Original subtitles

"The year is Genroku 14 (1701). In the Pine Hallway of Edo Castle,"

"Lord Ako slashed out at Kira Kozukenosuke!"

"The Lord committed hara-kiri, and his house had been out off."

"All of his retainers were scattered..."

"The setting for this movie is one year later,"

"in the back alley row houses of the lower end of Edo."

"Incidents of bloodshed had blown out of fashion with the wind."

"Then, one ordinary winter morning..."

"House for Rent"

It's morning!

It's morning! It's morning! It's morning!

Hurry and wash your faces, and get down to the fish market!

Let me sleep just a little longer, Onobu!

You took yesterday off, too, didn't you?

Otokichi, the sun is up already! Hurry!

Otokichi, what are you poking around for? I'll leave you behind!

Morning in, morning out, what a racket...

Please, may I get out of these row houses soon.

Oh, isn't Soza up yet?

What business do you have with Soza-San?

You're just thinking up some mischief again, aren't you?

You make it sound so disreputable.

I'm just offering him counsel, aren't I?

Father, hurry up, or they'll close the fish market!

Oh, I'm taking the day off.

You took the day off yesterday, didn't you?

Ken-ho, what are you still doing in bed?!

Oh, Osae-San, good morning.

Good morning.

Are you leaving this early?

The weather is nice, and my sewing is finished, so I thought I'd deliver it.

That's great. Come back safely.

Right.

Did you hear me, Father?!

I can'! hear you.

Yow! What are you doing?!

I can'! help it, you know. It's too narrow here.

Be more careful, will you?

Oh, ifs cold. So, how's it going?

Not well, of course.

Yeah, I hear you.

If this keeps up, I'll never be able to marry Onobu-Chan.

You idiot, I'm obviously the one who Onobu-Chan is going to marry.

There you go again.

"See you. --Yeah.

"Hana"

Get your takoyaki here! Get your sweet potatoes here!

You know, I envy you.

I mean, if you're successful in your vengeance,

you'll be praised as a warrior, and earn at least 100 ryo.

Then you can say goodbye to this row house life.

You sure had a fine father,

to die and leave you with any enemy to take vengeance on, huh?

My own father died peacefully, which doesn't help me out one bit.

Hirano-San, where are you headed today?

Who, me? I'm going to the castle.

Ah, to see your friend, the retainer?

I don't care about that ingrate anymore.

Actually, I’ve got a distant relative assigned to the library at Edo Castle,

so I'm going to go petition to enter government service yet again.

A member of the library? That's an important position,

that gives him contact with the Shogun, doesn't it?

Yeah. Plus, I did him a favor a long time ago.

Ya!

Are you taking off?

Well, then, I'll be going.

Ronin-San, if you're going to the castle, it's this way.

Sorry.

Have you heard? How he has an acquaintance in the shogunate?

And apparently a relative in the castle library, too.

Man, the tale just gets taller and taller, huh?

I found someone who could be your target.

What, again?

I don't think there can be any mistake this time.

Ah, the water feels great.

There is this one other guy...

Height 5 shaku 8 sun (about 5' 9"), fair skin, and normally-aligned teeth.

"WANTED"

"WANTED" His fox-like face bears a red mark from the corner of his right eye

"WANTED" down over his cheek.

"WANTED" So that's it. The red mark isn't on his butt cheek, it's on his facial cheek, huh?

So that's it. The red mark isn't on his butt cheek, it's on his facial cheek, huh?

Yeah.

How old?

Thirty.

Thirty?

He's gotten a lot older since I last saw him.

Don't look so down, Soza.

Edo is a big place, and finding your target here is like winning the lottery.

It could take 10 or 20 years...

Miss, one more pitcher!

Okay!

Lust be patient, okay? Patience.

Sun, he's the right height.

Okay, I'm going to say this one more time, so listen closely.

The crap that we make becomes the fertilizer

for the rice paddies and fields.

That's why the farmers pay money

to the landlord who owns these row houses to buy it.

Then, that money buys the mochi rice cakes that we have at New Year's.

You mean, our mochi cakes come from crap?

Uh... well, not exactly, but you're not too far off, either.

Damn it, ifs gone soggy!

Hey...

"Okay, here you are. --Thank you.

You're getting a lot, aren't you?

Don't be stingy with the New Year's mochi cakes, now.

I wish you'd gripe about that when paying your rent on time.

And I don't remember taking that hopping idiot there as a tenant.

Let's work hard, so we get lots of mochi cakes next year.

Yeah. Let's do that.

"Much time has passed,"

“and you have yet to fulfill your duty of avenging your father."

"It would seem our whole family has really fallen on hard times."

“My modest income doing housekeeping allows me to arrange for this much,"

“but there is nothing more that I can do.“

Thanks to the money he pilfers from the peasants,

the samurai gets to take a bath every day.

You've never killed anyone, have you?

You've never even out anyone with that katana, huh?

How are you supposed to avenge your father like that?

Now?

I'll just hit him with all my might, and if that's not enough,

then I will die nobly, like the falling of cherry blossoms.

That is how a warrior... how a warrior should die.

My father told me so.

Last year, on one rainy spring night,

the Ameya family, who lived here,

were down on their luck, and there was a forced double suicide.

The wife only had her throat half-slashed, so she got away, but then,

the last surviving kid turned on his dad, and stabbed him to death.

I heard all the groaning, and when I ran over,

this whole place was a sea of blood.

It was right about there, where you're sitting...

The dad was still clinging to life, disemboweled, guts flying all over.

That ain't falling nobly. That's making a mess.

That's what ifs like for someone to die.

You can talk about living or dying once you're ready to face that.

Oh, Soza-San, good morning!

Good morning.

Are you heading out?

Lust to the outhouse. What about you, Osae-San?

We're going to go worship at the shrine. Soza-San, come with us.

Shinnosuke, he can't. Unlike Mago-San or Sada-San, Soza-San is busy.

Mother...

Hello.

Hello.

Soza-San, what did you pray for?

That I can soon find the man who killed my father.

What about you, Mother?

That Shinnosuke, you will stay a nice little boy for me.

What about you, Shinnosuke?

That Father will come home to us safely.

But with everyone asking for different things,

won't the Buddha be overwhelmed?

Come on by, come on by, let's make a deal.

I've got the popular yajirobe balancing toy.

Take your pick, each one is 4 Mon.

They swing this way, and then swing that way.

It's okay for kids of any age, too. Come on by! Come on by!

His father died of a lung ailment when he was two years old.

The anniversary of his passing is today, the 10th.

Is that right?

I can't bring myself to tell him the truth, and all this time has passed.

What does that say?

"No credit extended."

What's "credit"?

Credit? Credit is when you say you want to eat now,

but don't have enough money, so please let me pay you later.

Then, that's what Sada-San is always doing, right?

What Sada-San does is actually run up a lot of credit,

And then run out on it, so you'd have to call what he does "bilking."

How do you write "bilking"?

Bilking? Bilking ("fumitaoshi") is like this...

A foot, with water, and a sun underneath it. Then the "mi."

Then "taoshi."

I'll write it again.

"Abacus and Writing Taught Here" Let's start fresh.

"Abacus and Writing Taught Here" Take 7 Mon...

Take 7 Mon...

8 Mon...

5 Mon...

2 Mon...

3 Mon...

If you're going to teach something, make it swordsmanship! Swordsmanship!

You're an idiot, you know that?

It won't do any good teaching swordsmanship,

when there's no more fighting anymore.

Still, for a samurai to be teaching abacus lessons, you know?

This has got absolutely nothing to do with tracking down his foe, does it?

Well, they say "needs must go when the devil drives," right?

Needs, huh?

My point is, a man doesn't have to be able to read,

as long as he's got the skills and guts to get by.

Right, right, right, "Ill-born of Edo, keep your money."

We can'! even hang on to our cash for one night.

Arithmetic does us no good.

You weren't even born in Edo, were you?

Hey, you're in the way. Move aside, move aside.

Onobu-Chan, what do you need here?

Isn't that obvious? I'm going to learn writing from Soza-San.

Onobu-Chan, you too?

I'd like to at least be able to write my own name.

You guys don't have any skills or guts,

so maybe you'd better get some schooling, too!

Big-shot.

So what about your name? She's just acting big.

There's no way I'd ever write a single word, until the day I die.

All finished?

Right now, Kenbo is learning to write.

He doesn't take after me. He's smart. And handsome, too.

--Goodbye! "Yeah, goodbye.

--Goodbye! "Yeah, see you tomorrow.

Isn't he supposed to inherit a dojo?

Yeah, his father is said to be a sword master of the Matsumoto Clan.

Why would a samurai out to avenge his father run a school?

It's weird.

Well, we should look into him a bit more.

Kira's people might have spies.

I told you we shouldn't be doing this.

Even as scattered about as we are,

having so many of us coming into Edo like this is dangerous!

There, nothing to worry about. lust a little sty.

Of course, I can'! cure much more than a sty, anyway.

Soza-San, you've never met Kichiemon before, right?

Right.

I'm Kichiemon.

Aoki Sozaemon.

Soza-San is searching for the man who killed his father,

and has come here from Matsumoto.

Is that right?

To avenge your father?

It has been about two and a half years now, and I haven't a single lead.

Two and a half years? That's too bad.

But why are you here in these row houses?

Any special reason?

Well, since these row houses have a lot of strangers crowd into them,

I thought it would be a good place to look for my target.

Strangers?

Aoki-San, do you have any pastimes?

Pastimes?

Pastimes, you ask?

My pastimes include taking baths, and keeping birds. I also play go.

If you like go, then Kichi-San, you should play him.

Uh, j-just a second...

Good idea, good idea.

Hana...

Taro...

Over a game of go?

Yes. They were holding a go tournament there.

"You've called halt four times." "No, it's only been three times."

That's how they started arguing.

"A fool like you dares call me a liar? Draw your sword!"

I'm sorry to hear that.

He's the kind of man who said he wanted to die in battle,

so for him to lose his life in a petty quarrel like that...

...he must have been terribly resentful.

I think he would have at least wanted to die in way more befitting a samurai.

A moment.

Mago-Chan! Mago-Chan!

Mago-Chan! Mago-Chan!

Ever since I was little, I’ve been pretty good with my hands.

Well, Soza-San, I'll be going now.

My record is now 7-3. Come play me again anytime.

Sure.

Welcome.

Hey, stop watching, will you?

Out yet?

Not yet.

Well, when it does come out, let me know.

I sure hope you make a lot.

Lots and lots... Lots and lots...

Lots and lots!

Lots and lots!

"Lots and lots! "Lots and lots!

Vengeance?

That's right.

Lust for a play, though.

A play?

Soza, this is your first one, huh, Every year, around flower-viewing time,

Shigehachi-San writes a script, and we put on a vengeance play

over in the Hachiman temple district.

Despite appearances, this old guy is fairly on the ball.

Despite appearances?

I put more stock in my smarts than I do in my guts.

Mm-hmm, the same goes for me.

Last year, we brought in a pretty good take.

Osae-San was so pretty in her white costume.

Osae-San, too?

Since there are no real acts of vengeance being carried out,

people watch it, knowing ifs half in jest,

which is why they enjoy it so much.

Well, the reason we can make any money

is because of Ako's cowardly samurai,

who can'! avenge their lord's death, right?

What happened, Shin-ho? Did you get picked on?

No.

Then what happened?

Those samurai-class kids put me down.

How so?

They said "the row houses that you live in are a trash pile."

They said what?

And that "everyone who lives in them are just scum."

Who the hell said that?

Don't take it so seriously. They're just kids, you know.

They're also right.

And "instead of buying more trash, go sell the trash you've already got."

Now they're talking about me, aren't they?!

Well said, huh?

What's wrong with being a rag-picker?! Fine, you bring that kid here,

so I can beat him to a lumpy pulp!

Go on, bring him here! Bring him here now, damn it!

Soza-San...

Teach me how to use the sword.

I want to beat those guys, whatever it takes.

That sounds like fun, huh? Soza, show him.

Yeah, like a samurai. Not an abacus or writing teacher.

My father strictly taught me not to engage in swordplay outside the dojo.

Well, your sword ain't good for much, is it?

If you want to learn how to use the sword, allow me.

Come here, hold this.

Hold this out good and strong, good and strong,

in front of your bellybutton.

Then, hold it straight, nice and straight,

then bring it straight up, and then down!

Bring it up, bring it straight up, then down! Bring it up, then down!

What's starting up here?

Training, for Shin-ho to exact some revenge.

You mean, for the flower-viewing play?

No, not that, the real thing.

Bring it down, with a large swing. Shout out, too.

Oto-San...

What would you do if you were in Shin-bo's shoes?

I know how to take a punch so that it doesn't hurt.

How's that?

See, you take a shot in the gut or somewhere that doesn't hurt,

and then you call it even.

Who taught you to do something as pathetic as that?

My pop taught me, before he passed away.

What lousy last words to leave someone with.

Your mom must have been a real terror, huh?

Mm-hmm, so it has come in awfully handy. Thank you, Pop.

Relax a little bit, bend your knees.

Here, let me see that. You see? Hold it straight, hold it straight,

relax your stance, and when you're ready to strike, you go "hah!"

"Hah!" Like this. "Hah!" You got that? "Hah!"

Shin-ho, come try to hit me like you really mean it. It's okay.

Hey, it's dangerous to do something like that.

It's okay, come at me, you little wimp.

You want to win, don't you?

Listen here,

ifs no good to swing it around so blatantly,

like those foolish followers of Ako. Okay?

A katana is used by thrusting it. Got it? You try it.

That's it. That's good.

When you hit them, go for their knees or ankles.

Aim for someplace hard and painful.

That's just dirty.

Say there, great samurai-San, come at me, would you please?

No, I'd better not. It would be childish to fight an amateur.

Don't worry about it.

I want to show Shin-ho that dojo-style swordsmanship

is nothing more than just playing around.

Any fish down there?

He's weak.

Yeah.

That was dirty!

You see, Shin-ho? If you're going to go at them at all, take it all the way.

Then your opponent will never bother you again.

And if you don't like that,

have that guy there teach you how to take a punch so that it doesn't hurt.

Someone, take care of Soza-San.

Whew, suddenly, ifs all chilly, huh?

"Closed temporarily"

Daddy, welcome home!

There, I did it. All wound up.

It sure is.

Now the other way. This time, it winds up the other way.

Welcome back.

I'm home.

What's that there?

It was lying over there.

Someone was in a hurry.

I'm home, little baby.

Can you hear me?

Hirano-San?

Is something the matter?

Is your stomach upset, or something?

Hirano-San?

Hirano-San!

Sada-San! Sada-San!

What? What's wrong?

Uh-oh!

Look at how you've mucked up the tatami mat!

The landlord's gonna be pissed!

The doctor! The doctor! Hurry, the doctor!

It's okay, it's okay, this is the third time now.

And with a bamboo sword, too.

This guy tries to commit seppuku every spring.

"Pathetic. --Yow!

You know, when you muck up the tatami mats like this,

ifs hard to clean it up later, yeah?

If you have to do this, do it on the dirt floor!

The doctor... the doctor...

Answer me.

Oh, no!

Ow...

Soza-San, please go get Dr. Onadera!

--Ow... --The doctor... the doctor...

Soza-San?

The both of them are hopeless.

Soza-San!

A bamboo sword...

Thank you, come again!

I thought he was a little taller, you know?

How long are you going to dawdle around there? Come on.

Let's go, pick up the money.

Money?

Ah, for the love of...

oh, hello there.

--Hurry and clean it up. “Right.

Now bring it in here for me.

What did you do that for?!

Sada-San...

I thank you.

For what? I just wanted to have some kudzu cakes.

The truth is, Sada-San...

What's wrong? Why so formal?

I've already found him, Kanazawa Jubei.

He's changed his name now-

To Heisuke, right?

He lives in the row houses in Kawaracho, where he's a manual laborer.

That pregnant widow he's with is nice-looking too, huh?

--You mean you knew? "Yeah, I knew.

How long?

Uh, for a long time.

--Then... --You know...

Did you tell anyone else that you know?

Well, how about we keep it under wraps a little while longer?

Under wraps?

These days, warrior's vengeance is kind of out of favor.

Besides, with your skills, there's no way you could beat him.

Mind if I have a few more kudzu cakes?

Another order of kudzu cakes!

Okay!

Sell anything?

I can'! sell this stuff.

Yeah, I hear you.

Oh, Soza, welcome home.

Another day gone.

Taking Sada to the baths again? Take me sometime, too, okay?

Aren't there any better jobs than this?

You could be a rag-picker.

"Scrivener" Anything but that.

"Scrivener" Why not?

"Scrivener" Because it stinks.

Yeah, it does.

Mago, you see something?

It's nighttime.

Say, Soza-San...

What will become of Taro?

What will become of him, indeed.

Will he stay in the ground forever like this?

Where ifs dark, and cold, and unpleasant.

I wonder if my father is in the ground somewhere, too.

Shin-ho...

But don't tell my mother, okay?

After all, she still believes that he's coming home.

Let's pray one more time, that your father may be someplace warm.

Lust as he was dying,

my father took my hand, and said to me,

"Soza... Please, avenge me, Soza..."

My swordsmanship is lousy, though,

and all I’ve done is fail to live up to my father's expectations,

in the one and only thing he asked me to do.

For me, that's the memento I keep of my father.

Memento?

Yeah.

So, no matter what it takes, I have to settle my father's score by my hand.

Are you sure?

Soza-San, ifs not that I don't understand how you feel, but I was thinking,

If the only thing your father left you, from the time he was born until he died,

was ill will and hatred, then that would be beyond sad.

Mother, over there!

What is it?

"Owing to my impending starvation, as your child,

I humbly ask you to send some money as soon as this arrives.

Father, I dearly hope that this letter finds you in good health.

I humbly ask that you please take the utmost care of yourself."

- Sakutaro

So it says.

Well, how would you like your response to read?

Response?

No way I'm going to write one of those.

Oh, a samurai?

Big deal.

For someone who doesn't make nothing,

you sure are proud of yourself.

You think you're so big, because you've got two swords?

Where I come from, the dumpling makers sport three of 'em.

When he gets drunk like that,

he comes here, asking me to read old letters to him.

He never once writes a reply,

so it's rotten for my business.

Soza-San, why do you think there are samurai?

Why?

The peasants produce rice,

"Scrivener"

"Scrivener" the merchants sell things...

"Scrivener"

"Scrivener" What that drunk said is true.

What that drunk said is true.

Samurai are the only ones who don't make anything,

and they don't sell anything.

Samurai are the ones who give and take their lives in wars,

in order to become full-fledged men.

Time goes by, and the wars are gone.

However, the samurai remain.

And that could be the source of the problem.

Oh, that gives me a good idea.

All righty...

Damn it, when is that good-for-nothing going to come to Edo?

That's what I’ve been saying.

When the Lord was forced to commit seppuku,

we should have all charged into Kira's residence right then.

But that chief retainer of his...

He's hopeless. Both him and his son are such horn-dogs.

The old man is always chasing after female ass,

and the son is always chasing after male ass!

Old man Kira is in retirement now.

At the rate we're dawdling around, he'll die of old age before we can kill him.

Onodera-San, is this any time to be casually composing haiku?!

Sorry, sorry-

Still, it won't help to be impatient.

Until then, "Pray for the long life of your bitter enemy."

"Long life" Until then, "Pray for the long life of your bitter enemy."

Until then, "Pray for the long life of your bitter enemy."

Vengeance! Vengeance! Vengeance!

