All language subtitles for Samurai Rebellion DVDrip H.264 {Big_A_Little_A} {Samurai RG}

RELEASED BY TOHO CO.,JAPAN LTD.

A TOHO-MIFUNE PRODUCTION

Executive Producer
TOMOYUKI TANAKA

OriginaI Story by
YASUHIKO TAKIGUCHI

ScreenpIay by
SHINOBU HASHIMOTO

Cinematography by
KAZUO YAMADA

Music by
TORU TAKEMITSU

Production Design by
YOSHIRO MURAKI

Cast

TOSHIRO MIFUNE

YOKO TSUKASA GO KATO

SHIGERU KOYAMA,
MASAO MISHIMA and ISAO YAMAGATA

TATSUYOSHI EHARA
TATSUO MATSUMURA

TAKAMARU SASAKI
JUN HAMAMURA

ETSUKO ICHIHARA
MICHIKO OTSUKA

HISANO YAMAOKA
TOMOKO NITTO

TATSUYA NAKADAI

Directed by
MASAKI KOBAYASHI

SAMURAI REBELLION

Do you want to try, Tatewaki?

Isaburo Sasahara
of the escort group has tested it.

That's enough for me.

I see.

I'II teII the chamberIain
you both approve.

I'd rather see you two dueI
than mereIy test swords.

There are rumors in our cIan.

The reason you don't fight

is because it wouId hurt
the famiIy of the Ioser.

You both understand that,
and so you avoid a dueI.

Be that as it may.

Perhaps protecting your famiIy name

rather than promoting
your pride and rank

is the wisest way
to get aIong in this worId.

SIicing straw dummies
to test our Iord's sword.

What peacefuI times these are.

Now, now.
Think of it as one of our duties.

Isaburo, you're too attentive
to your superiors.

I'm used to it.

I married into my wife's famiIy
and have been henpecked for 20 years.

Did anything unusuaI happen?

No, nothing at aII.

WouId you Iike to Iook
at the November border record?

No, not if nothing unusuaI happened.

I'm returning to the castIe
with Sasahara.

Making rice cakes in November

But there are no customers

They're waiting anxiousIy
for the Inoko festivaI.

Inoko?

Does that mean the Suwa Shrine
festivaI begins tomorrow too?

The god who came down in February
and brought the rice harvest

departs tomorrow
untiI his return next year.

Do you reaIIy beIieve that?

No, I was just -

The hearts of chiIdren
are dociIe and precious.

They sing, beIieving it.

Perhaps you want a grandchiId?

Yes, as soon as I find
a bride for Yogoro.

It isn't settIed yet?

No. My wife Suga is the probIem.

It must be someone she approves of.

I keep quiet,

but I'd Iike a nice wife for Yogoro.

Someone strong, Ioving and faithfuI.

Is that the steward's?

Yes, he just arrived.
He's been waiting for you.

Making the steward wait.

You were probabIy
idIy chatting away to Asano

about useIess things
Iike martiaI arts again.

To have the steward honor us
with a visit

has never happened
in the Sasahara famiIy.

The truth is, Isaburo,

Lady Ichi has been
dismissed from the castIe.

Lady Ichi?

Yes.

It has been decided

to have her marry Yogoro,
your son.

Steward, why was Lady Ichi dismissed?

She incurred our Iord's dispIeasure.

But he's reIuctant
to give her to any man.

You're one of
our Iord's cavaIry escorts,

and given that your son
is a fine man, he chose him.

I'II return for an answer in a few days.

But Sasahara,

it is our Iord's decision,
so bear that in mind.

The steward is Ieaving!

Why shouId we accept Lady Ichi?

You shouId have refused at once.

What was it, of aII that happened,

that Ied our Iord to dismiss her?

In the first pIace, she -

I know.

The daughter
of the keeper of the records -

Everyone knows that.

The reason she was dismissed after
bearing our Iord's son, Kikuchiyo -

That's what I want to know.

- Mother, that's -
- You be quiet.

Three men gather in a room
and stiII have no idea what's going on.

How embarrassing.

It's Iike this.

After Lady Ichi bore her son Kikuchiyo,

she went to a spa to rest.

When she returned,
she saw Lady Tama with our Iord.

The daughter of Gohei Yamagiwa,
the man in charge of the castIe wardrobe,

was serving beside him.

Lady Ichi Iost her head on seeing this.

She sprang at Lady Tama,

sIapped her face,
and dragged her by the hair.

Then she seized our Iord
by his garments

and sIapped him repeatedIy.

A vain, wiId woman
who wouId attack our Iord -

How can we accept her?

But, Mother...

I think we shouId gratefuIIy
accept her without being difficuIt.

Bunzo!

No matter what you say,
we must accept her.

It's an order from our Iord.

I'm afraid...

I don't feeI very enthusiastic about it.

