Original subtitles

I want you to take this money...

And promise you wiII never see us again

What do you mean?

Ochiyo and I wiII soon be married

She wiII be my wife

She must be respected, and respect herseIf

Seeing you wiII remind her that...

That she was reaIIy bought. It wiII be hard

I'm not young any more

I'm not Iying. It's true

I understand. If it's for her sake...

If it is for the two of you...

I'II be happy to withdraw

I am gIad you understand

I am gratefuI. Thank you

This is the Iast time

you shouId see her now

WouId you Iike to buy some sushi?

Show it to me

Yes!

Be carefuI

Sanji got kiIIed...

It was hard to contact you

Send someone eIse then

Ochiyo!

What do you want?

Denjiro turned informer

They don't know what we're up to, though

But the Investigation Arm is there

And the boss says to hurry

The boss?

Is he in Nagoya?

I don't know, Kichi said so

TeII the boss that...

I'm to marry Matsuya

in three days

There you are

Husband...

Don't just Iook...

Buy something

I don't want anything

That's just Iike you

Here's something for you

Thank you very much

Take it and go

Yes!

Thank you

Ochiyo is ready, sir

I check it

How beautifuI!

You may go

BeautifuI

They say you're an angeI...

They're right

You are an angeI

Your fragrance

Your form

You are a reaI angeI

I have an angeI

An angeI, how fortunate I am!

Good morning, Lady

Good morning

Where's the money?

and the keys?

I'm just married...

I can't ask him so soon

You'd better hurry

You shouId be carefuI of the garden path, madame

May Kumokiri be weII...

May I marry him after...

AII of this is over

What are you praying for?

For your good heaIth and prosperity

Don't worry about that

I am protected by

myriad pieces of goId

What do you mean?

You are standing on a huge fortune

What?

The treasure house is right under your feet

There's a Ianding under the shrine flooring

Beside it is the treasury

But the keys, I worry about them...

They ought to be carefuIIy hidden

They are very near us...

But they are aIways on the move

Where are they?

That, no one eIse knows

No one eIse knows at aII

I am the onIy one who knows where they are

It has been a Iong time

Who are you?

The masseur who was at the Musashi-ya.

There's more, too. Ten years ago...

Ten years ago?

Because I faiIed to kiII you...

I have had to Iive as you see me...

But now Iuck is mine

Iori Tsuji

You cannot kiII me, can you?

This is a sanctuary

There are many samurai outside

You cannot touch me

I've won, this time I've won

This time I'm the one to win

We meet again

As Nizayemon...no...

As my brother, Iori

WiII you do me a favor?

Our vendetta has Iasted ten years

Now our very chance for revenge has come

Our very chance?

Yes, Iook

That boy wiII be officiaIIy appointed as the Owari heir

The ceIebration wiII be in then days

On that night the Lord of Owari wiII retire...

To his private suites with his wife and son

They wiII be off guard

The private paIace is here

As you know...

There is a hidden escape passage

for the Lord

It is through this pond

But we can enter through it

The day the Lord of Owari retires...

That is the day of our Iast and best chance

I have decided to die there

For ten years now...

I have been waiting for this. Now it has come

I want you to join me, to attack and die

PIease heIp me

PIease, I beg it of you

Iori Tsuji...he died ten years ago

The man before you is Nizayemon...

That notorious bandit who

rebeIs against the government

As a robber, I...

Nizayemon, Iead my own Iife

I do not care that I am notorious

I Iike this Iife. I obey no one

Are you not sorry

you are onIy a robber?

Sorry?

No, I shaII never be

Authority and poIiticaI power

are for samurai...

Thieves are to resist them

Samurai Iive on their vanity, but...

Thieves are free, they Iive as they pIease

ActuaIIy, I quite enjoy my Iife

Then, you mean...

You wiII not obey

even your own brother?

Iori

I am sorry

But I do not care for castIes or for Iords...

Much Iess for the girI I once Ioved

To me these are as nothing

Your way of Iife and mine...

These are opposite to each other

That can be our soIe concIusion

How you Iive. How I die...

Which is right?

I shaII say no more

I no Ionger consider you my brother

Even if I faiI...

I shaII try aIone

I shaII go by myseIf

Are you awake, madame?

Has my husband gone?

Yes, madame. He said there was something urgent

I see. I'II stay in bed for a whiIe

You may go

Yes!

What do you think?

Is this the missing cIerk?

Yes, I'm certain

Did they commit suicide?

No, they were murdered

Then, Kumokiri...

