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SHOCHIKU presents

THE FAMOUS SWORD BIJOMARU

A SHOCHIKU production

1945

Kiyone: Shotaro HANAYAGI

Kiyotsugu: Kan ISHII

The master smith: Eijiro YANAGI

Onoda: Ichijiro OYA

His daughter, Sasae: Isuzu YAMADA

Directed by Kenji MIZOGUCHI

Did you forge it for sir Onoda?

Yes.

You became someone thanks to him.

Even if it's not enough to thank him,

you put all your current knowledge in it.

He will be very happy.

Come dear elder, I'll do your hair.

Sit down. Here.

My hairstyle doesn't matter.

But it does, it does!

Miss Onoda might be there. I'll make you look good.

Don't talk rubbish.

Even if she's there, I'm nothing to her eyes.

Yet, you love her.

Watch your tongue.

Don't talk like that about my benefactor's daughter.

No matter what you say, you keep thinking of her.

Strike! Go ahead, strike!

Don't hold back.

Strike, even if I don't wear a helmet!

Strike!

Father!

You defeated me.

You said "Strike!" and I couldn't feel my strength.

It's good. Very good. That's what you must do.

But you hurt me.

Who's there?

Please forgive my long silence.

Why are you smiling?

I'm amazed by the young lady's progress.

You're enjoying it that she hit me.

Oh no, not at all.

I'm finished the making of what I spoke to you about.

Please have a look.

You were faster than I expected.

Bring it here.

A nice piece.

Is it ready?

Yes.

What an edge!

It's you, master, who excel.

I'll keep it for my personal use.

Yes.

I was dreaming of making a sword for you since a long time.

And I finally did it.

Master, the time has come.

His highness is back at the castle.

I'm on duty by the palanquin.

I'll go with my new sword.

Thank you.

The master left with the sword I made.

At what time does he come back?

Are you worried?

Yes.

It's the first that he's using a sword made by me.

Father seemed very happy when he left.

Indeed.

I'm also overjoyed.

I was an orphan

and he raised me since I was 12 years old.

Even if I dedicate my life to it,

I won't be able to return the favors.

Fatehr always considered you like his own child.

You love swords since your childhood.

He thought that you would make a good weaponsmith

so he asked master Kyohide to teach you.

And that's how

I could make his personal sword so quickly.

I'm really...

I'm...

Miss,

is the leader of today's escort Naito Kaname?

Indeed.

Miss!

Is it true that sir Naito...

is very attached to you?

At least that's what people say.

IS the rumour true?

Miss!

Tell me...

miss...

is it true?

The rebels who attacked the procession

were ronins opposed to the shogun.

They've all been arrested.

And His Highness is safe.

He's very grateful,

especially to the men who were protecting the palanquin.

To show his gratitude,

he is inviting you to celebrate your feat.

Sir Onoda Kozaemon,

Today,

you fought bravely,

but your broken sword

prevented you from showing your skill

and we're very sorry.

We did everything we could

so he wouldn't know.

But since you're the best of us,

his anger is great.

The soul of a warrior can't be split.

You're put under house arrest.

It's hard, but the order can't be bypassed.

- Stop! What are you doing? - Miss!

Drop it! Drop it!

No! It's impossible!

Let me die!

It's impossible!

Drop it!

Miss!

My benefactor has been humiliated because of my incompetence.

I not worthy to see him again.

Do you think that cutting your belly open will solve my father's problem?

It's surely not what he wishes.

To right this wrong,

I'm sure that the only way,

is to make a good sword.

Put all your heart into it

and make a great sword

which will contain all of today's resentment.

Master!

What is the flaw of this one?

- Don't you see? - Indeed.

I don't see.

This sword has no soul.

What?

No soul?

Why do we forge a sword?

Who do we forge it for?

Me, it's for sir Onoda.

All has been said?

There's nothing else?

A man only has one life.

A sword is passed from generation to generation.

Do you think that Onoda alone,

can carry this immortal soul?

I'm really sorry about the incredible severity

of this house arrest.

You didn't deserve it.

I'm myself so saddened

that I'm thinking about going to ask

for his forgiveness to His Highness.

That's why I'm defying the interdiction to speak to you.

Tell me, sir Onoda,

do you have any objection if we intervene?

Sir Naito is His Highness' favourite.

He wil probably listen to him.

Do you want him to intervene?

I'm most obliged to you.

All right.

Put yourself in his hands.

Without false modesty, I'll also help on my side.

Everything will be fine.

You'll only have to be patient.

Now, sir Onoda,

I'll ask you something extravagant,

but, as you know,

sir Naito is still single.

He hasn't chosen his bride yet.

In fact, he's very attached to your daughter, miss Sasae,

and would like to marry her.

He's been in love with her for a long time

as he told me several times.

That's why I accepted

to bring him my support.

This union is the best thing that happen to your family.

I suppose that you will accept?

As the son of a good family, sir Naito is beyong reproach.

I don't think you will refuse,

but I prefer to check your answer.

Sir Onoda,

You can't have an opposite opinion.

I refuse.

But you're well aware that our concern was your salvation...

I thank you for your kindness.

I flatly refuse.

Leave.

But the removal of your arrest...

My daughter won't be used as bait.

Go back home.

It's an insult!

Sir Naito!

Sir Naito!

"Our country is the country of the gods.

"The god of heaven created it.

"And the goddess of the sun ruled it with her long lineage.

"Only our country is such.

"No other country is the same.

"That's why it's the country of the gods.

"In the age of the gods, we called it

"the country of the fertile plains and ricefields.

"This name exists since the birth of heaven and earth.

"The divine ancestor, Kuninotokotachi no mikoto,

"ordered to the male and female principles to be joined together.

"Goddess Amaterasu

"ordered her divine grand son

"to come down to the islands that were created..."

Who are tonight guests?

Ronins from the Emperor Party.

Our master sees quite a lot of shogun's enemies.

Who's there?

Who's there?

Master!

Master!

The emperor ordered me

to forge an invincible sword.

Overwhelmed by this honour,

I, blacksmith Munechika,

implore the gods

to help me with this task.

They lent me a Munechika sword.

Look.

Munechika?

Blacksmith Kokaji Munechika

respectfully received

an order from emperor Ichijo.

Helped by the fox god, he forged this "Fox Cub".

He's a blacksmith blessed by the gods

who had the honour of making an imperial sword.

Myself,

I'm as good a smith as he is,

but what's the use of this knowledge?

And for who?

My heart isn't in it.

I have no goal.

Give me a goal.

Light the fire of my soul!

Are you still suffering?

Possessed by the fury of the moment,

I committed this unthinkable act.

Onoda was so proud of his style.

There's no way you could foresee that.

Go to Kyoto without regrets

where you'll wait for the right moment.

His Highness holds you in high esteem,

he will ask for your return soon.

We'll do everything we can so he forgives you.

The boat is ready.

- Is it the time? - Yes.

Farewell then.

Be sure to get to Kanagawa before dawn.

All right.

That's enough!

Don't listen to him! Go on!

Keep going!

I told you to stop!

He's drunk. Please forgive him.

Forgive me. I'm sorry.

Good evening sirs.

Dear elder,

the master will be worried.

Let's go back. Come on, let's go.

Listen...

stop tormenting yourself.

You won't ressurect sir Onoda

by getting drunk.

We'll learn sooner or later where his daughter is hiding.

Stop drowning your sorrows.

Let's go back home.

Come with me.

I killed my benefactor.

Naito wasn't his enemy. It was me.

He's been put under house arrest because of my sword.

And then...

Our master said

that he wants to forge again.

I was surprised when he said that he wanted to work.

He asked me to get you.

We've got some work to do. Let's come back home.

I won't forge any sword ever again.

What?

My sword killed my benefactor.

It's over.

Over.

"By being born in this country,

"we follow the way of the subject, which is loyalty and self-sacrifice.

"This is nothing heroic. It is serving the emperor.

"The emperor encourages the young generations

"and allows rewards to mourning families.

"Such is the imperial government.

"One must not conspicuously brag.

"And certainly not when the deeds aren't amazing.

"One must restrain himself of any envy.

"And model his behavior

"on previous generations."

So what!

Miss!

I was right.

It's really you!

Kiyone!

I checked the whole city

to try to find you.

I'm happy to see you.

Miss!

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry!

There's no use feeling sorry.

It won't bring back my father.

Let's forget it.

Father has been murdered

and time went by slowly.

Naito Kaname retreated in a clan house in Kyoto.

He still hasn't been punished for this murder.

He's in Kyoto?

I'll get Kaname.

I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow.

Kyoto?

Miss,

let me come with you.

Allow me to come with you.

First,

you must forge a sword to avenge my father.

A sword?

If I avenge him with a sword made by you,

my father will be very happy.

Please. Make me a good sword.

Will I be able

to forge such a sword?

Yes, if you put all your heart into it.

Someone's coming!

Kiyotsugu?

Is it you, Kiyone?

What happened?

The authorities attacked the ronins

during the reading.

And the master?

He escaped with them.

I wonder where he is.

Master!

I understand.

I understand now.

Kiyone,

Kiyotsugu, look.

Look at that.

Kunimura,

Kuniyoshi,

Kunitoki, Kuniyasu.

Kyushu's blacksmiths: The Enjus.

The Ashikaga shoguns

never got any swords from this family.