Neither do I.

But if I refuse,
there may be troubIe Iater.

Yogoro has said nothing,

but he wouIdn't be happy marrying
a Iord's mistress who has borne a chiId.

Marrying unwiIIingIy
and under pressure.

Different circumstances, but much Iike
my own marriage into the Sasahara famiIy.

I don't want him
to repeat my mistake.

Sasahara!

Isaburo,
I didn't find you at your office.

They said you'd be at the border.

I'm gIad I found you.

I heard everything.

The steward and chamberIain
are good judges.

AIert even in times of peace.

It's an honor that a member
of our group has been chosen.

But, Isaburo...

as for the marriage and other matters,

I suggest you keep things quiet.

You'II probabIy receive a Iarger fief.

So be modest about it or the others
wiII think you're showing off.

Understand?

Anyway, I congratuIate you.

A happy event.

What nerve.

He's not thinking of you
or your famiIy.

OnIy outward appearance
and infIuence matter with him.

WiII you draw on your secret principIes
of swordpIay?

Push and you step back.

Push further,
and you step back further.

But at the Iast moment,

you skiIIfuIIy switch
from defense to offense.

Yet you never attack.

You wait untiI your opponent tires.

In other words, untiI he gives up.

Unworthy?

Yes.

We cannot accept
our Iord's favored Iady.

There's no need to be so reserved.

It's happened before,

not just in the Aizu cIan,
but in every cIan.

I'm weII aware of that,

but even so, I wish to decIine the honor.

DecIine?

Sasahara, that wiII not be aIIowed.

It is our Iord's personaI wish.
You'd -

I mean no disrespect.

We are not worthy of such an honor.

You know our Iord's wish.

It's an order!

I wouId never disobey him,
but if I may decIine...

What?
To decIine is to defy the order!

No, I'd never do that.

It's just that
we're unworthy of the honor.

Sasahara.

You refuse to agree to it?

It's not about
agreeing or disagreeing.

We are unworthy of the honor.

What? You continue saying that?

Father,

I wish to accept the honor.

What?

Young men seem to be
more understanding.

I don't know what use it is
to think onIy of martiaI arts.

Isaburo Sasahara,
you seem a bit too stubborn.

May you enjoy long life together

We'll all be at your side as long as you live

This is a day of celebration

Let our spirits
celebrate this happiness

I am not very competent,

but I hope you wiII be good to me.

You may have been
our Iord's Iady once,

but you have now married
into the Sasahara famiIy.

Keep that in mind.

Suga, you needn't -

No. I must say it in order
to keep discipIine in our home.

A woman who was dismissed
after bearing a chiId.

Pampering her wouId spoiI her.

WeIcome back.

I'm sorry I didn't notice your return.

It's aII right.

Where's Nui?

Mother took her aIong
for prayer at Shonenji TempIe.

Where's Father?

He came home about an hour ago,
when his duties were done.

Ichi.

Mother may say things to offend you,
but don't mind her.

No, she doesn't offend me.

She kindIy teaches me
domestic duties.
*************************************************

I don't beIieve it.

If things grow disagreeabIe
and hard to bear,

think of Father.

Father?

Father finds

the way Mother thinks and taIks
disagreeabIe.

But despite that,

he has borne everything for 20 years.

Ichi, is dinner ready?

Yes, right away.

A bottIe of sake tonight as weII.

WhiIe the cat's away.

You mustn't.

If she'd just change a IittIe,
aII wouId be weII.

The worId never seems to go right.

""I wish to retire

and have Yogoro,
my eIdest son, succeed me.

I humbIy hope that
my request wiII be granted.''

Sasahara,

how are your son and his bride doing?

Very weII, I'm happy to say.

You made such a fuss about this
in the beginning,

but now it's aII going very weII?

I'm very sorry.

It's too earIy to retire, I think,

but his son has married, so -

AII right.

We'II ask the steward
to enquire of our Iord.

It won't take Iong
to obtain his approvaI.

So Isaburo Sasahara's retiring at Iast?

I didn't reaIize it at the time,

but it's a great reIief.

At the same time,
it's a IoneIy feeIing.

I wonder what I've done aII my Iife,

though it's not Iike me to do so.

Yogoro's marriage is
a very happy one.

Perhaps Iife wiII be a IittIe better
for our chiIdren.

At Ieast Yogoro's better off than me.

Fear often exceeds the perceived danger.
So it was in your case.

Yogoro's wife.

She's a fine wife.

I thought she'd be Iike a cannon,
ready to go off at any time.

But I was very wrong.

Suga's just the same as before,

but Ichi is aIways pIeasant
and never taIks back.

I don't understand.

Why did she attack our Iord then?

Like yourseIf,
I don't understand it either.

As I've said,
your duties won't be difficuIt.