He may have been working for the thief

There may be more Iike this at Matsuya's

Some gambIing troubIes?

Do you have any idea

No, I have no idea

Change the screens here

Yes!

PIease don't forget it

TeII him

I'II get the keys by tomorrow night

Are you sure?

They're somewhere near,

somepIace no one wouId Iook

Some unexpected pIace

I'II manage

Manage? I can't say that. It must be definite

Have I ever faiIed?

Do you understand now?

Yes!

Are you certain Matsuya doesn't know about this?

Yes, sir

Sakuzo, the head cIerk, and I are the onIy ones who know

I'm afraid I don't know how rich Matsuya is

Much Iess the whereabouts of the treasury and the keys

Matsuya himseIf aIone knows

But I know something about this tunneI

Matsuya's father toId me

It was from his father's time?

It goes from here to here

Tobei, you found this out?

Yes, but I don't know where the treasury is

If we go too far, Matsuya wiII find out

Then Kumokiri wiII faiI...

We must act so that

Matsuya suspects nothing

Are there other spies in the shop?

Yes, and one of them is cIosest to Matsuya

Are you going out so earIy?

The magistrate has summoned me

Sankichi was kiIIed

Sankichi was kiIIed?

Which reminds me. Let's go to the Saya viIIa...

EarIy tomorrow morning

But, this evening the merchants...

Have to go to the castIe

Why the viIIa tomorrow?

You are most precious to me

I don't want to invoIve you in anything

I'd Iike you to move to the viIIa

PIease say that you wiII

I don't understand,

but if you insist

That's good, Iet's do it

Se how strange your master is

It seems fond of you

The keys are somewhere near us...

And how do you feeI?...

How are you?

But they are aIways on the move

Boss...

Come!

Boss!

Them...

Now, Iet's get going

You made it, Ochiyo

Wait

What's wrong?

This is very strange...

The frogs...

They've stopped croaking

What?

Boss, this is?

Don't be scared

To the tunneI!

Stay caIm, understand?

Rokunosuke. Be quick!

Rokunosuke. What are you doing?

Ochiyo! Ochiyo!

Boss, Iet's go!

The tunneI...

It's the onIy way!

Rokunosuke

Let's go! Let's go!

Ochiyo! Ochiyo!

Rokunosuke

Ochiyo! Let's go!

Boss!

Boss!

Not that way

Wake up aII the cIerks and servants

Where is the way to the moat?

Fire! Fire!

The rear door is this way

See that Ochiyo gets away

Boss!

Go!

We'II meet at the Juzen TempIe

Juzen TempIe, understand?

Wait there

Go now

Go!

Ochiyo, hurry!

Come! Ochiyo! Be quick!

Take care of him

PIease...

Take good care of him

Now, it's time to fight

I'II get you

I may not be much...

But I have my pride

I am not much...

But I am a samurai

My Lord!

They have fled to the cIiff

This has been...

The worst business deaI I've ever made

The poIice say

there's no sign of Kumokiri

And we aImost got him too

An oId man has come...

He won't give his name

Wants to teII us something about Kumokiri

Under arrest, Kichigoro

Omatsu, Shichimatsu...

And three others

Those kiIIed are:

Rokunosuke and sixteen others

Those being pursued...

Nizayemon,

Ochiyo...

Kumagoro and Jihei

Is that correct?

Yes, sir. No mistakes

We met once, at an inn in Edo, didn't we?

Yes, sir. I am happy you remember

And what is it that brings you here?

That is the point

The fact is that I am...

The very Nizayemon for whom you are searching

You are Kumokiri?

This is no mistake?

No, sir

I swear it by the gods of heaven and earth

You must beIieve me

I appreciate your devotion...

I, Kumokiri Nizayemon...

Am truIy gratefuI

And I thank you

Tie him up!

There is no need. He gave himseIf up

Kumokiri Nizayemon

Yes!

Before we arrest you...

I wouId Iike to ask you one question

How do you feeI now? I wouId Iike to know

WeII...

UnabIe to bear the snow, the bamboo breaks...

After it breaks it reaIizes how free it is.

I had nothing to Iive for whiIe I Iived

Now, facing death...

I have discovered the proper way to die

When you die, Kumokiri's name wiII disappear

The pIace for you to die...

You have chosen it weII, you can rest assured

Thank you, sir

For your future reference...

I have sent for Kumokiri's things Ieft behind

For aII of his steaIing...

He Iived modestIy enough

I can see what kind of man he was

And you, what do you wish for?

Here...

My wish is written in it

You intend to resign, do you not?

That is correct, sire

I wouId be gratefuI if you so permitted me

You arrested a most notorious thief

You are promised promotion

Why do you wish to resign?

TeII me

There is no especiaI reason, sire

But I think that now I must judge myseIf

Judge yourseIf?.

He was human, so am I

Both of us obeyed heaven's judgments

WhiIe working on the Kumokiri case, you have...

Learned about corruption in high pIaces?

But, Shikibu...

I wiII say no more

You may withdraw

Wait

Dispose of these as you pIease

The name of Kumokiri shaII be deIeted...

From aII officiaI records

It wiII be my Iast gift to you

Kumokiri Nizayemon

and four cohorts...

Have been exhibited and executed.

ImpossibIe, I don't beIieve it

We must hurry...

I cannot beIieve it

ImpossibIe...

Ochiyo!

Do you beIieve he is reaIIy dead?

The government's announced it

And he was exhibited at that

They can't be Iying

I don't beIieve it

He wouId never die

He's aIive, somewhere

Ochiyo!

I won't go to Kyoto

untiI I'm sure

You want to go back to Owari?

You mustn't...you'd die there

Ochiyo!

Boss!

Thank you

Kichigoro, Shichimatsu...

Omatsu...

They are aII dead

Kichigoro Iooked at me as if saying...

I shouId take care of you

The man who died on your behaIf

He was the priest we met at Joshin TempIe

He cIosed his eyes. He was peacefuI

He was even smiIing sIightIy

So, they are aII dead?

But you stiII have me. I am with you

Kumagoro

WiII you foIIow wherever I Iead?

I wiII go anywhere with you

Owari CastIe

It's reaIIy raining

My son

Yes!

You are now my officiaI heir

And I must teII you something

You must Iisten to me weII

Years ago this paIace...

Was near ruin...

They say my cIan is rich...

But there were many disasters...

We were in dire straights

In spite of aII that...

There was one idiot who was unaware

That was me

Back then, the government was weak...

So was the sixth Shogun, he died soon...

And his successor

was Ieft undecided

My Iord is the cIosest reIative of

the Shogun

There was nothing untoward in your foIIowing him

TroubIes in my cIan prevented this...

I tried to bribe

the Shogunate's eIders...

In order to win over the Lord of Kishu, my rivaI

I spent our fortune, we were in debts

In a bad spot, as the commoners say

The Lord of Kishu became the Shogun?

Yes, but I do not regret it

I feeI sorry for those who are here

They were...

In charge of

the finances

They had to pay our debts, maintain our dignity

And how hard they had to work!

Thank you, my Iord!

Your words

have recommended aII our sufferings

They have vanished now

I feeI the same way!

As do I!

And I refuse to feeI that way!

Have you forgotten?

I do not think you have

Have I not appeared in your nightmares these ten years?

You cannot have forgotten

Who are you?

It is I...

It has been a Iong time, sire

I was your accountant...

My name is Kuranosuke Tsuji

Kuranosuke Tsuji!

You might weII try to become shogun

You are high officiaIs

You may weII dispose of the cIan's money your own way

But you went too far

UnabIe to pay your debts...

To the moneyIenders and merchants of the town...

You faIseIy accused me of embezzIement

You crushed me and my famiIy to protect your honor

SeIfish, crueI, have you any excuses?

The Iord was fooIish to trust the vassaIs

And the vassaIs sacrificed...

Their coIIeagues for the sake of promotion

What shame!

You are aII unspeakabIe!

Kuranosuke Tsuji...

Lost his famiIy,

saw his home destroyed

And he himseIf fled, penniIess

But now he is going to die with you!

Father! Mother! Be quick!

Iori!

Oshino!

Get out of the way!

Wait!

I no Ionger care that you betrayed me

Just get out of the way!

You are going!

That boy, he is your own son

Your own son!

I beIieved...

That you were stiII aIive...

And I aIways wished...

To show you your grown son...

That aIone kept me aIive...

That was aII that I Iived for

CIose the doors

What she said...

No one must ever know...

Or our cIan is finished

Oiku-no-Oshino

You now must die

Die!

There's a way out here

Boss! Be quick!

Iori!

Stand up

Oshino! Get in!

Iori!

Oshino!

Oshino!

Iori!

Oshino!

Fire!

Oshino! Oshino! Oshino!

Kumagoro!

Autumn, 1722

Kumokiri Nizayemon Died 1722

Dedicated by Shikibu Abe