"This movie entitled "The Kumamoto Stories" contains the trilogy directed by Takashi Miike, based on the history of Kumamoto:" ""Tsuiketsu Fantasy:" "Dream Legend of Tonkararin" "The Song of the Defenders" "A Woman in the Revolt of the Clans"" "KUMAMOTO MONOGATARI" "The Dream Legend of Tonkararin The Defender's Song A Woman in the Revolt of the Clans" "THE TSUIKETSU FANTASY:" "DREAM LEGEND OF TONKARARIN" "A region along the Kikuchi River, about 1500 years ago." "Mother..." "Father..." "Now, escape to the other side of this cave." "There's nothing to be afraid of." "God will protect you." "No, I don't wanna!" "I don't wanna leave mother!" "Listen, my beloved daughter." "You cannot look back now." "We cannot let the hope of our country die right here with us." "Mother..." "Go now!" "Come over here." "You are our offering to Mikado." "I will not let you go." "Come." "Who is it?" "Is there anybody there?" "Who is it?" "Who are you?" "Are you god?" "20 years later" ""There is a large cave in the east of the country, called Tsuiketsu."" ""In the tenth month, the entire country gathers to receive the god, Tsui..."" ""They move it up the east of the county, and greatly worships it."" "" " Chapter of Kokuri, Gishi Toi Den" "In ancient Korea, people practiced what's called "Demon God Worship" which was the worship ancestors' spirits that lived underground." "In the Chapter of Kokuri (Korea) from the book Gishi Toi Den, it is written..." "There is a large cave in the east of the country, called Tsuiketsu." "In the tenth month, people receive the demon god that comes through the cave and worship him." "Our country, I will protect forever, over my life." "I promise to protect our country, over my life." "The god of our home country wandering in the darkness, may peace be here forever." "Is it true there's a god in that cave?" "Yes, a god in the form of a dragon." "A dragon?" "Have you seen it?" "You cannot hide it if you do something wrong." "He sees through everything we do." "That's a lie." "No, that god is always checking in on us." "Where are the bad children?" "What are you praying for?" "For this peaceful time to last forever." "Yes." "As long as there is the beautiful country and there is the beautiful you it will." "Why do they want to destroy us all?" "What have we done?" "There is nothing we can do." "They do not recognize anything we do." "Neither our god nor our rules." "This will be a war involving our god and theirs." "Thus, we cannot afford to lose." "Our god gave us this fertile land." "We cannot give away this beautiful land to anyone else!" "We cannot let it be ruined!" "We will..." "We shall protect this land at the cost of our lives." "Yes, and our god and you, too." "All of our men were killed by the samurai." "Let us leave quickly!" "Hurry!" "We cannot leave." "We need to protect our god, our land." "What are you afraid of?" "Isn't that the cave where their god resides?" "Where their god resides?" "I heard a long time ago the god in the form of a beautiful dragon appeared from the cave and destroyed an army of men in one second." "How dreadful!" "I f we attack their god's serving maidens, we will surely be punished, too." "Silence!" "Because this neighboring country worships a god of illusion our Mikado is having the problems he has now." "A god would not reside in an evil cave." "Destroy immediately." "But..." "If you cannot, I will destroy you first." "Do it!" "Quick, escape into our god's cave!" "Come with me!" "My death is my destiny." "But you, I have to protect at all costs." "For me to be all alone again?" "You must not die!" "Protect this land." "I will be reborn to this land again." "At that time, I promise I will marry you, my dearest." "Now, go." "God... may peace return... to this land again." "Why..." "Why do humans continue on with such a senseless war?" "My dearest please forgive me." "I shall sacrifice my life that you protected, in order to end the war." "God..." "Please do not be angered by such senseless state of our being." "May you never abandon us." "May this land be cleansed by the last blood that is shed." "The drops of sorrow turned the two corpses into small balls of light which live in hearts of people to this day." "We shall see Hakusukinoe soon." "Shall our army be victorious?" "What is there to be afraid of?" "You are the select brave men from the great land of Wa (Japan)." "So we are!" "Nagatsu-no-Miya Palace, Northern Kyushu" "Prince, our army should be arriving at Kudara (region in Korea) about now." "Could our army really win?" "Sure, they will." "Or rather they need to, Prince." "In the year 663..." "Prince Nakano-Oe, the future Emperor Tenji sent his great army to the Korean Peninsula in order to in order to support restoration of Kudara, destroyed by the joint armies of Toh (China) And Shiragi (region in Korea)." "It was a decision made