SONG OF THE HORSE
Directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA
Producers YOICHI MATSUE, TATSUHIKO GOTO
Planning AKIRA KUROSAWA, RYO KINOSHITA
HORSE
Horses and humans share a very long relationship.
What do you know about our relationship with horses?
Horses carry people on their backs or pull carriages.
Right.
But there are fewer and fewer horses around.
HORSE
An L-shaped house, typical of the Nanbu region.
Here people and horses used to live, eat and sleep together.
Together?
Yeah.
They took good care of their horses.
"Nagazaku"?
No, its name is "Chosaku".
When I see horses running as fast as they can
Tears well up in my eyes
That's what the poet Kenji Miyazawa wrote.
The 'Chagu-Chagu-Umakko'.
'Chagu-Chagu-Umakko'.
Onikoshi Sozen Shrine
A horse festival.
Sanctification
How many horses are there?
1... 2... 3...
About 70.
But you know ...
It's difficult to find so many horses now.
What are they doing?
What do you think?
It's all about stealing the flags.
The 'Soma-Nomaoi'.
It's another horse festival.
The number of horses in Japan keeps getting smaller.
Why?
"Why" ...?
Because people have no use for them anymore.
What do I mean?
Machines!
Yes! Horses have been replaced by machines.
Things that are no longer needed generally fade away.
So horses will disappear?
No.
This is where we still have a use for horses.
- Thoroughbreds! - Yes.
Competing with each other. That's what thoroughbreds are made for.
- Just for running? - Yes.
Running horses.
A baby horse!
Can he see yet?
Still too early.
Oh? He has grown so big!
They grow big in next to no time.
Look! He's getting up.
He's on his feet!
Is that the colt we just saw?
Sure.
His first day out of the stable.
How happy he is!
Jump! Jump! Jump!
Like a brush.
He made a friend.
Weird posture!
Running freely as much as they want.
Eating as much as they like.
Drinking as much as they like.
And then ... sleep.
I want to be a horse.
There's still clean air to breathe here.
And look how green the land is.
Here they can live as a creature should live.
Mummy horse and little horse Love each other very much
Always together Walking 'clippety-clop, clippety-clop'
The river looks dirty because it rained recently.
But the water is clean actually.
Can people drink it too?
Of course.
I would love to go there.
Humans would also enjoy being free on a meadow from time to time.
His older siblings are practicing running.
Run faster!
I'd love to run and then rest in a place like this.
I'd love to lie down too.
And no homework ...
Lucky them!
Will it be time to sleep soon?
Yeah.
After dinner.
Everyone's asleep.
I'm wondering what their dreams are like.
They can't go outside because of the rain.
Must be boring.
Will the weather improve soon?
Now it has cleared up.
There's a lot for the workers to do here.
First: They prepare the pallets.
They are spreading the pallets to make a soft bed for the horses.
They are mending the farm's fences.
Hoof carving.
Is it like cutting your nails?
Yes it is!
That's a pretty difficult job to do.
And then the haymaking.
Lots of work for the people. But the horses can be lazy.
Mmmh ...
But, you know ...
After a while mum and her colt will be separated.
He will be taken away from his mum? Poor thing.
But in order to become a good race horse ...
... there's no other choice.
Oh? Lying down again?
And eating grass at the same time.
He is a little bit cheeky.
One-year-old horses.
They become really strong within just one year.
They've grown so big.
What age would that be for a person?
About the time of middle school.
There is still something childish about them, right?
Sumo fighting! Show some spirit!
Lalalalalaaaa ...
What are they doing?
The horses that belong to small farms like this...
...will be sold at auctions once they reach the age of two.
They'll be sold?
Yes.
- There are quite a lot of them. - Yes.
They come from all over the region.
He doesn't like it.
The two-year-old horses are getting stronger every day.
Run! Run!
Run faster!
Keep running!
Is this how they learn?
Yes.
At this age they have more to do than just playing around.
Hard practice every morning.
That was exhausting!
It's not over yet ...
There's more hard training ahead.
Just strapping the saddle to their back is a tough task.
He hates it so much he's going crazy!
Yes ...
From the first time a saddle is attached ...
... until when he runs with a saddle, will take about two weeks.
Ah, he got away.
The Niigata Horse Turf.
Morning training again?
Yes.
The young horses are three years old and will have their first race today.
So they are like students getting ready for their university studies?
Yeah.
- The start-exam. - An exam?
Some do fail.
That's tough.
Those who don't pass this test won't be used for racing.
Again, this is very hard.
He doesn't want to get inside.
He has some kind of problem.
Maybe he's nervous.
Protesting again ...
If he doesn't hurry up, he will fail his exam.
In he gets.
Thank God for that.
Will he get in?
That's a perfect student.
Start!
So I guess that horse has passed his exam.
Individual checks.
To make sure they have the right data for each horse.
How many legs are there?
The afternoon riding practice.
Tomorrow is their first race, so they have to be ready.
What's this?
He's getting his horse shoes fitted.
Don't the nails hurt him?
Dinner time!
Dig in! Eat!
Horse's eyes are really big.
Start of the Niigata Horse Races
Three-year-old Rookie horses
Ready? Go!
Give your best! Run!
Ouch! They crashed!
Things like that happen.
Race Horse Health Research Institute
What's this?
A spa for horses.
They are getting washed here.
The temperature seems to be just right.
'The water is wonderful' ...
The life of kings!
Free to rest in the shadow in the trees.
The Tokyo Horse Turf in Fuchu.
Soon the derby for the 4-year-old horses will start.
The 38th JAPAN DERBY
Just a few of the 3000 horses born all over the country make it here.
Amazing!
Only strong contenders.
Don't they look hell-bent on winning!
What a fat horse!
A thoroughbred will keep running, even when his heart is bursting.
And will keep on running, even with a broken leg?
Yes.
He will run on and on.
The winner: Hikaru-Imai.
This is called the weighing room.
This is where everyone comes after the race.
That's the retired Speed-Symbol.
He lives in a pretty mansion.
He travels to cooler places for the summer vacation.
- In his own car. - Wow!
Thoroughbred SHINZAN
Shinzan.
The five-time champion.
Five trophies.
He has won all of the five big races.
What a great horse!
Shinzan and ...
... the future Shinzan.
Music: Masaru Sato Tokyo Chamber Orchestra
Narration: Noboru Mitani, Hiroyuki Kawase
Camera: Mitsuji Kanau Sound: Tetsuya Ohashi
Editing: Reiko Kaneko
Produced by Kurosawa Productions and Nippon Television
Subtitles: Totorochi
The End