"In the year 1701, in a royal hallway of Edo castle," "Lord Akou assaulted Kira, a nobleman, with his sword!" "Lord Akou was made to commit hara-kiri as his vassals scattered as ronin, disguised as merchants and doctors..." "Our story begins one year later in a poor neighborhood in Edo" "By this winter morning, swordfighting has blown out of fashion with the wind" "For Rent" "Wake up!" "Morning time..." "Wake up!" "Quick, wash your face and get down to the fish market" "Let me sleep a little longer, Onobu..." "You took the day off yesterday" "The sun's already up!" "Hurry up!" "I'll leave you behind" "All this noise every damned morning" "Please let me escape this dump" "Is master Soza up and about?" "What's your business with him?" "I'm sure you're up to no good" "Do you have to put it like that?" "He needs my advice, that's all" "Hurry, Pa, or they'll close the fish market" "I'm taking the day off" "You took the day off yesterday" "What are you still doing in bed?" "Good morning, Osae san" "Already off?" "The weather's so fine, I'll deliver the sewing I've finished" "Good for you Off you go" "Did you hear that?" "!" "Who cares" "Ouch!" "What the hell" "Can't be helped in such close quarters..." "Watch yourself" "How's things?" "You know they're never good" "Right" "At this rate, I'll never get Onobu to marry me" "Fool, you know Onobu's going to marry me" "There you go again" "Later" "HANA" "I envy you" "If your revenge plan goes well, you'll be a rich and respected man" "You can leave this seedy life behind" "Lucky your father left you a score to settle" "My father died peacefully that's no use at all" "Hirano san, where to, today?" "To the castle" "Oh, to see your friend, the retainer?" "Enough of that ingrate" "I've got a relative who's assigned to the study in Edo castle" "I am off to petition him for an official post" "A good position in contact with the Shogun" "I once did this man a favor..." "Off already?" "I must be on my way" "Hey, ronin If you want the castle, it's this-a-way" "Excuse me" "You heard?" "He knows one of the government retainers" "And has a relative in the castle study" "Oh, no, the tale keeps getting taller and taller" "I found him, your enemy" "Not, again..." "This time, I swear it's him" "The water's perfect" "I know another guy..." ""Height 175cm, fair skin with regular teeth" "WANTED" "WANTED "His fox-like face bears a red mark from his right eye down his cheek"" "Ah, the marked cheek is on his face, not his backside..." "Yes" "Age?" "Thirty" "Thirty..." "Much older looking since I last saw him..." "Don't lose heart, Soza" "Finding a man in Edo's sprawl is like winning the lottery" "It could take 10 years, no, 20..." "Hey, sis, another sake" "Patience..." "But he's the right height, right?" "I'll go over it once more so listen well" "Our shit fertilizes the rice paddies and fields" "That's why the farmer pays money to buy it from the rich landlord, who owns this tenement" "And that money pays for New Year's rice cakes for all of us" "You mean, rice cakes come from shit?" "Well, not quite, but you're not far off, either" "Useless, it's damp!" "That's a fine sum Don't be stingy with those rice cakes" "Save that line for when you've paid your rent" "And I don't recall letting a room to that prancing idiot beside you" "I'll work hard for lots of rice cakes next year" "Yeah, let's do that" "Despite the passage of time you've yet to avenge your father" "Our entire family struggles to sustain itself" "My frugal housekeeping permits me to forward this sum, but alas, there is no more..." "The samurai goes to the bath house daily, thanks to money made off peasants' backs..." "I bet..." "You've never killed a soul" "Just like you've never used that sword against anyone" "How the hell are you ever going to avenge your father?" ""How the hell..."" "I'll strike him with all my might and if that's not sufficient," "I'll take my life gracefully just like the cherry blossoms" "That's the warrior's way of death" "This, my father taught me" "One rainy night last spring, the man who lived here, was ruined and decided to end it all" "He got as far as slashing his wife's throat, but then his only kid turned on him and stabbed him" "Hearing the noise I rushed over, this place was a sea of blood" "Right about where you're sitting now..." "The old man was bleeding to death, guts spurting" "I wouldn't call that graceful..." "I'd call it a massacre" "That's what a man's death means" "Don't talk about living and dying, without being ready for the worst" "Good morning, Soza san" "Good morning" "Are you going out?" "Just to the toilet You, Osae san?" "We're going to pray at the shrine You should come, Soza san" "No, Shinnosuke" "He's a busy man" "Mother" "Good day" "Good day" "What did you pray for?" "That I may find my enemy soon" "Mother?" "That you may stay a sweet-natured boy" "And you?" "That Father will return safely" "How can one god answer so many prayers?" "Come here, come here and buy" "Take a look at these toys, very popular!" "I've got every kind" "We go this-a-way, we go that-a-way" "My husband died of a lung disease when our boy was only two" "Today is his monthly anniversary" "I see..." "Time keeps passing by and I haven't yet told him the truth" "What does that say?" "No tabs" "What's a tab?" "A tab?" "A tab means..." "You want to eat now but pay later" "Sada san's always asking for that" "Actually, he never, ever pays his tabs, so we call someone like him "a deadbeat"" "How do you write "run out on debts?"" ""Deadbeat?"" "The way you write it..." "You write "step out"... with "on your debts"" "means "run out"" "Let's try that again" "Abacus and Writing Lessons Clear the abacus for the next calculation..." "Abacus and Writing Lessons" "Abacus and Writing Lessons That's 7 pence" "That's 7 pence" "Eight pence" "Five pence" "Two pence" "Three pence" "If you're going to teach, why not teach swordfighting?" "What's the point in a world with no more war?" "Idiot" "But a samurai teaching the abacus?" "Got nothing to do with avenging..." "As they say, "Hunger is a terrible master..."" ""Hunger's the master"" "The point is, a man doesn't need to read if he's got the guts to fight" "As they say here, "Only the countrymen keep their money"" "We spend our money as soon as we make it." "Who needs calculations?" "You're not even from around here" "You're in the way, move" "What do you want in there?" "Soza san to teach me how to write" "You, too?" "At least I'll learn how to write my own name" "You have no guts You should learn, too" "Damn it" ""My own name" my ass!" "I'll never write a single word, until the day I die" "Everyone finished?" "Can you believe Kenbo's learning to write?" "He's smart and good looking" "Good bye" "See you tomorrow" "Clinic" "Isn't he going to inherit the martial arts academy?" "Yes, his father was a grand fencing master" "A samurai teaching kids to write..." "It's not right" "You... should investigate" "He may be have ties to Kira" "I warned you about this" "Even scattered, it's risk y with too many of us in town" "All right Not to worry, it's nothing" "Though I can't heal much more than this" "Soza san, is this the first time you've met Kichiemon?" "Yes" "I'm Kichiemon" "I'm Aoki Soza-emon" "Soza san has come from up north, to avenge his father" "I see" "Revenge, huh..." "It's been over two and a half years now, with no leads..." "Two and a half years, I'm sorry" "But why here?" "Any special reason?" "These places often shelter strangers" "A good place to seek my enemy..." "Strangers?" "Master Aoki, what do you do for fun?" "Fun?" "My pleasures are..." "Bathing and..." "I also keep birds And I like to play Go" "Kichiemon also enjoys Go Why not challenge each other?" "Yes, an excellent plan" "Over a game of Go..." "Yes It was at a Go tournament" ""You've called halt four times" "No, it's only three," that's how it began" ""You're just an idiot, how dare you call me a liar!" "Draw!"" "I'm so sorry" "He always longed to die at war" "Dying over a silly dispute" "Must have been a shame" "At least..." "If he had died in a manner more worthy of a warrior..." "One moment" "I've always been... handy this way" "That's all for today, Soza san" "So I stand at 7 wins, 3 losses Do come back" "Welcome" "Don't stare" "Done yet?" "Not yet" "Tell me when you're done" "I hope it's a lot" "A lot, a lot" "A lot, a lot" "Revenge?" "That's right It's just a play" "A play?" "This'll be your first" "Every spring festival, Shigehachi writes a script and we stage a revenge play" "Despite his looks, this guy's smart" "Despite my looks..." "I've got more confidence in my brains than my guts" "Same goes for me" "The crowd paid us well last year" "Osae san looked so pretty in her costume" "Osae san, too?" "They only love our show so much, half aware it's a farce, because real fights are so scarce" "We make money..." "Thanks to those cowardly Akou ronin who can't avenge their Lord" "Did they beat you up, Shinbo?" "No" "What then?" "They made fun of me" "How?" "They said I live like a pig in a rubbish heap" "What the hell?" "And that everyone who lives here is trash" "Who the hell said that?" "Don't get so upset, they're just kids" "Besides, they're right" "They said "why bother buying trash, just sell your own"" "That'd be me" "Got that right" "What's wrong with my work?" "Bring the brat here I'll beat the shit outta him" "Hurry up, bring the brat" "Soza san" "Teach me to use a sword I really want to beat them" "Sounds great Teach him, Soza" "Act like a samurai for once" "My father made me promise no fighting outside the academy" "That's pretty useless" "I'll teach you" "Come here" "Hold this" "Grab this tight Hold it in front of your belly" "Hold it really straight" "Lift it straight up and..." "Bring it down" "What's going on here?" "Shinbo's practicing vengeance" "For the play?" "No, the genuine article" "Swing it down hard And shout" "Oto san What would you do in his place?" "I'd learn how to take a punch without getting hurt" "How's that?" "Let 'em hit you where it doesn't hurt and call it quits" "Who taught you that pathetic trick?" "My dad, before he died" "What a legacy!" "Your mom's a real terror..." "Yup, it's come in real handy." "Thanks, Dad" "Don't force it" "Give it here Hold this, straight, straight" "When you're ready to strike..." "That's it" "Shinbo, come on, hit me like you mean it" "Hey, that's dangerous" "Come and get me, crybaby" "You want to win, right?" "Listen" "It's no good swinging like that useless Lord Akou" "Swords are made for thrusting" "Got it?" "Try it" "That's right, that's good" "Aim at their knees and ankles, where it's hard and it'll hurt" "That's cheating..." "Say, noble samurai" "Why