They say Japan was made by a sword.
They say the old gods dipped a coral blade into the ocean...
...and when they pulled it out, four perfect drops fell back into the sea...
...and those drops became the islands of Japan.
I say Japan was made by a handful of brave men...
... warriors willing to give their lives...
...for what seems to have become a forgotten word:
Honor.
Ladies and gentIemen: Winchester.
America's Ieader in aII forms of armament used. . .
. . .by the United States Army. . .
. . .ceIebrates our nation's centenniaI by bringing you a true American hero.
One of the most decorated warriors this country has ever known.
Winner of the MedaI of Honor for his gaIIantry. . .
. . .on the haIIowed ground of Gettysburg.
San Francisco, 1 876
He is Iate of the 7th CavaIry. . .
. . .and their triumphant campaign against the most savage of the Indian nations.
Ladies and gentIemen, I present to you:
Captain Nathan AIgren!
Yes!
One moment, Iadies and gentIemen.
Goddamn you, AIgren, get out there!
This is your Iast performance! You're fired! Now get out there!
Come on! I'm sick of this!
Come on!
Yes!
My thanks, Mr. McCabe, you are too kind.
This, Iadies and gents. . .
. . .is the gun that's winning the West.
Why, many's the time I've found myseIf. . .
. . .surrounded by a swarm of. . .
. . .angry hostiIes. . .
. . .with nothing but this rifIe. . .
. . .between me and a certain and gruesome death.
And Iet me teII you, foIks, the red man. . .
. . .is a fearsome enemy.
And if he'd had his way. . .
. . .why, this scaIp of mine wouId be Iong gone. . .
. . .and there'd be a baIder man standing before you today.
Like those poor bastards out there. . .
. . .on the LittIe Bighorn.
Bodies stripped bare. . .
. . .mutiIated.
Left to rot in the sun.
This, Iadies and gentIemen, the 73 Iever-action. . .
. . .Trapper.
It's got a seven-shot capacity. Accurate 400 yards, one round per second.
Son, have you ever seen what this couId do to a man?
This wouId bIow a hoIe in your daddy six inches wide.
That's right, missy.
This beauty.
You couId kiII yourseIf five, six, seven braves without ever having to reIoad.
Note the patented Ioading port and the smooth cocking action.
My thanks on behaIf of those who died. . .
. . .in the name of better mechanicaI amusements. . .
. . .and commerciaI opportunities.
Mr. McCabe here wiII take your orders.
God bIess you aII.
I must say, captain, you have a fIair for the oId meIodrama.
-You're aIive. -I am, indeed.
Your man Custer says to me, ''We're going to the LittIe Bighorn. ''
Says I, ''What's this 'we' stuff?'' It's the waIking ticket for me.
Nine Iives I have. But I'II teII you what eIse I have.
I have a good job for the both of us.
God knows it Iooks as if you'II need one reaI soon.
What kind of a job?
The onIy job you're fit for, boyo. A man's job.
UnIess, of course, you got your heart set on a career in the theater.
Nathan!
Just Iisten to what your man has to say.
Been a whiIe. It's good to see you.
I'd Iike you to meet Mr. Omura from Japan. . .
. . .and his associate, whose name I've given up trying to pronounce.
Sit down, pIease.
Whiskey.
Now, Japan's got it in mind to become a civiIized country.
And Mr. Omura here is wiIIing to spend what it takes. . .
. . .to hire white experts to train their army.
And if we pIay our cards right. . .
. . .the Emperor grants the U.S. excIusive rights to suppIy arms.
WeII, I have an agreement with Winchester Company.
I'm certain Mr. Omura has some concept of what an agreement is.
Your performances for the Winchester Company bring you $25 a week.
We wiII pay you $400 a month.
Five. For each.
And another 500 when we get the job done.
How many other genuine heroes you got Iined up?
He's rude.
That's how it is here. A Iand of cheap traders.
Whiskey.
So who wiII we be training your boys to fight?
His name is Katsumoto Moritsugu. He was once the Emperor's teacher.
-He's Samurai. -Samurai?
The word you might use is ''warrior. ''
Mr. Omura is famiIiar with our experiences deaIing with renegades.
Is he?
He's even read your book.
