The arrow that brought down the boar
beIonged to Lord lchimonji.
Drink to him!
The wily old beast
shot out right in front of me.
My horse reared before l couId aim, off I felI.
Father,
shalI we roast the boar?
He was oId.
His hide is tough; it stinks.
IndigestibIe.
Like me, old Hidetora.
WouId you eat me?
You'd stick in our throats.
That's why I joined your hunt,
to reinforce our friendship.
I, too!
l would cement the bonds
between the houses of lchimonji and Ayabe,
I wouId marry my daughter
to your son Saburo.
Hold on!
That's my own invention.
Lord Ichimonji, the day is propitious.
Give us your answer.
Whom wiIl you have for Saburo,
my daughter or Lord Ayabe's?
Not an easy choice.
Two daughters
for one son.
A pity Jiro, my second son, aIready has a wife.
Kyoami!
Entertain us!
From the far mountain
From the near mountain
Who comes hippety-hopping
Showing off his handsome ears?
A hare!
OnIy one hare, Kyoami?
Two, I think.
Hopping here, to be eaten by Father.
Saburo, that's rude!
HoId your tongue!
The Great Lord is tired.
Let us withdraw until he wakes.
This is unIike Father. He onIy pretends to sleep.
After Saburo's insult, how eIse could he save face?
AIl he did was hunt.
ln the oId days,
he'd rout an army and not be winded.
It's impoIite to our guests.
Kyoami, wake him!
Father worries me,
he's barely snoring today.
Father, what is it?
Are you ilI?
A dream...
I had a dream.
I was in a strange land.
A vast wiIderness.
I went on and on, but met no one.
I caIled, l shouted,
but no one answered.
l was aIone.
Alone in the wide worId.
I felt a chiIl...
Such stupidity!
Taro's voice pulIed me back.
I saw my beIoved chiIdren.
Taro,
Jiro,
Saburo.
Father, l've never seen you like this.
It's not right.
Quiet, Saburo!
Be thankful we have his affection.
I'm puzzIed, too.
l can scarcely beIieve my ears.
NormaIly, aIl he asks is our obedience.
That's affection enough.
AlI right.
I've been considering an idea,
and l've reached a decision.
I want to telI it to you.
Now is a good time to do it
while we have with us
Lords Fujimaki and Ayabe.
Bring them!
l, Hidetora Ichimonji,
was born in that smaIl castle in the mountains.
At that time, the entire pIain seethed with constant battle.
Many Iords vied for power.
At the age of seventeen,
l flew my banner over that castIe.
I waged wars for fifty years,
and at Iast the plain was mine.
I hoisted my colours over the main castIe.
l spent more years
fighting lance to lance with these two gentlemen.
Now, the moment has come
to stabIe the steeds of war
and give free rein to peace.
But old Hidetora
is seventy years old.
l hereby cede totaI authority
over alI my dominions
to my eIdest son Taro.
My Lord, this is so sudden...
Not at aIl.
I've thought Iong and hard.
There comes a time
to step aside,
and pass on the reins to younger hands.
l say to you: that time is now!
This is my wilI.
Taro is now head of the Ichimonjis,
Iord of these Iands.
l wiIl quit the castIe keep
and move to the outer tower.
l wiIl retain a 30-man escort
and give the title and insignia of Great Lord.
But the actual leadership
lies entireIy with Taro.
I expect aIl of you to obey!
I'lI obey.
But what about me and Saburo?
What do you intend for us?
I give you, Jiro and Saburo,
the Second and Third castIes
with their attendant Iands.
You wiIl support Taro
in the First CastIe.
l shaIl be your guest
visiting each castIe in turn, Iiving out my remaining years.
How hard it is to be oId!
I wouId speak.
l respect your wishes
and appreciate your trust,
but l beg you to reconsider.
Why?
Though I am your eIdest son,
I could never take your pIace.
lt is too great a task.
l always pray to the God of War.
"Let his Iife last 1 00 years,
"even if it means shaving a bit off mine."
What a pretty speech.
I cannot use such honeyed words.
I'd be embarrassed.
Don't be spitefuI!
You mean Taro onIy flatters me?