Thou art Akiyama Gengobei, correct?

--Thou art the villain who, six years ago,

--What a racket those guys are making. --Thou art the villain who, six years ago,

--Are they trying to rub it in? --killed my father at Inumodori!

We, mother and son, have been b- beaten by the rains, whipped by the winds...

"...and for many years..."

...and for many years, endured terrific hardship,

"Mocking sacred vengeance... Damn them. --...and for many years, endured terrific hardship,

"Mocking sacred vengeance... Damn them. --and now, like a "mokki no fuboku," and the "udonge no Hana,"

--They won't get away with this. --and now, like a "mokki no fuboku," and the "udonge no Hana,"

we face you this day.

Now, fight us, and fight us fairly!

It is by the warriors' honor that I have slain my enemies,

and now... and now, you dare call me your foe? I will deny you...

...your vengeance!

Soza-San, this isn't Kabuki, so you don't need to play it up so much.

And then, I come in, saying "Hold on, hold on, hold on a minute,"

in my role as the mediator.

Hey, there, can I play that "hole don" part?

Mago, something like that would be too hard for you.

He's right. lust be content with running around yelling "Vengeance!"

But I want to play a leading role sometime.

Lust be glad you got any role at all, okay?

These are the only days of the year when we can view the flowers.

If you draw your katana here in the temple district, and anything

happened to the visitors here, you'd be unable to face the god Hachiman!

Instead, would you be willing to slap my face, and put off this fight?

Then, if the villain does a little dance with me,

we'll get applause from those who are there viewing the flowers.

Um, Soza-San, excuse me a moment.

Yes?

I'd like to talk to you about something.

What might that be?

I'd rather not do it out here.

Would it be okay if I came over to your place?

Oh, don't bother with that. I'll only intrude for a short while.

No, ifs okay, really, you can leave that alone.

Oh, ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!

They're just sitting there, sipping tea...

Hurry up and knock her over!

But him, of all people?

Um...

Yes?

I'm not sure I should be asking this of you, Soza-San,

but at this point, I couldn't ask Shigehachi-San.

Um...

What do "mokki no fuboku" and "udonge no Hana" mean?

“ Mokki,“ you ask'!?

In the play, ifs one of the lines that I say,

and I'm always thinking "what could that be?"

Mokki... Mokki?

How is it written?

The word "mouki" means "blind turtle,"

and the expression refers to an exhausted turtle happening

upon a floating log by chance, and being allowed to rest.

"U-udonge no Hana" refers to the rare udmubara flower,

that only blooms once every 3000 years,

which resemble those lacewing eggs, like you see

in that spider web in the corner of the outhouse,

so that's why it has come to refer to those, as well.

Mok-ki? Mok-ki?

There, all ready.

Soza-San, you don't have to be nervous, this is just a play.

What are you going to do in a real act of vengeance?

"Cherry blossoms find grace only after the last one falls."

When a samurai falls, one hopes that it is indeed noble,

like these falling cherry blossoms.

You do that, will you? On your fourth try?

"Ill-born of Edo..."

You aren't even from Edo, are you?

Say, you think cherry blossoms fall so nobly...

...because they know they'll blossom again next year?

Otherwise, they wouldn't fall so readily.

Ha! Mago scores himself a point!

"Not exactly, but not too far off, either."

Yeah, not too far off.

"Needs must go when the devil drives."

You don't really know what that means, do you?

Vengeance! Vengeance!

Vengeance!! Vengeance!!

Vengeance! Vengeance! Vengeance!

Hey, how was that?

Oh, very good, very good.

This isn't good.

What's wrong?

Some guys I don't want to run into.

“What, you run up a lot of credit? --"Run up" doesn't even cover it.

I know, Mago, how would you like to play that "hold on" role in my place?

Mg?

Yeah, you'll be fine. I'm sure you can do it. Okay, I'm counting on you.

...who killed my father at Inumodori!

We, mother and son, have been beaten by the rains, whipped by the winds...

...and for many years, endured terrific hardship...

and now, like a "mokki" finding a floating log,

and the blossoming of the udmubara flower, we face you this day.

Now, fight us, and fight us fairly!

It is by the warriors' honor that I have slain my enemies,

and now, you dare call me your foe? I will deny you...

...your vengeance!

Let him have it!

Hey, what are you waiting for?

Come on, get to it!

Hurry up and out him down!

Hold it! Hold it!

I understand you are avenging your late husband.

In these days of peace, your heart is in the right place, as a warrior's wife.

To pretend not to see what is happening would be disgraceful to any warrior.

All of you out there, this is the chance to show the world your samurai skills!

Though we may not have been called, we shall assist you!

I offer you my gratitude,

but by mine and my son's hand shall-

Listen up. I will chop off both of his arms.

Yeah!

You guys get both his legs.

Cut 'em off!

Once he can'! move, we'll let you two finish him off.

I'll out you to shreds!

“HON on!“

He's fast.

Hold it!

Abacus and Writing and running away Taught Here

Well, what if you took his wife or kid hostage?

I couldn't do that.

You set fire to his house, and as he's running out of it, whammo!

Sneak up on him when he's asleep?

Sada-San...

Vengeance has to be taken in a way more worthy of a samurai.

Still, if by some small chance you get lucky,

you won't get your 100-ryo reward from the Lord, will you?

Is there any way, Soza, for you to take revenge without getting killed?

Hey, are you thinking about this?

Yes, I am.

I'm not so sure. Soza-San, it's not just that you're weak,

there's some other reason why you don't want to take revenge, isn't there?

I know what it is.

You've fallen in love with that pretty widow, huh?

Geez, what a smooth operator, you widow-killer!

"Widow-ki-"

"...-killer..."

How about a mask? Only 6 Mon.

Good day! oh, you had your baby!

It's all sticky now.

Sorry, sorry...

One more time...

Uncle?

Oh, Soza!

His eyes look just like yours, don't they?

Please stop that. It's not like that.

Huh? You mean he's not your kid?

Uncle, think about it. I left home three years ago.

Look at this boy. He's eight years old, at least.

Really?

Son, what's your name?

Shinnosuke.

And how old are you?

Eight.

I have to say, the children grow up fast these days, huh?

Thank you for waiting.

Why, thank you.

Shinnosuke, Soza-San has something important to discuss, so come here.

No, ifs not all that important.

Living all by himself here, in unfamiliar Edo,

I felt bad for him, thinking he might be feeling down,

so to cheer him up, I thought I'd take him to see a "working girl."

However, this is a relief.

I see I have absolutely no cause for concern.

He's always been a little shy by nature, so I was worried.

So, how does he do?

Uncle!

“Don?

You know...