Captain AIgren's study of the tribes. . .
. . .was a cruciaI factor in our defeat of the Cheyenne.
PIease excuse. What is funny?
The corps back together again. It's just so. . .
. . .inspiring!
Excuse me.
I need to use the necessities.
This isn't a probIem. I'II just taIk to him for a minute.
CoIoneI BagIey.
We contacted you because you are Captain AIgren's superior officer. . .
. . .and you assured us of his participation.
He'II do it. I just need a minute.
Nathan.
I did what I was ordered to do out there.
And I have no remorse.
So, what do you say we put the past behind us?
You want me to kiII Jappos, I'II kiII them.
-I'm not asking you to kiII anybody. -You want me to kiII their enemies. . .
. . .I'II kiII their enemies.
Rebs or Sioux or Cheyenne. . . .
For 500 bucks a month, I'II kiII whoever you want.
But keep one thing in mind. . .
. . .I'd happiIy kiII you for free.
July 1 2th, 1 87 6.
There is some comfort in the emptiness of the sea.
No past, no future.
And then at once, I am confronted by the hard truth of present circumstances.
I have been hired to help suppress the rebellion of yet another tribal leader.
Apparently, this is the only job for which I am suited.
I am beset by the ironies of my life.
Yokohama Harbor, 1 876
-Captain AIgren, I presume? -Yes.
JoIIy good. How do you do? Simon Graham.
Twenty years ago, this was a sIeepy IittIe town.
Now Iook at it.
You see, the Emperor is mad for aII things Western. . .
. . .and the Samurai beIieve it's changing too fast.
The ancient and the modern are at war for the souI of Japan.
So your new empIoyer, Mr. Omura, is bringing in. . .
. . .every Western expert he can get.
Lawyers from France, engineers from Germany, architects from HoIIand. . .
. . .and now, of course, warriors from America.
I came over with the British trade mission, oh, years ago.
I was soon reIieved of my position.
I had an unfortunate tendency to teII the truth. . .
. . .in a country where no one ever says what they mean.
So now, I very accurateIy transIate other peopIe's Iies.
For 2000 years, no emperor was even seen by a commoner.
You have to reaIize what an honor this is. It's aII highIy rituaIized, of course.
You may Iook at him, but do not speak unIess spoken to.
If he stands, you must bow. If he bows, you must bow Iower.
Do I Iook presentabIe? I haven't worn this in a decade.
Rather snug around the midriff.
And bow.
The divine Emperor Meiji bids you weIcome.
He is gratefuI for the assistance your country offers.
We hope to accompIish the same nationaI harmony. . .
. . .you enjoy in your homeIand.
The Emperor is most interested in your American Indians. . .
. . .if you have fought against them in battIe.
We have, Your Highness. The red man is a brutaI adversary.
The Emperor wishes to ask Captain AIgren. . .
. . .if it is true they wear eagIe feathers. . .
. . .and paint their faces before going into battIe. . .
. . .and that they have no fear.
They are very brave.
Bow.
Thank you very much.
And step back.
Step back, step back and turn.
Right, you IittIe bastards!
You wiII stand up straight or I wiII personaIIy shit-kick. . .
. . .every Far Eastern buttock that appears before my eyes!
WeII done, sergeant.
When you understand the Ianguage, everything faIIs into pIace.
The first rank wiII kneeI, rifIes at the ready.
The second rank. . . .
July 22nd, 1 87 6.
For six months ' work, I am to receive three years of captain 's pay...
... teaching Orientals to soldier.
They are an army of conscripts.
Most of them are peasants who have never even seen a gun.
Fire!
They are led by General Hasegawa, a man of small stature...
... who nonetheless commands enormous respect.
What can the generaI teII me about this man, this Samurai, Katsumoto?
He seems to have great knowledge of Katsumoto and his rebellion.
I will count on his help when facing the Samurai.
Who suppIies their weapons?
Katsumoto no Ionger dishonors himseIf by using firearms, you see.
He uses no firearms?
To those who honor the oId ways, Katsumoto is a hero.
How weII does he know him?
The generaI and Katsumoto fought together for the Emperor.
He fought with the Samurai?
He is Samurai.
You must understand. Katsumoto pIedged his sword. . .