Pay no attention to Saburo.
l feel the same as Taro.
We'd Iike nothing better than to stay behind your shield.
But it's our turn to shieId you
from life's bitter arrow.
WelI said, Jiro.
Bring me that quiver!
Break an arrow in two.
Can you do it?
Bundle them
and try again.
A singIe arrow is easiIy broken.
Not so three together.
Whenever Taro is in troubIe,
if you unite your forces,
the house of lchimonji wiIl be safe.
Even in a sheaf, three arrows can be broken.
More of your pranks.
Stop being fooIish.
It's you who are foolish. Your pIan is absurd.
You are either seniIe or mad.
SiIence!
Do not insuIt your father!
What madness have l spoken?
Wherein Iies my senility?
I'lI teIl you.
What kind of world do we Iive in?
One barren of IoyaIty and feeling.
- l'm aware of that. - So you should be!
You spilIed measureIess bIood.
You showed no mercy, no pity.
We too are chiIdren of this age, weaned on strife and chaos.
We are your sons, yet you count on our fideIity.
ln my eyes, that makes you a fool.
A seniIe oId fooI!
So that's it!
You mean one day, you'lI forget l'm your father.
You'lI betray me.
More foIly!
Does a traitor betray himseIf?
Then you mean your brothers?
He's jeaIous of Taro's position.
ls that why you slander me?
Brother or not, watch your step!
Your Iesson of the three arrows was wasted.
The unity of the three sons is split.
You scorn your father's wishes?
Parents and children have no pIace in this world?
Very weIl, since you'Il have it so,
l cut the bonds between us!
You are a stranger to me! Out of my sight!
You mustn't!
Quiet, Tango.
My mistake was to Iove him too weIl.
l spoiled him.
lt's my fault, he's arrogant.
But it's too late for regrets.
When flesh is rotten,
even our own cut it away!
Wait, my Lord!
Master Saburo is bIunt,
perhaps even disrespectfuI.
But his words are honest, and come from the heart.
Consider welI: you wilI find
he is not wrong.
SiIence!
l wiIl speak.
Begone!
l wiIl stay.
You disobey me?
My duty to you is to speak my mind.
Brandish your sword, l won't move.
Revoke that rash decision.
Your insoIence matches his!
I wilI not have it!
l banish you both!
Father!
What misery!
What wilI you do, now?
I grieve for Father, not myself.
The horror ahead of him...
Tango, you're an idiot.
Why?
For defending me and being banished.
Your pIace is with Father.
He needs you.
They're foIlowing us!
Wait, son-in-law!
Why do you run away?
Son-in-law?
Hear me out!
You're in disgrace, exiIed from your lands.
Lord Ayabe and I
witnessed the whole incident.
You are an outcast,
little more than a beggar.
Forgive my rudeness.
What I am trying to say...
l can't find the words.
The meaning is cIear.
No Iord chooses a beggar for his daughter.
Of course not.
No... Now hoId on!
Lord Ayabe rejected the marriage.
But on my way home,
I got a thinking
of your extraordinary conduct.
l Iike the way you spoke up.
You have character and courage.
You'd make a fine son-in-Iaw.
I retraced my steps,
but you had gone.
Does my offer interest you?
How can I know?
Then come stay with me
while you think it's over.
You too, Tango.
You are honest and IoyaI.
I can use you, wiIl you come?
Thank you for your generosity
but l cannot accept.
Whatever disguise I must adopt,
I shan't abandon the Great Lord.
What's going on?
Hidetora's concubines are moving from the castIe.
They bIock my lady's retinue.
ScandaIous!
I am now the mistress here!
They must make way!
My women kneeling to Taro's wife?
Intolerable!
Why do you say that?
You gave him the castle keep.
It's only natural.
Gives away his house Gives away his land
His bounty earns him a new title
Lord of the rice fields
A scarecrow!
CalI me a fool?
No, the fooI is me
for serving as butt to your Iaughing-stock.
But you're another for losing your keep.
You know, Kaede,
the view is more pIeasant
now that it is mine.
As I recalI,
a banner used to hang there.
Yes. Father's banner.
AIso his heImet and armour.
Where are they?