How is his "brush"?

Oh! He is very skilled!

He is?

Yes. Onobu-Chan there across the way says that she

has made great improvement, thanks to Soza-San.

That's incredible!

My boy here is also making remarkable progress.

Huh? The boy?

It might be a tad early for him...

I was past twelve, myself.

Lots and lots! Lots and lots!

Well, excuse me.

Go in safety.

Oh, right. Next month is the anniversary of Brother's death.

What are you planning to do?

That's right...

When they find out that shy little Soza

has got all of this going on in Edo,

it won't just be the family, all of Matsumoto will be buzzing, huh?

Watch it, Ma!

Shut III)!

You good-for-nothing!

These row houses sure seem like fun, huh?

This is why no one will marry you!

"Maybe I ought to move in, myself. --This is why no one will marry you!

I'll go to the fish market tomorrow, okay?

Open up, Onobu!

"Onobu"? Where's this Onobu-Chan?

Uncle! Uncle, let's go.

Yeah, but... I want to see this Onobu-Chan...

Take care, now.

What exactly have you been doing, and where, for these three years?

I'm terribly sorry.

You think being sorry is good enough, you fool?!

I sent you off, because I thought if you avenged your father,

you might have earned back even a little of your old reputation,

but to think that you can'! even find a single lead!

Month in and month out, the allowance provided to you

by the rest of the clan is not inconsiderable.

Every month?

Brother, there's a good reason why he hasn't found his target.

Uncle!

Shy little Soza here has had himself a son with this beautiful lady.

And the boy is already eight!

The sword is not only meant for injuring people, and taking lives.

When swords are crossed, lives are met, and death is had...

...and when they forcefully come into contact with each other,

that is when dialogue first comes about.

That is where a warrior's joy lies.

No, that is the only path to life for a warrior.

In this time when the world is at peace, with no wars to be had,

a warrior can only demonstrate the beauty of this form

"Aoki Sozaemon" a warrior can only demonstrate the beauty of this form

"Aoki Sozaemon" by showing to the peasantry that...

There are fewer now than there were three years ago.

Without any wars likely to occur, everyone knows that...

...swordsmanship won't get them ahead in the world these days.

Look, over here.

It's the Kanazawa family home.

He lived there, together with his sick mother.

After he killed Father and fled, the mother was unable to face the world,

and passed away soon after.

I didn't know.

The poor woman.

"Poor woman"? What do you mean, "poor woman," Brother?

She got what was coming to her.

Still, I don't think the mother was involved.

Why are you being so soft on them?!

Have you forgotten what Father's dying words were?

Sorry.

"Sorry"?

Brother, you've completely changed these last three years, huh?

Lust what kind of life are you living up in Edo?

Brother, you're not fit to visit Father's grave.

I will fulfill my ardent desire for vengeance!

Defend yourself!

This is for my son!

Well, watch yourself, okay?

There's someone I'm meeting a little ways off over there.

Right.

You know...

Brother was prudish, with no appreciation

for the imperfect, fleeting pleasures of life.

When he passed away, his good graces put you in a rather cushy position.

You're going to catch it if you let it go to waste.

Got it?

Taking vengeance is not the only way to be dutiful to him.

Bye now.

Soza...

I’ve gotta say, that's just going too far.

I'm a fine creature here, myself. I wish people would treat me nicer.

They say a dog's curse keeps any heirs from being born to the Shogun.

Wonder if he ate one.

Fans... fans!

Sod e-San...

What are you doing out here, picking flowers?

Onobu-Chan, what are you up to?

I'm offering them at my family altar for my mother.

I don't have the money to buy them just for that.

She left behind a dutiful daughter.

Oh, you're hurt, aren't you?

You've been fighting with those gangsters again, huh?

What are we going to do with you?

Why do you always do those things that bring harm on yourself?

Who can say?

Sode-San, do you have anyone that you like?

If I did, would it put food in my belly?

It wouldn't put food in your belly,

but I was just thinking that if you did have someone you liked,

then maybe your haphazard way of living might change somewhat.

Onobu-Chan, you're such a baby.

If I had someone that I liked, living the way I do,

I might just have that much more that I couldn't take back, you know?

Geez, I was just concerned about you!

Well cleaning time! Well cleaning time!

Well cleaning time!

All right, hoist him up!

Yeah, pull him up!

Slowly, slowly!

Onobu-San!

Okay, let him down.

Okay, let him down some more.

Okay, keep letting him down.

A bit more, a bit more.

A little more, okay!

Now pull him up.

Onobu-San!

Okay, let him down.

Let's go.

Okay, back again.

A little more, a little more.

Keep pulling.

Soza!

Okay, pull!

Okay now, pull!

A little more, a little more.

Making New Year's cakes and cleaning wells is for a samurai's servants.

I've never heard of a samurai pulling the rope himself.

Hey, ifs the landlord's new wife.

He sure got himself a fine-looking wife, huh?

He bought her bond from the brothel.

Supposed to have paid a huge sum for her, too.

Hasn't even been three years since the previous one died, either.

Money sure makes the world go round, huh?

Huh? What, they know each other?

He sure gets around, huh?

"My goodness, Sode-San, you're as handsome as ever."

"Foolish girl. You're as pretty as you've ever been, too."

"We can't! I'm someone's wife now."

You married up, didn't you?

Being Isekan's wife is along way to come from Kirigaya Village.

I didn't do it because I wanted to.

I suppose you didn't want to become a working girl, either, huh?

Where do you find anyone who wants to become one?

Must be nice for girls.

If they have to, they can always make enough to eat.

You want me to tell you how I made enough to eat these last 15 years?

No thanks.

Why don't you build us a little nicer outhouse?

Don't be ridiculous. I'm knocking down these row houses,

and building new ones in their place.

Unfortunately, it looks like everyone will have to celebrate...

...the new year in row houses someplace else.

That was fun.

Lately, my stools seem to have gotten awfully loose.

I'll be joining you shortly.

Cut it out, Pop. We're eating over here.

Hush, would you? I can say anything I want to my wife, can'! I?

Talking about your stools this early in the morning? You're not Mago-San.

And if you're going to worry over something, worry over our back rent.

My child, about Kenbo...

Kenbo, any way you out it, takes after his pop.

In ten more years, I won't even be able to tell you apart, so relax.

"But... --I don't have time for this!

Pop, I'm in no mood to discuss your stools with you right now, so just shut up!

Here I go.

All right.

Sode-San isn't here.

"Good Fish"

"Good Fish" Please, don't come over here so much.

"Good Fish"

Why not?

Because, while I may not know what's happened in the past,

I don't think Sode-San will be happy with you around.

You really spell it out, don't you?

So, you think that he will be happy with you?

I just don't want to spend my whole life in these row houses.

Listen to me. You remember this:

When you leave this row house,

it will be because you're even more miserable than you are now.

I hear there's a place over in Nakano where they feed stray dogs.

Let's all go there when we're kicked out of these row houses.

Idiot. lust the dogs, not people.

I was born in the Year of the Dog. You think that will work?

To His Lordship, we peasants are even lower than dogs.

It's galling!

With this many people here,

how can we not even know the number of guards on the premises?!

Isn't there any way we can look into it?

Kichiemon...

Do you have any ideas?

Um...

I think the best way to determine their numbers...

...is to see the amount of sewage in their outhouse.

Sewage?

Yes.

That's a former peasant for you! A whole different way of thinking!

Excuse me...

Who are you, mister?

Don't "who are you?" me. I'm here to collect the rent.

Who are all of you, anyways?

Kanja. We're kanja (Patients).

Kanja? (Spies)

No, we may be kanja, but there's absolutely nothing suspicious about us.

Also, we have nothing to do with Kira-

We're just injured folk, that's all! Injured folk!

Oh, well, there sure are a lot of you-

The chief retainer just arrived from Kyoto!

--He has?! Oishi-sama?! "What?!

All right, lets go!

At last!

Hey, that's my umbrella! Hey!

Let me take a look at that.

This is no good at all.

Your business is really picking up, huh?

You don't need to pay me for this.

I wonder if you could wait a little while for my rent.

This one's for free, too.

Please! If you take that knife away from us,

Pop won't be able to work at the fish market anymore!

What are you talking about? You're half a year behind on your rent.

And he never works anyhow.

Good evening.

If all of my tenants were out looking for revenge,

I might not have to shake them down so much.

You, at least, are welcome to live in my new row houses.

Um...

Can't we change your mind?

Couldn't everyone still live together in these row houses a little longer?

Everyone together?

Listen to what you're saying.

This is why everyone in the row houses takes advantage of you.

Don't talk to me about that,

when you've never done a hard day's work in your life.

Or are you saying you'll pay everyone's back rent for them?

If you're going to stay here, you're paying rent.

How diligent of the landlord to come here in person, in all this rain.

Everyone tends to stay home more than they do on clear days.

It makes collecting easier.

Besides, I can'! send my beautiful wife over.

What if something were to happen?

What might "happen"?

I've heard. You two knew each other as kids, didn't you?

You were her fiance, right?

What business is it of yours?

Ooh, how scary, how scary.

I'd better be going.

Unfortunately for you, she's my wife now.

And I'm not letting you touch her.

This fatty part here...

...from this black one isn't as good as that other, white one was.

What's this, the four of you sharing a stew pot?

Oh, what happened to you? You're all wet, you know.

Come have a bowl, and warm yourself up.

Really? Well, don't mind if I do.

By the way, what was that all about the guy who visited His Lordship,

that German or English doctor, Kaempfer, or whatever?

I hear he sold him an immortality potion for 20,000 ryo.

20,000 ryo?!

I heard about that. It's supposed to be made from mermaid meat.

I wonder if that's good.

20,000 ryo...

He hasn't fathered any heirs, so he'll just have to live long, I guess.

Greedy guy, huh? Could give a certain landlord a run for his money.

20,000 ryo would be like...

20,000 ryo would be...

Ugh... is this?

Hey, mind your manners! Sit down to eat!

I'm asking you, what kind of meat is this?!

Huh? This? What is this, again?

This is that one thing, right?

You know, that one thing that sometimes comes through on that big, square-

It's dos!

It's pretty good.

Today's meat is a little tougher than usual, though.

Tougher than usual?!

Do you know what His Lordship will do if he finds out?!

He won't know if you don't tell him, right?

Mm-hmm. I mean, you ate some too, right?

Hey, you can't just dine and dash! Leave that knife here as payment.

You, you, and you! I'll kick you all out of here!

Thanks for coming in!

Come again!

It's been five days now. I can'! even go to work like this.

You hardly go out when ifs clear out, do you?

Still, when it comes down like this, it's hard on your body, huh?

Doesn't it, though? Lately, I’ve been worried because I can'! take a dump.

How many days?

It's been four days now!

It's been five days for me.

Look. I'm so puffy, too.

See?

You're right.

What?

I don't need anything from you.

Let me by.

You're going to disappear from me again?

I hate the rain.

Whenever it rains like this, I remember what happened that night.

Your bloody face appears in front of that dark ceiling.

I wish I would have died then, too.

Then this wouldn't be happening.

Is that how you've always felt since then? That's pathetic!

Shut up.

--If we'd been more... --You're not the only one whose parents almost killed them!

So what?

What do you want me to do?

You want to run away with me?

Somewhere far away.

Yeah, you're right.

It's too late for that now, huh?

I'm carrying his child inside me.

Is that right?

You have a child, do you?

You're going to have a new family.

Good for you, huh?

I give up.

You have your child,

become a mother,

grow old,

and start growing wrinkly.

Can I watch you the whole time, from here?

You live in a filthy row house,

so don't go dressing up like a samurai!

You'll never amount to anything, anyhow.

What's so great about being a samurai?

We've been better than you ever since we were born.

Who decided that? Bring him here!

What?

Get them!

--Why, you... --Don't think you're better than me!

Lust a minute!

What's with this guy?

Weirdo.

Let's go.

Okay, Yoshi-ho...

You said earlier that samurai weren't all that great, remember?

Mm-hmm.

Daddy always says so, when he's drinking.

I see. Your father, huh?

Daddy says that if I get into a fight, to run away.

But I don't like running away, so I thought of something else to do.

A man who is truly strong is one who doesn't fight without cause.

Yoshi-ho, I'm sure your father is a strong man, huh?

Mm-hmm.

Excuse me...

oh, ifs Mommy.

Hello.

I live across the way.

Oh, I'm so sorry to have put you out.

Look here, Yoshi.

You got into another fight, didn't you?

Did you forget what you promised your dad?

I didn't fight anyone.

Right?

Oh, Shin-ho, Osae-San said she was going to visit

her regular customers before coming home, so just stay at home a bit longer.

It's okay, I'll stay here until she gets home.

Well, excuse us, then.

Shin-ho, play with him again later, okay?

See you tomorrow.

I wonder if Daddy will come home early today.

That's a good question, huh?

He said he would make me a pinwheel.

Sounds like fun.

I have a portrait of my father.

Soza-San, you want to see it?

Your father?

Mm-hmm.

At night, Mother looks at it in secret.

Here it is.

"WANTED"

See? He looks strong, huh?