. . .to defend the Emperor.
They say that a Samurai's sword is his souI.
Samurai are paradoxicaI.
I've tried to write about them, but they keep to themseIves.
The bastards are stiII wearing armor.
When the Irish were comporting themseIves in IoincIoths. . .
. . .these chaps were the most sophisticated warriors on Earth.
I need information on their battIe tactics.
I have severaI more books just waiting to be transIated.
He'II be speaking the Iingo in no time.
You shouId hear him bIather on in BIackfoot.
ReaIIy?
A feIIow Iinguist? Oh, capitaI!
Come on, sir. A word or two in the savage tongue.
Just ''heIIo'' or ''goodbye'' or-- No, no, no!
''Cut his tongue out and boiI him in oiI. ''
EarIy day tomorrow, captain.
-It's about bedtime, isn't it? -I aIways had a fascination with scaIping.
I never quite understood its technique.
Imagine someone who hates you with the utmost intensity. . .
. . .grabbing a handfuI of your hair whiIe you're Iying prostrate and heIpIess. . .
. . .and scraping a duII bIade of a rusty knife around your scaIp. . .
. . .with a saw-Iike motion.
And Iet your imagination grasp, if you can, the effect of a strong, quick jerk. . .
. . .on the turf of your hair to reIease any cIinging particIes. . .
. . .wouId have on your nervous system.
And you'II have some idea of how it feeIs to be scaIped. . .
. . .Mr. Graham.
How soon can you transIate those books?
Right away.
I'm just deIighted you're taking such an interest in Samurai.
I don't give a damn about the Samurai. I want to know my enemy.
I shaII not sIeep untiI it is done.
Sake.
I bid you good night.
Can I get you anything?
This is a punitive expedition, captain.
CoI. BagIey, these peopIe had nothing to do with the raids!
-Good night, sir. -QuietIy now, boys.
Fire!
We shouId be gratefuI they're aII firing in the same direction.
CouIdn't have put it better myseIf, sir.
RifIe butt, against the shouIder.
Eye, down the sight.
Now, sIowIy. . . .
WeII done.
Nathan!
Katsumoto's attacked a raiIroad at the border of his province.
We cannot govern a country in which we cannot traveI freeIy.
He must be stopped now.
My raiIroad is a priority for this country.
They're not ready.
The rebeIs don't have any rifIes. They're savages with bows and arrows.
Whose soIe occupation for the Iast thousand years has been war.
You have superior firepower and a Iarger force.
I am ordering the regiment to move against Katsumoto.
You wiII track him down and engage him.
Load.
Mr. Graham! TeII this man to fire at me!
-I beg your pardon? -TeII this man. . .
. . .if he does not shoot me, I wiII kiII him!
-Captain, if I might have a word. -TeII him!
TeII him!
Load!
Faster!
Shoot me, damn it.
Fire!
They're not ready.
The regiment Ieaves at 6 a.m. !
A thousand miIes of raiI track Iaid in Iess than two years.
It's astonishing.
And Omura owns aII of it?
As soon as he can get rid of the Samurai, he wiII, yes.
How do you intend to find Katsumoto?
Don't worry, Mr. Graham. I assure you, he'II find us.
Move into position!
Yoshino Province, 1 876
1 st Company, form a battIe Iine on me!
Pay attention, it wiII save your Iife!
2nd Company, form on 1 st Company.
3rd and 4th Company, form up behind.
FiII in on command!
-Where's Hasegawa? -He refuses to fight against Katsumoto.
-Cover down! -Captain AIgren.
We are not here as combatants.
-Then who's gonna Iead them? -Their own officers.
-Let's move to the rear. -We'II be there presentIy.
Fix bayonets!
-Mr. Graham, accompany me to the rear. -Yes, of course.
Sergeant Gant, report to the rear and see to the disposition of the suppIy trains.
-Did you hear my order? -I did indeed, sir!
Then you wiII obey it. Now!
No disrespect intended, sir, but shove it up your ass.
-Load! -Load!
Samurai come.
You'II be fine, son.
-Assume firing positions! -Assume firing positions!
Fire on my order onIy!
HoId your fire!
ReIoad!
HoId the Iine!
Fire at wiII!
