The Twilight Samurai

Seibei Iguchi

Hiroyuki Sanada

Tomoe

Rie Miyazawa

Directed by

Yoji Yamada

Not that way

No, no, no!

Thank you. You may go

After a long illness

my mother died...

...when I was five

She had consumption...

...so from when I can remember

I wasn't allowed near her

Thus I have almost no memory

of my mother

Ito... Ito...

You poor little darling!

I am from Unasaka, in the northeast

in what is now Yamagata Prefecture

Before 1868 it was the castle town

of the Unasaka clan...

...a small fief of 70,000 koku

of rice per year

well done, one and all

That's it for today

Sakaguchi...

I've heard there's a good

drinking place in Hakkenmachi...

Oh, you mean 'Hisago'?

Feel like a drink?

A fine idea

Kawanami, will you come?

I will

Iguchi?

For a change?

Not me, thanks

we can't twist your arm?

If you'll excuse me...

Twilight's not very exciting

is he

with a sick wife, two young daughters

and an aged mother in his care...

...my father was unable

to drink with his colleagues

He had to hurry home

every evening at dusk

I was told the men

he worked with...

...gave him the cruel nickname

of 'Twilight Seibei'

THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI

Ito...

Father!

Up you go!

Your face is dirty

Father's back!

Welcome home

Codfish stew tonight, Kayano?

Don't drop it

I'm home, Mother

How are you this evening?

Of what household are you, sir?

I am Seibei Iguchi of the

Unasaka Clan, Castle Stores

I see...

She's getting worse. She doesn't

even know her own son!

Kayano, I've simmered

some burdock. Take some

Thank you. You're always

so kind to my daughters

Naota... you can go home now

Yup

Good evening

But Yazaki, can't we do something

about Twilight?

His kimono's all ripped

and hardly ever takes a bath

There's this smell

when you get close to him

It just won't do!

Yes, sir. we all find it

very hard to stomach

we've asked around about

finding him a new wife...

...but no woman would want

his situation

Indeed!

He's got two young girls

a senile old mother...

...and 20 of his 50 koku

gone in debt

Any woman who went to him

would have to take in work

Yes, he owes money

all over the place

I don't know how he paid for

his wife's funeral

Not even selling your sword

would pay for a funeral like that

A funeral! That's something

I have to worry about, too

My father's not going to

last much longer

Kawanami's lucky

Young parents and a pretty wife!

You'd better go easy with her

It could hurt your work

Is that why you're always

cat-napping on the job?

I am not!

Listen to him!

Kumi...

Welcome!

Isn't she gorgeous!

Kume...

Bed-time, Gran

Good night, Seibei

Good night

It looks like

she remembered me

The Master said:
To rule a land

of a thousand chariots...

Kayano...

That's Confucius, isn't it?

when did you start learning that?

At the end of last month

The teacher says...

...from now on even girls

will need book learning

That's good

When I was a boy I read Confucius

over and over again

Father...

If I learn to do

needlework...

...someday I can make kimonos

But what good will

book learning ever do me?

Well, it probably won't ever be

as useful as needlework

But you know...

...book learning gives you

the power...

...to think

However the world might change

if you have the power to think...

...you'll always survive somehow

That's true for boys

and for girls

All right?

Yes

Keep reading, then

Tseng Tzu said:
Each day

in three ways...

...I ask myself...

...if I have faithfully carried out

what I undertook for another...

My mother's illness had left

my father deep in debt

As Grandmother lost her wits, all the

housework, the gathering of fuel...

...and the field work fell to him

Left with little time

to attend to himself...

...he gradually became

unkempt and grimy

As his daughter, I felt terrible

about this

Wipe off that dust!

They're coming!

His Lordship attends!

Kawanami! Quick!

Provisions'

Vital stores of food for when

the clan must fight, or the castle...

...is besieged

Next we have the Salt Storehouse...

Here you have your beans

green, soy and red...

We pay particular attention

to keeping them dry

Dried giant horse-radish

dried fiddleheads, miso paste...

Kusaka!

This is dried codfish...

...very important provisioning

in times of war

How much have we got?

Iguchi...

Iguchi? You may answer

directly

By your leave. we have

...by weight approximately

How long does it keep?

Between five and ten years

This here is the oldest

we have.

It was acquired

six years ago

This dried cod from Kansaki is best

It holds its taste for ten years

That strange smell I noticed

is it you?

Clan retainers must serve

as examples to the common folk

Keep yourself clean

Yes, Milord!

Carry on

Idiot!

Sir, I...

I'll speak to you later

But...

Be quiet!

Iguchi!

You damn fool!

The story spread

throughout the castle

My father became

a laughingstock

My Great-Uncle came from

the main house in a foul humor

Hello!

Hello!

Seibei!

It's Uncle...

I'm in for it now

Is anybody here?

what, are you all dead?!

Coming!

Kayano, make some tea

Who is it?

Great-Uncle!

Disgraceful!

You appeared before His Lordship

unbathed, smelling like dried cod

The unpleasant impression

you created...

...shames the house of Iguchi

That was inexcusable

I went to Senior Retainer Terauchi

and apologized for you

His Lordship is a generous man

so he did not find fault

Had that been his father, though...

...this would have meant

hara-kiri!

I never dreamed

it would cause so much trouble

I beg your forgiveness

Kayano?

How old are you now?

I am ten years old

Are you working at

your lessons?

I'm learning needlework

and Confucius

A girl has no need

of the classics

All you need is

to write women's script

Too much book learning

and you'll never be a bride

You can go

I am here today

on an important matter

A marriage arrangement

You need a hard-working wife

to escape the misery you are in

A village-headman acquaintance

has an unmarried daughter...

...whom he agrees

to marry to you

He knows you are poor, have two

young daughters and a senile mother

I'm sure you realize that you are

in no position to demand beauty

You need a healthy wife with

big haunches to bear children

Her face is of no concern

So I'll proceed with this

if you don't mind

With all due respect

I must differ

How?

I am not nearly as miserable

in my living as you may think

Of course, offending His Lordship

by appearing unbathed before him...

...was wrong, and I vow

never to repeat it

However...

...watching my daughters

as they grow day by day is...

...how shall I put it?

It's like watching crops ripen

or flowers grow in a field

I enjoy it very much

I'm not sure if the lady

of whom you speak...

...would understand that

Who would understand

such foolishness?!

You've always been like this...

...tormenting your poor father

with this prattling of yours!

What has your marriage

got to do with crops in a field?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes