"Toho Company, Ltd." "Katsu Productions present" "Daizen!" "We Yagyu have spread across the whole of the country." "No matter where you go, there will be no escape from us." "Lone Wolf And Cub" "Baby Cart at the River Styx" "Produced by Shintaro Katsu HisaharuMatsubara" "Original story by Kazuo Koike  Goseki Kojima" "Music by Hideaki Sakurai Cinematography by Chishi Makiura" "Fight choreography by Eiichi Kusumoto" "Starring:" "Tomisaburo Wakayama as Itto Ogami" "Kayo Matsuo as Sayaka Yagyu Minoru Oki as Tenma" "Shoji Kobayashi as Benma Akihiro Tomikawa as the Child" "Directed by Kenji Misumi" "We have rooms available!" "Please come in!" "We have vacancies!" "Welcome!" "We have baths ready!" "Oh, how adorable!" "Daigoro..." "Will you be staying with us?" "Thank you for your custom, sir." "Do you have any other luggage?" "I'll move the cart to the back of the inn for you." "This way, please." "I'll show you upstairs, sir." "You must be exhausted from your travels." "Shall I wash your feet?" "Omatsu!" "Sir?" "You fool!" "Be careful who you let into the inn." "How can we profit by letting in a shabby ronin with a child?" "But we still have a vacant room, sir?" "I decide if we have vacancies or not!" "This is a first-class inn where respectable samurai stay." "What if he refuses to pay and threatens us with his sword?" "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but..." "Manager..." "Yes, sir?" "Will you put this somewhere safe for me?" "Goodness!" "500 gold pieces." "Yes, sir." "I shall keep it safe for you, sir." "What are you standing there for?" "Wash the young master's feet!" "Why are you so useless?" "Such an adorable little boy." "Here, let me wipe your feet." "Thanks for your service." "One two three...five..." "Daigoro..." "You forgot one." "One two three..." "Oh, four!" "Three four five..." "Can I get out now?" "Greetings." "I am Ozunu, leader of the Kurokuwa clan." "I am Sayaka of the Yagyu clan of Akashi." "I come with orders from Lord Retsudo of the Shadow Yagyu clan in Edo." "Clear everyone from the room." "There's no need." "They're all Yagyu clanswomen of Akashi." "In that case..." "What?" "Damn that Itto Ogami!" "In the end, Itto Ogami won the duel." "The agreement was that the Edo Yagyu must thereafter leave him in peace." "That is why the Yagyu clanswomen under your command must eliminate Ogami at all cost." "Such are your orders from Lord Retsudo." "We shall slay him!" "I must remind you to exercise extreme caution." "He is, after all, a former Official Shogunate Executioner." "And a superb swordsman, a master of the Sui-O School." "An easy opponent, he is not." "Ozunu!" "Are you belittling the abilities of the Yagyu clanswomen?" "Absolutely not." "It is just that he was able to slay Lord Bizen and the honourable Sentinel." "This means that we Kurokuwa men must join forces with you in case." ""In case" what?" "Are these your men?" "Yes." "Bid your most able man to enter." "Junai!" "Try to get out into the garden." "I said, try to get out into the garden." "For ninja such as we, that is but one leap." "Prove to me that you can do it!" "Naive fools!" "You dare call yourselves ninja?" "Where is Itto Ogami now?" "By the day after tomorrow, he'll be in Akashi territory." "When one wishes to hire Itto Ogami, the assassin Lone Wolf and Cub." "one places an amulet of evil at shrines along major roads." "When Itto sees the amulet." "he leaves a sign to let his whereabouts be known." "The same signs used by the great warrior Dokan Ota?" "By following the signs, one can meet Itto." "Chamberlain!" "A sign." "This one symbolises "headquarters"." "Which means that we'll meet him in there." "I am the Edo Chamberlain Hirano of the Awa clan." "I'm the assassin..." "Lone Wolf and Cub." "I don't mean to doubt your word, but can you provide proof that you really are the Lone Wolf?" "This does not concern you." "But does it answer your question?" "If you wouldn't mind..." "My fee is 500 pieces of gold." "Here..." "Please check it." "I require that you tell me every detail relating to this matter." "The fief of the Awa clan is valued at 257000 bushels of rice." "but in actual fact we're much more prosperous, equivalent to a clan rated at 450000 bushels." "This is due to our production of Awa indigo, a special dye, for which we hold the monopoly." "It earns the clan 330, 000 pieces of gold annually, or about 200000 bushels of rice." "As such. we live in fear that our clan 's knowledge of the secret of the dyeing process may be leaked." "For this reason. we founded a Dyers Guild to oversee the trade." "However, the Shogunate, desperate to increase its economic power, has become obsessed with acquiring the secret of the Awa indigo." "They sent spies into Awa clan territory, who schemed to incite a riot among our dye workers and encourage them to demand higher wages and better treatment." "If a riot occurs, the Shogunate can use it as an excuse to strip us of our monopoly." "Then the monopoly would be in their hands where they alone could profit from it." "So we spared no effort to hunt down their spies." "We executed the conspirators who planned the riot." "But these extreme tactics unfortunately backfired, and Makuya, headman of the indigo artisans. feared for his life." "and he fled to the neighbouring Takamatsu clan." "The Takamatsu clan is an impoverished one, and our clans are not on good terms with each other." "In an effort to profit from this, they have reported the matter to the Shogunate and hidden Makuya safely away." "Despite our repeated enquiries, they deny ever hearing of him." "And now, what we feared the most is about to happen." "We've been informed that the Shogunate has sent three Official Escorts of the Shogunate to Takamatsu in order to take Makuya back to Edo." "As you must be well aware, even the Yagyu clan fear these Escorts, the three Hidari brothers, Benma, Tenma and Kuruma." "The three of them are masters of Takeuchi Style harness techniques," "Benma employs an iron hand-claw." "Tenma uses a flying club." "And Kuruma uses a chain-mailed fist." "They're infamous for their expertise." "They're often called the Gods of Death." "and they're known to have killed many." "If the brothers succeed in taking Makuya back to Edo, the secret of Awa indigo would fall into the hands of the Shogunate, and disaster will befall our clan." "Please slay Makuya the headman, and preserve the Awa clan." "Please..." "Please, I beg of you." "The ship that is transporting the three Escorts should be entering the port of Akashi by noon the day after tomorrow." "I ask that you board this ship." "It will be leaving at the dawn bell of the following morning." "And now a double somersault from the middle!" "And now, continuous tumbling together!" "Daigoro!" "I am Sayaka Yagyu!" "Daigoro..." "Let's go!" "Daddy..." "I must kill Itto Ogami to restore the reputation of the Yagyu clan!" "He's a superb swordsman, so skilled that he was chosen as Official Executioner." "It isn't possible to defeat him using ordinary methods." "Ozunu..." "Are you saying that Ogami's Sui-O techniques are superior to ours?" "I am very sorry, but all of your clanswomen have been killed, and only two of my Kurokuwa men are left." "That's why, if we were to kidnap Itto's son, Daigoro..." "We are the famed Yagyu clan!" "How could we use such cowardly tactics?" "It's obvious he intends to destroy the Yagyu clan, in the hope of restoring honour to his family through his son." "Even someone like Ogami would lose hope and confidence if his son were gone." ""Kill Itto Ogami at any cost, by any means."" "That was Lord Retsudo's order." "Daigoro?" "So you've come, Itto Ogami." "Halt!" "You Yagyu are despicable." "What do you plan to do with the boy?" "Our game is over." "Throw down your torso-cutting sword." "Come on, Ogami!" "I refuse." "This is a bottomless well." "If I let go of him, he'll die." "Kill him if you must." "But I ask you, what for?" "Have you Kurokuwa clansmen become vassals of the Yagyu clan?" "Your wife was slain when you defied the Yagyu clan." "Now look at you, you wander around like a stray dog!" "My son and I have chosen a life of evil." "We are unlike normal people." "For this day we have long been prepared." "If this is where we lose everything we hold dear, if this is what fate has decreed for us, then we shall accept it!" "Then let me ask you, why did you come here, where your son's life hangs by a thread?" "Is it not because you want to save him, because of your love for him?" "It is foolish to simply accept everything that happens." "One must try one's best before bowing to fate!" "Daigoro..." "Your mother is waiting for you at the River Styx." "Do you understand?" "Daddy..." "Daigoro..." "It clasped me so tightly." "That's why it's called the "Lair of the Octopus"." "Attention!" "Fares, please, from those passengers who boarded at Akashi!" "Brother..." "They must be the pathetic hirelings sent by the Awa clan." "As you have all witnessed, we were forced to kill them." "They attacked us first." "Rest assured that we shall report this to the authorities when we arrive at the harbour in Takamatsu." "Get rid of the bodies." "Dump them overboard if you wish." "You have a child with you?" "Those bastard Hidari brothers." "I can't share a ship with such ruthless men!" "Let us stay inside your quarters!" "Who knows what could happen if they come near us?" "What if they get us involved?" "It makes me sick!" "There's no way I'll let you bastards get to Takamatsu." "This is a major job, I got 200 gold pieces." "If I don't finish you off, the second 1 00 pieces will be up in smoke." "You just watch." "Forgive me for disturbing you, but could you please return my knife?" "Akashiya Soy Sauce" "It's oil." "Disguised as soy sauce." "Which means that this must be the Awa clan's doing as well." "Good, they're drinking sake." "That was a close shave." "I thought I was finished back there." "But just you watch this..." "You'll have nowhere left to run." "You'll be roasted alive!" "Fire!" "We're used to dealing with situations like this." "You, on the other hand, are saddled with a child." "But just in case you do get out of this alive," "let us say this to you." "We'll be entering Takamatsu to escort a man out." "Then from Hikita, we'll pass through the sand dunes of Oura to get to the north harbour." "A ship should be waiting for us there to return to Edo." "Stay out of our way." "We escorts would never harm anyone, provided we're not attacked first." "However if anybody interferes with us, then we show no mercy." "Do remember that." "Even if the meddler is a former Shogunate Executioner." "I've heard of an assassin called "Lone Wolf and Cub"." "But if such an assassin can't escape a fire, then what good is he?" "Daigoro..." "Hold tight, I'll follow you." "You bastard!" "Daigoro..." "We don't have a fire." "If we don't warm ourselves, we'll freeze to death." "You want to save me?" "And to save us as well." "Three will be warmer than two." "Brother, will the Awa clansmen attack us?" "All I can see are the sand dunes." "There's nobody, not a sign of life anywhere." "They will come." "When we eventually deliver Makuya to Edo, the Awa clan will lose 200,000 bushels of annual revenue." "They'll come, prepared to shed blood." "Don't drop your guard." "Kill Makuya!" "Kill him!" "So you came after all." "Remarkable that you escaped from the burning ship." "Regrettable that you'll be throwing your life away after having just saved it." "Ready." "You threw...your sword?" "My neck..." "My neck..." "It sounds as if it's wailing." "The wound across the neck that wails like a cold wintry wind." "The whistling of a wintry wind..." "Just once did I wish to slay someone and hear that very sound." "How ironic it is to hear it from my own neck." "Out!" "I am the assassin Lone Wolf and Cub." "At your service!" "The End" "Toho Company, Ltd." "Katsu Productions present" "Oyuki, you deserter!" "We have official orders to execute you at once!" "Prepare yourself!" "I beseech you, please kill Oyuki!" "I shall accept the commission for 500 gold pieces." "Lone Wolf and Cub" "Baby Cart in Peril" "Produced by Tomisaburo Wakayama HisaharuMatsubara" "Original story by Koike Kazuo  Goseki Kojima" "Director of photography Kazuo Miyagawa" "Fight choreographer Eiichi Kusumoto" "Music by Hideaki Sakurai" "Tattoo art by Mori Seiji" "Starring:" "Tomisaburo Wakayama as Itto Ogami" "Yoichi Hayashi as Gunbei Yagyu" "Michi Azuma as Oyuki" "Akihiro Tomikawa as the Child" "Asao Koike as Yoshinao Tokugawa Tatsuo Endo as Lord Retsudo" "So Yamamura as Jindayu Gomune" "Directed by Buichi Saito" "You see, the art of tattooing is performed by pressing the left thumb hard against the skin like this," "and then applying dyes and inscribing the design." "The sound of tattooing is called the "distant echo"." "It's a pleasant sound once you get used to it." "But those who aren't familiar with it say it gives them the chills." "They say the chills, because the dyes used in tattooing are especially cold in the winter, so warm clothing is essential." "Yet the tattooed area won't cool the body in the summer." "To bear a tattoo is a lifetime test of endurance." "She was a fine woman." "Neither before nor since then have I tattooed such a fine woman." "When I call a woman "fine", I'm referring to her skin." "Although I must say, she was an extremely beautiful woman." "Her face must have been exceedingly pretty, if her body was any guide." "Was she hiding her face?" "Yes." "She just came in and silently stood right where you are." "She wasn't particular about the design of the tattoos." "She said anything would do as long as they would shock people." "Even if it was frightening enough to make one 's heart to skip a beat, or even something that could arouse men beyond all imagination." "Whatever the design, she simply requested that I surpass myself." "Moreover. she asked to be tattooed on both her front and back." "I tattooed a Mountain Witch on her back." "and a Kintaro groping for a nipple in front." "Anybody would scream when receiving a tattoo between the breast and the belly." "One feels an unbearable pain that courses from head to toe." "But, incredibly, she was unaffected." "She didn 't let out one scream." "not one." "I noticed something." "At first, I thought she was maybe a dancer, but I was wrong." "It became obvious that she was trained in the martial arts." "It is said that the feudal lords employ swordswomen called "Besshiki-me "." "and judging by her appearance and manners." "I think she was one." "Perhaps that was the reason why she kept her face hidden." "But why would a woman from a samurai family carry a Mountain Witch tattoo on her back and a Kintaro on her breast for the rest of her life?" "What could be the reason?" "Those tattoos were my life's masterpiece." "I prayed that they wouldn't bring her bad luck, and I shall keep praying so." "Who's that?" "Who's that?" "If it isn't Ebisu!" "And who's the next one?" "He's dark and short!" "Who's that?" "Who's that?" "If it isn't Daikoku!" "And who's the next one?" "He's got a pointy head!" "Who's that?" "Who's that?" "If it isn't Fukurokujin!" "And who's the next one?" "It's the big-bellied, long-winded Hotei!" "And who's the next one?" "The one on his right with the snotty nose!" "Who's that?" "Who's that?" "If it isn't Jurojin!" "Happy New Year, sir!" "You've got to go home now, children!" "Playtime is over!" "Time to go home." "Daigoro?" "Daigoro!" "Look at her!" "Say, my little friend, we have to go home now." "Playtime is over." "It'll be dark soon." "The monsters will be out soon." "Go home!" "Pa!" "Pitter-patter, pitter-patter Pitter-patter, pitter-patter" "The rain. so sad and cold" "Tests a little boy's heart" "As he waits for his father to return" "Father's an assassin." "so they say..." "He was a child accustomed to seeing his father spending nights inside old temples." "He was accustomed to seeing his father offer prayers therein to the Buddha after completing assassinations." "Why did his father visit temples?" "Was it to talk to his dead mother?" "Was it to purify his body and soul?" "Without answers." "he sought his father in old temples." "Those eyes!" "Like the stony eyes of a swordsman who's been to the domain between life and death." "Only those who have travelled the road of death and survived possess such eyes." "How is it possible for one so young to have experienced that?" "Have my own eyes grown weak?" "Pay attention to the wind direction!" "We'll get a fine crop next year!" "Absolutely!" "We're placing the fires!" "Don't get trapped in!" "If he's not stopped, he'll be surrounded by the fire." "I can't just stand here and watch." "Yet this is my only chance to confirm my suspicions." "There's nothing wrong with my eyes, after all." "Even when faced with fire." "he doesn't cry or call for help." "He 's only a child, yet he keeps calm knowing there 's no escape." "How incredible to see such preparedness!" "What a strange child!" "It's finished!" "It's over at last!" "Lots to look forward to next year!" "Come over here, everyone!" "What's wrong?" "It's a child!" "He must've been trapped by the fire!" "We've got to get him treatment!" "Wait." "Who is that child?" "He was trapped by the fire and buried himself in the mud." "We have to get him treatment." "You say he buried himself to avoid the fire?" "Yes, sir." "He's a very lucky boy." "He didn't call for help, because he knew he could help himself." "Thus there was no need to be afraid." "Put him down." "What are you doing?" "Why are you pointing your sword at a helpless child?" "His eyes..." "He has the eyes of one who has killed scores of men and been showered with their blood." "His eyes are like stones." "lt defies logic." "You're mistaken." "He sees my sword, yet there is no trace of fear in his eyes." "Every student of swordsmanship desires to reach the domain between life and death." "He has the eyes..." "What are you doing?" "I must confirm it." "And do what?" "I'll slay him." "How dare you?" "Move aside." "Or I'll slay you as well." "The Sui-O style horse-slaying technique!" "Could he be the Cub of the Wolf himself?" "Pa!" "Itto Ogami." "Pa!" "You're Gunbei Yagyu?" "I knew you were still alive." "I defeated you." "The Yagyu's New Shadow style defeated your Sui-O style." "Yet you were granted the post of Official Executioner." "I remember..." "The Tokugawa Shogunate imposed excessive taxes upon the lords." "The Shogunate freely exercised its right to execute anyone who showed the slightest trace of disobedience." "The Official Executioner acted as a second and beheaded those lords who were ordered to commit seppuku." "The Shogunate authorised the Official Executioner to bear his emblem as a symbol that he personified the Shogunate himself when he executed a lord." "That fool!" "Summon Gunbei!" "This is an emergency!" "This could seal the fate of the whole Yagyu clan!" "You idiot!" "Itto Ogami was appointed the Official Executioner!" "How can this be?" "I cannot believe you pointed your sword in the direction of the mighty Shogun!" "Explain yourself!" "And I am told that Ogami staked his life to fend you off!" "It might have looked that way, but Itto couldn't parry my blows and he found himself in that position." "That's how it happened." "You fool!" "Even if it was a coincidence, it was seen as an act of selflessness by Ogami, to guard his highness from your sword!" "Stand up, Gunbei!" "Gunbei..." "Because of your fine swordsmanship, I will spare your life." "But from today on, the world will think that you've committed harakiri, to atone for your foolish mistake." "Do you understand?" "Change your appearance and identity and head for the north." "Summon Goroza, the master of disguise of the Kurokuwa group." "I am here, sir." "Goroza..." "You know Gunbei well, so it would be easy for you to emulate his appearance." "A moment, please." "What I ask is for the sake of the Yagyu Clan." "Will you die for us?" "Yes, sir." "Please commit harakiri." "Allow me, Retsudo, to act as your second." "I entreat you..." "Forgive me." "Ogami has defeated the Yagyu on a technicality." "From now on," "Itto Ogami will be Official Executioner and bear the Shogunate's emblem." "He'll be feared by every single lord in this nation, and his name will be known throughout the country." "As for us we Yagyu will always be compared to him and found wanting." "By offering Goroza's head in place of Gunbei's, we may be safe for a while," "but the root of the problem will long plague us." "We will frame Itto Ogami and make him appear to be a traitor to the Shogunate." "We will destroy his name, his clan will fall, and we shall claim the post of Official Shogunate Executioner." "By whatever means!" "If I had slain you that time, my two brothers wouldn't have died." "This is the moment for my revenge, Itto Ogami!" "Now that the Yagyu have claimed the post of Shogunate Executioner, and once I slay you, all will be well." "Think you can defeat me, Itto?" "Kill me!" "Why don't you kill me?" "You've died once already." "There is nothing to be gained from slaying a dead man." "I declare to you, the Buddha of lnfinite Light, that we, father and son, stand at the crossroads to hell." "If a man and his wife opposes us, they will die, and even if a Buddha stands in our way, he too shall die." "Pa!" "Unlike the untouchable caste." "outcasts who made their living as street entertainers at this time were called "Gomune's people"." "Singers, dancers, roadside thespians, comedians, puppeteers, storytellers and such like, they all belonged to a special group led by Jindayu Gomune, whose members were spread throughout the country." "Who the hell are you?" "I would like to see Jindayu Gomune." "My name is Itto Ogami." "This is my son Daigoro." "We won't allow an assassin to go after Oyuki!" "Kill him!" "Slay him!" "I mean you no harm." "Pa!" "What's with this creepy little brat?" "Quieten down." "You're being rude to our guests." "I do not know who you are, sir, but I am Jindayu Gomune." "I am Itto Ogami." "I came here to ask you some questions." "Please come this way." "But, Master..." "Let him through." "Do you intend to find and kill Oyuki?" "As an assassin, why else would I be seeking her?" "To have such a master swordsman after her, she truly is an unlucky soul." "Were you commissioned by the Owari Clan?" "A stupid question to ask of one who makes a living as an assassin." "Please forgive me." "Certainly, Oyuki was once a member of the Gomune." "As a child, she studied small-sword techniques and she used her talents to entertain people in the streets." "One day, Lord Owari was enjoying a day out in disguise, when he chanced upon Oyuki's performance." "As His Highness Lord Owari is interested in the martial arts, he invited Oyuki to become one of his swordswomen, and to teach small-sword techniques to his clan's ladies-in-waiting." "As the leader of the Gomune group, that is all I can tell you." "As for what happened to Oyuki after that, and why she chose to be tattooed as she did, in order to kill," "I can give you no answers." "I have heard only rumours." "I do not know the truth." "Even if I knew, it is not for me to discuss such matters." "As stated before, she is no longer a Gomune member." "Along the Kiso Highway, near Akasaka," "I hear there's a spa called Tsuta-no-Yu." "It's said that those who want their wishes to come true should pray there before the image of the god Yunohana, whilst fasting and purifying their body and soul for seven days and seven nights." "If you are seeking something, perhaps that is where you should go." "I appreciate your kindness." "Farewell." "Lord Ogami..." "Oyuki is my daughter." "Tsuta-no-yu?" "Just over that hill there." "But it's such a lonely place, not many people visit these days." "How ridiculous it is for you to challenge me." "Silence!" "I'll see through your sword trickery once and for all." "Where are you looking?" "If you look into the flames, you'll be defeated." "Look not at the fire." "If you do, you will surely lose." "Don't be fooled." "Look into my eyes." "Don't look at the fire." "Challenge me as you look into my eyes!" "My eyes!" "Look into my eyes!" "Look into my eyes!" "My eyes!" "Look into my eyes!" "My eyes!" "Look into my eyes!" "Why must such a beauty be one of the lord's swordswomen?" "When a girl is obsessed with swordsmanship, it's usually because she's so ugly she has no chance of marrying." "The moment you realise, it's too late!" "If you're going to bite your tongue, wait until it's over!" "Daigoro!" "Please forgive him." "He does not have a mother." "I beseech you!" "Please kill Oyuki!" "Pardon me, sir, but people who want to make wishes come here to Tsuta-no-yu to purify their body and soul and pray to the image of a god." "Is that your reason, too, sir?" "Perhaps it is the wish of an assassin?" "Deserter Oyuki!" "We have official orders to execute you!" "Prepare yourself!" "I heard that you were after me, sir." "The assassin Lone Wolf and Cub." "You cut off the topknots of those Owari vassals." "I'd like to know the reason." "I deserted from the Owari Clan." "It's obvious that Lord Owari would send men after me." "If I send him the topknots I cut from his men, then eventually the man I yearn to defeat, Enki Kozuka will be sent to hunt me down." "That is why." "Then I put it to you, that the Houses of the vassals you killed were abolished and some of their dependents have committed suicide out of shame." "What do you have to say to them?" "Lives have been sacrificed so that your yearning might be assuaged, and now others yearn for vengeance." "I met your father, Jindayu Gomune." "Before we parted ways, he told me that you were his daughter." "My father?" "My father..." "He's praying that I die." "Is that not so?" "There are times when parents believe that praying for the death of their own children is an act of love." "Oyuki." "Enki Kozuka!" "You've come at last!" "You've grown even more beautiful since I last saw you." "Such beauty suits a woman of the Gomune." "You have an accomplice?" "I don't need an accomplice to defeat you!" "Unlike the last time, this time you'll meet with death." "Where are you looking?" "I taught you not to look at the fire." "My eyes!" "You must look into my eyes." "My eyes!" "My eyes!" "My eyes!" "Look into my eyes!" "My eyes!" "Look into my eyes!" "That I can die without showing you my bare skin makes me happy." "I won't ever show your body to anyone ever again." "You've come all this way to bring her ashes to me." "I must thank you." "If I may ask, did she die an unseemly death?" "She died a splendid death." "Excuse me." "One moment." "As you showed her kindness in her final moments, may I ask that you stay for her funeral?" "Fate has brought us together." "I'd like you to tell me of her final moments." "You say he killed both Enki and Oyuki." "Sir, my men witnessed their deaths." "The rumours are true after all." "Not only does he defy the Shogunate but he defies your clan as well." "The proof being that he's staying with those lowly Gomune outcasts, after trespassing on Owari territory." "If you do nothing, my lord, you'll become the laughing stock of the entire country." "I won't allow it." "How dare he?" "Master!" "Master!" "Owari clansmen are coming!" "Itto Ogami, show yourself!" "What are you doing here?" "Who are you?" "We won't let you pass!" "Shoot them." "Master!" "Master!" "Move!" "Are you Jindayu Gomune?" "Yes." "What is the meaning of this intolerable commotion?" "We've been informed that the assassin Lone Wolf and Cub, the former Official Executioner, is here." "Hand him over and there'll be no problems." "If you don't, we've orders to raze the village and slaughter everyone." "I refuse your request." "What?" "Do you want to be burned to death?" "Time for me to go." "You must not leave, sir!" "Jindayu..." "I came here of my own free will." "I wish to leave the same way." "I can't allow it!" "Are you defying the orders of the Owari Clan?" "Itto Ogami is a guest of mine, a guest of Jindayu Gomune." "If we were to make the same request to a guest of Lord Owari, how do you think you would react?" "Fool!" "Watch your mouth, you lowly Gomune outcast!" "Remember who you're speaking to!" "Then let me tell you this." "Lord Owari controls a fief of 61 9,000 bushels." "His clansmen number roughly 4,000." "In comparison, the Gomune people under me number over 200,000, and they are spread all over the nation." "This is not a matter of number, nor of strength." "I'm saying that, as human beings, we all prize courtesy." "If Lord Owari is a human being, then so are we." "We all eat and we all shit, and so we are all equal." "If we are human beings, then it is only common sense that we all cherish honour and courtesy." "Thus, there is no reason for me to hand over my guest, when I am being coerced into doing so." "We Gomune people also have our pride." "You impudent fool!" "Have you gone mad?" "Master!" "Damn you!" "Hold back!" "Don't attack!" "Lord Jindayu!" "Lord Jindayu!" "Honourable Ogami..." "Behead me and take my head to the Lord of the Owari." "Tell him that you slew Oyuki because her father wished it so." "As penance for Oyuki defecting from his clan and for her many sins," "I, in place of his lordship, put an end to her life." "And tell him that I too died as penance for her sins." "Lord Jindayu!" "The heart of the parent is the heart of the child as well." "I feel as if..." "I feel as if Oyuki is calling me to join her." "Master!" "Master!" "Master!" "Master!" "Master!" "I wish to see the Lord of the Owari." "Take me to him." "Mind your manners and kneel!" "Lord Owari," "I am not here because I was