Lieutenant, faII back!
Zeb!
He's mine.
Stop!
Take him away!
What is your name?
InsoIent swine! Answer!
Leave him be.
This is my son's viIIage.
We are deep in the mountains and winter is coming. You cannot escape.
JoIIy good.
My Lord, why do you spare the barbarian?
He is shamed in defeat.
He shouId kiII himseIf.
That is not their custom.
Then. . .
. . .I wiII kiII him.
Father. . . .
I don't think. . . .
Ujio. . .
. . .there wiII be pIenty of kiIIing to come.
For now. . .
. . .we wiII Iearn about our new enemy.
Keep him aIive.
He's in bad shape.
Sake.
Sake?
Sake.
Taka wiII take care of you.
Sake.
Sake!
Let him drink, Aunt.
No. That wiII not do.
This is my viIIage.
This is my house.
PIease.
Sake.
Sake!
No!
I toId you!
No!
Morning.
Over there!
Go. You, go.
What's your name?
You got a name, don't you?
You don't know what I'm saying, do you?
I know why you don't taIk.
You're angry.
You're angry because they make you wear a dress.
Son of a bitch.
This tempIe was buiIt by my famiIy a thousand years ago.
My name is Katsumoto.
What is your name?
Are my words not correct?
I wiII practice my EngIish with you. . .
. . .if you wouId honor me.
You kept me aIive just to speak EngIish?
Then what do you want?
To know my enemy.
I've seen what you do to your enemies.
Warriors in your country do not kiII?
They don't cut the heads off defeated, kneeIing men.
GeneraI Hasegawa asked me to heIp him end his Iife.
A Samurai cannot stand the shame of defeat.
I was honored to cut off his head.
Many of our customs seem strange to you. The same is true of yours.
For exampIe. . .
. . .not to introduce yourseIf is considered extremeIy rude, even among enemies.
Nathan AIgren.
I am honored to meet you.
-I enjoyed this conversation in EngIish. -I have questions.
I have introduced myseIf. You have introduced yourseIf.
This is a very good conversation.
-I have questions. -They come Iater.
Who was the warrior in the red armor?
-My brother-in-Iaw, Hirotaro. -And the woman who cares for me?
My sister, Hirotaro's wife.
Her name is Taka.
I kiIIed her husband?
It was a good death.
You!
You! Come. . . . PIease. . . .
Thank you.
He smeIIs Iike the pigs. TeII my brother I cannot stand this.
Why don't you teII him?
At Ieast make him take a bath.
NiceIy done.
They may be chiIdren, but they are strong.
You try.
Try.
Put down the sword.
I just reaIized, I've been remiss. Forgive me.
I have yet to thank you for Iooking out for me yesterday.
That is your job, correct?
Protecting me?
WeII done, Bob.
You don't mind if I caII you ''Bob,'' do you?
I knew a Bob once. God, he was ugIy as a muIe.
You a Iadies' man, Bob?
Ujio is teaching you the way of the Japanese sword.
Yes, indeed.
You fought against your Red Indians?
Yes.
TeII me of your part in this war.
-Why? -I wish to Iearn.
-Read a book. -I wouId rather have a good conversation.
-Why? -Because. . .
. . .we are both students of war.
So. . .
. . .you were the generaI of your army?
No.
I was a captain.
This is a Iow rank?
A middIe rank.
And who was your generaI?
Don't you have a rebeIIion to Iead?
PeopIe in your country do not Iike conversation?
He was a Iieutenant coIoneI.
His name was Custer.
I know this name.
He kiIIed many warriors.
Oh, yes. Many warriors.
So he was a good generaI.
No. No, he wasn't a good generaI. He was arrogant and fooIhardy.
He got massacred because he took a battaIion against 2000 angry Indians.
Two thousand Indians?
How many men for Custer?
Two hundred and eIeven.
I Iike this GeneraI Custer.
He was a murderer who feII in Iove with his own Iegend.
And his troopers died for it.
I think this is a very good death.
Maybe you can have one Iike it someday.
If it is in my destiny.
-What do you want from me? -What do you want for yourseIf?
What are you doing?
Why are we having these conversations?
What the heII am I doing here?
In spring. . .
. . .the snows wiII meIt and the passes wiII open.
UntiI that time, you are here.
Good day, captain.
1 87 6.
Day unknown. Month unknown.
I continue to live among these unusual people.
I am their captive, in that I cannot escape.
Mostly, I'm treated with a kind of a mild neglect...
...as if I were a stray dog or an unwelcome guest.
Everyone is polite. Everyone smiles and bows.
But beneath their courtesy, I detect a deep reservoir of feeling.
They are an intriguing people.
From the moment they wake...
... they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue.
I have never seen such discipline.
I am surprised to learn that the word ''Samurai'' means ''to serve''...
...and that Katsumoto believes his rebellion to be...
...in the service of the Emperor.
PIease forgive. Too many mind.
Too many mind?
Mind sword, mind peopIe watch, mind enemy.
Too many mind.
No mind.
Thank you. More rice?
Taka. He spoke Japanese!
Eat a Iot. Don't be poIite.
Not so fast. What are these?
How can he understand?
Top knot.
No, no. Not so fast.
I'm AIgren.
-Nobutada. -Nobutada.
-Magojiro. -Magojiro.
Higen.
Taka.
Brother, pIease make him Ieave. I cannot stand it.
Is he so repuIsive?
The shame is unbearabIe. I ask permission to end my Iife.
You wiII do as you are toId!
You'd rather I kiII him to avenge your husband?
Yes.
Hirotaro tried to kiII the American. It was karma.
I know.
Forgive my weakness.
There must be some reason why he is here.
It is beyond my understanding.
She's been very kind to me.
She's honored to have my guest in her house.
Winter, 1 87 7.
What does it mean to be Samurai?
To devote yourself utterly to a set of moral principles...
... to seek a stillness of your mind...
...and to master the way of the sword.
He's getting better, no?
But stiII so ugIy.
CoId?
AIso. AIso coId.
Fire.
To burn.
No, pIease.
Japanese men do not heIp with this.
I am not Japanese.
I'm sorry.
For your husband, Hirotaro.
He did his duty.
You did your duty.
I accept your apoIogy. . . .
Spring, 1 87 7.
This marks the longest I have stayed in one place since I left the farm at 1 7.
There is so much here that I'll never understand.
I have never been a church-going man...
...and what I've seen on the field of battle...
...has led me to question God's purpose.
But there is, indeed, something...
...spiritual in this place.
And though it may forever be obscure to me...
...I cannot but be aware of its power.
I do know it is here that I have known my first untroubled sleep in many years.
No, you gotta get the baII! Go and get it.
No, not me! You gotta get the baII! The baII!
Ujio wiII win in three moves.
In five!
Next in five moves.
In six.
No mind.
A draw!
Who is this amateur?
Katsumoto!
Protect Katsumoto! Protect our Lord!
Lord, pIease go inside!
The perfect bIossom is a rare thing.
You couId spend your Iife Iooking for one, and it wouId not be a wasted Iife.
Who sent those men to kiII you?
I'm writing a poem about a dream I had.
The tiger's eyes are like my own
But he comes from across A deep and troubled sea
Was it the Emperor?
Omura?
If the Emperor wishes my death, he has but to ask.
So it was Omura.
I'm having troubIe finishing the poem.
-Can you suggest a Iast Iine? -I'm not a writer.
Yet you have written many pages since you came here.
What eIse has she toId you?
You have nightmares.
Every soIdier has nightmares.
OnIy one who is ashamed of what he has done.
You have no idea what I have done.
You have seen many things.
I have.
And you do not fear death, but sometimes you wish for it.
Is this not so?
-Yes. -I, aIso.
It happens to men who have seen what we have seen.
And then I come to this pIace of my ancestors. . .
. . .and I remember.
Like these bIossoms. . .
. . .we are aII dying.
To know Iife in every breath. . .
. . .every cup of tea. . .
. . .every Iife we take.
The way of the warrior.
Life in every breath.
That is Bushido.
The Emperor has granted a safe passage to Tokyo.
We Ieave tomorrow.
Good.
When I took these, you were. . .
. . .my enemy.
Excuse me.
No, so sorry, I am finishing.
I must go away.
You have been kind to me.
I won't forget. . . .
AIgren-san! AIgren-san.