The Enjus, with their fortitude,

were loyal to the emperor.

The Ashikagas had stolen the emperor's power.

The Enjus forged their swords to wipe them out.

The soul of the smith is the soul of the sword.

A Japanese sword must always

be forged with this spirit.

I suffered of having lost my blacksmith's goal.

I spent days doing nothing.

But I understood.

I finally understood.

We'll forge a sword to avenge sir Onoda,

but it will be the last time.

For 200 years, the clan of the shoguns...

usurped the power,

diverting the long imperial lineage.

And it's for these Tokugawa usurpers

that I made swords!

Shame on me, Kiyohide!

Master!

Now I know the soul of the sword,

I know where the way of the blacksmith leads.

I regret so much

to die before the day of the imperial restoration.

I'm asking you,

after my death...

to keep this workshop open.

Continue..

Master!

Master!

Gather your master's soul.

And from now on,

only make swords for no other than the emperor.

But then, master,

to avenge sir Onoda,

can't I forge a sword?

Enju Kunimura

once made a sword for emperor Godaigo.

Someone else used it to avenge him.

The blacksmith and the warrior

were brought together inside the soul of the sword.

Master!

Don't close the workshop.

Gather...

and pass on my soul.

My soul...

We'll pass it on.

Master!

"My master Kiyohide

"committed suicide by seppuku."

He opened his stomach!

"Kiyotsugu and I,

"respecting his will,

"are staying in Yotsuya, at the workshop.

"While carrying on with our training,

"we're working without stopping.

"We're missing our master,

"but we're trying to forge a sword of vengeance,

"worthy of you...

"We're still clumsy

"and I don't know what the result will be.

"I'm very sad.

"I wonder where our enemy Naito Kaname is.

"This subject is close to my heart..."

"Even if your master isn't no longer with you, you gathered his soul.

"Manage to make a great sword as fast as possible.

"I seeked shelter at Kennin Temple.

"Concerning Naito, he left the clan residence

"and nobody knows where he is."

She's hiding in a temple?

The Onoda graves are at the Kennin Temple.

"The shogun's army arrived to Kyoto. The city is agitated

"and the imperial restoration seems close.

"The vengeance of my father is filling my mind.

"I'm really grieved.

"I'd like to work for our country

"as soon as I can.

"I'm impatiently waiting for your sword."

Let's start!

Let's make this sword!

We can't stay like that while she's waiting!

Let's go! Let's get to work!

It's hopeless!

Unreclaimable.

Let's start over!

There's still some steel left.

Let's begin.

I can't stand it any longer!

Don't lose heart like that!

Take heart!

- Let's go! - No way.

My hammer is shaking.

I'm not very sure of myself.

Do you remember the master last words?

"Gathering Kiyohide's soul,

"from now on,

"you must make swords for no other than the emperor."

I promise I made to Miss Onoda is painful.

The master's will on one side ,

the promise to Miss Onoda on the other.

I'm torn between them.

I can't control myself.

I won't be able to make a sword as long as I'll be like that.

Dear elder,

my only desire is to make an oustanding sword.

I'm not skilful.

I can't don't know anything about loyalty.

My only wish,

is to make an oustanding sword.

Kiyotsugu!

Kiyone,

I need help. I won't make it alone.

Hire someone!

Hire someone to replace me.

If this sword is flawed,

we won't have any steel left, and I don't know until when.

If we mess this one up,

we won't have much chance of making any other.

I can't do it alone!

Hire someone.

Please. Find me an assistant.

Will this assistant have our soul?

We must forge according to our master's soul.

We're not good enough.

We won't make it!

Stop whining.

Be strong!

Kiyotsugu!

What an edge!

We did it!

Miss!

What's up?

Was has been declared between the shogun army and the imperial forces.

The shogun is against the regime change.

Kiyone's sword won't come on time.

What a pity!

Thank Bouddha.

Is Miss Onoda here?

Yes, sir.

Visitors from Edo.

Kiyone?

Who?

Miss!

Help us.

Kuwana clan's general,

Naito Kaname, is wanted to avenge a father.

These three are asking to cross our lines.

Naito Kaname is our enemy.

If you don't kill him today,

we'll kill him tomorrow.

He's my father's enemy

and the emperor's enemy.

Killing him will put us to the emperor service.

I see. It's fine.

Your wish is granted. Go with them.

All right.

We're surrouding him from three directions. He can only escape here. Be quick.

Will it be all right?

I'll go. Stay by my side.

Naito Kaname!

Miss!

As the master wanted,

this sword finally served the emperor.

This sword is absolutely perfect.

May it protect you forever.

Keep it forever with you.

I hope that with this sword,

you too will stay with me for the rest of your life.

Miss!

THE END

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