captured." "I am here of my own free will." "What?" "The real cause of all your recent troubles was Enki Kozuka." "Oyuki fled from your clan because Kozuka shamed her more than she could bear." "She slew him single-handedly in order to restore her honour." "The reason I have come here is to tell you this." "Have you lost all sense?" "Just who do you think you are talking to?" "Furthermore, Jindayu Gomune had done nothing to your clan." "Killing him was unforgivable." "You rogue!" "I am Yoshinao Tokugawa." "Do you have any idea where you are standing?" "We, father and son, live at the crossroads to hell." "We don't give a damn about the Tokugawa, the Owari, or the emblem of the Shogunate!" "Kill him!" "Kill this impudent fool!" "Daigoro!" "I'll take you with me." "Don't move!" "In the blink of an eye both his life and his 61 0,000-bushel fief will perish!" "Is that what you want?" "Listen to me." "We, father and son, will leave the castle, and Lord Owari will accompany us!" "Stand up." "You will go first!" "Damn you!" "Don't interfere!" "Hold back!" "Stand back!" "Lord Ogami, please wait!" "Please!" "Please wait!" "Lord Ogami, take me with you!" "I must refuse." "Then please have mercy on my lord!" "You have no need to worry." "I will release your lord unharmed." "Lord Owari, hurry!" "Lord Owari!" "Lord Owari, please stay down." "Stop!" "Don't shoot!" "Lord Owari!" "Daigoro, listen carefully." "I will be entering the crossroads to hell." "If I don't return, you will die here, too." "Understand?" "Attack!" "Yes, sir!" "Retsudo!" "Prepare yourself!" "Here I am!" "Itto Ogami, parry the swords of the Yagyu, if you think you can!" "Pa!" "Pa!" "Daigoro." "Pull the sword from my back." "Remarkable." "Remarkable that you've survived, Itto Ogami." "No matter what happens, you must live on for the one who shall finally finish you will be neither Yagyu nor Kurokuwa, it shall be me." "Farewell, then, till the day I send you straight to hell!" "The End" "Toho Company, Ltd." "Katsu Productions present" "Lone Wolf and Cub" "Baby Cart in the Land Of Demons" "Produced by Tomisaburo Wakayama MasanoriSanada" "Original story by Kazuo Koike  Goseki Kojima" "Director of photography Fujio Morita" "Music by Hideaki Sakurai" "Fight choreography by Eiichi Kusumoto" "Starring:" "Tomisaburo Wakayama as Itto Ogami" "Michiyo Yasuda as Lady Shiranui Akihiro Tomikawa as the Child" "Shingo Yamashiro as Lord Kuroda Tomomi Sato as Oyo" "Eiji Okada as Wakita" "Minoru Oki as Lord Retsudo" "Directed by Kenji Misumi" "Excuse me..." "The drawing of the Beasts of Hell on your veil..." "Are you in search of the Lone Wolf and Cub?" "Would that be you?" "That's what they call me." "You are indeed the Lone Wolf and Cub, the former Official Shogunate Executioner, Lord Itto Ogami." "I have 1 00 gold pieces for you." "I am told that you require 500 pieces for each assignment you accept." "This is one fifth." "Please accept it." "Were you testing my ability to perform the task?" "Sixteen of my fellow clansmen have been dispatched to find you, each displaying a drawing of the Beasts of Hell." "We have travelled throughout the country, on all the major thoroughfares across land, river and sea." "I am of the House of Kuroda in Chikuzen." "My name is Ukon Ayabe." "In order to accept the task," "I must know all the details and circumstances." "I am aware of that." "Five of us, of which I am but the first, intend to test your abilities." "Each one that you defeat will give you 1 00 gold pieces as well as additional details about the job." "This...will be the sign." "I beseech you..." "Like Ukon Ayabe," "I am a chamberlain of the Kuroda clan, Kazuma Izumi." "My name is Itto Ogami." "That is a message for the next emissary you shall meet." "I beseech you." "I am Shusuke Mogami of the Kuroda clan." "I am no master swordsman, but please allow me to test your abilities." "My name is Itto Ogami." "If you should defeat me, take the 1 00 gold pieces." "Though it may be cumbersome, please wear the rosary and proceed." "It shall be so." "The Lord of the Kuroda clan in Chikuzen, a fief worth 520,000 bushels of rice," "is but a five-year-old princess." "The Shogunate was deceived and told that she was our clan's First Son." "Because of her age, her debut before the Shogun  was deferred until her coming-of-age ceremony." "The previous lord, Naritaka Kuroda, abdicated in favour of his "son"." "If the Shogunate ever find out the truth our clan would surely fall." "Please save our clan from this predicament." "The princess!" "The princess!" "Are you the third man?" "My name is Hachiro Mawatari, of the Kuroda clan." "The 1 00 gold pieces are in my pouch." "Defeat me and they're yours." "Very well." "There's still time before I die." "I'll tell you the details of our assassination request." "I shall talk until my last breath." "Lord Kuroda has treated his concubine Otae like no other." "Their child is a princess called Hamachiyo." "They're raising Hamachiyo as the First Son, "Prince Matsumaru"." "But the real Prince Matsumaru." "the child of his true wife  has been imprisoned, despite being the lord's child." "Lord Kuroda put the details of this matter in writing, in a secret document." "This document was entrusted by L ord Kuroda personally into the care of Abbot Jikei." "Abbot Jikei is the High Priest of Sofuku Temple where the ancestors of the Kuroda family are buried." "The Abbot is not only highly revered by Lord Kuroda, but our clansmen respect him as a living Buddha." "Indeed, even the Shogunate speaks highly of him." "He is everything a Buddhist priest ought to be." "However, the secret document is about to be delivered to the Shogunate." "This is the darkest hour for the Kuroda clan." "So I beg you." "Please recover the document." "The document!" "A moment, please." "There's a suspicious ronin just ahead by the pond." "Supposedly, he's waiting for a ronin with a child." "If it's you that he wants, please let me assist you." "Do not concern yourself." "My name is Yamon Kikuchi of the Kuroda clan." "Sir if you're the Shogunate's former Official Executioner, Itto Ogami, then you're the master of the Sui-O style." "I would like to see your technique, the wave-slashing stroke." "I want to see it with my own eyes." "The document is in the hands of Abbot Jikei." "In order to celebrate the completion ofZuisan Temple in Kamakura," "Jikei has left his home province." "However. his actions have aroused the suspicions of another priest at Sofuku Temple." "You see, Abbot Jikei had already notified those in Kamakura that he wouldn't be attending the ceremony." "Yet as soon as he was entrusted with the secret document." "he changed his mind and headed straight off to Kamakura." "In an attempt to unravel this mystery, the other priest checked the document." "knowing that the penalty for being wrong would be seppuku." "Next, with Head Chamberlain Wakita's help, we risked our lives to discover that Abbot Jikei is in fact a leader of a network of ninja spies in the Saikaido region, and, moreover, that they're affiliated with the Yagyu clan." "We're afraid that the document will be handed over to the Yagyu leader..." "Retsudo." "I thought I asked you not to concern yourself." "It's all right, I'm just a traveller." "Besides, I was worried." "My name is Kanbei of the Sazare-lshi." "That ronin was after your life, just as I suspected." "I was watching you." "You're highly skilled, sir, but you must be exhausted." "How about some tea?" "It's hot." "I invented this, you see." "It's a bamboo bottle inside a bigger one, separated by clay." "So you can have hot tea any time you're on the road." "And you can avoid getting sick from drinking dirty water." "Please..." "It really is hot today." "Thank you." "What a shame, Itto Ogami." "You are not without weaknesses." "Now that you've drunk the azalea and wolfsbane poison, nothing can save you." "We decided to use every method in order to test you properly." "Please forgive me." "I, Kanbei Sazare, of the Kuroda clan in Chikuzen, will now administer the coup de grâce." "Please slay Abbot Jikei and obtain the document." "The document is in the Abbot's scroll container." "Nobody but the Abbot..." "Nobody but the Abbot may lay a hand on it." "Lord Ogami, I beg of you," "Head Chamberlain Wakita and the vassals of the Kuroda clan have staked our lives for the future of the clan." "I beseech you." "I beseech you!" "FESTIVAL" "He longed to meet his father so much" "What you see here is an heirloom sword" "And?" "As if to prove what I say..." "Welcome!" "I wonder if his prayer's been answered" "From a mountain far away..." "Let's see!" "... comes a being in a black robe" "What's up?" "With flowers in one hand..." "All right!" "...they cross a bridge to the village" "To visit strangers ' tombstones" "All right!" "All right!" "Here's the story of a child, the child to whom the parents' sins are passed down." "Come on in!" "Come on in!" "Take over, Miss Hana!" "Yes, sir!" "Now Miss Hana will sing for you!" "You can pay after you watch." "Adults, 1 8 mon!" "Kids, 9 mon!" "Minnows!" "Goldfish!" "And turtles!" "Watermelons!" "Watermelons!" "They're so sweet!" "Buy some!" "Just look at the colour!" "I have come to take your life." "It is impossible to destroy a void." "For I am one whose subjectivity and objectivity have integrated, renouncing the self to become one with the void." "From all points of view, I have become inseparable from the universe and as such cannot be destroyed." "Meeting a Buddha, you kill him, meeting someone's parents, you kill them." "So you too have become one with the void, yet only as an assassin." "But if you are able to strike me down, then your assassin's enlightenment will not be a true one." "Come on in!" "Come on in!" "Come and buy them!" "Welcome!" "Oh, I'm so sorry!" "My fault!" "I'm sorry!" "I'm really sorry!" "Sorry." "There." "I do hope you're not hurt." "We've got plenty, we can take it easy for a while." "What?" "If this is all we settle for, it wasn't worth coming here." "You're right, sis." "You're not called "Quick-Change Oyo" for nothing." "Hokuro, shield me." "So you're Senzo Shinnoji the talented investigator from Edo?" "I've heard about you." "Pleased to meet you, sir." "Actually, sir, I was on my way to see you." "I see." "So you've come from Edo to find "Quick-Change Oyo" the pickpocket and Tomekichi her accomplice?" "Yes, sir." "I believe you received a bulletin from my office." "Absolutely." "They're planning on raking in money during the festival." "Oyo can change her disguise in an instant, from city girl to whore, from priest to beggar." "She changes so fast that nobody knows what she really looks like." "I'm so sorry." "Not at all." "Ow!" "I'm so sorry." "I'm sorry." "My fault." "That woman." "Pickpocket!" "Pickpocket!" "Pickpocket!" "We're done for!" "That's Senzo Shinnoji." "There's a good boy." "Would you keep hold of this for me?" "Promise not to tell anybody?" "That's my wallet." "You little brat!" "Wait!" "Listen, son, what sort of lady asked you to keep that?" "Can you tell me?" "I know you're a good boy." "So, can you tell me which way she went?" "If you can, I'll buy you a sweet or a whistle or whatever you want." "Usually, children cooperate if shown the truncheon and offered a reward." "But this child..." "This one's suspicious." "He could even be related to Oyo." "Hey, tie the kid up." "Senzo." "He's only a child, there's no need to tie him up." "Yes, sir." "But there's a possibility that he's one of the gang." "I've come all the way from Edo to find Oyo, so if I don't catch her today, I'll be unworthy to carry the truncheon." "I'd be grateful if you'd allow me to follow my intuition." "What are they doing?" "What's going on?" "Just look at that!" "What are they doing to such a small child?" "Poor thing." "What did he do?" "Really, there must be some mistake." "How dare they put a rope around a little child?" "What good is arresting a child?" "You can't tie someone up without evidence of a crime." "Well, all will be settled as soon as the real culprit comes forward." "So to ensure that happens, I will flog the boy." "What?" "Honestly, I don't want to do it." "But if the culprit gets away, there'll be more victims." "I have to catch Oyo, whatever the cost." "I'm sorry." "We've arrested this child, because Quick-Change Oyo asked him to hold stolen property." "We shall not show mercy because he's young." "As such, according to Article 79 of the law, he'll be flogged." "No!" "That's cruel!" "However, if Oyo comes forward, he'll be forgiven." "Unfair!" "How dare you exploit a child like that?" "Call yourself an officer?" "Silence!" "Oyo, why don't you come forward?" "I believe you have a heart." "Oyo, I know you are somewhere in this crowd." "Reveal yourself if you don't want this child to be beaten." "I believe we're all born into this world as good people." "Nobody is born an evil person." "So I don't hate people." "But I do hate the crimes they commit." "Do you hear me, Oyo?" "If you don't save this child, then I will despise you!" "You'll be the first person to earn my hatred." "And I will hound you to the ends of the world." "I can't watch!" "He shows no fear." "He shows no reaction whatsoever." "Poor thing!" "He's such a strong-willed lad." "Proceed." "Please go ahead." "Sister!" "Please stop!" "I'm Quick-Change Oyo." "Please spare the child." "How wonderful that you finally came forward, Oyo." "Because you've been honest, justice will be tempered with mercy." "Sir, that child has nothing to do with me." "I don't even know who he is." "But, yes, I handed him the wallet that I'd stolen." "Son, is that the lady who handed you the wallet?" "Is that her?" "No." "What?" "No." "My child...why?" "No." "Sonny, if you lie to me, you'll be flogged." "It's her, isn't it?" "No!" "My child." "It's fine." "You can tell them that I gave you the wallet." "No." "Why are you covering for me?" "Tell them the truth!" "No!" "Say, are you really Quick-Change Oyo?" "Yes, sir, in all honesty." "I don't understand." "I don't think he's lying either." "As you can see." "I am Quick-Change Oyo." "That's remarkable." "But Oyo isn't the only female pickpocket around." "Perhaps there's more than meets the eye here." "If that's the case, we'll make him confess!" "Sir!" "Son, I'll ask you once again." "No!" "Why, my child?" "Sir!" "I am Oyo, known as Quick-Change!" "Silence!" "Child, I beg you!" "Please tell them the truth!" "Please stop, I beg of you!" "Why are you doing this..." "just to cover up for me?" "No!" "Child!" "Oyo what did you say to him when you gave him the wallet?" "I think that he's keeping a promise to you." "I told him to keep it for me, not to tell anyone and that it was a promise." "A promise not to tell anyone, eh?" "He must be trying to keep that promise, whatever the cost." "Nothing else makes sense." "Oyo..." "I believe that you really are Quick-Change Oyo." "Still, seeing that nobody's come forward to claim him, he must be the child of vagrants." "Or perhaps there's another reason..." "Son, I will never again steal from people." "Thank you!" "It's all right now, son." "Go." "Pa." "Geese, geese, fly overhead" "Big geese go first" "Little geese behind them" "Fly like friends..." "I am Shiranui, the governess of Lord Matsumaru of the Kuroda clan." "I have already met the five emissaries of the Kuroda clan." "I know that." "Then we have nothing to discuss." "Why are you so persistent?" "Tell me the reason why you are going to such lengths." "Once you have slain Abbot Jikei and obtained the document," "I'd like you, Lord Ogami, to deliver it personally to the lord of the Kuroda clan." "Can I depend on you?" "I must refuse." "For me, there is only the assassination." "The aftermath is not my concern." "Here are 500 gold pieces, sir." "In addition to Abbot Jikei, there are others I want you to kill." "I'm listening." "But leave out no details." "I'd like you to slay a five-year-old child as well as the child's father and mother." "I know you're the father of a motherless child." "Lord Ogami can I ask you to kill these three, the child and the parents?" "As father and child, we have chosen to live in a world of blood-shedding." "We're not afraid to face any danger, known or unknown." "We live at the crossroads to hell." "To us, these three they're our masters." "From here onwards, the Shadow Yagyu clan shall guide you." "Lord Retsudo says that he will be waiting for you across the river." "Daigoro..." "We are entering the crossroads to hell." "For you, who walks the path of death, is this a virtuous act?" "Is this a virtuous way to achieve enlightenment?" "Pa." "Damn you, Itto Ogami?" "Kill him!" "Lord Ogami, let us deal with this!" "Please proceed." "The Kuroda masked clansmen!" "Lord Ogami, I will get the document." "Please hurry to the Kuroda fief." "I shall not fail to deliver the document to you." "Give this...to Lord Retsudo." "That will be all, gentlemen." "Yes, sir." "Damn you, Itto Ogami!" "The Kuroda document is in your hands." "We are vassals of Lord Yagyu!" "Make way!" "You are an enemy of the Yagyu and you have sided with the Kuroda clan, Itto Ogami!" "We cannot let you live." "We shall follow you to the ends of the earth and slay you!" "It is I, Shiranui." "I followed the Kurokuwa spies to Lord Retsudo's manor." "Lord Ogami," "I must commend your clever strategy, a brilliant manoeuvre." "Pertaining to that, I have yet one more request to make of you." "Would you be willing to listen, without asking for details?" "As to this request, my superior, Chamberlain Wakita would understand that it is made to preserve our clan." "I firmly believe this to be so." "Lord Ogami, I beseech you." "We are listening." "In that case, please take out the document that you have obtained." "Please open it." "Lord Ogami, please take it like this directly to the lord of the Kuroda." "Lord Itto Ogami, former Shogunate Executioner, hear this!" "We Kuroda clansmen commend you for your excellent work at the river." "With regard to the document you've obtained from Abbot Jikei," "I request that you entrust it to us." "I must refuse." "What?" "I have heard that the Kuroda masked clansmen are feared as the best lancers in the entire Saikaido region." "It is said that you wear masks so no one may see fear on the faces of your dead." "As such, you always enter battle wearing masks." "That is the Kuroda way." "And so I say to you, the Kuroda masked clansmen I possess the document" "that young Kuroda clansmen have given their lives to retrieve." "To honour their sacrifice, I'd like to visit the Kuroda fief to deliver the document in person to Lord Matsumaru." "Very well." "In that case, we shall escort you, Lord Ogami, to the Kuroda fief." "Lord Ogami, we'll deal with this!" "Proceed to the Kuroda fief at once!" "Damn you, Itto!" "You've entered the Kuroda fief!" "I am the so-called Lone Wolf and Cub, Itto Ogami." "This is my son Daigoro." "I have brought with me the secret document as requested." "Please accept it." "Lord Ogami don't you consider it rude to bring your sword here?" "I apologise." "This sword is called a "Dotanuki"." "It is a battle sword." "As you can see, I have sealed it with my own hair." "That is the reason I was allowed to retain it." "Are you saying that you're following the procedures of surrender?" "Correct." "Why, then, did you refuse to give the document to Saemon, the leader of the masked clansmen?" "It is because I seek to hand it over to the lord of this clan directly." "Where is the lord of the Kuroda clan, Lord Matsumaru?" "Such impertinence, when Lord Matsumaru is here before you!" "Because in front of me is Hamachiyo." "Guards!" "Explain yourself, Lord Ogami!" "Why are you showing a readiness to attack?" "The Kuroda line descends from Emperor Uda and the warriors of Omi." "Nyosui Kuroda, your greatest ancestor, conquered the Saikaido." "His son, Lord Kanbei, was justly acclaimed to be a great warrior." "People say, people honour, people fear, that the Saikaido and Kuroda go hand in hand." "Your fief is home to many schools of swordsmanship." "The Kuroda honour Bushido and are known to shun trickery." "Thus does the Kuroda clan survive with great honour." "But it is said that your lord became obsessed with the concubine Otae, and they put the impostor Hamachiyo in Matsumaru's place." "And that the real Matsumaru, whom the lord's wife gave birth to, is imprisoned, despite being the lord's own child." "It is an inhuman act!" "Well?" "Silence, Itto Ogami!" "Try moving an inch, and we'll kill you to preserve the honour of the masked clansmen!" "I am Naritaka, the former lord of the clan and Matsumaru's father." "I will accept the document." "Give it to me." "Very well." "What's this?" "Kill him." "Slay him!" "The lord will be in his chambers." "I am Commander of the Guard, Kazuma Izumi." "Prepare yourself." "As one warrior to another," "I beg you not to unmask me." "We have sacrificed our lives for our clan." "Please restore order to this House." "Give it back what we once had." "I believe...that only you can do it." "Now...please release me." "It shall be so." "Lord!" "No!" "I am innocent!" "I won't commit seppuku!" "Lord, you must commit seppuku." "Please, I beseech you!" "Be gone!" "Be gone!" "Go away!" "Go..." "Lord, it is for the sake of the clan!" "I beg you!" "Take the sword!" "You betrayed me, Wakita!" "Lord!" "Please!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!" "Lord!" "Please commit seppuku!" "Kill this ruffian!" "Please commit seppuku!" "Kill him!" "Lord!" "Lord!" "Kill him!" "Please commit seppuku!" "Kill him!" "Lord of the Kuroda, he was." "And an honourable one." "He respectfully committed seppuku in order to leave this world." "I hope our honoured ancestors are watching us, for the world shall witness the prosperity of our clan." "Lady Shiranui..." "You've chosen to take your own life." "Lord Ogami I am obligated to follow my lord wherever he may go I shall now join him in the netherworld." "The End" "Toho Company, Ltd." "Katsu Productions present" "The boat is leaving!" "Here!" "Come on!" "Oh, no!" "You can't bring a cart like that on board!" "I shall not." "Fancy that!" "Will you stop crying like a baby?" "You've got clothes, eat fancy food, wear fancy outfits and make a good living." "Aren't I right?" "Careful!" "Forget it!" "You've nothing worth saving." "Forget it." "Omatsu!" "Thank you." "Lone Wolf and Cub" "Baby Cart To Hades" "Produced by Shintaro Katsu HisaharuMatsubara" "Original story by Koike Kazuo  Goseki Kojima" "Director of photography Chishi Makiura" "Music by Hideaki Sakurai" "Fight choreography by Eiichi Kusumoto" "Starring:" "Tomisaburo Wakayama as Itto Ogami" "Go Kato as Kanbei" "Isao Yamagata, Michitaro Mizushima, Ichiro Nakaya" "Akihiro Tomikawa as the Child" "Directed by Kenji Misumi" "Don't you get any classy women or young girls coming this way?" "No need to be so impatient." "It's not like we're in a hurry." "Why don't we take our time and find some women along the way?" "Yeah, exactly." "Joy is to be found in the moments between jobs." "Once we're hired, though, we can't get away with much." "It really is hot!" "How about having a drink with us, Kanbei?" "No thanks." "Don't be like that." "Join us, just for a drink." "Drink!" "You're a strange fellow." "You don't drink, you don't chase women." "Why, then, are you a hired hand?" "What's in it for you?" "Look, we hired hands are in the employ of one lord today and another one tomorrow." "We're just hired to guard them as they travel between Edo and their fiefs." "Nothing but a bunch of temporary hirelings." "Even if we wanted positions as normal samurai, the lords are poor and can't afford to give us a yearly stipend." "So we're only hired when they need extra men for special occasions." "There's prestige in being able to carry two swords, but it doesn't mean you're better than anyone else." "You may have been a fine samurai before, but now you're just a hired hand." "Why don't you take it easy and have some fun?" "You make it difficult for us when you act so po-faced!" "Chasing women is the best part of being in our line of work." "If we didn't have that pleasure, we'd have thrown away our swords a long time ago." "And the great things is, with all the women out on the road, we can screw around as much as we want and get away with it!" "No matter what, everything's fine once we're in the retinue of the daimyo who's hired us." "Kanbei, come and join us!" "Oh!" "Fortune comes to those who wait!" "What do you want?" "We're hired hands." "Hired hands?" "Yeah, that's what we are." "If it's money you want, I'll give it to you." "We don't want no stinking money." "We aren't bandits." "We won't steal anything." "We just want to screw you." "Stop!" "It's not like you're going to lose anything at all." "The more you use it, the better it gets!" " No!" " We're doing you a favour!" "Somebody!" "Somebody, help!" "Help!" "Mother!" "I'll report this to the Deputy!" "What's going to happen if you report us to the Deputy?" "Because before you can do that, we'll be long gone." "So fuck the Deputy, I say!" " Come here." " Help, somebody!" "Why don't you just give up and let us have you?" "Close your eyes for 1 5 minutes and it'll all be over." "Somebody help!" "Let me go!" "No!" "No!" "Please, not my daughter!" "No!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Help!" "How's this?" "You scum!" "You scum!" "How could you do this to my lady and her mother?" "I'll slice you to death!" "I'll kill you!" "Wait!" "If you touch us, do you know what will happen to you?" "Exactly!" "We're employed by Lord Mizuno of the Kariya Clan." "Your actions are unforgivable!" "I don't care if you work for Lord Mizuno!" "I'll kill you all!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Kanbei!" "Help us!" "Damn you!" "Please close your eyes." "Kanbei?" "You didn't have to kill them." "This is awful." "Each of you, take one." "If you don't, I'll slay all three of you." "You die, Jukkan." "Why just me?" "You picked the short straw." "You'll be the thief who attacked a mother and daughter and their companion." "After killing the three of them, you were slain by the three of us, who happened to be passing by." "That way, the local officers will be satisfied and all will be settled." "Help me!" "I regret that you had to witness this awful scene." "Forgive me." "You act more like a samurai than a hired hand." ""Like a samurai"?" "I was once in charge of the Okaga Clan of the Maruoka Fief in Echizen." "My name is Kanbei Magomura." "If I may ask, what is yours?" "My name is Itto Ogami." "Just as I thought." "You were once the Official Executioner of the Shogunate." "I recall seeing you this past year inside the gates of Edo Castle." "I, too, recall hearing your name." "I understand you're a matchless master of the Kage Style." "You're too kind, sir." "A fine warrior of your calibre, why are you a hired hand?" "We need not concern ourselves with that." "For now, I'd like to request a duel." "For what reason?" "Because you have witnessed what I've done here." "Whether or not I'm a hired hand, as long as you know who's hired me, then I must protect my master and his clan, like any warrior would, even if it means putting my life on the line." "Having said that," "I am following the Way of the Warrior." "And so, I am requesting a duel." "If I let you leave, if I let you live on..." "No, even if it was done to preserve my master's honour, by killing those innocent people," "I have strayed from the Way of the Warrior." "Once again, please accept my challenge." "Hey, Kanbei is calling you out!" "Why don't you have a duel?" "Answer us?" "Silence!" "He's not your opponent!" "If perchance I should prevail, rest assured that I will take care of your son as long as I breathe." "I ask that there be no need for such concerns." "We, father and son, live the life of demons." "We're prepared to cross to the netherworld." "You live the life of demons?" "I am inspired by your words." "If I am fated to die here, I shall do so without regret." "Well, then." "Let us begin." "This duel we'll call it a draw." "For what reason?" "You are a true warrior, one whom I hope will live on." ""A true warrior"?" "Once again, I have lost a chance to die." "Taste good?" "I bet you've not had rice that often." "Women are flowers, and they ought to bloom." "Instead of scratching out a living like poor farmers," "like flowers, you ought to bloom and bring delight to men." "That's a better life, I'd say." "Your feet must hurt." "It's been a long trip." "All right, just wait a minute." "When your feet are tired, at such times, applying salt and then warming them over a fire will help a lot." "Here we are..." "Let me see your legs." "Come on!" "If you get tired and become unable to walk, I'll be in deep trouble." "So just be still." "It won't take long to make them better." "What's wrong with you?" "Stop!" "Be quiet!" "No!" "I bought you, you belong to me!" "I can use you however I please!" "There's blood on you." "Room inspection!" "Please excuse us." "There's been a murder." "We're searching for a female culprit." "We must check this room, too." "Wait." "What if the culprit isn't found in here?" "We're here to conduct an investigation." "Do you wish to make a complaint?" "This is not a complaint." "Even though this is an inn, as long as I've paid for this room, this is my home, this is my castle." "Whether you're officers or not, you must respect that." "That is what I am asking of you." "A damned ronin like you shouldn't talk to me like that!" "What if the suspect is in there?" "It's equally criminal to hide a suspect, is it not?" "Exactly!" "Allow me to check." "If she's not here, then