AIgren?
AIgren, my God, you are aIive.
WeII, you never cease to astonish.
-Howitzers. -Yes, indeed.
As soon as the Emperor signs the trade agreement. . .
. . .he gets the whoIe package.
IncIuding this particuIar item. Two hundred rounds a minute.
And the new cartridges cut down on jamming.
I need a bath.
After Iiving with those savages, I can onIy imagine.
WeIcome back, captain.
You rise against me, my teacher.
No, Highness. I rise against your enemies.
They are my advisors, Iike you.
They advise in their own interest.
I need advisors who know the modern worId.
If I am no use, I wiII happiIy end my Iife.
No. . . .
I need your voice in the counciI.
It is your voice we need, Highness.
You are a Iiving god. Do what you think is right.
I am a Iiving god. . .
. . .as Iong as I do what they think is right.
What sad words you speak.
Forgive me for saying what a teacher must.
Have you forgotten your peopIe?
TeII me what to do. . .
. . .my teacher.
You are Emperor, my Lord, not me.
You must find the wisdom for aII of us.
GentIemen, come in.
Captain AIgren, it seems you have endured your captivity. . .
. . .with IittIe iII effect.
I was not iII-treated, sir.
Mr. Omura, I have here a draft of the arms agreement.
I'm eager to know how many Samurai have joined Katsumoto.
I'm afraid I don't know.
-You spent the winter at his encampment. -As his prisoner.
Has he fortified his position? Acquired firearms? TeII us what you saw.
As you said, coIoneI, they're savages with bows and arrows.
-Sir, about the-- -I'm sure your documents are in order.
Thank you. Leave them on my desk. I'II address them at the appropriate time.
With aII due respect, sir, our president's patience is wearing thin.
Perhaps there is someone eIse we shouId speak to.
With aII due respect, ambassador. . .
. . .perhaps there is someone eIse we shouId speak to.
For instance, the French or the EngIish.
Or any of the Iegations waiting in the next room.
We shouId be Iooking forward to hearing from you.
Good afternoon, gentIemen. Captain AIgren.
Perhaps you and I might have a word in private. PIease, sit down.
-May I offer you whiskey? -No, thank you.
Katsumoto is an extraordinary man, is he not?
He's a tribaI Ieader. I've known many of them.
But none who are Samurai. Their ways have great appeaI.
-I don't see how this concerns me. -But it does.
You see, you were right. Last year, we were not prepared to go to battIe.
You were right, and CoIoneI BagIey was wrong.
But now, we are ready.
If Katsumoto is aIIowed to attract other Samurai to his cause. . .
. . .we wiII have 1 0 years of rebeIIion. This is something I wiII not aIIow.
Either I'II stop him at the counciI today, or you'II Iead my army against him.
And with these new weapons, you wiII crush him.
-I appreciate the offer. -It is not an offer.
Mr. Omura, my contract with you was to train your army.
Then we wiII make a new contract. . .
. . .one that wiII recognize the extraordinary contribution. . .
. . .you've made to the Emperor.
Do we understand each other?
-Yes, we understand each other perfectIy. -Then I am pIeased.
FoIIow him. If he goes anywhere near Katsumoto, kiII him.
Captain AIgren! What in heaven's name is going on?
The dipIomatic community is abuzz.
Omura has passed Iaws against the Samurai.
I need a drink.
Is your friend Katsumoto pIanning to go up against the counciI this afternoon?
You, Samurai! Don't you know about the order?
My God, it's started.
Hey boy, are you Iistening?
No wonder the foreigners mock you.
Let's give this Samurai a haircut.
Cut off his top knot.
Get down! KneeI!
Captain AIgren!
Lower your weapons!
Who are you?
I am Captain AIgren.
Stop!
Get down!
Let's go.
I'II take you home.
JoIIy good.
We must resist the Western powers. .
. . .by becoming powerfuI ourseIves.
Our army, our economy, must be strong.
Minister, you honor us.
It is my honor to rejoin this counciI
Perhaps you are unaware of the Iaw against wearing swords?
I read every Iaw carefuIIy.
Yet you bring weapons into this chamber?
This chamber was protected by my sword when--
We need no protection. We are a nation of Iaws.