Check the weapons in the armory
against the inventory Iist,

and have the men cIean them
on appointed days.

That's about aII.

It's harder to get aIong
with our superiors and feIIow vassaIs.

I don't say to aIways yieId to them,
but at times, they're unreasonabIe.

If you get angry at them every time,
you won't Iast.

Pardon me.

Rice cakes?

They Iook good.

Yes. Enjoy.

Wait, Ichi.

I'm going to retire soon.

Yogoro wiII become
the head of our famiIy,

and you're his wife.

You needn't hoId back
for the oId woman.

Take over the househoId duties.
Understand?

Even so, she is my mother,

and I wiII treat her as such.

Excuse me.

That's enough
about your duties, Yogoro.

How about some rice cakes?

But I don't understand.

WeII...

it's aImost beyond beIief

that she'd grasp her Iord
by his cIothing.

It was hard for me to beIieve too,

so I asked her the other day.

Her face became very sad

as she toId me the story.

I was 1 9
when I went to serve my Iord.

It was the year before Iast.

Ichi.

ActuaIIy,

there is a reason the steward
has come to see me.

You have found favor
in our Iord's eyes

and are to serve him.

Accept the honor gratefuIIy.

The sudden news
must have surprised you.

I was more angry than surprised.

Angry?

A man over 50 was infatuated with me.

I feIt as if a hairy worm
were crawIing over me.

I shuddered.

And then?

Our Iord does not do this
just to satisfy a whim.

Daimyo must have heirs

or their houses wiII be aboIished.

The onIy heir to our Iord right now

is young Lord Masamoto.

ShouId anything happen...

Even so, Miss Ichi,

not just anyone
can become our Iord's mistress,

for her son may one day

become our Iord's heir.

She must be
beautifuI and kind Iike you.

I am afraid

I must decIine the position.

You are referring
to Sannojo Kasai, your fiancé?

Kasai?

Yes.

Our parents arranged our engagement.

Then if Sannojo agrees,

you wiII gratefuIIy agree
to serve our Iord?

What do you say?

I couIdn't imagine Sannojo doing it.

But he bowed to our Iord's wishes

and gave you up?

Yes.

So you had no choice?

I stiII did not wish to go.

So I withheId my answer.

Don't bother me!

Leave now!

No.

I wiII not Ieave untiI I see Sannojo.

You said you wouId serve our Iord
if Sannojo agreed.

He has cIearIy agreed to it.

As summoned,

Hyoemon Shiomi's daughter Ichi
is here in answer to your wishes.

It was Iike dragging
a pure siIk kimono through the mud.

Then I thought -

No, it was more Iike a prayer.
I made up my mind.

I wouId bear him sons.

Many, many sons.

Then other girIs need never know
my misery. It wouId end with me.

It was Iike a prayer.

My thoughts were reaIIy
Iike a prayer.

With this prayer,

I bore Kikuchiyo a year Iater.

Then I went to a spa
for postnataI rest

at my Iord's orders.

When l returned to the castle -

Ichi, this is Lady Tama.

Be friends with her.

It wasn't jeaIousy!

On the face of his new young mistress,

there was not even
a trace of humiIity.

I hated her for it.

She was proud as a peacock -
gIad to be a mistress.

Beast!

Beast!

Thanks to his
dispIeasure toward you,

I have become a happy man.

I couId never have found
a better wife.

Beginning tonight,

I wiII forget my son.

What?

Our Iord means nothing to me.

But...

I have been so worried
about the son I bore.

So worried.

Beginning now...

I wiII forget about him too.

I wiII forget him.

Yogoro,

be good to Ichi.

You're a Iucky man.

There's no other wife Iike her.

A coupIe without chiIdren
Iacks binding ties.

You've made me wait nearIy two years,

but at Iast.

A boy wouId have been better.

We mustn't ask for too much.

And what's her name?

Yogoro and I racked
our poor brains over this

and named her Tomi.

Post-horse messenger!

Ryuzo Komiya here from Edo
on an urgent mission!

What?

Young Lord Masamoto died of iIIness?

Yes!

He was resting from a coId
he caught on the 1 2th.

But his condition grew worse.

At 2:00 in the morning,

he passed away.

It's a Iucky thing.

What?

It's the death of the heir.

But the Matsudaira house
wiII not be aboIished.

There is young Lord Kikuchiyo,
the son of Shiomi's daughter.

But Sasahara,

Lord Kikuchiyo has become
our Iord's heir.

So Ichi is birth mother to the heir.

If she remains the wife of a vassaI,

there wouId be much taIk.

You say this is our Iord's wish?

Yes.

And our chamberIain here
and the Edo chamberIain agree.

PIease consider it
before formaI orders come.

The best thing is for Yogoro
to submit a request to our Iord

and say he wiII send Ichi
back to the castIe.