you can have my head." "No complaints!" "What's this?" "He's been a bad boy." "Your head...." "I'll claim it now." "Move aside!" "It's safe to leave." "Thank you very much, sir!" "We all walk along different paths in life." "For my boy, there's his way." "For you, there's a way that you must pave for yourself." "Go now." "Yes, sir." "Thank you." "There she is!" "Hold her down!" "Wait!" "This room belongs to the samurai." "We must show respect." "Don't act so carelessly." "Yes, madam." "My name is Torizo of the Koshio family." "We run the entertainment district from here to Kariya." "We're "Bohachimono", merchants specialising in adult entertainments." "That girl was the property of our man, Monkumatsu." "We'd appreciate it if you'd hand her over to us." "I refuse." "Honourable samurai we are what the public refer to as "Bohachimono"." "Do you know what that means?" "The Bohachimono have lost all traces of eight things, piety, respect, honest, trust, justice, courtesy, uprightness and shame." "In other words, we're a group of ruthless outcasts." "Win or lose, in the end, opposing us is a fool's game." "In any case, you won't be dishonouring yourself in the slightest by handing the girl over to us." "Therefore, I ask for your cooperation." "After all, she murdered Monkumatsu." "I said that I refuse." "Because of that memorial tablet you were carrying, this samurai felt compelled to protect you." "Now, come with us." "Why can't you be more cooperative?" "If you persist in this folly, the samurai and his child will have to die for you." "It is the code of the Bohachimono not to cause any harm to good people." "As you've been bought, you're one of us now." "Come with us now!" "If you won't hand her over..." "Enough!" "You don't seem to understand me." "This is what we get for being polite to people." "You'd sacrifice both yourself and your child just to save this girl?" "Why do you insist?" "We're bound by the evil of a memorial tablet." "Because of one such similar tablet," "I have lost much of what gave meaning to my life." "That is the reason why." "Kill him!" "Wait!" "You are all dear to me," "I couldn't let you face such a master swordsman." "Honourable samurai... as Bohachimono, we have our pride, too." "We can't leave things unsettled like this." "Yet I can't sacrifice my men over a mere girl." "Let us do this..." "The girl becomes a woman when she serves her first customer." "Her debut, as we like to call it, will bring us a lot of money." "So, we can let her go, as soon as she fulfils this obligation." "Well?" "I refuse." "If you find that unacceptable, there remains only one way." "She must fulfil her obligation by undergoing water torture and beating." "Though this might kill her." "I'll endure the torture on her behalf." "But..." "It's said that to help a sick colleague a prostitute would take over her responsibilities." "There's no rule that a substitute can't volunteer." "What if..." "What if we decide to kill you along the way?" "What would you do?" "If that is to be my fate, only time will tell." "Life or death, only fate can decide this." "Begin!" "Now, beat him." "Honourable sir!" "Pa." "He's not just strong, he's got real spirit." "It was us who were scared, not him." "He didn't even let out a single groan." "I thought real samurai like him were no more but they still exist in this world." "Right." "We've settled the matter of her becoming a prostitute." "But one thing remains, the fact that she killed Monkumatsu." "What is it you want?" "If you do a favour for me, then we'll be even." "Ogami-san..." "While we were torturing you," "I suddenly remembered something." "That the Shogun's Official Executioner, after confronting the Yagyu Clan, was now roaming the countryside as an assassin called Lone Wolf and Cub." "This way." "The honourable Itto Ogami is here." "Help me up." "I am Tatewaki Miura, the former Chief Vassal of the Kakegawa Clan." "To tell you the truth, I have been looking for you." "I'm sure that you remember." "You are the one who cut off his left arm." "The Official Executioner of the Shogunate, Itto Ogami." "Our Lord Fujishige Miyake suddenly became demented and went on a rampage." "Many of my fellow vassals were killed, and therefore the Shogunate ordered him to commit seppuku." "No!" "No!" "I don't want to die!" "Lord, please remain silent!" "Lord!" "Let me go!" "That hurts!" "It hurts!" "Now!" "Now!" "Now!" "Please, please, just proceed!" "No!" "What is your relationship to Lord Miura?" "I apologise for not mentioning this sooner." "I am his daughter." "I am Tori, the younger of twins." "Twins are undesirable and despised." "A certain woman with strong ties to the Koshio family raised me." "My sister had served the Lord closely, and because she had learned his secrets," "Chamberlain Genba Sawatari raped her to obtain them." "Soon after, she committed suicide." "What do you want from me?" "We want you to slay him," "Genba Sawatari, presently the Deputy of Totomi." "I ask that you tell me your reason." "Genba used our clan as a pawn and then destroyed us." "He's now the Deputy of Totomi, but he was once our clan's chamberlain." "I'm sure that you understand." "For his own personal gain, he had the temerity to secretly report our lord's derangement to the Elder Itakura." "When our clan fell, the Shogunate took control of our territory, and he was then awarded the post of Deputy." "He's worse than a beast!" "When I think about the 400 samurai now without a master, as the former Chief Vassal, I feel so helpless." "I can't die, even if I wanted to." "Please." "I ask that you carry out our request." "I accept, for 500 gold pieces." "Totomi Springs: 1 league" "When Itto Ogami saw the demonic amulets that we'd placed, he made these signs to guide us to the meeting place." "Our responsibilities are grave." "Do you understand?" "I am Officer Junai Asada of the Totomi Deputy's Office." "I am Itto Ogami." "There is a matter which Deputy Genba wishes to discuss with you, and I have been ordered to escort you to the Deputy's office." "That is why we're here." "The Deputy wants to see me personally?" "Y es, sir." "Please come with us." "Will he come?" "There'll be trouble if he doesn't." "If he doesn't, we'll take the matter into our own hands." "If you'll permit me to explain, Honourable Elder." "If there existed a clan lord unable to govern his people, a lord without a successor," "furthermore, one who has murdered many, if this lord were also a madman," "how would you, sir, or the Shogunate handle such a case?" "If I told you that it would be possible for you to destroy such a clan, what would you do, Honourable Elder Itakura Naizen-no-sho?" "And the clan is...?" "That I cannot reveal." "Just where do you think you are?" "If it turns out that what you're telling me is a hoax..." "Sir, I will stake my life on it." "What is it that you seek?" "The post of District Deputy." "And to have you, the honourable Elder, put that in writing." "You ask for this, but without proof." "I shall return with the proof, sir, once I have your written guarantee." "Very well." "I'll be blunt with you." "I want you to kill the Elder Itakura Naizen-no-sho." "He'll be in this region any day now." "After all, it was I, the new Deputy, who extended an invitation to him." "500 gold pieces in advance." "And when you are done, 500 more." "It was Itakura who allied himself with the Yagyu Clan to topple you." "I am sure you bear a grudge against him." "I believe that this is your chance for revenge." "Well?" "I must refuse." "Wait!" "Now that you know our intentions, we cannot let you leave alive." "I shall return at a later date." "Why didn't you slay him?" "There were two of you." "Why couldn't you kill him?" "If I'd attacked him, his torso-cutting sword would have pierced right through you, sir." "It would have been the same if Kuchiki had fired." "Ogami's skills are to be feared." "I wonder why he refused, though." "He could have refused before being escorted here." "Why didn't he refuse until he met me?" "Maybe the mention of Elder Itakura's name frightened him..." "Itakura Naizen-no-sho." "If it's me that he's after, if it's an assassination plot..." "He carried a firearm on his person at all times." "He even presented me with one for my own protection." "I'm afraid this may be the handiwork of Itto Ogami." "The Sui-O School horse-slaying technique." "So it was Itakura Naizen-no-sho after all." "He has hired Ogami to kill me." "Samon, can you kill him?" "Using my lchiden style sword-drawing technique," "I'll stake my life on it." "Close all the roads and find Itto at any cost!" "Do not let him escape from our territory." "Yes, sir!" "Junai..." "Send a messenger at once to Edo, to Lord Retsudo of the Shadow Yagyu clan." "For Ogami's head, the Yagyu Clan will pay almost any price." "If we deliver it, those shadowy manipulators of the nation will be indebted to us." "Then being made a Provincial Officer or Commissioner would be a trifle and the road to power within the Shogunate would be open." "For the late Master Ozunu, leader of the Kurokuwa group!" "Itto Ogami!" "Kill him!" "This is the work of Itto Ogami." "I am Samon lkiji of the Tamiya lchiden Style." "I am Itto Ogami, Sui-O Style." "Junai?" "Request assistance from the Kariya Clan at once." "Tell them that we require only their most able warriors." "One more thing." "Post public notices at all district offices." "In order to lure Itto Ogami to Jizogahara." "Anyone confident in his swordsmanship?" "Well?" "No one?" "What for?" "Well, some assassin has entered the territory of an adjacent fief, and he's stalking their Deputy, so we're giving them some support." "The pay's good." "Well?" "Speak up!" "What is the assassin's name?" "That much I don't know." "Are you going or not?" "Very well." "I'll go." "He doesn't stand a chance." "So why does he keep advancing?" "He's not running away or trying to hide from the muskets and arrows facing him." "Daigoro..." "We are at the crossroads to hell." "Archers!" "Daigoro!" "Musketeers!" "Fire!" "Charge!" "How remarkable that you have triumphed here." "How remarkable that you're still alive, Itto Ogami." "However, you and your child will not live to see another sunrise." "There is no escape for you from the Yagyu Clansmen!" "Lord Ogami, you are an assassin, you receive money to kill." "I am a hired hand, I receive money for my services." "What is the way of the "True Warrior" that you spoke of?" "And does such a warrior exist?" "I am prepared to stake my life in search of the answer." "Once again, I request a duel." "I accept." "Let us begin." "A moment..." "There's one thing I must ask you." "Speak." "This past year, my Lord Munetada had been offered the post of Elder and was on his way to Edo." "We were attacked by a mob of ronin." "It was a plot by those who opposed my lord's promotion to Elder." "We were greatly outnumbered, so in order to mount a defence our best hope lay in a bold attack." "I ran forth to slay them." "I fought with all my might and drove the enemy back." "But the fact that I had advanced to slay them, leaving my lord's side, was judged undutiful and unworthy of a samurai." "Before I realised it." "I had become a disgrace to my clan." "I was dedicated to my lord," "I had risked my life to protect him, and he expelled me from the clan." "What was the way of the true warrior?" "To die defending my lord, even when it was clear that it was a hopeless cause?" "The Way of the Warrior, it is not about how one lives," "but how one dies, surely?" "Lord Ogami, will you tell me?" "What is the true Way of the Warrior?" "Lord Ogami what is the true...?" "The true Way of the Warrior is..." "to live to die." ""To live to die."" "If I had been in your position I would certainly have attacked." "It heartens me to hear those words from you." "Lord Ogami would you allow a lowly being such as myself to request that you, once the Official Executioner, act as my second?" "For those who know the true Way of the Warrior rank does not exist." "I shall grant your request." "Finally, I can die as a warrior with no regrets!" "I am ready." "No, you mustn't go, my lady!" "Please don't go!" "He isn't human!" "He's a monster!" "My lady!" "Crows cried in the night" ""Someone is going to die"" "From the netherworlds come the gods of death" "The Wolf and his Cub" "The wolves are coming" "Their footsteps approach" "The Wolf and Cub are coming" "They're coming" "They're coming" "The End" "Toho Company, Ltd." "and Katsu Production Co present:" "Young Lord!" "Why do they have to be so cruel?" "!" "Lord We will join you in death!" "All of us we'll avenge your passing one day, for certain!" "We understand the edicts but our Lord is so young!" "Young Lord!" "Young Lord!" "Young Lord!" "Young Lord!" "Young Lord!" "Young Lord!" "Everyone compose yourselves!" "It is most unseemly for you to behave in this manner!" "For now, we must maintain our composure and witness his passing" "That is our duty as his vassals!" "I am the Second designated by the Shogunate Ogami Itto" "Please" "Please be merciful!" "If you just hold this fan to your belly all will be well, Young Lord" "Do you understand?" "This is how the ruler of a castle and domain conducts himself" "This is the way of the true Samurai, Young Lord!" "The Tokugawa Shogunate imposed excessive taxes" ""Daimyo:" Military Clan Chieftains upon the Daimyo" "The Shogunate freely exercised its right to execute anyone that showed the slightest trace of disobedience" "To implement the cruel governmental edicts of the Shogunate three groups were established" "First, the spies, who are ever watchful for the first sign of disloyalty" "Second, the assassins, who kill any who interferes with the Shogunate's plans" "And third, the executioner who acts as a "Second," and beheads those Daimyo" ""Seppuku:" Ritual suicide (aka "harakiri") Who are ordered to commit seppuku" "The spies belong to the Kurokuwa Clan" "The assassins belong to the Yagyu Clan" "Finally the post of Official Shogunate Second belonged to one Ogami Itto who was specially authorized to wear sacred official robes bearing the emblem of the Shogunate" ""Kozure Ookami" "Lone Wolf and Cub"" ""Kowokashi Udekashi Tsukamatsuru" (Child and Expertise for Rent) "Sword of Vengeance"" "Produced by Katsu Shintaro MatsubaraHisaharu" "Original Story by Koike Kazuo KojimaGoseki Screenplay by Koike Kazuo" "Director of Photography:" "Makiura Chishi Sound Recording:" "Hayashi Tsuchitaro Lighting:" "Mima Hiroshi Art Director:" "Naito Akira Music:" "Sakurai Hideaki" "Editing:" "Taniguchi Toshio Fight Choreography:" "Kusunoki Eiichi Asst Director:" "Tsuji Mitsuaki Production Manager:" "Inagaki Masahiko" "Sound Effects:" "Kurajima Yo Narration:" "Kobayashi Shoji Film Developing:" "Toyo Laboratories" "Starring:" "Wakayama Tomisaburo as Ogami Itto" "Watanabe Fumio