Don't tell Mother, okay?

What's the matter, Soza-San?

Fell into... a cesspit...

For certain reasons, I pass myself off as a druggist, but actually,

lam a samurai. And when I say samurai,

I mean just a foot soldier, one who has risen from being a peasant.

Is that right?

So all I ever think about is how to die like a samurai,

because I want to become a full-fledged samurai.

Once I do, my son will be able to live as a samurai's son.

After all, I don't have any lands or money to leave him,

but I can at least do that much for him.

Kichiemon-San,

who taught you how to play go?

It was after I started wearing two swords, such that it was.

Everyone told me it would make me seem a little more samurai-like,

so I learned by watching others.

I was taught by my father,

when I was still little.

I had forgotten.

There was something besides swordsmanship that I learned from him.

That's nice, isn't it?

Yes, ifs nice.

It really is nice.

I'm going to teach Shin-ho the basics of go sometime.

"Vengeance, vengeance!"

"After searching for three years for the man..."

"I, Aoki Sozaemon, of the Matsumoto Clan,

have exacted revenge against Kanazawa Jubei, my father's killer."

"When a man is killed by the sword..."

"The fatal blow was struck from under the right arm across the back,

in a single, decisive slash."

"Indeed, what an amazing sword fight it was..."

"I slew him in my capacity as a warrior. Bear no grudge."

"Do you hate the man who killed your daddy?"

"Yes, I do. I hate him."

The other day, Shin-bo, from the row houses where I live, was rescued.

Yoshi-ho broke up a fight he was getting into.

My Yoshi?

He did, did he?

How old is he?

Seven.

He's not my son by birth...

If ifs okay with you,

could he start coming to my school next year?

That would make Shin-ho happy, too.

Great idea! A repeat performance of our flower-viewing revenge play!

Quite ingenious, huh?

Mm-hmm, ifs just like Soza-San.

But are you sure we can?

If it goes wrong this time, they won't just laugh us off.

But if it goes right, we'll get 100 ryo.

100 ryo?!

If we had 100 ryo, we could pay off all the back rent,

and still have 14 ryo per person left over.

I'm in'.

All right, I'm in, too!

Me, too.

I'd like everyone in the row houses to be accessories,

and Tomekichi-San, I'd like for you to procure a pig, please.

Say, this time, would it be okay if I said "I will deny you your vengeance"?

If I may...

To a warrior, honor is even more important than one's life.

"Honor" is written with the characters for "self" and "beauty."

As a man, the one thing that must be observed is honor, and honor-based-

Honor, honor, honor! Enough already! Go ahead and swallow that crap!

Sada, he can't. Unless you turn the crap into mochi cakes first,

not even I would eat it.

Mago, that's not what he means. "Swallow that crap" means to-

If you really want money, then you could actually take revenge, couldn't you?

But of all things, to make it into a counterfeit play like this!

What are you talking about? Better that it is a play, isn't it?

If it were for real, it wouldn't be so ingenious.

"Tall tales may make flowers bloom, but they bear no fruit,"

as someone once said, long ago.

Even so, what do you say we make them bloom like crazy?

That makes 9 ryo...

Don't you bear any malice?!

Don't you have any resentment for the one who killed your father?!

It's not like that. It's not like that at all.

Each person has their own way of expressing hatred.

Soza-San is turning his hatred into something larger...

something more...

That's it! Soza-San has turned crap into mochi cakes!

He's turned the crap inside himself into mochi cakes for himself.

Osae-San,

all this talk about crap? You're not Mago, you know.

He turned the crap inside him into mochi cakes?

That's amazing, Soza!

No, you see, Mago, that's not what she meant.

"Changing crap into mochi cakes" means...

There's no way that such a play is going to work!

I mean, what are you going to do about a body?!

It's all right, let me take care of it. I’ve got a ton of bones.

No, Sada, anyone could see that they're from a dog.

You can't fool the priests at the temple that easily.

I'm telling you, it will be all right.

We'll take them to the temple that my family runs.

Sada, your father is a priest? At a temple?

Er, yeah. Didn't I ever mention it? Jodo Shinshu sect.

Okay then.

If you insist, then I, Hirano Jirozaemon,

will assist you in your vengeance-taking.

--"If you insist"? --Why the sudden change?

In exchange, if this does succeed, then I humbly request...

...that you recommend me to your clan in Matsumoto, please.

--You liar! --You are shameless.

Then, can I at least play the "hold on" part?

I'll do it good this time.

Mago, anything you're in gets all mixed up, so could you just keep silent?

Yeah, Mago, stop harping on this.

Mago-San, in this revenge play,

I'd like to ask that you please play the lead role.

Vengeance! Vengeance!

It took three years, but I finally got the man who killed my father!

It was an amazing sword fight!

It sure was!

"Vengeance! "Vengeance!

I, Aoki Sozaemon, of the Matsumoto Clan,

have exacted revenge against Kanazawa Jubei, my father's killer!

I, Hirano Jirozaemon, of the Matsumoto Clan,

did truly witness that vengeance was served!

It was a fight to the death!

Well done!

It was a fight to the death.

The notices have indeed been circulated.

With the world at peace as it is, your spirit is commendable.

Now, for the autopsy.

The fatal blow was struck from under the right arm across the back,

in a single, decisive slash.

Yeah, when a man is killed by the sword, there is so much blood.

It surprised me. oh, Oto, his guts! His guts!

Oh, you're right!

This is terrible.

What should we do?

You'll want to see him, right?

Dear!

Daddy!

Dear!

Daddy!

Dear!

Daddy!

Hmm, he does have the same red mark as in his description.

I avenged my father in my capacity as a warrior.

Bear no grudge.

Shin-ho, do you hate the man who killed your daddy?

Yes, I do.

Do you want revenge against him?

Mm-hmm.

Mommy feels the same way. So I won't tell you not to hate him.

But you know,

if the only thing that Daddy left us

was hatred for someone,

what would Daddy think?

I'm sure he would probably feel sad, huh?

Mm-hmm.

Then, let's both of us...

...slowly turn what Daddy left behind into something better.

Mommy will help you, Shin-ho,

so Shin-ho, will you help me, too?

Mm-hmm, I'll help you enough for Daddy, too.

That's right. "Jirozaemon."

How do you write that?

"Tsugi" followed by "ro," then "hidari"...

It worked!

Unbelievable! Are you sure that's it?

The fools even told us to bury him with respect.

7 ryo, 2 Mon...

Otokichi, why are you crying?

Because Osae-San and Shin-ho were just so...

You moron, they were acting, you know. lust acting.

Yeah, I know but still...

Mago, we're clear now.

Somebody, take the mat off for him.

