final hell.

Charity masquerade party

Wait!

Stay out! That's my final advice, from the bottom of my heart.

Damn it!

That's typical of him.

It doesn't matter if someone dies, as long as his hands remain clean.

No matter what happens, he'll have his way.

Gishiro tsukamoto... I wrll kill you.

It's all I've thought about for these last twenty years.

- It's all that mattered - that's about to end now.

Yes. It's all about to end.

Oyuki! Don't worry about me.

Do it! Do it!

Yuki! Hurry!

Hurry!

An eye for an eye!

Snow falls like a funeral

for the dead morning

stray dogs howl r'n the distance as she walks

the sound of her geta' piercing the air

she walks on, werghed down by Karma

her bu/I' -e ye umbrella embracing the darkness

the woman who walks this path in life

ga ve up her tears long ago

The end