by the Yamato Imperial Government that had ruled all of Japan since the Taika Reformation to demonstrate its power within and without Japan." "Kudara..." "My homeland!" "What?" "Our army has lost?" "Japan would be in danger if we leave this be." "We must do something quickly, before Toh and Shiragi decide to invade us." "We need to defend our country." "By all means necessary." "Understand?" "Anticipating an invasion by Toh and Shiragi the Yamato Imperial Government built a number of castles in crucial locations and set out on their project to defend Japan." "Out of them, many were built on the island of Kyushu which was located at the closest distance from the continent." "Young soldiers were drafted from the eastern Japan to serve at these castles, who were called Sakimori (frontline defenders)." "From this point on, you will not need your 3D glasses." "Everyone, take off your glasses on the count of three." "Ready?" "One and two and three!" "It's the castle!" "I see the castle!" "Wow!" "I t's huge!" "So, this is Kikuchi Castle..." "The sound of the drum is calling us." "Let's go!" "THE SONG OF THE DEFENDERS" "Kikuchi Castle was a mountain fortress located at 60 km south of the capital, Dazaifu." "During the 3 years of their service, they carried out military duties and farming chores looking forward to the day when their term would end and they'd return home." "Hey, Kurota!" "It hurts, you!" "Why don't you keep a solid watch?" "I'm so, so bored and can't help falling asleep." "It was such a long time ago that the country lost the war." "Since then, no enemy ever came once to attack from overseas." "It won't make any difference if I'm asleep!" "Don't say that." "This is our duty as Sakimori." "Our duty, huh?" "Time to switch!" "So, do you want to go home so badly?" "Of course." "I dream of my wife and kids all the time." "They eagerly await my return." "I wish I could be a cloud..." "Standing at the end of the rows of reeds, my wife cried wetting her sleeve, I think of her." "He is an important figure who teaches salt making here." "I hear he's a noble man from Kudara." "Kudara..." "Oh no, what a bad drawing!" "Can't even tell what animal it is!" "It's not an animal." "I t's a character." "Oh, a character?" "A character..." "What is this character?" "It's Wa." "Wa..." "This country where we live in." "This is how people overseas write to mean our country." "Like that...?" "Like this, and this here..." "What is that?" "I t's Wa." "So clumsy!" "Very sloppy!" "You try it." "Kudara..." "My homeland!" "Dear wife..." "Why me as a Sakimori?" "Is dad going somewhere?" "Uh-huh." "Where is he going?" "Far, far away." "Is it too far to see from here?" "You can." "I can always see you." "Do you miss your wife?" "I'm sure you do." "I do." "When I close my eyes, I see the faces of my wife and kids." "My heart aches so much that I can't fall asleep." "How long will this keep going on?" "You don't want to be a Sakimori any longer." "Neither Toh nor Shiragi has ever attacked us." "We just stare at the capital and the ocean all day long, day after day." "That's how it should be." "It's better not to have a war." "But it's boring." "It's a waste of time!" "My wife and kids wait for me back in my village." "I want to go home soon if there's no war." "Don't you agree?" "I have no village to return to, nor my dear wife anymore." "And your kids?" "Did they... all die?" "Have you ever wondered how sad it feels to see your country destroyed?" "Ever wondered how it feels to regret how you couldn't save your wife and children?" "I'm sure you haven't." "Such pain are beyond your imagination." "No matter how deep your bodily wounds, no matter how valuable the treasure you lose they are nothing compared to the suffering you feel from losing your country, and your wife and children." "The people of Kudara had lived peacefully for a long, long time." "Soon as the war began, the enemy attacked my country with no mercy and destroyed it completely." "The country our ancestors had built and handed down to us, in the blink of an eye." "Literally, in the blink of an eye!" "Is there anything else in the world that is as senseless as that?" "I don't want to see the same sad thing happen to this country!" "Kurota!" "Enemy!" "Enemy!" "Kenichi!" "Husband!" "What's the matter?" "Dreaming of your wife?" "The enemy..." "What?" "They attacked." "Where are the Toh and Shiragi soldiers?" "What kind of dream did you have?" "Nothing strange is happening here." "It's not a dream." "We need to defend them." "What would you do if this country were destroyed?" "Your wife and kids would all be killed!" "We are responsible for defending this country." "3 years later" "At last, we can go home!" "We can go home?" "Yeah!" "I heard a boat full of new Sakimori men has arrived at the port!" "So, we really can go home!" "I t's been 3 years already!" "I'm tired of hearing the sound of this drum!" "Yeah, we can go home now!" "Quick!" "Go, quick!" "It's alright, just go!" "Hey, weren't we going to go home?" "Weren't we going back to our village?" "Weren't we going to see everyone again?" "Isn't our duty over?" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Now you can go home to your wife." "It's because you served to defend here." "Treasure her and keep her safe..." "Don't die!" "It's fine with me." "My duty is over." "I shall return to Kudara now." "Hey, why don't you come with me to my village?" "Your village...?" "After losing the war of Hakusukinoe many noble and common people from Kudara defected to Japan and passed on their heritage of technology, culture and system to the Japanese." "Much of this heritage laid the foundation for how Japan was to become." "This here is your village." ""A work in commemoration of the Site of Tanaka Castle, a National Historic Site Produced by the town of Mikawa in Kumamoto."" ""The history is said to be a resurrection." "It could also be said to be a review."" ""No matter what kind of man or incident it's about, the history loses its shadow if forgotten by the modern man."" ""It is the modern manTs power of imagination that awakens the soul that sleeps quietly beneath the source of a spring."" ""One incident about to be inducted into the modern history's hall of fame is 'The Revolt of the Clans' in Higo."" ""It was a war waged against the Lord of Province, Narimasa Sassa, led by the local clans in power in the northeastern Higo at the end of the 16th Century."" ""It shook up the Toyotomi administration then in power, and served as the axis for the Middle Ages to change into the Modern Age."" "Toshiya Hirano" "Kitano-Tenmangu Palace" "A fine work!" "Indeed, the world is vast, isn't it?" "Mitsunari, there exists someone who revolts against me still." "Sir Hideyoshi!" "Cancel the tea party." "What about Narimasa?" "What is Narimasa Sassa doing?" "Quiet the rebels right now." "Kill them all!" "It was June of Tensho 15, or 1587." "Narimasa Sassa, appointed as the Lord of Higo Province by Hideyoshi Toyotomi after he had unified the island of Kyushu ordered the 52 local clans to receive a land value inspection of their territories." "It was an unreasonable order that would cut down their territories guaranteed them by the official agreement signed by Hideyoshi." "It also broke the promise that there would be no inspection for a period of 3 years." "What this meant to the clans was for the central government to interfere with the order they had already established and their autonomy taken away." "Chikanaga Kumabe, the head of Waifu Castle in the country of Kikuchi, was angered and refused the order." "He raised his army against Narimasa Sassa." "Other clans like the Wani, the Uchi-Koga and the Kai, followed suit one after another, bringing Higo into a storm of hot winds." "This was the beginning of the so-called "Revolt of the Clans."" "Lady Nigatsu, a war is on again." "It reminds me of when I was young every time it happens." "Indeed." "We used to prepare for the worst all the time." "If anything had happened to Sir Toshiie, the Maeda clan would cease to be." "So, I was always in readiness to kill myself and my children to follow Sir Toshiie." "Indeed." "It's not just men who must fight in a war." "Yes." "Women suffer more than anyone else." "It breaks my heart to think about the women in Higo in the midst of the turmoil." "They must be suffering very much." "Lady Kitano-Mandokoro!" "A WOMAN IN THE REVOLT OF THE CLANS" "Damn the Wani clan!" "How long will they go on fighting against us?" "It's a matter of time before the castle will fall." "There's no prospect of victory for them." "Yet it's taking us a long time to make it fall." "We're having a difficult time." "It's been two months already since they shut themselves up in the castle." "Who would have thought the country folks of Higo would endure for so long?" "Right, Sir Sassa?" "The Revolt of the Country Families in Higo was settled by Hideyoshi's army of 20,000 in less than six months." "Chikanaga Kumabe was put in custody of the Tachibanas, his heir Chikayasu Kumabe in the hands of the Mouri clan both dying heroic deaths." "The last ones among them to hold out and fought hard were the armies of Chikazane Wani and Chikayuki Ebaru who shut themselves up in the impregnable Tanaka Castle." "According to the Ebaru-Wani Castle Encamping Map that remains today the troop appointed to capture Tanaka Castle consisted of Hidekane Kobayakawa as the General Commander, with Ekei Ankokuji the military man most trusted by Hideyoshi as the Chief Advisor, and many reputed military men including Tachibana and Mouri... and their men totaling 10,000." "In contrast, the Wani-Ebaru alliance counted only 900." "Yet they chose never to surrender and was