He's asleep.

7 ryo, 2 Mon...

Looks like you made it without making a mess of yourself, huh?

"It was a fight to the death."

Bravo! Bravo! Fantastic!

Sake! Sake! Bring us some sake!

Doesn't look like I'll get any sleep tonight, with all the noise.

With that long stretch of rain, we couldn't go out,

so we stayed inside the whole time, didn't we?

And there you have it.

"There you have it"? That's no answer at all.

You shouldn't be spoiling this happy event with such talk.

Where's the harm? The rent will be split in half.

We're going to live together?!

Of course we are. We're getting married, after all.

You mean, I have to live with Oto-San?!

What's wrong with that, Onobu-Chan?

Otokichi will be your brother, after all.

Cut that out! If we're brother and sister, it means that...

Well, in any case, this calls for a toast.

And all's well that ends well.

It's not ending well!

It is ending well.

What do you mean, Suzuta ran off? Nobody told me!

"My sick mother, long bed-ridden,

has taken a turn for the worse, and is in urgent need of..."

A sick mother, he says.

First I’ve heard of it.

"Were I asked to abandon my mother,

it would be no different than asking me to abandon part of myself."

He's more concerned with his mother than with exacting revenge.

The time has finally arrived, and he loses his nerve!

He's an affront to samurai everywhere!

Hey, Terasaka,

how many are left after this?

As of this month, Yano-Han, Seo-Han, Mori-Han,

and Suzuta-Han have left us,

leaving about 50 of us, I'd say.

I told you this would happen...

Hey, if we don't strike now, before the year is out,

there's no telling how many more we'll lose.

Now, the dojo where you came from is sure to thrive!

Everyone in the row houses is settled,

so there's nothing holding us back from going to the Matsumoto clan.

This brings the number of marriages in these row houses to...

1, 1, 1, 4...

...8 now.

Hey, how was my leading role?

Very good, very good.

Really?

Oto and Onobu-Chan, of all people, living together...

Dummy, we're not living together, we're brother and sister.

You mean, if I can put up with being your younger brother,

I could get married to Onobu-Chan?

No you couldn't.

As Onobu's older brother, I wouldn't approve of it!

Geez, for a rag-picker, you sure are acting like a big shot.

If only it hadn't rained so much, this wouldn't have happened.

Mommy...

So, we wind up attacking him in his sleep, huh?

It's disgraceful.

Big news, big news! Vengeance is struck!

Vengeance! Vengeance!

,

This Chief Retainer Oishi is incredible, huh?

It says he kept pretending to be a skirt chaser to confuse his enemies.

I heard that the story of Aoki Sozaemon's vengeance

is what made them stiffen their resolve.

It's funny, it says they figured out the number of guards they had

on Kira's premises by the amount of sewage in the outhouse!

The owner of that noodle shop...

...is the cowardly samurai that got scared and fled,

just before they made their raid.

I guess that would explain why the noodles are so limp and flaccid, huh?

"Cowardly samurai" I guess that would explain why the noodles are so limp and flaccid, huh?

"Cowardly samurai"

Get your sweet revenge manju buns here!

Listen up! This house is where Dr. Onodera Junai,

said to be the 6th greatest of the 46, lived in hiding!

Ready for death, the doctor sent many letters to his wife in the capital,

but this is the verse that he wrote the day before the raid! Ready?

"When we met, thinking that I had said all,

there is still so much more, upon parting."

See? He thought that he had told her everything when they were together.

But now that they are apart, he feels that there is so much left to be said.

How about that?

It's enough to bring you to tears, isn't it?

I knew that there was something different about this man,

and so, I did not accept any rent from him!

Here, manju buns, manju buns. Get your manju buns.

8 Mon to see his house.

Look, that's the man!

Oh, the person behind the 46 warriors!

Welcome home.

Welcome home.

This is a fine mess, huh?

There's no mess here. We haven't done anything wrong.

On the contrary, it's those 46 other guys at fault.

Mm-hmm, I think so, too.

They did a bad thing?

You bet they did! They attacked him in the middle of the night, in his sleep!

What's more, they attacked in such a large number,

and killed a retired old man like that. How dirty can you get?

Even so, the landlord is making a fortune.

Lust by branding manju buns with the word "Loyalty" on them,

they're selling like crazy.

My old lady can'! wait to open up a shop out on the main road.

So, where could that coward be hiding, anyhow?

Maybe he's hiding in the cesspit. He is just a foot soldier.

There's nothing funny about that!

Cesspits have got nothing to do with foot soldiers.

I was getting ready to make the raid,

and remembered Soza-San saying that his father taught him to play go.

Yeah, how they're all black and white, right?

Sada-San!

I'd never taught my son how to make straw sandals.

When I thought about that...

You see? Soza-San saved you, Terasaka-San.

Um...

What? What do you want?

We need a word with Terasaka-sensei.

You ask him.

No, you ask him.

Ask him!

What is it, already?!

Well, you see, he can'! keep hiding in here like this forever, right?

So, what if we say that Terasaka-sensei was actually ordered by Oishi-sama

to tell the world of the exploits of the avengers,

so he had no choice but to split off from the others?

Then, assuming that were the case, we made these samples up.

I think they would sell! They're "Kichi-man."

You like to play go, so made two different kinds, black and white!

Of course, the Sensei would keep a tenth of the proceeds.

A good an for manju buns, huh? (an = proposal, manju = red bean jam)

Cut it out, Pop!

Vengeance is profitable!

That's right, Onobu. Profit, even on someone else's misfortune,

is still profit, isn't it?

Yes! I- I mean, I was actually ordered by the Chief Retainer

to report the exploits of the avengers to the rest of the world,

so I had no choice...

He), hey now...

No, really. I didn't tell anyone up until now,

but by no means did I run away in fear,

it was for the sake of the fallen clan.

I can'! stay here like this.

I have to return home, to tell the families of the other 46...

...the whole story of what took place.

The flowers have bloomed beautifully, but bear such odd fruit, huh?

Uh, so, about the manju buns?

What about those?

Have you heard?!

They say that all 46 of them committed seppuku!

Wasn't that noble of them?

Get your Kichi-manju buns here!

You know, now he might be able to show his son how to make sandals.

Once he returns home.

Shin-ho,

have Hirano-San teach you some swordsmanship over there.

From now on, boys should learn the sword, not reading and writing.

All right, listen up!

The moment of death is the most important thing to a samurai!

They say "cherry blossoms find grace only after the last one falls."

Then again, like Mago-San said,

cherry blossoms fall...

...so that they can blossom again next year.

Even more beautifully than they did this year.

Hey there...

ls there a school around here?

,