Has Yogoro been toId aIready?

I've been at him
since the day before yesterday,

but he refuses.

NaturaIIy.

They have a baby daughter, Tomi.

WeII, I don't bIame him.

EmotionaIIy it is intoIerabIe.

The chamberIain
and steward know that.

But you know very weII...

that we can't have aII our wishes
granted in this worId.

So...

you're teIIing me
to make Yogoro agree to it?

I'm asking you
to submit a voIuntary request

rather than making us
order her back.

You must see the difference.

What's the matter, Ichi?

You're paIe. Are you sick?

Group Head Kotani
came over in the afternoon.

I feeI...

more resentfuI than gratefuI...

for your consideration.

I'm sorry, Ichi.

I didn't mean to hide it.

But I couIdn't bring myseIf
to teII you.

Brother.

Father is caIIing you.

What are the men taIking about?

I'm not sure.

Acting as if
some crisis has occurred

and hiding it from me.

TeII them to taIk at night
after they dine!

Ichi, I must teII you something.

Come into the room.

First, Father's words.

He says he's retired,
so I am the famiIy head,

and I am to do
what I think is right.

However, he aIso says

you're too important to us
to send away.

That we must take
the best possibIe care of you.

Mother doesn't seem to know
anything about this yet.

I must teII her sooner or Iater.

Don't worry.

No matter what anyone says,

I wiII not send you
back to the castIe.

For Tomi's sake too.

It may be our Iord's wish,
but he is being too seIfish.

Ichi is not a doII.
She is a Iiving being.

Yes, you're right.

You're young.
And I don't bIame you.

But you can't reason with a crying chiId
nor with your Iord, as they say.

Isaburo, what's your opinion?

I have none.

Yogoro is head
of the Sasahara famiIy now.

It's aII up to him.

But I wouId Iike to say one thing.

What is it?

When we accepted Lady Ichi
into our house,

it was Steward Takahashi that came.

I'd Iike him to come again now

and expIain in his words
why we must return her.

If onIy he couId!

But it wouId attract
too much attention.

These are our Iord's orders, Isaburo!

WeII, I want my Iord
to expIain his orders to me.

When his son's mother
proves inconvenient,

he forces her to marry a vassaI.

Inconvenienced once again,
he demands her return.

This is crueI and unreasonabIe.

He has no understanding
of human emotions.

No understanding
of human emotions?

Kotani-san,

our famiIy didn't accept Ichi
particuIarIy gratefuIIy.

Nor did Ichi herseIf know Yogoro
or the Sasahara famiIy.

She was none too happy
about it either.

But the reason
they are getting aIong

is because they're kind to each other
and care for each other.

I understand aII that cIearIy enough.

But Isaburo,

if you continue to be so stubborn,

who knows
what might happen to your famiIy.

I don't care.

I wiII not return Ichi,
even if the heavens rain fire!

What?

Even if the heavens rain fire...
and bIood?

Wait, Yogoro.

Watch your Ianguage!

Kotani-san,
I think this is enough for today.

l beg you.

You should understand, Mother,
being a woman yourself.

If you were in her pIace,
what wouId you do?

WouId you give up Tomi
and return to the castIe?

Enough!

WouId you ruin our famiIy because
you've Iost your head over a woman?

In this case -

In this case, it may be unavoidabIe.

Brother!

You truIy don't care
if you ruin our famiIy?

- I am.
- What?

Bunzo, if you were me,
wouId you return Ichi?

Of course I wouId!
You're too attached to her, brother!

Restrain yourseIf, Bunzo.

Yogoro's the head of the famiIy.

Right or wrong, it's aII up to him.

Be patient.

Don't Iose hope.

If you Iove Yogoro and Tomi,

be prepared to defy such senseIess
conventions, however hard it may be.

I beIieve that, if worst comes to worst,
you are a wife worth protecting,

even if that means
ruining our famiIy.

I am not worthy of it.

But this won't be the end of it.

I gave her the message.

She wiII be here soon.

Over here, sister.

We've heard aII about
what has happened.

We reIatives and the Sasahara famiIy
have discussed what to do.

We've spoken to Yogoro
and know exactIy how he feeIs.

Thus we have come to the concIusion
that the rest is up to you.

We'd Iike to know
how you feeI about it.

Do you want to stay with Yogoro,

even if it means
ruining the Sasahara famiIy?

Answer us, Ichi!

I wouId Iike to stay.

Even if you ruin the famiIy?

Yes.

Ichi.

Your father, Hyoemon Shiomi,
has asked our Iord

that you be sent back to the castIe
as soon as possibIe.

I'm sure you're aware of that.

Not onIy that.

He Iies in wait when Yogoro
traveIs to and from the castIe

to pIead with him to send you back.

He's done this severaI times.

Father is Father. I am me.

I wouId rather die than return.

PIease teII the chamberIains
and steward how I feeI

in whatever words
you think wiII best heIp my case.

If we couId do that,
we wouIdn't be here Iike this!

We ask you again, Ichi!

Your desire to stay
with Yogoro is finaI?

The famiIy doesn't matter?

Not onIy the Sasahara famiIy,

but we the reIatives
wiII be jeopardized as weII.

You stiII don't care?

It cannot be heIped.

I see.

There's no use trying
to convince a woman Iike this.

You shouId give up, Suga.

Yogoro's to bIame too.

It's your misfortune that
a woman Iike her has favored you.

Yogoro, you needn't
hoId back anymore.

You two go ahead
and ruin your famiIy!

We must prepare
for our invoIvement as weII!

CompIeteIy impervious to reason.
No wonder you attacked our Iord!

Ichi, I'm sorry.

Return.

Return to the castIe.

FooI!

Why do you say that now?

What's the Sasahara famiIy to you?

What are your reIatives' troubIes to you?

Yogoro,

have you decided
you want to keep your position?

Listen to me.

My father-in-Iaw was impressed
with my swordsmanship.

As head of the Sasahara,
he asked me to marry into the famiIy.

But otherwise I have no taIents.

In other words, I'm a worthIess,
good-for-nothing man.

So in order to prove myseIf,
for these past 20 years

I have fought to preserve
our good name and sociaI standing.

So why am I so obstinate now?

The crueI injustice invoIved,
for one thing.

But your beautifuI Iove
for each other

has touched me most of aII.

There's never been
a shred of Iove in my married Iife!

And now you do this!

Promise me, Yogoro,

that you'II never Iet Ichi go!

You too.

No matter what happens,
never Ieave him!

Promise me, both of you!

My husband's with the chamberIain?

Yes, and he's waiting
for you to come.

I saw him in the castIe.

He said he'd be
at the chamberIain's residence

and that you must come at once.

The chamberIain wishes to see you both.
He has some questions for you.

But what about Tomi?

You needn't worry.
It won't take Iong.

I wiII accompany you.

My brother's waiting.

Make yourseIf cIear,
as you did with our reIatives.

Sister!

If you Iose heart now,
what wiII it mean for my brother?

Even if it is the chamberIain,

show him how determined
you both are to keep your resoIve.

Hurry!

Sister.

Father, where did you go today?

To see Tatewaki.

Anything new at the castIe?

No, nothing yet.

At this rate, perhaps -

I hope nothing happens.

Why is Tomi crying Iike that?
Where's Ichi?

- She went out.
- Out?

To the chamberIain's residence,
at about 2:00.

What?
The chamberIain's residence?

Mother.

Where's Ichi?
What happened to Ichi?

Where's Bunzo?

Bunzo, where's Ichi?

What's happened to Ichi?

Mother wouIdn't say anything.

But Sahei and Nui say you took her
to the chamberIain's residence.

I'm asking you about Ichi!

As a matter of fact -

Bunzo,

you tricked her.

How many times
must we teII you, Ichi?

We had no choice.

No matter
how many times I'm toId,

I do not understand.

What?

My husband, chiId and father
must be worried about me.

I'm going home.

Wait, Ichi!

If she doesn't agree
to our requests

and stiII insists on going home,
then she may do so.

Provided that

she's wiIIing to have Yogoro Sasahara
and his father, Isaburo,

commit seppuku.

Ichi, take my advice

and return to the castIe.

If you go back to the castIe
obedientIy without making a fuss,

the chamberIain is wiIIing
to overIook everything.

But if you insist on returning home,

not onIy wiII Yogoro,
but aIso his father, Isaburo,

be ordered to commit seppuku

for Iax supervision of their home.

HonorabIe Lady Ichi,
pIease return to the castIe.

You say you're the wife
of footman Bansaku Kariya?

Yes.

My name is Kiku.

The chamberIain's orders?
What orders?

He said to come here
every morning and evening

to breast-feed your daughter Tomi.

I want no charity.
Go home!

But...

if I go home without -

Say no more! Go home!

- But -
- Do as I say!

Wait!

FooI.

Tomi, you fooI.

How can you be so happy
at a strange woman's breast?

Tomi, you fooI.

Yogoro.

Starting tomorrow,
do not report to the castIe for duty!

I've aIready
prepared myseIf for that.

How's Yogoro?

He hasn't reported for duty
since these events.

But he did request time off
due to iIIness.

And Tomi?

The chamberIain ordered

the wife of footman Bansaku Kariya
to come and feed her twice a day.

She's heaIthy and reIiabIe.
A good, soIid woman.

Then everything's aII over?

Yes.

CertainIy since Ichi
has returned to the castIe.

In the end, we had no choice
but to have it this way.

We just took a roundabout path.

Defying the cIan gets us nowhere.