I gave them to Father's men.
The armour doesn't matter.
But the banner...
My Lord,
it beIongs with the head of the house of Ichimonji.
But Father is keeping his titIe and insignia.
Without them, you are a shadow.
What do you mean?
He made it cIear
that I am now in command.
In that case,
behave as if you are.
You want the banner?
Ridiculous! You take back what you give.
lt is Lord Taro's order!
See the Iord, a gourd in the wind
Swinging this way...
Swinging that way...
Spinning as the breeze blows
So high up...
DangIing holIow from the tower
lsn't it fun?
ViIlain! I'lI teach you!
See the Iord, a gourd in the wind
Swinging this way...
Swinging that way...
Spinning as the breeze blows
So high up...
DangIing holIow from the tower
What fun, what fun!
It's Ogura.
l have a message.
Lord Taro is hoIding a famiIy gathering
to celebrate the transfer of power.
He invites his honoured father.
You too, Lord Ikoma.
Your "family gathering" is onIy us?
PIease, father-in-law,
won't you sit down?
l am to sit beIow you?
Who am I?
The honourable father of my husband.
ls that aIl?
And the Great Lord, is he dead?
Don't joke.
l am not joking!
l retain my title and my status.
Have you forgotten?
No, of course not.
It's you who forget.
You gave fulI authority to me.
What do you want?
l gave you this castle...
l moved out, reduced my escort...
They may be few in number, but they're boisterous enough.
What is that song?
With such goings-on,
how can I make myseIf obeyed?
They are warriors, unschooIed in manners.
They like comic songs.
Comic songs can go too far!
That song makes fun of me!
My guard was defending my honour.
Yet, you went ahead and kiIled him.
l cannot alIow that.
This once, l'Il overIook it.
But l must have your promise
that it won't happen again.
You wiIl sign this
and seal it with your bIood.
"Pledge"?
This is nonsense!
Read it.
"Pledge:
"Firstly,
"l cede to Taro Takatora the domains of lchimonji.
"Secondly,
"l make him sole ruler of the house of Ichimonji.
"ThirdIy,
"though I am Taro's father,
"I shalI submit to his authority and act accordingIy.
"l swear by aIl the deities.
"May they punish me if l disobey."
I'm to seal it with my bIood? This silIy thing?
Everything it contains
was procIaimed by you yourself
before witnesses.
What does it change if you sign it?
Are you a son?
What do you mean?
Is this a son's attitude?
The hen pecks the cock
and makes him a crow.
I wilI not stay here.
FortunateIy,
l have another son.
Thank you, you did welI.
l was born and raised in this castIe.
It beIongs to my father.
I left it to marry you.
My father and brothers, after the marriage,
relaxed their vigiIance.
Hidetora murdered them.
Now I am back in my famiIy castle.
How l have longed for this day.
Right there,
my mother took her own Iife.
Father is on his way.
My brother sent him packing.
He says Father grows eccentric...
It would be unwise to let him stay here.
Father's counseIlor, Ikoma,
is privy to my brother's pIans.
This severity is unIike Lord Taro.
And you, my Lord,
why do you do nothing?
He's right.
You should succeed the Great Lord.
Lord Taro is a weakIing.
The stake is Iarge: gamble for it.
Then you are wilIing to gambIe with me?
Absolutely.
Dogs turn on a master who gives up the chase.
Sound the horn or become the quarry.
How the dogs howl!
I must say, l find it unfair.
Born twelve months after Taro,
so aIl my life l must grovel at his feet.
Crack these bonds!
Good for you, my Lord!
Don't lick your chops yet.
Taro is easy pickings.
His wife, Lady Kaede, is another story.
Quite true.
She'd be a perfect match for you.
Why not steal her?
Don't be impertinent!
First of aIl, there's Father.
He stiIl has thirty warriors.
Each one is worth a thousand.
He'Il soon be here and so wilI they.
Any ideas?
Open the gates!
Hidetora is here!
I wilI seek out Sue first.
TeIl Jiro l want to see him.
Sue!
Praise be
to the EternaI Western Paradise
Praise be to the EternaI Buddha in 36 trilIion manifestations
Praise be to Amida Buddha
I knew you'd be here.
Father-in-law!
Never mind the ceremony.
lt's been a long time.
Let me Iook at you.
StilI the same sad face.
When l see you, it breaks my heart.
lt's worse when you smiIe.
l burned down your castle,
you father and mother perished.
And you look at me Iike that!
Look upon me with hatred.
lt wouId be easier to bear.
Go on, hate me!
l don't hate you.
AlI is decided in our previous Iives.
The Buddha embraces alI things.
Buddha again!
He is gone from the evil world.
His guardians are in exiIe,
routed by the fury of Ashur.
We can't rely on Buddha's mercy.
There you are, Jiro.
I've come to be your guest.
l'm disappointed in Taro.
l already know.
It's aIl in my brother's letter.
Taro wrote to you?
He says your guards
were unruly and vuIgar.
l am to receive you with courtesy.
But I cannot let your warriors inside the castle waIls.
What's this?
I'm to come alone,
Ieaving my men to rot outside?
My brother is the head of the cIan.
I have no choice but to obey him.
If you disIike his conditions,
then it might be best
to go back and apologize.
Apologize to Taro?
Go back?
Stop!
Lord Kurogane!
Lord Shirane!
What does this mean?
Lord lkoma!
An order from Hidetora.
"We arrived suddenIy,
"the castle is unprepared.
"Withdraw and wait outside."
Enough is enough, I understand.
You too,
you're just Iike Taro.
You want to be rid of me.
I'm too much trouble.
That's not true.
lf you were aIone, l'd weIcome you gladIy.
The Great Lord goes nowhere aIone.
You renounced your power.
You have no need of an escort.
OnIy the birds and the beasts
Iive in solitude.
l've heard enough excuses.
Open the gates!
You needn't worry.
lt's not for my men to enter,
but for me to Ieave!
Open the gates!
Now cIose them!
l wiIl not see you again.
Ever!
The vilIages are deserted.
Not a grain of rice anywhere.
The peasants took everything and fled to the mountains.
My Lord!
We must go to the Third CastIe.
It was your first victory.
Go back where you started...
No, Ikoma!
If l couId do that,
would l roam the pIain hungry?
Use your head!
What kind of weIcome would l get,
l, who banished the Iord of the castle?
By order of Lord Taro Takatora,
head of the lchimonji cIan,
I take possession of this castle.
Open the gates!
Without our master, Saburo,
the castIe is nothing to us.
We leave it to you.
We wilI foIlow him and die for him.
We hear he is with us, Lord Fujimaki.
We go to join him.
It's Tango!
l have rice, bean curd, plums...
I folIowed you
and saw how you suffered.
Though banished, l am stiIl your loyal vassaI.
Is it reaIly Tango?
Hold on!
Don't take charity from peasants.
A samurai wiIl starve rather than beg.
The peasants are presumptuous.
Burn their vilIages!
Wait, my Lord!
Don't blame the peasants.
Rather than disobey Taro's decree, they fled.
What decree?
That you are banished.
Anyone who helps you...
wilI die.
Now I understand.
You tried to warn me of this.
Laugh, Tango.
Wretched Hidetora
rejected by his children,
driven from his castIes,
with no pIace to go.
You have a pIace to go, my Lord.
Master Saburo
has found refuge with Lord Fujimaki.
Go to him.
No, I can't.
How could l ever face him?
Listen to me!
AIl Saburo wants is your weIfare.
lf I'm disguised Iike this,
if l foIlowed you so far,
it's aIl thanks to him.
He sent me to protect you.
l have news.
Saburo's men gave up the castIe.
They went to join Lord Fujimaki.
Now Fujimaki's pIot is cIear.
First, he takes Saburo,
then Saburo's warriors,
then the lordship himself.
The lchimonjis battIe each other.
And he walks off with your Iand.
That's a Iie!
He's not that kind of man!
We must go to the Third Castle!
But Taro's general has taken it!
Ogura? He won't touch us.
What do l smelI?
A very fishy stink!
Ogura has only a few men.
We can beat them easily.
My horse!
That's it, hurry!
"HelI is ever at hand, which you cannot say of Heaven."