don't you come after me?" "I think not" "It's childish to take on an amateur" "No need to worry" "I want to show Shinbo, fencing learned in a dojo, is useless in reality" "Find any fish?" "Watch out!" "Mago!" "He's useless..." "Cheater" "Listen up, Shinbo" "This way, they'll never bother you again" "If that's not your style, get that guy to show you how to take a punch without getting hurt" "Somebody..." "Look after Soza san" "Hey, there's a sudden chill in the air" "Taking a few days off" "Daddy, you're home!" "It's spinning" "It's caught" "You're right" "Other way" "This time the other way" " Welcome home" " Thanks" "What's that?" "It was just lying there" "Someone was in a hurry" "I'm home, baby" "Can you hear?" "Hirano san..." "Are you all right?" "Do you have a stomach ache?" "Hirano san..." "Hey, Sada san!" "Look what a mess you made of the floor The landlord won't like this" "Get a doctor, quick!" "He'll be fine, it's the third time And the sword's bamboo" "He tries to commit hara-kiri every spring" " Pathetic" " Ouch" "Listen, if you do this on the floor, it's a pain in the neck to clean up" "If you must, do it on the dirt floor" "Answer me" "Oh, no!" "Soza san, please get Dr. Onodera" "Soza san" "What a bunch of hopeless losers..." "Bamboo..." "Osae san..." "Thank you" "I could've sworn he was taller" "Enough of your stories" "Give me the money" "Money?" "Oh, hello" "Pick it up" "Sada san I'm grateful" "What for?" "I was in the mood for something sweet" "Actually, Sada san" "Why so serious, suddenly?" "I've already found him..." "Kanazawa Jubei" "Changed his name" "Heisuke, right?" "He's a laborer in Kawaracho" "That widow he's living with is a beauty" " You knew!" " Yeah, I knew" " Since when?" " For a while" " But you..." " Listen" "Have you told anyone else yet?" "Then let's keep it secret" "In this day and age, this samurai revenge thing's out of style" "Besides, with your skills, you're doomed" "Think I can have another?" "Another, please" "So, sell any?" "Not this crap" "Welcome home, Soza san" "Another day" "Off to the bath with Sada?" "Treat me, sometime" "Wish I'd get a good job" "Tried buying scraps?" "No way!" "Why?" "Stinks" "Figured" "What do you see, Mago?" "I see night" "Say, Soza san" "What will happen to your bird?" "I wonder..." "Is he stuck underground forever?" "It's dark and it's cold and he won't like it" "I wonder if my father's underground somewhere" "Shinbo..." "Don't tell my mother" "She still thinks he's going to come home" "Sure" "Let's pray again, that your father's some place warm" "On his deathbed, my father held my hand and begged," ""Soza, please avenge me"" "But I'm a hopeless swordsman, and haven't fulfilled this task" "His one dying wish" "That is my inheritance" "Inheritance?" "Yes" "It's why I have to pay back his enemy with my own hands" "Is that true?" "I can understand your feelings, but this is how I see it" "If, after living his whole life, your father left you nothing but hate, it would be unbearably sad" "Mother, come" ""Owing to my imminent starvation," ""I pray you will send funds" ""upon receipt of this letter" ""May I inquire, Father," ""whether you are happy and healthy?" ""Hope you will take" ""the very best care of yourself" ""Yours, Sakutaro"" "That's what it says" "So, how will you reply?" "Reply?" "I have no reply" "What, a samurai?" "So spoiled" "You have no skills" "I wouldn't be so proud if I were you" "What's the big deal over those two swords you have?" "The village dumpling-maker serves them three at a time" "Whenever he gets that drunk, he brings old letters in for me to read" "He never once sent a reply, so he's bad for business..." "Soza san, why do you think samurai exist?" "Why?" "Peasants grow rice" "Merchants sell things" "Just as that drunk said, samurai alone make nothing, and sell nothing" "The samurai were meant to live, giving and taking life at war" "Time has passed and war is over" "But the samurai remain" "I'd say that's the root of their troubles" "Say, that gives me an idea" "Will that lazy Oishi ever come to Edo?" "That's why I keep saying" "We should've attacked the Kira mansion when they forced our lord into hara-kiri" "But that chief retainer..." "He's hopeless He and his son are both sex maniacs" "The father chases female ass, the son chases male ass" "Old man Kira's retired now..." "At this rate, he'll die of old age before we can kill him" "Onodera san, it's hardly the time for poetry" "Oh, sorry" "But there's nothing gained by panicking" ""A prayer for a despised enemy's" ""longevity"" "Revenge, revenge!" ""Art thou Akiyama Gengobei?"" "They're making a racket Are they trying to rub it in?" ""My son and I..." ""rain drenched and windswept..." ""The trials and..." ""The trials and tribulations of such times..."" "Mocking the warrior's sacred vengeance" "They won't get away with this" ""Now, fight and fight fair"" ""I cut my enemy down in warrior's vengeance, not petty motives" ""Now you deserve revenge"" "Listen, Soza This isn't the Kabuki" "No need to overdo it" "And now, "Not so fast, just a little wait, please"" "That's my cue to step in and mediate" "Hey, can I say the "Not so fast" line?" "The part's way too much for you" "Do the best with your "Revenge!" part" "For once, I want a big part" "You're luck y to even get any lines" ""It is a day for admiring blossoms" ""Can you face the gods if your swords draw blood among the temple-goers?" ""Out of respect for me, won't you postpone this fight?"" "And if the enemy also does a little dance, the crowd will applaud" "Soza san, excuse me" "I'd like to discuss something" "What is it?" "Not here May I come to your place?" "Oh, don't bother I won't stay long" "Please don't make a fuss" "Ouch, ouch..." "He's just sipping tea quietly" "Hurry up and jump her, man" "Despite his looks..." "Um..." "I don't know if I should be asking you this..." "But it's too late to ask Shigehachi san..." "Um..." "What do "Drifting log mokki" and "Udonge flower" mean?" "Mokki... you mean?" "It's one of my lines in the play, but I've never been able to figure out what it means" "Mokki..." "I wonder how you write it..." "A mouki is..." "The characters are "blind" and "turtle"" "A turtle, worn out with swimming, finally rests refuge on a floating log" "The "udonge flower" blooms once every 3 thousand years" "Because the rare "udonge" flower resemble a spider web," ""udonge" has slowly come to mean the spider's web as well..." "Mokki?" "All done" "Soza, don't be so nervous It's just acting" "How will you manage a real revenge?" ""Cherry blossoms are blessed only when they have all fallen"" "When it's time for a samurai to die, one hopes to fall gracefully, like these cherry blossoms" "Make sure you do, on your fourth try" ""Only the countrymen..."" "You're not from here, right?" "I bet cherry blossoms fall gracefully 'cause they know they'll bloom next year" "Otherwise, they'd never give up" "A point for Mago" ""Not exactly, but not far off, neither"" "Right, "neither"" ""Hunger is a terrible..."" "You don't really understand any of it" "A revenge!" "A revenge!" "A revenge!" "A revenge!" "How was I?" "Just fine" "Shit" " What?" " Some guys I'd rather not see" " What?" "A big tab?" " Enormous" "I know, will you take my "Not so fast" line, too?" "Me?" "Don't worry, you can do it" ""All to avenge this grudge, my son and I," ""rain drenched, windswept," ""by the trials and tribulations of such times..."" ""Meeting you like a mokki reaching driftwood" ""the flowering of the udonge..."" ""Now fight, and fight fair"" ""I cut my enemy down in warrior's vengeance, not petty motives" ""Now you deserve revenge"" "It's your moment!" "What's the hold up?" "Hurry up" "Kill him" "Not so fast!" "We've heard she avenges her dead husband" "In these peaceful times, a fine example of a warrior's wife" "To ignore her plight would disgrace any samurai" "An excellent chance to showcase our samurai training" "Though we may be inadequate, we offer our assistance" "A gracious offer, but my son and I, must do this with our own hands..." "Listen, I'll strike both his arms" " You, his legs..." " Strike" "Once he's disabled, you deliver the deathblow" ""Not so fast!"" "So fast" "Coward" " Lessons Available" "How about taking his wife or child hostage?" "I can't do that" "Set his house on fire and get him as he escapes..." "Attack him in bed?" "Sada san" "Retribution must befit a samurai..." "But if by some miracle you succeed, you'll win vast lands" "There's got to be a way to avenge him without risking your life" "Are you taking this seriously?" "I am" "You sure?" "I don't think it's just that you're weak, you've got some other real hesitation about seeking revenge" "Oh, I know" "You've fallen in love with that beautiful widow" "Quite the stud, you widow-killer!" ""Widow..."" "How about a mask?" "Hello Oh, you had your baby!" "Uncle?" "Soza" "His eyes are just like yours" "Cut it out, you're wrong" "What?" "He's not your child?" "Uncle!" "Think about it I only left home 3 years ago" "This boy is at least 8 years old" "Is that so?" "What's your name?" "Shinnosuke" "Your age?" "Eight" "Children these days grow up so fast..." "I've kept you waiting" "Why, thank you" "Shinnosuke, come with me Soza san has important business" "It's not so important" "I feared his spirits might be low" "Thought I'd take him to a brothel to distract him" "But I'm relieved at what I see" "There's absolutely no need for my concerns" "I worry because he's always been a little immature, but how's "it" going?" "Uncle" "What "it?"" "I mean... with his pen" "Oh... he's very skillful" "Excellent" "Onobu across the street says she's really improved because of him" "That's amazing" "My boy's getting better at it every day" "What?" "Your boy!" "Isn't he on the young side?" "I was at least 12..." "What will you do for your father's anniversary next month?" "Ah, yes..." "When they find out "Shy Soza"" "has quite a set-up here in Edo, it won't just be relatives talking, it'll be the entire clan" "Watch it, Ma!" "Shut up!" "You useless ass!" "This place is full of life Wouldn't mind moving in myself" "I swear I'll go to the fish market tomorrow" "Please open up, Onobu" "Onobu?" "Where's Onobu?" "Uncle, let's go" "But what about Onobu..." "Take care" "What on earth, have you been up to, these 3 past years?" "I am deeply sorry" "You think apologies are enough, you idiot" "I sent you off to avenge your father, as if you had succeeded, you might have slightly improved your pathetic reputation" "But not even a single lead..." "The monthly allowance the clan provides you is not inconsiderable" "Monthly?" "Brother, there's another reason why he hasn't located his enemy..." "Uncle" "Our