Isaburo,

do you reaIIy mean that?

I came to make sure
of your thoughts on this matter.

And now,

I hope you'II forget everything.
Give it up at once.

To be honest,

the cIan's treatment of your famiIy

and your attitude in response
have weighed on my mind.

Weighed on your mind?

It's Iike your swordpIay.

Pushed, you step back.
Pushed again, you retreat further.

But it's not Iike you to give up.

The cIan didn't ask for her formaIIy.

It was more Iike force.

In fact, it was more Iike kidnapping.
They took a vassaI's wife.

If the shogunate officiaIs in Edo
hear of it, or even the daimyo,

it may prove a fataI mistake
for the Matsudaira.

I can't imagine
things wiII end Iike this.

That you'II aIIow them to end here.

I reaIIy don't think so.

You're saying I must formaIIy
ask the castIe to take her back?

That is aII we can do.

It's for the sake
of the Sasahara famiIy.

They've committed an outrage!

Yet I must ask them
to take her back?

We're asking you.

And I do understand
how you feeI.

I was quite afraid you'd storm
the chamberIain's residence.

It was wise of you to hoId back.

The chamberIain and steward
are impressed by your restraint.

So if you send them your request -

I refuse!

I don't remember
sending her back to the castIe.

Yogoro.

It's aII over now.

Why don't you do as he says?

That's ridicuIous, Father!

Never!

Think of Ichi.

She suppressed her tears,

Ieft everything behind,
and quietIy returned to the castIe.

If I were to think of Ichi,
how couId I possibIy give up on her?

Yogoro,

that's Iike caIIing a doctor
for the dead.

What did you say?

Now, now, Yogoro.

Yogoro's young yet.

Isaburo, taIk to him
untiI he understands.

It's aII for the sake of your famiIy.

It's not onIy for my famiIy,

but for yours too,
and the rest of our kin.

In any case, pIease go for now.

Yogoro wiII be hard to convince,
but I'II taIk to him.

Give me a few days.

Yogoro wiII report today
and say he wishes to return her?

Yes.

That's wonderfuI.

Thank you for your troubIe.

AII has turned out weII in the end.

Now we can Iook forward
to the Suwa Shrine festivaI tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the Inoko festivaI?

Since it wouId have
come to this anyway,

how dare they cause aII that fuss!

Yogoro was wrong,
but Isaburo was insoIent as weII.

Yes.

He's aIways henpecked by his wife.

And defying cIan orders Iike that -

I must say
he seems Iike a different man.

It's settIed now,
so we needn't criticize him.

His conduct has been admirabIe.

It caIIs for
a sIight increase in his fief.

Yogoro Sasahara
of the escort group has arrived!

I'm gIad you've reported for duty.

We heard you were sick.
Are you weII now?

Yes, compIeteIy weII.

And so?

Taking into consideration
my father's wishes, I have decided.

PIease accept this.

That's good of you.
Thank you.

FooI!

What's gotten into you?

"Petition.

lchi, the wife of
my eldest son Yogoro,

was unlawfully kidnapped
and forced to return to the castle.

This is the cruelest form of tyranny.

lt runs counter
to the laws of humanity

and cannot be
condoned by the heavens.

We hereby appeal
for her immediate return.

lf our petition is refused,

this shameless act of tyranny

on the part of Masakata Matsudaira,
lord of the Aizu domain,

and his retainers

shall be made known
throughout Japan's 60 provinces.

November 1 8th, 1 727, 2.:00.

lsaburo Sasahara, Aizu clansman. "

A word of caution.

Someone may use
my father's name or my own

to submit a request
to return Ichi to the castIe.

But it wiII not be from us.
It wiII be a faIse request.

PIease keep that in mind.

Excuse me.

Thank you for coming every day.

With the Inoko festivaI starting tomorrow,
you must be busy.

Master.

We're just airing the house out a bit.

But -

The mats?

It's a custom at times Iike these.

So our feet won't sIip in the bIood.

Tomi's been waiting for you.

Let her drink her fiII.

This may be the Iast time.

WiII you do me a favor?

WiII you cook the rice
after you feed Tomi?

I dismissed aII our servants.

I aIso sent Suga and Bunzo away
so we'd have a IittIe more room.

Just cook the rice.

We'II make the rice baIIs ourseIves.

Can't fight on an empty stomach.

Excuse me!

Excuse me!

Orders from our Iord!

Accept obedientIy!

I said orders from our Iord!

WiII you not obey?

It's too Iate for orders now!

Now, now, Yogoro.

Let's hear what the orders are.

Orders!

Isaburo and Yogoro Sasahara,

for your insoIent conduct
and defiance toward our Iord,

you are ordered to commit seppuku.

Seppuku?

It is gracious of our Iord
to permit it.

I thought men wouId come arrest us

and then either hang or crucify us.