Stay behind if you're afraid!
And yet,
aIl we did was telI the truth.
The enemy...
l know! CaIl Ikoma and Ogura!
It's a trap; they tricked us!
We're surrounded, overwheImed!
We truly are in HeIl!
Lord Taro is sIain.
What?
So be it!
A stray shot from the tower.
The fortunes of war.
The fates are kinder to you.
And Father?
He'lI commit seppuku.
We are Iost!
Prepare yourself.
FareweIl, my Lord!
Go back!
Lord Jiro!
The die is cast; do not falter.
You chose this path, folIow it.
lt leads to absoIute ruIership.
You can no longer turn back.
Is he mad?
And better off for it.
What do you mean?
Please, my Lord, come to your wits!
ln a mad worId, onIy the mad are sane.
What do you see?
Forgive me!
Oh excelIent!
The faiIed mind sees the heart's failings.
The wonder of it!
I see on this withered pIain
AlI those I destroyed
A phantom army
One by one, they come floating
Rising before me
Who's there?
TraveIlers stranded by the storm.
Let us stay the night.
My house is too poor for visitors.
We ask nothing speciaI.
I'm sorry, l must be alone.
Why? Are you diseased?
No.
Then Iet us in.
l cannot.
The one who seeks sheIter
is the Great Lord himself.
We're coming in.
Our Lord was taken ilI. He is wet through.
Bring something to cover him.
I'm cold...
Tango...
He is himself again.
More's the pity.
He is better off mad.
Listen to me.
l, Hidetora,
was attacked by my own sons.
I was betrayed by my vassaI.
That's not the worst.
Because of me,
my loyal men died a useless death.
As fate wouId have it,
onIy I survived,
I, who should have died.
You there! Woman!
I am not a woman.
It's so dark, bring the Iight.
l have no Iight.
I have no need of one.
Are your eyes so poor?
Are you Lady Sue's brother,
young Lord Tsurumaru?
Tsurumaru?
lt's been a long time,
Lord Hidetora.
You remember me?
How could l forget you?
I was onIy a boy.
But, couId I forget the man
who burned down our castIe?
Who, in exchange for my Iife,
gouged out my eyes?
I try to be Iike my sister.
To pray Buddha,
and rid myseIf of hatred.
But not one day l do forget!
Not one night do I sleep in peace!
I regret l cannot weIcome you
as befits the Great Lord.
Luckily... my sister gave me a flute.
I wilI play for you.
Lacking everything eIse,
l give you hospitality of the heart.
lt is the only pleasure
left to me.
Sister-in-Iaw,
here is my brother's hair.
He died in the battIe.
UnfortunateIy, it falIs on me
to bring this unhappy news.
Ogura...
Where is my husband's body?
ln this heat,
it was too unsightly to be displayed.
We burned it where it Iay.
We held funeral rites at a tempIe.
Ogura...
Where are his armour and heImet?
You're mocking me.
I'm wearing them.
Surely you recognise them.
Of course.
But l didn't dream
you wouId wear them so soon after his death.
So l chose not to see them.
You surprise me.
I had thought
my brother would be pIeased to see me in his armour.
lt was stupid of me.
Forgive me.
Help me take it off!
Sister-in-Iaw,
I am about to be naked.
Lords lkoma and Ogura, you have worked welI
to further our interests.
We appreciate it.
These gifts are a token of thanks.
They're aIso a parting gift.
FareweIl.
Lord Jiro feels it unwise
to keep you in his service.
Men who betray one master may betray another.
A reasonable point of view.
NaturalIy you are disappointed,
but bear no grudges.
ls that clear?
Good!
The Lady Kaede is here.
Send her in.
My apologies for my harsh words.
I am ashamed.
The incident is forgotten.
They say your father has gone mad.
That should please you.
What do you mean by that?
l spoke frankly,
without gilding my thoughts.
Forgive me if I offended.
You must hate my father
for what he did to your family.
Am I wrong?
Now it's my turn to be frank.
You are just as pIeased as l am.
Lord Jiro, you are now head
of the house of Ichimonji.
This heImet is rightfuIly yours.
l am not blind!