fighting for over two months now." "We have this great army..." "Tanaka Castle is the last stronghold of the clans..." "We could claim our victory if we only captured it!" "Well, well." "At this rate, I'm not sure if my army will last long enough." "Sir Ankokuji, what nonsense!" "I don't think it would happen." "But, Sir Sassa, isn't it true we underestimated the clans?" "Mother!" "Mother!" "Yori!" "Brother!" "Yori!" "Why did you come?" "Why didn't you leave?" "I am the wife of Chikayuki Ebaru." "I will perish with this castle." "That's my wish." "Yori!" "To see you here!" "Sir Chikazane, the supply in our rice storage is almost gone." "Two more days, I say." "Sir Ebaru, so what do you suggest we do?" "Are you saying we should kowtow to the great army and beg for food?" "Brother..." "Let's hold out until the very end against Hideyoshi's wish and perish as the brave Higo clan, show them what we're made of!" "We can't do that!" "None of us would survive." "We're ready to die anyway!" "Stop it, Chikanori!" "I agree with Sir Ebaru." "We're not fighting to perish!" "Brother." "So, do you think we can win?" "Do you think we can discourage Hideyoshi's army into retreat?" "Where have you been, Chikamune?" "To take a peek at the idiotic face of Narimasa Sassa." "They're pretty agitated." "We don't have much food in our castle, but their army is great and they suffer from hunger, too." "It's down to which of us lasts longer." "While this war is on, the peasants and farmers in this area are sure to be affected." "We're not the only ones suffering." "You are so kind-hearted, brother." "Why don't we just turn ourselves in to Hideyoshi so that we can save the peasants and farmers?" "Of course, we'll bring Sassa's head as a special gift, too." "I'm in." "I'll take Ankokuji's head with me." "Sir Chikamune!" "Sister, please don't be mad." "These are my true feelings." "I'm not fooling around." "We'll be born into this world again." "If in our next life there'll be peace in this land, what do we care?" "Father!" "Maki..." "If the time comes, then, with my own hand, I will." "I will end our lives in an honorable way as the wife of Chikazane Wani." "I, Taromaru, will follow you, father." "Oh, come over here." "Don't worry." "Father will be with you." "There's nothing to be afraid of." "I, Nana, am hungry." "I, Chacha, too." "Ah, your father, too." "Shall we ask Koume to make sweet rice dumplings?" "When?" "Let me see..." "Three more." "After three nights, let's have some." "Dumplings get my clothes dirty." "Koume, will you not get mad please?" "I won't be mad." "Lady Nana, Lady Chacha, let's make a lot of dumplings." "That's good." "Hey!" "Oh, Sir Sakyo." "It's a wasted effort." "You should tell them so." "I can't." "Don't worry." "I will defend the castle for you, too." "Kamio Castle fell at last." "I wonder if we've been wrong?" "I wonder if we should have swallowed our pride even if Hideyoshi were to take away much of our territories rather than to lose many of our subordinates and seeing our people suffer." "I don't know which course is more meaningful." "But this is our land, that's for sure." "So, are you telling me to escape from the castle?" "That's right." "We hear Hideyoshi's army will launch an assault on this castle as soon as tomorrow." "Yori, you're the only person who can help transfer the women and little children to a safe place." "Once you're at the foot of the mountain, there's help from our allies secretly waiting there to guide you to a safe place." "Sir Ebaru has arranged for everything you need." "But why me?" "Do you want me alone to survive?" "Yori!" "I will fight to the end along with Sir Chikayuki and you, brothers." "You are not a Wani to begin with." "Yori, brother wants you to take care of Lady Maki and her daughters." "He wants his children to be safe so that they can keep the blood line going." "If you're with them, we can relax and fight without worrying about them." "Yori, I want you to live, too." "If you live, you will be able to return to this land one day." "Sister, please do not be concerned about what our brother said." "You are undoubtedly a daughter of the Wanis." "I think he just wanted you to live, too." "Both brother and I were born too late." "If at least we were born about the time Hideyoshi was, we wouldn't have had to give our land away so easily." "If we were born 20 years earlier, the Wani clan would have ruled the land of Higo." "Our Brother who leads us could have been the Shimazu of Higo." "Then we'd conquer the east and defend against Hideyoshi and Nobunaga Oda." "I too would have been a lord of a castle ruling a country." "If that ever happened, sister, you would have regretted being a woman, being such a strong-willed person." "Really." "For the first time in my life, I'm glad that you are a woman." "I feel the same way brother does." "Please survive." "I