We wiII braveIy commit seppuku.

Father.

However,

we want something
before we kiII ourseIves.

Bring us three heads!

What?

Those of Lord Masakata Matsudaira,
ruIer of the Aizu domain,

ChamberIain Yanase,

and Steward Takahashi.

Bring me the heads of the viIIains
who took my son's wife!

You!

Vassal Tatewaki Asano in charge
of boundary gates has arrived!

Tatewaki, I caIIed you
for nothing other than this.

Prepare at once to kiII
Isaburo and Yogoro Sasahara.

I hear you are

Isaburo's onIy equaI
as a swordsman.

If you think he's too much for you,

take four or five
strong men with you.

This is a strange request.

What?

The Sasaharas
have defied cIan orders.

Are they not now criminaIs
in the eyes of our cIan?

Yes.

Then it's the superintendent's duty
to arrest them.

I'm in charge of border gates.

In other words,

my duty is to keep track of those
Ieaving or entering our Iand.

Since when have I become
a superintendent?

This is no time to discuss jurisdiction.

You're wrong.

The troubIe began in an attempt
to adhere to daimyo ruIes

stating that the mother
of our Iord's heir

must not remain a vassaI's wife.

We must foIIow the ruIes.

If you order me to kiII them,

pIease promote me
to superintendent here and now

and obtain our Iord's promise
to increase my fief to 500 koku,

according to cIan ruIes.

Tatewaki.

You've gone too far.
Why be so formaI now?

Never mind. Go!

We must gather men,
use force and kiII them.

Get ready.

A fooIish idea.

What?

Isaburo's a swordsman without peer.

You'II onIy make more troubIe
by sending men.

In order to settIe matters quietIy,

send Lady Ichi back to the Sasahara famiIy
for now, and then Iater -

What?
Don't taIk nonsense!

But ChamberIain,

resort to vioIence and you'II have
mountains of dead and wounded men.

CoId, isn't it?

What time is it?

Past 9:00, I think.

Eat in moderation.
That shouId be enough for you.

Someone's coming.

From the footsteps, he's aIone.

It's Bunzo.

Don't just stand there.
Come around here!

Father!

Don't taIk.

I know what you want to say.

Now, come in.

Father!

Come in, Bunzo.

Father!

Is it nice and cozy
at Kenmotsu's pIace?

Have a drink.

Listen to the festivaI drums.

Father!

I know what you want to say.

You were pressed by our reIatives
at Kenmotsu's pIace

to come here
as their messenger and say,

""We've defied our Iord Iong enough.

Now obey cIan orders
with good grace.''

Father.

Have a drink.

Bunzo, don't hate us.

Not onIy you and Mother
wiII be punished, but our kin too,

for being reIated
to such reckIess men.

Father.

But remember:

Each must Iive his own Iife.

As for what happened,

I don't bIame you and Suga
for what you did,

nor do I bear you any grudge.

Each must Iive his own Iife.

Have a drink and then go back.

And teII everyone this for me:

I, Isaburo Sasahara, in aII my Iife

have never feIt
more aIive than I do now.

Prepare for our lord's entrance!

Haven't you taken
care of Sasahara yet?

What are you doing?

A mere cIansman has defied me
and the entire cIan.

What if other cIans hear of this,
Sanzaemon?

Gather some men
and take care of it yourseIf.

Before dawn.

- Yes, but -
- What?

The chamberIain's intervention
wouId aggravate matters.

PIease aIIow me.

You'II go, Geki?

Father, the drum
from the Suwa Shrine has stopped.

It's Iate. They're probabIy
done for the night.

Two years ago today,
we were asked to accept Ichi.

I remember it too.

Outside the castIe, it was the Inoko
festivaI, when the harvest god Ieft.

Inside the castIe, it was the day
before the Suwa Shrine festivaI.

Father.

I may seem unmanIy -

What is it?

For some reason,
I am more worried...

about Ichi's future than Tomi's.

That's as it shouId be.

It's not unmanIy at aII.

Your feeIings for each other
gave me new Iife.

But Yogoro,

don't be too worried about Ichi.

We wiII die here,

but she is the mother
of our Iord's heir.

No one can torture her,

and no one wiII endanger her Iife.

But Father,
aren't they Iate in coming?

I meant to ask
for permission to enter,

but the gate was open, so I came in.

Forgive me.

I wiII now convey our Iord's orders.

We have heard of the order
to commit seppuku.

No.

He changed his orders.

Isaburo and Yogoro Sasahara,

for your insoIence
and attitude toward our Iord,

you wiII be confined
at Enshoji TempIe outside the castIe.

A very Iight punishment
compared to seppuku.

Why the sudden change?

Lady Ichi,
the mother of our Iord's heir,

was once a famiIy member here.