You murdered your brother,
and stole his titIe!
Prepare to die!
No...
Even now,
you deny it?
It wasn't l who kilIed my brother.
Then who did?
Speak!
Who was it?
It was...
Kurogane.
Hypocrite!
You gave the order, but won't take the bIame.
A fine leader!
You give in so easiIy.
Now l wiIl telI you the truth!
I don't care about Taro's death.
What concerns me,
is my own future.
l won't be a widow with my hair cropped,
nor a nun, with my head shaved.
This castle was my father's.
I won't leave it!
Consider my request weIl.
For my part, l'Il say nothing
of your abominabIe crimes.
I won't reproach you,
or speak against you.
If l did, the kingdom wouId spIit.
But aIways remember...
l can destroy you!
Is it a bargain, Lord Jiro?
My Lord...
Yes, sister-in-Iaw?
Sister-in-law?
After what we've just done?
By rights,
I realIy shouId be
your wife.
I have my wife, Sue.
I'lI be merely your concubine?
No... no...
You're mine.
No one else shaIl have you.
Don't cry, Kaede.
You won't just be a concubine.
As Iong as Lady Sue is there...
I'lI attend to her.
But how?
I'lI repudiate her.
That's not what l want!
After our ecstasy,
l can't bear it that another woman
has known your touch.
Such a woman cannot remain alive.
WelI now, look where we are.
lf fortune had run true,
Tsurumaru would Iive here.
You shelter in the very ruins
of the castle you burned.
Ignorance is bIiss, indeed.
Your heImet, my Lord.
Your pIumes.
Don't you Iook regal!
Help, here come demons!
Two of them!
Traitors! You must pay!
No, wait!
Let us explain!
Save your breath.
I know aIl about your treachery.
Die, traitor!
Jiro kilIed Taro!
Madness saved Hidetora.
lf he recovers his wits,
he'lI be kiIled, too.
Jiro slew Taro, our lord is next.
We must take him to master Saburo.
lf only we could.
Mention Saburo and he runs away.
He doesn't dare face him.
On that point, he's sane.
What about Master Saburo?
WouId you like to see him?
The onIy way is to bring Saburo here.
Maybe he can talk sense to him.
l'Il be back as soon as I can.
Take good care of him.
Lady Kaede Ieads you by the nose.
If you wish to marry, fine.
But kilI Lady Sue for that?
Sometimes, kiIling is necessary.
But to kiIl on a whim!
The order is unreasonable,
I must refuse.
Lord Kurogane...
At the Second Castle,
there is a suppIy of salt?
Of course. Why?
When you bring back her head,
salt it first.
Otherwise, in this heat, we'Il be unabIe to Iook at it.
Lady Sue is so beautiful,
it wouId be ungracious to her.
Since you wiIl go personalIy,
there wilI be no mistake.
Do it as you see it.
Why stay with this mad old man?
If the rock you sit on starts to rolI,
jump cIear.
Or you'Il go with it and be squashed.
Only a fool stays aboard.
What is this place?
Paradise!
Think of it.
AIl my life,
I've been his nurse.
Good boy...
Sweet dreams.
I, Kurogane, am back.
Approach!
Thank you for being quick.
At your service, my lady.
I have brought the object
as per your instructions.
Be so kind as to examine it.
l'Il be the first to look.
What is this?
Your joking goes too far!
ls anything wrong?
lmagine that!
Lady Sue was a fox in disguise.
Enough of your tricks!
This is a statue of a shrine.
CIever fox: first become a human,
then turns himself to stone.
Are you making a fooI of me?
Certainly not.
There are many foxes hereabouts.
lt is said they take human form.
Take care, my Lord.
They often impersonate women.
In Central Asia, a fox seduced King Pan Tsu,
and made him kilI 1 000 men.
ln China, he married King Yu and ravaged the Iand.
ln Japan, as Princess Tamamo,
he caused great havoc at court.
He became a white fox with nine taiIs.
Then they Iost trace of him.
Some peopIe say
he settIed down here.
So beware, my Lord, beware.
This is how you keep our bargain.
You conspire with Kurogane
to humiliate me!
No, you're wrong.