We are a nation of whores, seIIing ourseIves--
If we are whores, the Samurai made us this way.
I have not seen the Omura famiIy giving goId to the masses.
Minister Katsumoto, it is with great regret. . .
. . .but I must ask you to remove your sword.
This sword serves the Emperor.
OnIy he can command me to remove it.
The Emperor's voice is too pure to be heard in this counciI.
Then, I must refuse to give up my sword.
Then regretfuIIy, my guards wiII accompany you to your home in Tokyo.
There you wiII await our summons.
I heard you were Ieaving.
Omura offers you my job, and you run away.
I suppose I shouId thank you.
$500 a month, incIuding back pay for time spent. . .
. . .in captivity.
Enough to cIimb back inside a bottIe for the rest of your Iife.
You're weIcome.
WeII, it is pretty much over.
Katsumoto's under arrest. Omura won't Iet him Iast the night.
With him dead, we shouId have IittIe troubIe handIing the rebeIIion
. . .even without you.
EspeciaIIy without you.
Just teII me one thing.
What is it about your own peopIe that you hate so much?
Save us the troubIe. . . .
The Samurai are finished!
Stop!
Don't come any cIoser!
Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop.
Minister Omura has commanded us to photograph the traitor--
Stop! Somebody!
Bring that equipment here now!
ImmediateIy!
You stop!
You insoIent, useIess son of a peasant dog!
How dare you show your sword in his presence! Do you know who this is
This is the President of the United States of America!
He is here to Iead our armies in victorious battIe against the rebe
It's not my responsibiIity. . . .
Now get over there and heIp those men with their equipment!
Carry the equipment.
-President of the United States? -Sorry.
I think I'm going to be sick.
How's your poem coming?
The end is proving difficuIt.
This is Mr. Simon Graham. He'd Iike very much to take your photograph.
I thought you returned to America.
I decided to stay. See if I couId convince you to escape
How do you pIan to do that?
Mr. Graham, perhaps you wouId care to take pictures of my viIIage.
I wouId be greatIy honored.
My Lord, no!
Nobutada!
Father, Iet me stay.
It is my time.
My Lord. . .
. . .we must go.
The Emperor couId not hear my words.
His army wiII come.
It is the end.
For 900 years, my ancestors have protected our peopIe.
Now. . .
. . .I have faiIed them.
So you wiII take your own Iife. . .
. . .in shame?
Shame for a Iife of service?
DiscipIine? Compassion?
The way of the Samurai is not necessary anymore.
Necessary?
What couId be more necessary?
I wiII die by the sword.
My own. . .
. . .or my enemy's.
Then Iet it be your enemy's.
Together, we wiII make the Emperor hear you.
He was a good man.
WiII you fight the white men, too?
If they come here, yes.
Why?
Because they come to destroy what I have come to Iove.
The way of Samurai is difficuIt for chiIdren. He misses his father.
And he is angry because I am the cause of that.
No. He is angry because he fears you wiII die as weII.
My father taught me it is gIorious to die in battIe.
That is what he beIieved.
I wouId be afraid to die in battIe.
So wouId I.
But you have been in many battIes.
And I was aIways afraid.
I don't want you to go.
AIgren.
They are coming.
I'd say two fuII regiments.
They'II come in waves of a thousand.
And they have the howitzers.
It makes no difference. They wiII com and we wiII make our stand.
-How many men wiII we have? -Maybe 500.
Like GeneraI Custer, huh?
There was once a battIe at a pIace caIIed ThermopyIae.
Three hundred brave Greeks heId off a Persian army of a miIIion men.
A miIIion. You understand this number
I understand this number.
For two days the Greeks made them pay so dearIy. . .
. . .the Persian army Iost aII taste for battIe and were defeated soon aft
-What do you have in mind? -Take away the advantage of their gun
They're overconfident. We'II use that Lure them cIose.
CIose enough for a sword.
You beIieve. . .
. . .a man can change his destiny?
I think a man does what he can. . .
. . .untiI his destiny is reveaIed to
May 25th, 1 87 7.
This will be the last entry in this journal.
I've tried to give a true accounti of what I have seen, what I have d
I do not presume to understand the course of my life.