Tsuyuguchi Shigeru Mayama Tomoko Uchida Asao" "Naito Taketoshi Fujita Yoshiko Kato Yoshi Kasahara Reiko Tomikawa Akihiro (child)" "Sekiyama Koji Otabe Michimaro Matsuyama Teruo Date Saburo Wazaki Toshiya Gomi Ryutaro Sato Kyoichi" "Hasegawa Hiroshi Horikita Yukio Fujiyama Koji Oki Tokio Takigawa Jun Iwata Tadashi Namita Hisao Terajima Yusaku Morita Manabu" "Hamada Yuji Ishihara Sumao Etsukawa Hajime Uehara Kanji Fujikawa Jun Fujiharu Tamotsu Kudan Goro Satomi Jun Mori Shoji Kobayashi Kanae" "Nunome Shinji Shimomura Yoshimitsu Kasumi lwao Yamaoka Kazuyo Moriuchi Kazuo Koshiromon Masami Ando Jinichiro Kobayashi Chieko Obayashi Kazuo Nakamura Yutaka (Child)" "And Ito Yunosuke" "Directed by Misumi Kenji" "Banner: "Ogami" " Suiouryu Technique Child and Expertise for Rent"" "Wh What was that?" "!" "Hmm lemme see" ""Suiouryu:" Seagull "Child and Expertise for rent Suiouryu School Ogami Itto"" ""Ookami Itto:" Wolf-Sword Ookami Itto?" "!" "What the heck's that?" ""Ronin:" a samurai without a master No, not "Ookami", "Ogami Itto" Seems that's the name of that ronin" "I understand the part about lending his "expertise"" "Yes, I'm wondering the same" "But, oh my the man looks like a wreck, and he's got a child too!" "Is he able to make a living?" "!" "Oh!" "He's so adorable!" "So adorable, it's pathetic!" "O-Hime!" "No, O-Hime!" "O-Hime!" "Get back!" "What do you think you're doing?" "!" "Toramatsu!" "O-Hime!" "O-Hime!" "Toramatsu!" "No, O-Hime!" "What are you doing?" "That's someone else's child!" "I apologize for her rude behavior!" "Please forgive us!" "I am truly sorry" "Pardon me, sir, but it says that your child is for rent but can you really lend him to us?" "Toramatsu You must have been starving, Toramatsu!" "There!" "There!" "It's your mother's milk Have as much as you want!" "Daigoro" "There!" "There!" "Good, isn't it?" "Gooood, isn't it?" "Toramatsu" "There!" "Good Boy!" "Thank you very much, sir" "Good Boy" "Toramatsu I'll come see you again, when I save up enough money, OK?" "Oh, just a moment I hope this is enough" "I need no money It so happens that he was hungry anyway" "I see Thank you very much!" "She was deceived and then abandoned by a man and she gave the child to another family to raise but the baby died from a fever" "Ever since then my daughter has been deranged and can no longer distinguish between her child and those of others" "Dammit It's starting to rain!" "Welcome back home, Dear" "What's wrong?" "Why are you so pale?" "What is on your mind tell me?" "Yes" "Lately I've been having awful nightmares" "The voices may be the souls of those you've beheaded they curse me from ponds of blood or mountains of spikes from ghastly places" "I can hear them, as they send chills down my spine" "They say that they'll put a curse upon the Ogami line and they keep repeating that over and over" "I am consumed with fear for our child's safety" "It is so unlike you you're so strong" "You must be tired" "Azami you do remember the reasons why I named him Daigoro" "No matter how poor he might become, he will not be grief-stricken" "No matter how rich he might become, he will not look down upon others" "The Buddhist planes of Hell Hungry Ghosts Animals Evil Gods and of the God-like beings by reminding him of these, his name will ensure he grows up stalwart and resolute" "Yes" "Don't worry He will become strong Strong enough to face anything" "Dear" "Now that Daigoro is a year old, I'll take him with me to pay our respects to the souls of those I've executed" "We'll go to our memorial shrine and offer our prayers" "A mendicant monk...?" "Azami!" "Azami!" "Azami!" "Azami!" "DDaigoro Daigoro" "Azami!" "Who has done this to you?" "!" "Who did this?" "Whoever you are" "I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth" "I will find you no matter what it takes and I will have my vengeance!" "No matter what it takes!" "Attention:" "The Honorable Inspector Bizen of Yagyu is here on official business" "Inspector Bizen" "I was afraid of this that it would turn out this way" "What do you mean, honored Inspector?" "Before dawn, three men committed seppuku at the gates of my House" "I rushed here immediately after hearing of their Declaration" ""Declaration?"" ""We hereby declare that"" ""in order to avenge our Lord Hirotada's death"" ""the household of the Executioner, Ogami, must be put to the sword"" ""While Ogami Itto is indeed the sole official Executioner"" ""we have discovered that he abuses the powers of his position"" ""and is a traitor who blasphemes the Great Shogunate"" ""The proof will be found in the Ogami's own shrine"" ""Remembering our Lord, who was executed"" ""by a traitor who spits on the honor of the Shogunate"" ""we hereby dedicate our lives to the destruction of his line"" ""and as proof of our sincerity, will now join our Lord in the void"" ""Signed:" "The three lkoma Clansmen"" ""Odai Hyougo Atobe Shichinosuke and Makijima Gorouzaemon"" ""Sealed in Blood"" "So you see, as three warriors have paid their lives to present this Declaration" "I must now exercise my official right to inspect your shrine" "Ogami take me to the shrine" "To pay respect to, and to offer prayers for the souls of those I have been ordered to execute by the Shogunate" "I have built this shrine" "It is most respectful!" "I am moved It does you great credit, Ogami" "Why, it's!" "What do we have here?" "!" "Of all things a death memorial tablet bearing the emblem of the Shogunate!" "Ogami!" "What is the meaning of this?" "!" "Why a Shogunate tablet?" "!" "Answer!" "Exactly what is it that you pray for at this shrine?" "I know nothing I know nothing about this tablet!" "Who could do something like this?" "!" "What the men said in their Declaration was true" "I know nothing of this!" "This must be" "How dare you presume to talk your way out of this!" "As the Official Inspector, I order you to accompany us back to our office!" "Take him!" "Men, take Ogami Itto!" "This is too odd!" "Inspector Bizen" "What is the meaning of these uniformed men?" "Was it your intent to take me away from the beginning?" "Naturally, in such an emergency as this!" "If that were so, they would have come here openly" "Besides, there shouldn't have been any reason to hide your uniforms!" "Furthermore how do you explain the armor?" "!" "If you were in such a rush to come here, why did you take the time to don this?" "No more questions!" "If you seek answers, do it in court!" "You planned this, Bizen!" "This whole incident only makes sense if it's a plot of the Yagyu Clan!" "You've lost your mind, Itto!" "The suicide of the lkoma Clansmen was inexplicable as I knew nothing about their claim, but when seen as a plot by you to effect my downfall, it all makes sense!" "It's all too perfect!" "I've long known that the Yagyu Shadow-Clan lusts after the post of Executioner" "That is why you plotted this, isn't it!" "That is why you plotted this, isn't it!" ""Yagyu Shadow-Clan?"" "What do you mean by a "Shadow-Clan?"" "Are you saying that the House of Yagyu has two faces light and dark?" "Indeed Yagyu Munenori's sons:" "Jubei, Mitsuyoshi, Tomonori, and Munefuyu appear to rule what the world thinks of as the Yagyu Clan Yet, another child" "Gisen, also known as Retsudo, forever lurks in the shadows!" "Retsudo is your grandfather and it is he who is the true Lord of the Yagyu Clan the master schemer" "I've long been aware of the existence of the Yagyu Shadow-Clan!" "You've secretly made arrangements with the Shogunate and managed to corrupt these men of Investigator Kurokuwa" "And now, by plotting to put an end to me you seek to obtain the post of Official Executioner!" "That emblem, of Two Umbrellas fools the world into believing you are Shogunate Arms-lnstructors ordinary members of the Yagyu Clan" "But, the Shadow-Yagyu have also been using a family emblem inherited from Mimasakanokami leyoshi the emblem of Burnet and Sparrow, and that is the ultimate proof!" "Well?" "Brilliant as always, Ogami Itto" "I am most impressed by the depth of your knowledge about us" "But, as things stand, I am of the opinion that you should die right here and now" "It will appear as if Ogami Itto fought the lkoma Clan and was killed" "It has all been perfectly planned out" "I see You forced those lkoma Clansmen to write their Declaration and then you made them commit seppuku" "You Yagyu have used any method to destroy those standing in your way" "This is unforgivable" "Unforgivable, as long as I live!" "Unforgivable, as long as I live!" "Kill him!" "Go!" "Go!" "No" "If you enter the water  you'll fare even worse against his Suiouryu techniques!" "Bizen... how could you be so foolish?" "!" "No... not the Suiouryu Wave-Slashing Stroke!" "So, you are Retsudo of the Shadow-Yagyu!" "So, you are Retsudo of the Shadow-Yagyu!" "You naive fool!" "You people have resorted to the most despicable tactics to gain prosperity at the expense of others" "For this, there is no forgiveness!" "The misery you've inflicted upon my family shall in turn be inflicted upon the Shadow-Yagyu!" "The Shogunate endures and thus, the Yagyu endure" "The Yagyu endures and thus, so too does the Shogunate" "Do not forget that we are inextricably bound together!" "No matter what you do or how much you struggle your fate is already sealed" "Come face me Retsudo!" "No, I will not fight you" "Now that Bizen is dead the Shogunate will officially sanction our actions" "Wash your neck, and await my return!" "Hold it, Retsudo!" "Unforgivable!" "You Yagyu shall not be forgiven!" "No, never!" "The line of the ordinary Yagyu ended at the river of water and the line of the Shadow-Yagyu shall end in the river of fire" "Between fire and water lies the white road, and I shall follow it no matter where it takes me even if I become a corpse or ashes I shall have my revenge, one day!" "What is it, sir?" "He has come" "Two years ago, after fighting the Yagyu, the Official Executioner disappeared" "The Shogunate's Official Executioner?" "Then this Ogami Itto is someone whom not even the best of the Yagyu could vanquish" "Then he's the assassin called the "Lone Wolf and Cub"" "I am sure that you have heard of him as well" "I am sure that you have heard of him as well" "But we have no idea if he is Ogami Itto although he claims to be available for hire" "But if he turns out to be Ogami Itto, then" "Chamberlain!" "My fellow men when we left our homeland, we all pledged to give our lives in the service of Oyamada Sanmangoku Clan" "Yes, sir!" "Yes, sir!" "Yes, sir!" "You are our Clan's strongest men" "If he turns out not to be Ogami Itto you'll be able to kill him" "Understood, sir We two will kill him although perhaps it is better if we are the ones who die" "Chamberlain!" "We'd be glad to give our lives for you!" "I am the Edo Chamberlain of the Oyamada Clan, Ichige Gyobu" "I have sought a meeting with you as it is whispered that you are Ogami Itto, the former Official Executioner and, if so, we would like to request your assistance with a grave matter" "Please excuse us for our impoliteness" "Tell me your business" "We would like to request the deaths of a certain group of four men" "For 500 pieces of gold, your request will be fulfilled" "The number of victims is of no consequence" "And, one more thing" "I ask that you tell me everything related to this request" "Please examine these" "I am listening" "Chamberlain Sugito is plotting to assassinate our Clan's heir, Lord Noriyuki, who is in poor health and to install Lord Takemaru, of a branch family, as heir thereby gaining control of the Oyamada Clan" "Lord Noriyuki will be leaving Edo in two days making his first visit to this part of the country" "Undoubtedly, the Chamberlain will not miss this opportunity" "From what we were able to secretly determine he has gathered a band of ronin and is waiting for our Lord to arrive" "Along the Nikko road several miles before one reaches the city of lmaichi lies a mountain road called "Ootawara"" "There, in the outskirts of the Oyamada domain is a bathing palace called "Gounomori"" "Chamberlain Sugito is sure to have his men there" "I was previously informed that our Lord will be visiting the hot-springs of Gounomori for a meeting" "The three of us were preparing to fight Chamberlain Sugito and his men" "It was for that reason that we came here" "Following the orders of Chamberlain Sugito are three first-class swordsmen known as the "Oyamada Three"" "Of these, Matsuki Juunai, who holds the office of inspector is an expert horseback musketeer" "We are no match for him in a fair fight" "Because of this, we had planned to ambush him" "Use your talents and destroy the evil Chamberlain Sugito somehow I beg you" "From high up in the mountain, if you shit a rocky turd, oh..." "It'll be all covered with sand..." "It'll tumble down like a pebble..." "There goes one!" "Here goes one!" "There goes one..." "Daigoro" "Soon, the Shogunate's men will be arriving" "But, your father intends to disobey the Shogunate's orders and to flee from this region of the realm" "In order to avenge our family, the house- hold of the Executioner Ogami and to vindicate my honor, I will abandon my samurai life and I shall become a true demon, bound by no rules!" "Hear me, Daigoro" "From now on, your father shall follow a road of blood and corpses as an assassin in the world of killing without remorse" "By taking assignments as an assassin all that our family has suffered can be returned back to the Yagyu!" "Daigoro The road you will take shall be chosen by you alone" "If you choose this Doutanuki Sword you'll travel the road of the assassin, with me" "If you choose the ball, I will send you to be with your mother" "Daigoro Of course, you do not yet comprehend what your father is saying nor what is about to happen" "But the Ogami blood in you will decide for you" "Here choose" "You must choose Daigoro!" "You would've been happier if you'd chosen to join your mother in her world" "Oh, poor child!" "An assassin with a child, I see" "Do you understand, Daigoro?" "This is our fate!" ""Official Order of the Shogunate"" "Let it be proclaimed "Ogami Itto"" ""Even though you are the Official Shogunate Executioner"" ""you have dared to keep, in your own shrine"" ""a death memorial tablet that carried the emblem of the Shogunate"" ""This is undeniably an act of ill-will towards the Shogunate"" ""and as such, it shall not be forgiven"" ""You are dismissed from your position, and"" ""your House will be abolished In conclusion"" ""you and your son, Daigoro, are hereby ordered to commit seppuku"" "I must commend your having welcomed us by wearing death robes" "It is so typical of you, Ogami Itto, who personified the office of Executioner" "You are prepared most commendably" "I did not wear this death robe in order to commit seppuku but rather to proclaim that we, father and son, shall live as demons from this day on" "These robes are to celebrate our departure!" "How dare you!" "Are you disobeying an Order of the Shogunate?" "!" "Have you lost your mind, Ogami Itto?" "!" "We, who have chosen to live as demons, are no longer mere humans" "For us, then, such an order is nonsense!" "Come out!" "Come out!" "Come out!" "Come out!" "Can you slay me?" "With your slender arms can you execute the Executioner?" "You fool, how dare you spit upon an Order of the Shogunate!" "Kill him!" "What are you doing?" "!