can walk!" "All right." "Keep the fire going." "Draw Hideyoshi's attention to us, so that the women and the children will safely escape." "Sir Chikanori!" "Sir Ebaru!" "What's the matter?" "What's that?" "Looks like some kind of a sign." "Let's return to the castle!" "Take the women!" "Don't worry!" "Now, quick!" "Now!" "There's the sign." "Sir Kobayakawa, looks like Ebaru did it." "But what a long battle it was!" "Indeed, it was a castle almost too precious to lose." "Proceed!" "Yori..." "Sir Ebaru... betrayed us." "This may be the end of the Wani clan." "It's all right now." "The war is over." "Koume take care of my daughters." "You can't!" "Get off me!" "I'm the wife of Chikazane Wani." "I don't wish to be captured and put into shame!" "You can't!" "Lady Maki!" "If you and your daughters die right here, the clan is finished." "Don't you have the guts to survive like the wife of Sir Chikazane?" "If the Wani's die right here who's going to tell the generations to come about the men who stayed at the castle and fought?" "If it's men's pride to fight and die, women's pride is to live and fight." "Lady Maki, you should survive, by all means." "The battle for the Wani's women is just beginning." "Never should you cut off the Wani blood line." "Sir Chikamune!" "Koume." "Yes." "Take good care of the Lady and her daughters." "No one's got the will to get up any more." "The war is over." "Sir Chikazane!" "Curse me if you want." "I won't curse you." "The soldiers will survive." "They shouldn't punish those of us who won't resist." "Are you sure that our three heads will bring this war to an end?" "I would have liked to knock Hideyoshi on his ass one more time." "It was an impossible war from the beginning." "What are you laughing about?" "They led an army 10 times larger than ours and the only way to capture our castle was by betrayal." "If Sir Ebaru weren't involved, Hideyoshi might have lost." "Why is Chikamune here?" "Why!" "?" "Chikamune!" "No help is necessary." "I'll get him alone." "Sir Chikayuki..." "Sir Chikayuki!" "Why?" "Why did you betray us?" "I'm just like you." "I wanted to protect the people of this land." "That's all." "The Wanis and the Ebarus lost the war!" "You can abandon this castle and join the Eastern army." "Or you can fight with Sir Chikazane again." "Do as you wish." "Sir Taromaru!" "Why are you here?" "What happened to mother and everyone else?" "I came to get you." "To escape with you." "No." "We will perish here with father." "No!" "Please escape." "No!" "You should not throw your life away for nothing!" "Come quickly!" "I won't!" "Why did you come back!" "?" "Leave the castle right now!" "Get off this mountain!" "No, I won't." "The soldiers rose up again for me and for Sir Chikamune." "For their sake, and for Chikamune's sake, I cannot leave the castle." "Brother, I wish to return you a favor for having saved me back then." "Brother, I..." "I was happy to have lived as a daughter of the Wanis." "Come on!" "Hurry!" "Brother, no time to lose, direct us." "Narimasa's army is on their way." "Yori!" "You have been too good a daughter for me." "Let's do whatever we can to hold up until we safely escape." "Agreed?" "Taromaru?" "We will stay at the castle." "You go ahead." "Why?" "If you stay, I, Ichikura, will stay, too." "I am the son of Chikazane Wani." "I cannot abandon the fort." "We won't, either." "Ichikura, live for me, too." "Take care of mother and my sisters." "Sir Taromaru." "Go on now!" "Go!" "Go!" "Let's go." "They're here!" "They're here!" "Taromaru!" "Taromaru!" "Father!" "Taromaru!" "Thus, Tanaka Castle, the last fort in the Revolt of the Clans, finally fell." "Are you a Wani?" "I'm the wife of Chikayuki Ebaru." "Of Sir Ebaru?" "I see..." "Sir Ebaru was had, too." "Had Ebaru followed me from the beginning, he wouldn't have had to die with Chikazane Wani." "Sir Sassa." "What is it?" "This is the pride of the clans of Higo..." "Witness it!" "Narimasa Sassa, the Lord of Higo Province, lost his position after this." "After being harshly accused by Hideyoshi, he committed harakiri." "Appointed anew for joint lordship for Higo were Kiyomasa Kato and Yukinaga Konishi." "The era of land owned by clans had come to an end, and Higo experienced a transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age." "After the fall of Tanaka Castle, Hideyoshi Toyotomi thoroughly searched out those who were involved in the revolt and the number of those who he had executed is said to have been 5700." "In the following year, to prevent any such uprising from happening again he put in effect the orders of the Taiko Land Value Inspection and the Sword Hunt." "The Revolt of the Clans was a significant historic event in that it helped establish a new order of the separation of highly-paid soldiers from the peasants and farmers, and that it put an end to the era of wars."