Shy little Soza has made a child with a beautiful woman" "The child is already 8 years old" "The sword is not merely intended to inflict wounds and claim lives" "When swords clash, life encounters life, death encounters death, in a tempestuous conflict, giving birth to a genuine dialogue" "That is the samurai's joy and sorrow" "That is the only path of the samurai" "In these peaceful times which know no war, the samurai must reveal this beauty to the peasantry..." "There are less of them..." "than 3 years ago" "With war unlikely, they know that fencing is useless in advancing their career" "Look, here" "Our enemy Kanazawa's, ancestral home" "He'd been living alone with his invalid mother" "Soon after he killed Father, his mother, unable to face the world, and passed away..." "I never knew" "How sad for her" "How sad?" "How can you feel pity, brother?" "He got what he deserved" "But what did his mother have to do with it?" "How can you be so soft?" "Have you forgotten Father's dying wish?" "I'm sorry" "You're "sorry..."" "You've changed these past 3 years" "What sort of life have you been leading in Edo?" "You have no right to pray at Father's grave" "Observe my belated vengeance!" "Prepare!" "I avenge my father!" "Take care of yourself" "I've got a lady friend to visit here" "Listen..." "Your father was a prude, with no enjoyment of life's subtle pleasures, but now that he's gone, he's left a nice setup for you" "The gods will punish you if you waste her" "Revenge isn't the only way to demonstrate your devotion" "Bye" "Soza" "Don't you think, that's overdoing it?" "I'm a living creature, too" "I deserve a better life" "They say a dog's curse obstructs the birth of the shogun's heir" "Maybe he ate one..." "Fans, fans for sale" "Sode san" "Why would you be picking flowers?" "What about you?" "They're for my dead mother I don't have money to buy any" "You look after your folks" "Say, you're hurt" "Another fight with gangsters?" "You're hopeless." "Why do you always get yourself beat up?" "A mystery" "Don't you have anyone special?" "If I did, would it fill my stomach?" "It wouldn't fill your stomach, but if you had someone special, maybe you'd be a little less reckless" "You're such a baby, Onobu" "You know, having someone special would only make me more reckless" "I'm just worried about you" "Well cleaning, well cleaning" "All right pull up" "Slowly, slowly" "All right, release" "Release it more" "Release it more" "A little more" "All right, lift it" "Let's go help" "Soza!" "Making New Year's cakes and cleaning wells are work for a samurai's servant" "Never heard of a samurai pulling a rope" "Look, the landlord's new wife" "He sure managed to get himself a beauty" "He spent good money buying her out of a brothel" "Not even been 3 years since the last one died" "Money does make the world go round" "He knows her?" "The man gets around" ""Why Sode san, you're as handsome as ever"" ""You're looking pretty yourself"" ""You mustn't, I'm a wife, now"" "You sure married well" "A landlord's wife is a long way up from a humble village" "It wasn't my choice" "You didn't choose the brothels, either?" "No woman chooses the brothels" "Women have it good Always got a job waiting" "You really want to hear, all about how I survived, these last 15 years?" "I'll pass" "Why won't you build us a decent outhouse?" "Don't be foolish" "I'm destroying these tenements to build new ones" "Unfortunately, you'll be ringing in the new year somewhere else" "Interesting..." "These days, it seems like my shit's been runny" "I'll be with you soon" "Cut it out, Dad" "Can't you see, I'm eating" "Shut up!" "It's none of your business what I say to my wife" "Talking about your shit, at this hour!" "You're not Mago san" "If you're going to fuss, fuss over the back rent you owe" "Listen, Onobu, about Kenbo..." "No matter how you look at him, Kenbo's your child" "In 10 years, I won't even be able to tell you apart" "I've got my hands full now" "I'm in no mood to discuss your shit with you, Dad!" "Just shut up!" "Here goes!" "Sode san's out" "Please, don't come here" "Why not?" "Because..." "whatever happened in the past," "I don't think Sode san can find happiness with you" "You get right to the point, don't you" "And you think he'll find happiness with you?" "I just don't want to spend my whole life in this dump" "Listen Remember this" "When you leave, it'll be because you're worse off than you are now" "They say there's a place over in Nakano where they feed strays" "If we get thrown out of here, we can go" "Fool." "They only feed dogs, not humans" "I was born in the Year of the Dog Still no good?" "We're less than dogs to the Shogun anyway" "Pisses me off" "With so many of us, how come we can't figure out how many men guard their mansion!" "There has to be a way to figure it out" "Kichiemon Don't you have an idea?" "The volume of crap in the outhouse should give us a good idea" "Crap?" "Spoken like a true ex-peasant" "Excuse me" "Who are you?" "What do you mean by that?" "I'm here to collect your rent" "The question is, who are you?" "We're ill... ill..." "You're ill...?" "No, no, we have no ill intentions" "And nothing to do with Kira..." "We're just wounded is all" "There are quite a few of you..." "Chief retainer arrived from Kyoto!" "Oishi-sama's here!" "All right, let's