Intolerable!
lt's Kurogane's doing.
Always Kurogane!
ls he your only vassal?
He's the vilIain who kiIls Taro.
He's the hero who saves Sue.
A two-headed monster!
This is your "right arm"?
UntiI l have Sue's head,
you shalI not see me again!
Sister... my flute!
We've no time to get it!
l've had it since boyhood.
What shaIl we do?
Kurogane said they'lI pursue you.
I'lI go back for the flute.
Your Iegs are oId.
l'm the one to go.
We're near the ruins of your castIe.
Go there and pray for your dead.
You may never be back again.
Tsurumaru, Iet's hurry.
l see our castIe. That is, what's left of it.
Which way, sister?
Over there.
Where?
Earth and sky are topsy-turvy.
I was the fool and made him Iaugh.
Now the coin is flipped.
Don't be mute, say something.
You speak nonsense, I'lI speak truth.
We'lI see what comes of it.
Begin, oId man!
A serpent's egg is white and pure.
A bird's is speckIed and soiIed.
This is a castle...
Here's a walI.
The bird Ieft the speckled egg for the white.
Strange...
The egg cracks, out comes a snake.
Empty space above the waIl.
Why?
The bird is gobbIed by the snake.
Where am I?
Who am I?
Stupid bird!
Saburo...
lt hurts.
I'm a worm, don't crush me!
Who'd bother to crush a worm?
Who are you?
ls someone crying?
Who's crying?
HeIl!
Man is born crying.
When he's cried enough, he dies.
Saburo has crossed the river.
He's now in Hachiman FieId.
lt makes no sense. What can he do with such few men?
Message from Lord Saburo.
He is here to find his father.
That done, he wilI Ieave in peace.
Fujimaki is at the border.
l don't Iike it.
l didn't want reinforcements.
You should be gIad.
Thanks to Fujimaki,
the enemy is pinned down here.
We can rescue your father from Azusa Plain.
But it looks so aggressive.
One false move couId mean war.
Maybe I was too hasty.
My worry spurred me on,
but my son-in-law wilI grumble.
Sitting here, we pose no threat.
Prepare for battIe!
My Lord, this is ilI-advised.
Let Saburo have his father.
Avoid this war.
Once he has Father,
he'Il accuse me of treason and attack.
We can't give up Hidetora,
we don't know where he is.
There is much unrest in the land.
Fujimaki and Ayabe bide their time.
We need to retrench, not attack.
Lady Kaede awaits Lord Jiro
to ceIebrate his departure for battIe.
A warIord doesn't run to his woman.
Stay away.
When the enemy is assembIed,
we can go after his Iordship.
Be patient. Rest the horses!
Dismount!
Weakling!
Kurogane has swayed you again.
No.
lt's no time for war.
Wars are won by strong leaders.
Why fear Fujimaki and Ayabe?
Your mistake
was to spare Hidetora, mad or not.
To kilI him, l have to find him.
Saburo knows where he is.
Otherwise, he wouIdn't have come.
Send him a message.
Say he can have his father.
Watch his movements
and send out your assassins.
I'm Iost.
Such is the human condition.
This path,
I remember...
We came this way before.
Men always traveI the same road.
lf you're tired of it, jump!
Up there.
Who is it?
Sue!
Sister, that voice...
This ruin was once a castle.
lt belonged to Sue's father.
I destroyed it.
Why am I here?
Why is Sue here?
And Tsurumaru too!
Is this a dream?
No, this is HelI.
The lowest level of HeIl.
Mount!
Message from Lord Jiro!
Very good.
He says he won't attack.
We're to leave once we have Father.
Let's go at once.
We'd give away his whereabouts.
Wait tilI dark.
Ayabe is on the move.
Vulture! He smelIs blood!
Stay caIm, my Lord.
Ayabe is watching.
So is Fujimaki.
They're waiting.
Don't give them an excuse to attack.
He wants Father, but makes no move.
What's his game?
She's taking so long.
l'Il go to see what's keeping her.
No, don't!
Never mind the flute.
You're acting Iike a chiId.
I don't want to be alone again.
You won't be aIone.
This image of the Buddha Amida
wilI protect you in my pIace.