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!" "Ogami Itto" "Obey the Order of the Shogunate and commit seppuku right here and now!" "I will be your Second!" "We, the Shadow-Yagyu, have replaced the Ogami's and have obtained the post of Official Executioner!" "Therefore observing all of the proper formalities, we shall take your head!" "I refuse!" "You used the most despicable of tactics to kill my wife and then wrongfully accused me of treason I shall have my revenge!" "No matter where I choose to go, until I achieve my revenge, I will not run" "A loser playing at being a hero It is an act that is pointless" "Not even your Suiouryu techniques can stand against the Yagyu's wall of warriors!" "Are you sure?" "Itto!" "How dare you!" "For 27 years I have served this sacred emblem" "You, for 64 years" "As long as every single being in the more than 60 domains lives under, and honors, this emblem" "I cannot yet find it to be totally without merit" "Observe!" "The Yagyu's best men, renowned as invincible, are now as nothing" "Unless you strike at this sacred emblem you cannot kill me!" "Can you, Retsudo?" "!" "Is not pointing your swords, while facing the emblem of the Shogunate considered disrespectful?" "!" "Clear the way!" "Wait!" "Remove and hand over the robe bearing the symbol of the Shogunate!" "Then, we Yagyu will challenge you to a fair fight" "If you should win then you may go anywhere you wish, live wherever you wish" "As long as it is beyond the borders of the Shogunate's domain we will leave you in peace" "How about it?" "Very well" "Our sentinel carries the sunshine on his back  while Ogami Itto carries a child on his." "Both men carry something  but the outcome of this challenge is already determined." "If everything else is equal and fair, he who has the advantage of ground  he who has the advantage of Nature, shall be the victor!" "From high up in the mountain, if you shit a rocky turd, oh..." "It'll be all covered with sand..." "It'll tumble down like a pebble..." "It'll tumble down like a pebble..." ""From high up in the mountain"" ""if you shit a rocky turd, oh"" ""lt'll be all covered with sand"" ""lt'll tumble down like a pebble"" ""There goes one!"" ""Here goes one!"" "Sign: "Gounomori Hot Springs"" "Dammit!" "Oh, shit!" "Dammit!" "What a rude fellow he was!" "You You with the little brat!" "Want me to slash this rope so you fall down like that other guy?" "If there's no other bridge to the Ootawara Road" "I believe that doing so will inconvenience you as well" "What nerve!" "All right Cross!" "Huh?" "A Doutanuki Sword" "It won't get a nick, even after slicing through bone a battle-sword that you can even use effectively from horseback" "You got a nice piece here, fellow I'll keep it for you" "Why did you come here?" "Well?" "Must I have a reason to take a bath?" "You've come to bathe, nothing else?" "Are you saying that someone who brings his child has some other purpose?" "You're right But you two are unlucky as you've chosen to bathe in Hell!" "All right Follow me" "One more thing If you get any funny ideas you and your brat will be sliced into pieces!" "Help!" "Someone, please!" "Help!" "Stop!" "Father!" "Help!" "No!" "Can't show it to your brat, eh?" "I guess that's what they call fatherly love, eh?" "No!" "Knock it off!" "O-kayo!" "Damn you!" "You demons!" "I'll kill you!" "Take this!" "Looks like she's dead, Onibi" "After all, first you grabbed and squeezed her and then you force-fed her that giant of yours!" "You know" "I didn't try her 'cause I thought she was too little but she looks pretty tasty!" "Hey Why did you have to keep her all to yourself, huh?" "Huh?" "Who the hell's that?" "He's come to bathe with his brat" "He walked in here with a Doutanuki Sword, but he's as meek as a house-cat!" "It's no wonder he's quiet He could do nothing but stand still, after all!" "Have we not met somewhere before?" "I'm afraid not" "Your name?" "Even if I told you, it's an old name I no longer use" "Just answer the question!" "I am a ronin from the western lands Oonishi Tahei" "Hmm Truly, it is a name I am not familiar with" "The guy had a Doutanuki Sword so I figured he'd be highly trained but seeing as how he nearly fell for the old sake-cup trick Ha!" "Listen If you defy us in any way" "I'll throw these dirks straight into your throats both yours and your brat's!" "Take them to the bathhouse" "Follow me" "That man is something!" "Say what?" "Are you telling me that he fooled me?" "!" "Well, even if he is as strong as you, he can't do anything if he's got a child with him" "Besides, he doesn't look like a fool who would go up against this many of us" "All right I'll find out just how much of a man he is!" "Don't, Monnosuke" "No!" "As my man Tanba says, if that guy is no ordinary guy then that would mean he's mocked my dirks!" "I've got to test him for real, or else!" "Will you come with me, Tanba?" "That man" "I just know that I've seen him somewhere before!" "I'm sure that you've guessed by now that we've got prices on our heads" "Don't be stupid enough to disobey us" "Come out!" "Show me what you're made of" "I'm telling you to step out, so that we can duel" "Are you deaf?" "!" "Why, you" "I guess you don't care what happens to your brat" "Enough!" "What kind of a fool would dare to challenge wanted men like you?" "That'd just be throwing your life away" "That'd just be throwing your life away What are you saying?" "He may not have a master, but he's still a samurai" "He's not gonna beg for mercy and say "I don't wanna die!" "Please spare me!"" "That's why he chooses to close his eyes like that, don't you get it?" "Why won't you leave him alone?" "I see what you're saying That does make sense" "For a whore and a bedroom pickpocket, you do make sense Eh, Osen?" "Ha!" "And you're nothing but filthy beasts!" "What did you say?" "All right I'll let him off" "But in exchange, you two must screw right in front of us!" "Right now!" "Right here!" "Let us watch every moment of it!" "Now that sounds interesting" "On with the show!" "On with the show!" "No, I won't!" "Who would?" "!" "It's ridiculous!" "It's ridiculous!" "I wouldn't mind paying to watch, you know" "Besides, you sell yourself for a living" "On top of that, you then sneak and steal money from your clients" "Show us that special technique of yours, and let us enjoy it to the fullest!" "Damn you!" "Damn you!" "If you dare to defy me" "I'd rather die" "I see Then, you die" "Wait" "You can't You wouldn't" "Don't tell me that you'd to save me" "If you don't mind a woman like me then I'm all yours" "She looks like a little girl!" "She looks like a little girl!" "Yeah!" "I bet she thinks she's a female buddha, 'cause she spared a soul" "A juicy buddha, more like" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Will you knock it off, you lousy priest?" "!" "If you chant prayers at a time like this it makes us feel like we're already dead!" "This is a living hell in any case" "Before they leave here we'll all be killed" "Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha We don't know that for sure!" "Yeah, everyone else is hiding indoors but there are scores of people in this bathhouse village alone!" "Nobody can be ruthless enough to kill that many!" "But, the fact is, unlike those folks, we are travelers" "If they let us live, then their activities would be known" "If that happens, then" "R Right They'll kill us for sure!" "Damn!" "So you're saying that we ought to just sit and wait to be killed?" "!" "Shit!" "No matter what we do now, nothing's gonna help!" "They are beasts" "Honorable Samurai warriors Please do something!" "I do not want to die!" "I do not want to be killed!" "Please save us!" "Please!" "Enough!" "What do you expect of a sick man?" "!" "It's the same story with that ronin" "One has to lose all sense of decency to save oneself" "He has no shame, so he's a beast like them, but ha!" "Without fangs, what use is he?" "!" "Quiet!" "Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?" "You're only a yakuza and a traveling laborer!" "Did you know I tried to bite my tongue to kill myself earlier" "But, he understood that, so he shamed himself, and made love to me!" "Isn't that sweet?" "Just to save a woman like me he put aside his pride and honor, that which means everything to a samurai!" "Ha!" "Nonsense!" "There's an army of samurai who'll get it on with cheap whores!" "So, don't get airs!" "And will that "army of samurai" sacrifice themselves just to save a whore's life?" "!" "He fucked you just to save his own ass!" "Don't you understand?" "Why don't you ask your little friend the one below your belly button!" "What the hell do you mean by that?" "!" "If you were scared out of your mind begging for mercy could you make love right then and there?" "Where are you going?" "Are you not afraid of them?" "The way I see it If I am to die right now, so be it" "A woman like me can only sink deeper into misery as each year passes by" ""Gounomori:" Forest-in-Countryside This hot-spring is named "Gounomori"" ""Koumori:" Bat but everyone calls it a "Koumori" Spa" "Can you guess why?" "Bats have wings, but they aren't birds yet, they have fangs, but they aren't beasts" "Outcasts from society, who are just like those bats come here in search of even the tiniest amount of peace" "That's why we call it the "Koumori" Spa" "But those scum are different" "They are beasts with fangs!" "And you are a bird with wings" "What are you trying to say?" "You show no fear of their fangs" "You have wings, and can fly away from here at will" "I just know it As one who's passed from one man's arms to the next" "I know what kind of wings you have" "Earlier this summer, at a town where I was staying, near Takatou castle four high-ranking samurai were slain" "Whoever did it was supposedly a ronin with a child" "And the slain samurai were said to be the best of their Clan" "Their interrogators were very rough, so I remember all of that well" "The unknown pair were called the "Lone Wolf and Cub"" "and were available for hire as assassins or so the story goes" "By the afternoon of the day after tomorrow his highness will travel via the Nikko Road then pass through here:" "Jizougahara" "It's within the Shogunate's domain, and it's an ideal spot to stage an ambush" "There'll be problems if we wait until they enter the Oyamada domain" "Without fail, they must be killed right here!" "Understood?" "Very well" "And?" "What about the money?" "500 pieces of gold" "The remaining 500 will be paid upon completion" "We're counting on you, Kanbei" "There is no room for failure" "Leave everything to me" "Say mind if I check it out for a bit?" "That's what they call a "horseback- musket," right?" "That's what they call a "horseback- musket," right?" "If you've got weapons like that, why can't you kill them yourselves?" "!" "There would be traceable evidence" "Besides we must be at the castle around the time of the attack" "I see If you are all "lined up and ready to serve" at the castle, then there's no way you can ever be suspected, huh?" "Exactly lt'll be reported that Lord Noriyuki and his men were attacked by a band of lowly, out- of-work ronin, and, alas, were slain" "Who, then, will bother to suspect us?" "We may be those lowly ronin, but you are a bunch of turncoats!" "Watch your tongue!" "Watch your tongue!" "Forget it!" "At any rate you must not fail" "I understand completely!" "Everyone come out!" "Come out!" "Hurry, or we'll kill you!" "Come out!" "Come out!" "Come out!" "Hurry up!" "Everyone We must thank you for everything" "We are leaving now" "However there is something I must tell you first" "Should any of you say anything about us and I mean anything to any officers of the Shogunate" "You will all die!" "Understand?" "Yes, sir" "However this group is to die right here" "For two reasons If I let you go you will tell somebody, somewhere along the way and you know what we look like" "Secondly you will be an example to everyone in this village!" "Consider yourselves unfortunate Your lives are over" "PPlease spare me!" "Please!" "Don't kill me!" "We won't ever tell anyone anything about you!" "So please!" "Please!" "I beg you!" "Please spare me!" "Please spare me!" "Please spare me!" "Please spare me!" "First, the samurai you go first" "Pick it up then, fight me!" "I'll let you die like a real samurai" "MMaster!" "I am prepared" "But how can we fight, when I am so weak from illness?" "!" "I will commit seppuku so, at the very least act as my Second!" "So, at the very least act as my Second!" ""Second?" "!"" "Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha "A Second..."" "Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha" ""Ogamu:" To chant prayers "Ogamu..."" ""Ogamu..."" "Ogami!" "The Shogunate's Second!" "Ogami Itto!" "Where is he?" "!" "Where's that ronin with the child?" "!" "As I thought!" "What's the matter?" "Wanna kill that fellow with the brat first?" "No, wait Leave that man alone!" "Let him go!" "Say what?" "What's wrong with you?" "Just do not attempt to do anything to that man!" "What are you afraid of?" "!" "How can you be scared of a guy like that?" "You fool!" "Knock it off!" "What's so special about such a coward?" "!" "Monnosuke!" "How impossible!" "Suiouryu Horse-Slaying Technique" "I know nothing!" "Please spare me!" "I will not tell anyone that you were once the Shogunate's Second" "Ogami Itto!" "Please spare me!" "Why, you It's intolerable!" "Who are you?" "You fool!" "Who are you?" "!" "Greetings, I am the assassin "Lone Wolf and Cub!"" "What?" "!" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "Merciful Buddha Merciful Buddha" "It's true the Lone Wolf and Cub" "Wait!" "Wait!" "The End" "Toho Company, Ltd." "Katsu Productions present" "Produced by Tomisaburo Wakayama MasanoriSanada" "Original story by Kazuo Koike  Goseki Kojima" "Director of photography Chishi Makiura" "Music by Kunihiko Murai" "Fight choreography by Eiichi Kusumoto" "Special effects by Daizen Shishido" "Starring:" "Tomisaburo Wakayama as Itto Ogami" "Akihiro Tomikawa as the Child Junko Hitomi as Kaori Yagyu" "Goro Mutsumi as Ozunu" "Minoru Oki as Lord Retsudo" "Isao Kimura as Hyoei" "Directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda" "Lone Wolf and Cub" "White Heaven in Hell" "According to rumours," "Itto is now an assassin with a child, living by the "crossroads to hell"." "If I might enquire, why does such a thing concern you, my lord?" "You old fool!" "What's wrong with the Yagyu clan?" "Why have you still not dealt with Ogami?" "Old man, the Yagyu clan are besmirching the office of Official Executioner!" "I'm told that officials of the Shogunate have discussed a sanctioned manhunt." "A sanctioned manhunt?" "If Itto Ogami is declared a wanted criminal, all domain lords and their deputies will be ordered to pursue him." "When that happens, the reputation of the Yagyu clan and the office of Executioner will be in ruins." "My lord, I beg you not to authorise such an action." "I still have a daughter remaining, my lord." "She is my youngest daughter, Kaori." "She is stronger than any of her brothers, she can destroy Itto for certain." "She will destroy him." "You have my word, my lord!" "Still too slow." "How can you expect to defeat Ogami's Sui-O style techniques like that?" "Next." "If you want to avoid the falling blade, you must first deal with the others." "If you want to avoid the other blades, then beware of the falling one." "Next." "Impressive, Uzuki." "You've deduced the secret of my falling blade technique." "Match both blades to the enemy's movements." "React and adjust accordingly." "Visualise the thrown blade as being directly above your head." "Then simply lure the opponent into the space you occupy." "Your deaths will not be without significance." "Forgive me." "Kaori." "Yes, sir." "The only remaining survivors of the Shadow Yagyu clan are you and I." "You are the Yagyu family's last hope." "You must avenge your brothers." "Slay Itto Ogami and his only son Daigoro!" "I understand, sir." "Farewell, then." "You may go." "Ozunu, the leader of the Kurokuwa Group, will escort you to Itto's location." "I've been informed by my men that Itto Ogami is heading to the capital along the Sanyo Road." "I see." "You are dismissed." "Lady Kaori, allow me to escort you." "I will go alone." "But my informants have already ascertained Itto's whereabouts." "But can your men kill Itto?" ""The wolves headed west."" ""The wolves are crossing eastwards."" "Well, if it isn't Lord Ogami!" "Welcome." "You are most kind." "This way, please." "Azami I am about to take Daigoro with me to the very heart of Edo." "Once there, I must slay Retsudo Yagyu to restore our name." ""The cub is here."" "Daigoro?" "Over here!" "Daigoro?" "Let's go home!" "Bye!" "One and two." "Two and three..." "Three and four" "And bloom like the flower of the cherry tree..." "Beanbags filled with iron filings." "You are?" "I am Kaori Yagyu!" "You killed my three brothers." "Now I'm the only child left in the family!" "I will take the lives of both you and your son, Itto Ogami!" "Three brothers?" "Then you must be..." "I'm Retsudo's daughter!" "Fight!" "With that mirror." "my brother Kurando was defeated." "Any closer, and I'll be within the effective range of her technique." "How could you keep your son on your shoulders after you'd seen through my falling blade technique?" "How dare you use your own son to save yourself!" "As a father...you are a coward!" "We, father and son, both live at the crossroads to hell." "We exist at the gateway to the netherworld." "Lady Kaori is dead!" "Kaori?" "Hyoei!" "Hyoei, are you there?" "It is I, Retsudo." "Answer me, if you are there." "Your three brothers and your sister were all defeated by Itto Ogami." "Now you are the only one that remains alive." "If Itto Ogami is not destroyed, not only the Shogunate but also the Shadow Yagyu clan will become the laughing stock of the nation." "All that's left for me now is Hyoei..." "You are all I have!" "Hyoei, the time has come, as the new heir of the Shadow Yagyu clan, for you to destroy Itto Ogami!" "The time has come for you to make yourself known to the world as my son." "So my siblings, the legitimate heirs of the Shadow Yagyu clan, are dead." "And now you expect me to call you my father?" "And out of desperation to slay Itto, you have come to my mountain lair!" "How considerate of you!" "Hyogo, Kurando, Gunbei and Kaori." "All were highly-skilled swordsmen, yet all were defeated." "And now you say I am the only one you can rely on?" "You must destroy Itto, for the sake of the Yagyu clan." "Simply because I was the child of your concubine, you abandoned me in the mountains when I was only five." "Can you imagine how much that innocent five-year-old child yearned for a mother and father?" "It's remarkable that I'm still alive." "Hyoei..." "Listen!" "The only ones I regard as my parents are the Spider Demons of the Kiso-Ontake Mountains!" "Hyoei, have you lost your sense of reason?" "I refuse to be called a Yagyu." "The Yagyu clan shall taste the bitter ashes of ignominy!" "Wait!" "Hyoei!" "Won't you wait?" "I call upon thee, all the gods who reside in tranquillity in the heavens." "I pray to thee, almighty gods who watch over this land." "Three chosen souls were sent to the afterlife to be purified." "I now beseech you for the return of their souls." "I pray to thee, almighty gods, and humbly send you my request." "Reveal yourselves, brave warriors!" "Mujo." "Muga." "Mumon." "The three of you were buried for 42 days." "Through the 42 Days Rite of the Spider Demon Tribe, you have been reborn as divine spirits." "Though alive, you are not mere mortals." "Though dead, you are not mere corpses." "Our time has come!" "As Spider Demon clan members, we must live to our fullest, and as samurai, honouring our Spider Demon principles, we shall usurp the Yagyu clan and make our mark on the world." "Destroy Itto Ogami!" "The Yagyu clan means nothing to us!" "We shall destroy the Lone Wolf and Cub!" "Oh, what an adorable little boy!" "Here." "See, it's a whistle." "Here you go." "It stretches. it shrinks." "it stretches again!" "And it melts in your mouth so softly!" "Yes, please!" "Certainly!" "You, too?" "How about a sweet for your son, sir?" "I'll take one." "Thank you very much." "Thank you, sir." "Here, they taste good." "Thanks." "Won't you come and buy some?" "Daigoro!" "Wherever the two of you venture, father and son." "innocent people will die." "Who are you?" "The lady troubadour and the sweet seller." "neither had anything to do with you, and yet they are dead." "How tragic!" "Everywhere the two of you venture, innocent people such as they will lose their lives." "Sorry to bother you this late, but I'd like a room for the night." "Just coming, sir!" "Welcome, sir!" "You must be tired, I'm sure." "Thank you." "Omatsu, put the cart away." "How adorable!" "I'll light the lamp for you." "Come on inside." "There you go." "I'll bring you some food right away." "It won't be much but please be patient." "Thank you for waiting." "Who's there?" "If the two ofyou request a room for the night, or food, or ifyou request anything from anyone, those innocents that you talk to will die." "How tragic!" "No matter where the two of you go, there will be a bloodbath of carnage and a tempest of death!" "The Spider Demon "Five Wheels " technique will strip you of happiness, anger, sadness, joy and fear." "The five human emotions and the five senses will be erased." "A Spider Demon?" "We'll take from the two of you all your happiness and sadness, all your anger and joy," "leaving you immersed in nothing but fear." "That is the Spider Demon "Five Wheels " technique." "The two of you are nothing but harbingers of death to begin with." "Step by step, you will walk the path of bloody carnage." "Lord Retsudo, I have a report for you." "Proceed." "I'm afraid that Lord Hyoei is using unprecedented techniques to pursue Itto Ogami and his son." "Hyoei is doing what?" "It seems that Itto Ogami is finally starting to show signs of fear." "That dishonest bastard!" "Lord Retsudo..." "Quiet, Ozunu!" "What's the matter with the Kurokuwa clan?" "Are you holding back, scared of Hyoei?" "Hyoei is a Spider Demon." "I'm afraid that is not his true affiliation." "The fact is, as surely as your blood runs through his veins, he is a true Yagyu heir." "True... but he rejected my sincere request." "He grew up in the mountains amidst the birds and beasts, he grew up in total isolation." "Because of this, the only one who can influence him is..." "Who?" "Lord Hyoei's younger sister." "Lady Azusa." "Nobody else can possibly do it." "Azusa?" "Ozunu, go and find her at once." "Lady Azusa please listen to what I have to say." "This message is on behalf of your father Lord Retsudo." "You must try to convince Hyoei, as he will listen only to you." "What is he burying?" "Daigoro." "He's a very cautious fellow..." "I am a chief advisor of the Zeze clan, Kyudayu Kenmochi." "I am the assassin "Lone Wolf and Cub"." "It is way past the time we arranged in the signs by the road." "I'd like to know the reason for your tardiness." "I have no excuse for being late, sir, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I wish to withdraw my request." "I humbly ask you to accept 50 gold pieces as a cancellation fee." "I know how selfish it is of me to do this, but I ask for your understanding." "May I ask the reason?" "I believe that it is best for both of us if I do not reveal that." "Then why did you come?" "If the supplicant does not show up, naturally the request is voided." "As you are the former Official Shogunate Executioner, Itto Ogami, an ordinary assassination isn't worth your time." "Tell me the reason why you wish to cancel the assignment." "It seems that you would consider it dutiful to do so." "If you put it like that, I have no choice." "I wished to keep silent for your own benefit." "It's the Yagyu clan." "I am aware of the bad blood between you and the Yagyu clan." "To wrest the position of Official Executioner from you, the Shadow Yagyu arranged to entrap you." "After you fell victim to their ruse, they say you chose to become an assassin to get revenge." "But that was until yesterday." "The situation has now changed." "How so?" "I'm told that the Yagyu, with many allies, will soon begin a manhunt." "A manhunt?" "In other words, you'll be declared a wanted criminal, and the domain lords and deputies will be ordered to pursue you." "Lord Ogami, you may take my boat." "You can then head north across the lake and escape beyond the mountains." "When I receive the Yagyu's order," "I'll be forced to go after you as well." "I hope you can see that what I'm telling you is the truth." "I thank you." "Daigoro..." "What are you doing?" "You have no respect!" "No samurai disrespects his sword by standing on it!" "It is a part of his soul!" "When you arrived, you sat down wearing your sword." "How do you explain that?" "And you've covered your face." "You may be a Zeze clan advisor, but you do not behave like a samurai!" "You're no samurai." "It's obvious that you're a Spider Demon!" "Well done, Itto Ogami." "You saw through my deception." "I lied about being an advisor to the Zeze clan." "I am Hyoei of the Spider Demon clan!" "Itto Ogami, you're about to die a warrior's death by our Spider Demon swords." "What do you have to say to that?" "Is silence your answer?" "When a samurai dies, his name is not forgotten." "That being so, before brandishing your sword at another, you should announce your name and request a duel." "I told you, I'm Hyoei of the Spider Demons." "Hyoei, a Spider Demon?" "That's ridiculous!" "To begin with, why would the Spider Demon clan want me dead?" "You're following Retsudo's orders!" "I know no such Retsudo." "I heard that Retsudo had an illegitimate son and that he was named Hyoei..." "Silence, Itto!" "All this talk of fathers and sons is nonsense!" "I, Hyoei, shall destroy you, and I will force Retsudo to taste the bitter ashes of ignominy." "Our name shall become renowned and replace the Yagyu!" "He who makes his true name known when making a challenge exhibits good manners in the face of death." "Will you fight honourably like a samurai or dishonourably like a ruffian?" "Perhaps you'll resort to your magic tricks to attack me." "Are you that afraid of my Sui-O techniques?" "Speak, Hyoei!" "Of course, Spider Demon swordsmen are nothing but cowards!" "What?" "How amusing for me to abide by the code of the samurai, in order to slay you, the demon of the crossroads to hell!" "If you wish for us to duel as samurai, then let us fight honourably." "Be gone!" "All of you!" "Now fight, Itto Ogami!" "Very well." "Hyoei Tsuchigumo of the Spider Demon style." "Itto Ogami of the Sui-O style." "The Spider Demons must replace the Yagyu clan at all cost, so the world shall know us to be true samurai." "You must understand that every day that I live at the crossroads of hell is another day of suffering for me." "I am aware of that." "Like you, there is one matter that I must settle before I die." "My request is that we part ways for the time being for we will meet again, if we both survive." "Very well." "Before I die, I must..." "Brother!" "What are you doing, brother?" "Bear my child..." "Brother!" "Let my child - our child - lead the Spider Demon clan!" "Azusa!" "We cannot let Retsudo and the Yagyu clan have their way!" "Our tribe cannot hide in the mountains forever." "Azusa!" "Bear my child." "Bear my child for me!" "Bear me a son to lead the Spider Demons!" "Brother!" "This is my way of showing Retsudo that I have opposed him to the very end!" "You shall cultivate my seed, Azusa." "Hyoei, have you gone insane?" "We two have stepped into the netherworld of beasts." "Please kill us both." "Father!" "What a fool you've been..." "Hyoei." "You could have finished off Itto Ogami!" "However you were a fool!" "You requested an honourable duel as a samurai and lost!" "Spider Demon tribesmen, prepare yourselves!" "You're now under my command!" "We refuse." "What?" "Allow us to carry out our leader Hyoei's command and slay Itto Ogami on our own." "We never imagined that he'd lure us into the snow." "If we remain here for much longer, our techniques will be useless." "It's no use." "We'll freeze to death." "Now!" "Indeed...you are terrifying, Itto Ogami, for you have defeated the Spider Demon Five Wheels technique." "How I wish I did not have to wear this face at least as I lie dying." "How tragic..." "What's tragic is your Spider Demon Five Wheels technique." "I've been waiting for you, Retsudo!" "Itto Ogami, I've lost my six children, six Yagyu heirs, because of you." "I am all that remains." "You're the one who caused it all!" "Yet your only son Daigoro is still alive." "I hope you go insane with loneliness!" "This shall be the final reckoning to avenge all our dead." "I wish the same!" "Attack!" "Daigoro!" "Daigoro!" "Lord Retsudo!" "Attack!" "Take that!" "You fool!" "Now!" "Lord Retsudo, it is best if we leave now." "Please hurry!" "Itto..." "He may be the "Lone Wolf and Cub" but one day I will slay him!" "Pa!" "Daigoro..." "The End"