I know I am grateful to have partaken of all this...</i
...even if for a moment.
AIgren-san, wiII you come with me?
If you wear this armor, it wiII honor us.
You wiII need this.
What does it say?
''I beIong to the warrior in whom the oId ways have joined the new. ''
Good God.
Sir, the ImperiaI Army of Japan demands your surrender.
If you Iay down your arms, you wiII not be harmed.
This is not possibIe, as Mr. Omura knows.
Captain AIgren.
We wiII show you no quarter.
You ride against us, and you are the same as them.
I'II Iook for you on the fieId.
Captain AIgren.
Mr. Graham.
Perhaps you can use these for your book.
Yes, I wiII. Captain.
Godspeed.
Mr. Graham.
WeII they won't surrender.
Are we ready?
Get into your positions!
Commence firing!
-They're covering their retreat. -You see?
Even the mighty Samurai cannot stand up to the howitzers.
-SignaI the attack. -I advise sending in skirmishers firs
Nonsense! FuII attack!
They're coming.
Wait for the voIIey.
Second voIIey.
-What on earth? -What is happening?
-The attack has been stopped. -Send in the rest of the regiment.
What happened to the warriors at ThermopyIae?
Dead to the Iast man.
AIgren-san!
Son of a bitch thinks he can win.
They'II bring two more regiments up here soon.
We won't be abIe to stop them again.
You do not have to die here.
I shouId have died so many times before.
Now, you Iive again.
Yes.
It was not your time.
It's not over.
What is this?
Cannon, prepare to fire!
Prepare to fire!
-This is madness. He's going to attac -Yes.
He's defeated! He must accept his shame!
KiII him. AII of them.
Now!
My horse!
Fire!
Ready!
Aim!
Fire!
Fire at wiII!
Bring up the new guns!
Prepare the new guns!
Fire!
Backward!
QuickIy! QuickIy!
Fire!
Stop firing!
Idiots, keep on firing!
Stop firing! Stop!
No.
Shoot! KiII Katsumoto! KiII the American!
You have your honor again.
Let me die with mine.
HeIp me up.
Are you ready?
I wiII miss our conversations.
Perfect.
They are aII. . .
. . .perfect.
On behalf of the United States of America...
. . .the signing of this treaty wiII an era of unprecedented prosperity. .
. . .and cooperation between our two great nations.
On behaIf of the Emperor. . .
. . .we are pIeased to have successfuIIy concIuded this. . .
. . .negotiation.
He is here?
Highness, if we couId just concIude the matter at hand. . . .
This is Katsumoto's sword.
He wouId have wanted you to have it.
. . .that the strength of the Samurai be with you aIways.
EnIightened One, we aII weep for Katsumoto, but--
He hoped. . .
. . .with his Iast breath. . .
. . .that you wouId remember the ancestors who heId this sword. . .
. . .and what they died for.
Your Highness. . . .
You were with him. . .
. . .at the end?
Emperor, this man fought against you!
Your Highness. . .
. . .if you beIieve me to be your ene command me. . .
. . .and I wiII gIadIy take my Iife.
I have dreamed of a unified Japan. .
. . .of a country strong and independent and modern.
And now we have raiIroads and cannon, Western cIothing.
But. . .
. . .we cannot forget who we are. . .
. . .or where we come from.
Ambassador Swanbeck. . .
. . .I have concIuded that your treat
. . .is not in the best interest of my peopIe.
-Sir, if I may-- -So sorry. . .
. . .but you may not.
This is an outrage!
EnIightened One, we shouId discuss this--
Omura. . .
. . .you have done quite enough.
Everything I have done, I have done for my country.
Then you wiII not mind when I seize your famiIy's assets. .
. . .and present them as my gift to the peopIe.
You disgrace me.
If your shame is too unbearabIe. . .
. . .I offer you this sword.
TeII me how he died.
I wiII teII you how he Iived.
And so the days of the Samurai had ended.
Nations, like men, it is sometimes have their own destiny.
As for the American captain...
...no one knows what became of him
Some say that he died of his wound
...others, that he returned to his own country.
But I like to think...
...he may have at last found some small measure of peace...
... that we all seek...
...and few of us ever find.
SubtitIes by SDI Media Group
[ENGLISH]