go" "Finally!" "Hey, wait, that's my umbrella!" "Let's have a look" "Oh, no" "Your business is really doing well" "No charge" "But can you wait for the rent?" "No extra charge" "I'm begging you" "If you take that knife, Dad can't work at the fish market anymore" "You owe 6 months' back rent!" "Besides, he never works anyway" "Hey there" "If all my tenants were prospective avengers, I'd actually collect rent" "You're welcome to move in to my new tenement" "Um..." "Can't you hold off..." "Let us all live here a while longer" ""Let us all live here?"" "A fine phrase, but you're dreaming" "No wonder they all take advantage of you" "Don't talk to me like that, when you've never worked a day in your life" "Or are you willing to cover everyone's back rent?" "If you live here, you pay" "My, my, the landlord making the rounds himself in this rain" "My tenants are more likely to stay home in this weather." "Easier to collect" "Besides, I can't risk sending my gorgeous wife here" "Who knows what might happen" "What do you mean, "Risk?"" "I heard You're childhood friends" "You were engaged" "What's that got to do with you?" "Oh, how scary" "Time to be going" "Too bad, but she's my wife" "I won't let you touch her" "This fatty meat... from that other white one was better than this black one..." "Four of you eating from one pot?" "You're all wet" "Have a bowl and warm up" "Don't mind if I do" "By the way, that German or English doctor, Kaempfer, who visited the Shogun, sold him an elixir for immortality for 20,000 ryo" "20,000 ryo!" "I hear it's made of mermaid flesh" "Wonder if it works 20,000 ryo is fantastic..." "He's got no children so he's got to live as long as he can" "Sure is greedy Just like a landlord I know 20,000 ryo, is like..." "20,000 ryo is..." "Hey... this..." "Mind your manners Sit when you eat" "What kind of meat is this?" "This?" "What was it?" "This is... you know..." "You see it riding on that platform..." "It's dog" "Tastes pretty good" "Today, it's a little tougher than usual" "Than usual?" "You know what'll happen if the Shogun finds out!" "He won't, if you keep your mouth shut" "Besides, you ate some, too" "Hey, you can't eat and run Leave the knife in payment" "I'll drive you out!" "Every last one of you!" "Thanks for your patronage" "Come back soon!" "It's been 5 days now" "Can't even go to work" "You hardly work even when the sun's shining" "But when it keeps pouring this way, it even makes you feel poorly" "Right?" "I haven't been able to shit at all" "How long?" "It's 4 days now" "It's 5 days for me" "Look how bloated I am..." "See?" "You're right" "What is it?" "I've got no business with you" "Move" "Are you going to disappear again?" "I hate the rain" "When it rains, I always remember that night" "I see your face against that bloody ceiling" "I should've died, too, back then" "If I had..." "Is that how you've always felt?" "How sad" "Cut it out" "You're not the only one whose folks nearly killed you" "What?" "What do you want me to do?" "Come with me..." "Somewhere far away..." "Of course not..." "It's too late for that" "I've got his baby, inside my belly" "Is that so?" "You're having a baby" "You'll have a new family" "That's good" "Forget it" "You have your baby, become a mother," "get old, and go all wrinkly" "Can I watch you the whole time?" "You live in a filthy dump, dressed up like a samurai" "You'll never amount to anything, anyway" "What's so great about being a samurai?" "We were born better than you" "Who says so?" "Bring him here" "What!" "Get 'em!" "Wait!" "What's with them?" "Strange" "Let's go" "Yoshibo" "Before you said, "What's so great about being a samurai?"" "That's what Daddy says, when he drinks" "I see... your father does" "Daddy tells me to run from fights" "But I hate running, so I had a different idea" "People who are truly strong, don't fight without a reason" "Your father must be a man of great character" "Yeah" "Excuse me" "Oh, it's Mom" "Hello" "I live across the way" "I'm sorry they've caused you trouble" "Hey, Yoshi!" "Were you fighting again?" "What did you promise your father?" "I wasn't in a fight, right?" "Hi, Shinbo" "Your mother said she has a few more customers to visit" "Please wait for her a little longer" "It's all right I'll wait until she returns" "I'll be going then" "Come play with my son again" "Tomorrow" "I wonder if Daddy will come home early" "I wonder" "He said he'd make me a wheel" "Won't that be nice" "There's a portrait of my father" "Would you like to see it?" "Of your father?" "I know she looks at it secretly at night" "Here it is" "WANTED" "Doesn't he look strong?" "Don't tell Mother" "What's wrong, Soza san?" "I fell into the crap..." "I... may be dressed up as a simple drug seller, but in fact I'm a samurai" "I say samurai, but I'm just a foot soldier, a former peasant" "I see" "So all I think about is wanting to die a samurai's death" "Then I'll finally be a real samurai" "That way, my son can truly live as a samurai's son" "I can't leave him any land or money..." "So it's the least I can do" "Kichiemon san," "who taught you how to play Go?" "After I began carrying swords, however badly" "Everyone told me it would make me more like a samurai" "I learned by watching" "My father taught me" "When I was a child" "I'd forgotten that..." "I learned more from my father than fencing..." "You're very lucky" "I'm grateful" "Truly grateful" "I'll pass on the basics of Go to Shinbo, soon" "A revenge, a revenge..." "After a 3 year search for my enemy," "I, Aoki Sozaemon of the Matsumoto clan, have finally avenged my father" "When cut down, a man..." "The single, mortal blow ran from the right side to his back" "What incredible swordplay..." "My vengeance was a warrior's revenge Bear no grudge" "Do you hate the man who killed your father?" "I hate..." "I hate him" "The other day, your son stopped a fight..." "He saved Shinbo, who lives in our neighborhood" "Our Yoshi..." "Is that so?" "How old is he?" "Seven" "He's not mine by birth..." "Why don't you start sending him to my private school next year" "It would make Shinbo happy" "A repeat performance of our spring revenge play" "Very cool" "It's so like Soza san" "But, isn't it risk y?" "We screw up, we'll be in big trouble" "But if we pull it off, we'll get at least 100 ryo 100 ryo!" "With 100 ryo we can pay off all our back rent and have some left That's 14 ryo each" "I'm in!" "I'm in, too!" "Me, too" "I want you all to play the excited passersby" "Tomekichi san, I need you to find a pig" "Can I please say that line "Now you deserve revenge"?" "May I?" "A samurai holds Justice dearer than life itself" "Composed of Self and Beauty" "He defends Justice and defending..." "Enough of your crap Eat shit!" "No, even I won't eat shit until it's become rice cakes" "Listen, "Eat shit" doesn't actually mean..." "If you really want money, it has to be real" "Turning it into a pantomime..." "The whole point is, it's fake" "I wouldn't dare kill someone" ""Tall tales make flowers bloom but bear no fruit"" "That's what they used to say" "Well, I say, let's make a field of flowers bloom" "Down to 9 ryo..." "Don't you hate him!" "Don't you despise your father's killer!" "No, you're all wrong" "Each of us has our own method of hating" "Soza san is..." "Making that hatred..." "It's larger than..." "You see..." "That's it!" "Soza san has turned shit into rice cakes" "Taken the shit inside him and made it rice cakes..." "Osae san" ""Shit this and shit that," is Mago's line" "Turning shit into rice cakes inside you..." "Amazing!" "No, Mago, it's not like that" "There's no way you can fake a corpse?" "Leave it all to me" "I've got enough bones" "No, any fool can see they're dog bones" "You can't fool a temple priest" "Leave it to me I'll take it to my family's temple" "Your father's a priest?" "A priest?" "Yeah, didn't I tell you?" "The Jodo sect" "All right" "If you insist, I will help you with this plan" "Should we succeed, recommend me to your clan" " Your real motive!" " What a nerve..." "Can't I at least say "Not so fast!" I'll get it right" "You always mix things up Shut up" "Yeah, we don't need you to mess it up" "Mago san, I'd like you to play the lead in this revenge" "A revenge!" "Took him 3 years but he avenged his father" "What incredible swordplay!" "Incredible" "A revenge!" "A revenge!" "I, Aoki Sozaemon have avenged my father's murderer," "I, Hirano Jirozaemon, did duly witness this revenge" "Deadly combat" "Well done!" "It was deadly combat" "The notices have been posted" "In these peaceful times... a truly commendable spirit" "Now for the autopsy..." "The mortal blow ran from his right side to his back" "Felled by a single blow" "When cut down, a man bleeds so tremendously..." "I was shocked" "Oto!" "Intestines!" "You're right" "How awful..." "What will you do?" "Do you still want to see it?" "My beloved!" "Daddy!" "Darling!" "Daddy!" "He's got a red mark that matches this likeness" "This avenging was a warrior's revenge" "Bear no grudge" "Shinbo, do you hate the man who killed your father?" "I hate him" "Do you want revenge?" "Yeah" "Your mother feels exactly as you do" "So I can't tell you not to hate him" "But you see..." "If all your father left us... was hatred, how would he feel?" "It might make him feel sad" "So, now, let's take what he left behind and gradually make it into something better" "I'll help you, Shinbo" "Will you help me, too?" "Yeah, I'll help you I'll play Daddy's part, too" "That's right, J-I-R-O-Z-A-E-M-O-N" "It worked, it worked" "I can't believe we pulled it off" "That idiot said, "Bury him with respect"" "Otokichi, why are you crying?" "Because Osae san and Shinbo..." "Idiot, they were acting" "But still..." "Hey, Mago, you can stop now" "Somebody pull off the matting" "He's asleep" "Seven ryo and 2 pence..." "No guts spurting out" "It was a single mortal blow" "Too much noise to get any sleep tonight" "Well, all that rain, I couldn't go out" "I was stuck inside for so long..." "Right?" "That's how it is" "What do you mean?" "You call that an answer?" "Don't ruin the celebrations" "If we live together, we halve the rent" "Live together!" "Of course, we're getting married" "I'm moving in with Oto san, too?" "Sure, why not, Onobu You and Otokichi will be siblings" "No, not siblings..." "In any event, let's have a toast" "Congratulations" "Not for me" "Congratulations" "Suzuta ran off?" "What's going on?" "That's news to me" ""My mother, long bed-ridden in illness," ""has fallen into a bad condition and truly needs..."" "A sick mother, huh" "News to me" ""If you commanded me to leave my mother," ""it would be like abandoning a part of myself..."" "Says his mother's more important than revenge" "On the eve of avenging, he loses nerve" "He disgraces all samurai!" "Hey, Terasaka" "How many remain?" "This month, Yano san, Seo san, Mori san, and Suzuta san have left our company" "We now number some 50..." "This is why I told you..." "We must strike now." "Who knows how many will stay into the new year" "Now, your dojo back home will flourish" "All's well in the neighborhood and I can head off to your clan as well" "The wedding within this neighborhood count to..." "One, two, three..." "Eight marriages" " How was I as the lead?" " Oh, excellent" "Really?" "Now with Otokichi and Onobu under the same roof" "You fool, we're only siblings" "Which means, if I can stand having you as my brother," "I can take Onobu as my wife?" "What an idea..." "As her brother, I can't allow that" "You're a mere trash collector" "If only it hadn't rained so much..." "Mom..." "So we end up attacking them in their sleep" "How pathetic" "News!" "News!" "A revenge!" "A revenge!" "This chief Oishi's amazing" "Acted the lady's man to fool the enemy" "They say news of Aoki Sozaemon's revenge made him tougher" "Says they figured out the number of guards by the privy." "Sure original" "That noodle shop owner is the chicken samurai who took off, three months before it happened" "No wonder his noodle broth tasted like chicken stock!" "Chicken samurai" "Sweet revenge buns here!" "Don't miss out!" "Listen up!" "Here's the place where Dr. Onodera, the 6th most important of the 46 avengers, lived in hiding" "Preparing for death, he wrote many letters to his wife in Kyoto" "He sent her this poem the day before the revenge" "Listen up" ""Thoughts once conveyed," ""in parting, seem yet unspoken"" "He thought he had told her everything he had to say, at this final parting, he fears much remains unsaid" "Enough to make a grown man cry" "I always knew there was something noble about him, and I always refused his money" "Buy some sweet revenge buns" "Pay to see his house" "Look, there he is" "Mentor to the 46 avengers" "Welcome home" "What a result!" "There's no result, we've done no harm" "It's those 46 samurai who did harm" "That's what I think, too" "What they did was bad?" "Of course it was, a sneak attack in the night" "The whole swarm of them killing a poor old man, that's cheating" "But the landlord's getting rich" "Those sweet buns marked "Loyalty" are selling like hot cakes" "Mom's all excited about opening a street front shop" "Where on earth can that coward be hiding?" "Maybe he's hiding in the shit pile" "Just a foot soldier after all..." "I don't see what's funny" "What's a shit pile got to do with a foot soldier?" "I was putting on my attack robes, when I remembered that Soza san had learned to play Go from his father" "Yeah, both are black and white" "Sada san!" "I realized I'd never taught my son to make straw sandals..." "And that thought..." "See, Soza san saved Terasaka san" "Um..." "What!" "What do you want?" "A word with master Terasaka" "You ask him" "No, you do it" "What the hell is it?" "You can't keep hiding like this forever, right?" "Why not say that chief Oishi commanded you to spread word of the avengers' exploits?" "So, reluctantly, you had to leave the others" "Assuming you'd agree to that, we came up with these" "I think we'll call them, "Kichi Buns"" "We made them black and white, like those Go pieces you so enjoy" "And naturally you can keep a tenth of the profits" "Not bad, for a couple of bums" "That's enough!" "Revenge... is good for business" "That's right Onobu" "It's important to cash in, even on misfortune" "That's right!" "Me..." "It was only at the chief's command that I report the revenge, that reluctantly, I..." "No, it's true" "I hadn't told anyone, but I did not flee in fear, but for the good of the clan..." "That's right, I've no time to waste" "I must go home to give a full account to the families of the 46 samurai..." "The flowers bloomed all right, but they bore some very strange fruit" "Now what about those sweet buns?" "What about them!" "Hey, hear the latest?" "All 46 samurai committed hara-kiri!" "Such noble men" "But... maybe now, he'll be able to teach his son to make sandals" "Back at home" "Hey, Shinbo." "Come ask Hirano san to teach you fencing" "After all this, boys won't need teaching, they'll need swords" "Now, listen up." "For samurai, the moment of death is all" "As they say, "Cherry blossoms are blessed only when they have all fallen"" "But..." "Just as Mago san said, cherry blossoms only fall to return again next spring" "In even greater beauty" "Say" "Is there a private school around here?" "OKADA Junichi" "MIYAZAWA Rie" "FURUTA Arata" "KAGAWA Teruyuki" "TABATA Tomoko" "UESHIMA Ryuhei KIMURA Yuichi" "KASE Ryo CHIHARA Seiji" "HIRAIZUMI Sei EZAWA Moeko" "NATSUKAWA Yui" "KUNIMURA Jun" "NAKAMURA Katsuo" "ISHIBASHI Renji" "TERAJIMA Susumu ENDO Kenichi" "TANAKA Tetsushi NAKAMURA Yuji" "KATSUJI Ryo ISHIDO Natsuo" "Tommys' Masa MINAKATA Eiji" "ASANO Tadanobu" "HARADA Yoshio" "Executive Producer:" "HISAMATSU Takeo" "Development Producer:" "YASUDA Masahiro" "Producers:" "SATO Shiho, ENOKI Nozomu" "Cinematographer:" "YAMAZAKI Yutaka" "Lighting:" "ISHIDA Kenji" "Production Designer:" "ISOMI Toshihiro, BANBA Masao" "Costume Designer:" "KUROSAWA Kazuko" "Music:" "Tablatura" "Presented by HANA Film Partners" "Written, edited and directed by KORE-EDA Hirokazu"