Sister!
l won't be gone Iong.
Sister!
I found Kyoami crying on Azusa PIain.
Where's our master?
Forgive me!
He's disappeared.
You lost him
on the plain?
Now we can't wait for dark.
I'm going to Azusa PIain.
Keep the enemy busy here.
Ten men folIow Lord Saburo!
He's moving...
He's heading for Azusa Plain.
Gunnery captain!
Take your men to Azusa Plain
and lay an ambush.
A reward for whoever kiIls Saburo.
Are you mad?
Break your word and it's war!
So be it. lt was inevitabIe.
Saburo is not our only enemy.
So what?
lf they attack, we retaIiate.
We grab their Iand,
and enIarge our own.
Fine words, but words don't win wars.
Where's the dog eager for prey?
Kaede's right.
You're a mouse posing for a mastiff.
Kaede barks and you grovel.
SiIence!
Stay behind!
If you fear to fight, desert!
lf I desert,
where could l go?
Captain! You have your orders...
Go!
Message for Lord Saburo.
"Enemy gunners coming: take care."
lnfantry...
Forward!
Thinks he's smart.
Get ready, men!
We're moving into the woods!
Father!
What a sky!
Am l in the other worId?
ls this paradise?
Father!
Why are you so crueI?
Why pulI me from my grave?
Don't you know me?
Father!
Father?
What do you mean by "father"?
Wait, I remember.
I had three sons.
Are you one of them?
Yes, I am Saburo.
Saburo?
lt's you!
l have no face to show you,
no words to excuse myseIf.
Give me poison to drink,
l'Il swalIow it gIadly.
Don't talk like that.
l don't hate you, Father.
No sweet lies, l've had my filI.
Does he Iook Iike a hypocrite?
True, soft words often deceive.
But my Lord, look at him!
Tears Iike these
can onIy come from the heart.
Come with me.
You'Il live with us,
and forget this bad dream.
lf only you can forget
my crueIty to you.
Forgive me.
I am a stupid oId fooI.
Attack!
The enemy is in the woods.
Our superior strength is useIess there.
Then, they'Il burn them out!
Charge!
PulI back!
We outnumber them.
Crush them!
Ayabe is marching on the First CastIe.
lmpossible.
He's on the ridge!
Those troops are a decoy.
PulI back!
Forward!
That's enough!
Another cheer!
l have so much to say.
When we're alone and quiet,
we wiIl talk, father to son.
That's aIl I want.
Nothing eIse.
He is dead.
l know when one is dead.
He is dead.
You and l Iive!
But Saburo...
You can't die.
I have taIes to teIl,
forgiveness to ask.
Is this justice?
Are you gone forever?
Keep away!
lt grows dark...
SeniIe oId fooI.
Do not calI back his spirit.
He has suffered enough.
Lord Saburo!
Victory is ours!
The enemy is retreating with Ayabe in pursuit.
We've won!
Alas!
It doesn't seem possibIe.
He isn't here to share this.
Hidetora is aIso gone... why?
Are there no gods... no Buddha?
lf you exist, hear me!
You are mischievous and cruel!
Are you so bored up there,
you must crush us Iike ants?
Is it such fun to see men weep?
Enough! Do not bIaspheme!
lt is the gods who weep.
They see us kilIing each other
over and over since time began.
They can't save us from ourselves.
Don't cry!
lt's how the worId is made.
Men prefer sorrow over joy,
suffering over peace.
Look at them in the First CastIe.
They revel in pain and bIoodshed.
They ceIebrate murder.
We'lI stay, you go to the tower.
Where's Lord Jiro?
Whose head is that... Saburo's or Hidetora's?
Neither. My lord ordered me to...
Is Lady Kaede the master here?
l serve you, but never her!
Fox-deviI!
Your scheming destroyed the house of lchimonji!
Such is the vanity of woman!
Vanity, you say?
I wanted to avenge my family!
I wanted this castIe to burn!
I have done aIl I set out to do.
My Lord, prepare to die.
I, Kurogane, wiIl folIow you.
EngIish adaptation by Anne Brav
SubtitIing: C.M.C. - Paris