She pIeaded with our Iord
to save your Iives.

WiII you gratefuIIy accept
our Iord's new orders?

No.

No, he's wrong!

As Yogoro Sasahara's wife,

I appeaIed through the chief maid,
Yoshino, to my Iord

to save my father and husband.

It was not as the heir's mother.

I am...

I am stiII the wife
of Yogoro Sasahara.

To teII you the truth,
what Lady Ichi says is correct.

But our Iord received me
in his audience.

If she appeaIs to save you

as the heir's mother,
not as Yogoro's wife,

he promised to change his orders
from seppuku to confinement.

I don't understand
what this is aII about.

Neither do I.

Steward,

it seems we don't understand
what you just toId us.

It's very simpIe.

If you two admit that
Ichi is no Ionger a famiIy member

and that she has been returned,

our Iord wiII Iisten to her pIea
for a Iighter punishment.

WiII you acknowIedge
her return and Iive,

or refuse and fight it out?

Which wiII it be?

In that case,
we ask for no mercy.

We are prepared for the worst.

Then there is no aIternative?

None.

It's aII of you who cannot
be pardoned,

who are hoIding
Yogoro's wife as prisoner

and stiII insist on doing so.

PIease return her at once!

AII right.

You've made yourseIves very cIear.

I'II ask Lady Ichi now.

Lady Ichi,

wiII you save the Iives of these men?

Or wiII you Iet their pursuers
come and kiII them?

Lady Ichi,
the Sasaharas are men.

Their pride wiII not
Iet them back down.

But your position is different.

You have aIready
returned to serve our Iord.

If you teII them

that you sever your ties with them
once and for aII,

then aII wiII be weII!

Is that cIear?

If you do,
their Iives wiII be saved.

We need not ask them to return you.

And even though
they petition for your return,

it can be disregarded
as Iong as you sever your ties with them.

Wait!

Don't move!

Don't move.

If you do,
unexpected accidents may occur.

Lady Ichi,

wiII you sever your ties with them
and save their Iives?

Or wiII you Iet them die as traitors?

What wiII your answer be?

Lady Ichi,

does your siIence mean
you wiII do as I say?

Am I correct?

No.

I -

What wiII you do then?

KiII them!

Father.

Yogoro!

Father...

Tomi,

bid your father and mother fareweII.

Have a good Iook at them.

They are your father and mother.

Let us who are stiII aIive
Iisten to them.

Let's Iisten to what
they want us to do.

No, I know without being toId.

I know how they feIt
about their pIight and their death.

They want us to teII the worId
of our cIan's crueIty!

Very weII. I understand.

We promise to do that for you.

We'II toppIe the Aizu cIan
from its pedestaI!

First, Tomi and I wiII go
to Edo together

and see the shogunate eIders.

We'II Ieave immediateIy for Edo.

Isaburo Sasahara
of the escort group...

where are you going?

Tomi and I are going to Edo.

If this is for the cIan,
show me your pass.

If it's private business,
show me the cIan ticket.

I have neither.

Then I'm afraid
I cannot Iet you pass.

We must go to Edo
though we have no permit.

You mean to
pass from this domain

without having either?

Yes.

To carry out my duty

and uphoId my honor as a samurai,

I must forbid it.

If you insist on breaking our Iaw
and passing through this gate,

I must stop you
at the risk of my Iife.

That can't be heIped.

She is very quiet.

I'd Iike to put her in the house
away from the wind.

But men we disIike are in there.

Venomous men.

I fed her before dawn.
I don't think she's hungry.

But I'II give the poor thing
a IittIe more.

Before feeding babies rice,

we're supposed to wait
1 00 days after birth...

when enough teeth have come in.

But I'II do it now.

Tomi, here.

AII the famiIy members are supposed
to ceIebrate this day together

with red bean rice and Iive fish.

That's impossibIe now.
We'II make do with this.

You be quiet now, Tomi.

Don't cry even if I don't return.

In that case,

he wiII become your foster father
and raise you.

WeII, then.

Lose this dueI. Let me remain.

It's better that way.

What?

Isaburo,

Iose to me.

For Tomi's sake.

No.

No matter how strong you are,
how perfect your defense,

I'II defeat you
and go to Edo with Tomi.

Then...

I wiII win.

Without faiI.

I wiII win without faiI.

Tatewaki!

Three peopIe heIped you.

Yogoro, Ichi and Tomi.

I had no chance of winning.

Hurry.

Take Tomi with you to Edo.

Tatewaki!

We can't go to Edo anymore!

We can't go to Edo anymore.

No one wiII ever know the story
of your father and mother now

Tomi, it can't be heIped.

But Iet me say one word.

Just one word.

When you grow up,

become a woman
just Iike your mother.

And marry a man

just Iike your father.

Be sure to do that.

Marry a man just Iike your father.

THE END