TOHO CO. LTD.
A TOKYO EIGA CO. LTD. PRODUCTION
MEIJI 7 (1874)
TOKYO PRISON HACHIOJI BRANCH
KANAGAWA PREFECTURE
Yuki...
You will live your life carrying out my vendetta.
My poor child...
you are an asura demon.
LADY SNOWBLOOD
SENRYO
Step aside!
Out of our way, woman!
Who the hell are you?
Don't you recognize Genzo Shibayama,
leader of the Asakusa Senryo gang?
Kill her!
Bitch!
- Are you an assassin? - Little bitch!
Don't kill her! Make her spit out who hired her.
Who are you?
Tell me!
Who hired you to kill me?
Why?
Revenge.
For whom?
For the powerless people you made suffer.
Woman...
who the hell are you?
Lady Snowblood.
Produced by KIKUMARU OKUDA.
Screenplay by NORIO OSADA.
Original Authors KAZUO KOIKE and KAZUO KAMIMURA.
Cinematography by MASAKI TAMURA.
Production Design by KAZUO SATSUYA.
Music by MASAAKI HIRAO. The morning has died
Edited by OSAMU INOUE. And the snow falls in mourning
A stray dog howls.
And her geta clatter beneath her feet.
She bears the weight of karma.
As she walks gazing straight ahead.
Starring
MEIKO KAJI Embracing the darkness.
With her umbrella-sword.
TOSHIO KUROSAWA MASAAKI DAIMON
She walks the path dividing life and death.
MIYOKO AKAZA TAKEO CHII, NOBORU NAKAYA
Having long ago dried her tears.
YOSHIKO NAKADA AKEMI NEGISHI
KAORU KUSUDA SANAE NAKAHARA
Duty and feeling.
Dreams and tears.
Yesterday and today.
All these words mean nothing to her now.
Long ago she threw them all.
Featuring EIJI OKADA, KO NISHIMURA.
Into the river of vengeance.
Directed by TOSHIYA FUJITA.
CHAPTER ONE: VOW OF VENGEANCE
A THREAD OF BLOOD CONNECTING LOVE AND HATE
Over 20 years have passed since the Meiji era began,
ending 300 years of peaceful Tokugawa rule.
Prattle about "civilization" and "Western thought"
has seemingly taken root in people's minds,
yet factions of former clans still vie for power
and greedy conglomerates abound, as do dishonest merchants,
officials who care only about getting rich,
and countless men and women living lives of debauchery.
Meanwhile, the common people struggle in poverty,
their cries unheard by heaven.
Into this world an asura, or demigod, was born in female form.
All could see her face as pretty as a flower,
but none could know that in her fair and graceful breast
there raged a desire to hunt down her enemies.
People say you can't wash away the mud of this world
with pure white snow:
You need asura snow, stained fiery red.
Excuse me...
I'd like to see Mr. Matsuemon.
Where is your leader, Mr. Matsuemon?
Please take me to him.
Come with me.
Follow him.
Pass her around!
We share everything that comes here.
That's our custom!
Pass her around!
The vagina goddess has graced us with a visit!
- Now you've done it, bitch! - She got me!
Kill the slut!
Stop!
Stop it!
Fool! Idiot!
Son of a bitch!
Jackasses!
Stop yowling like a bunch of stray dogs in heat!
- But boss... - Shut up!
This lady is a very important guest.
You know that bastard Genzo Shibayama
who tried to use his money to destroy our village?
You know who hacked him to pieces?
She did!
You have the face of someone who wouldn't hurt a fly,
but I hear that you kill for a living.
Tell me, Lady Snowblood, what brings you here?
Mr. Matsuemon...
I humbly ask for your help in finding those individuals.
Banzo Takemura,
Gishiro Tsukamoto, Okono Kitahama.
Aren't they all from the village of Koichi
in Aimi County, Shimane Prefecture?
That's where I was born!
It's taken me an entire year to find you.
But tell me: Why?
Do you remember the Blood Tax Riots of 1873?
The Blood Tax Riots?
I'm not unaware of them.
Some exploited the situation
and made a lot of money
by swindling the villagers with a draft-dodging scam.
Those three fled with the money.
I don't know the details,
but I heard there were four of them, not three.
That's correct.
Of the four, Tokuichi Shokei is now dead.
He was killed.
I beg of you...
please find those three.
Even were I to try,
I know only their names,
not what they look like.
If anyone can do it, you can.
Many people must still know them.
Your organization is nationwide.
If you follow the leads, you're sure to find them.
I'm not saying it's impossible...
but what exactly are you after?
I doubt you were even born back in 1873.
Even before we enter this world,
we are marked by karma.
All young men of the nation
must register for the draft by the age of 17,
to be enlisted in time of emergency or external threat
in either homeland defense or expeditionary forces.
Family heads must register their 16-year-olds
by November 10 of each year.
At age 20,
registered males will be inducted...
Over 20 years earlier, in March of 1873,
our nation's first draft ordinance had been issued
by the Grand Council of State.
The new government's intent to build a "rich country and strong army,"
a modern nation to rival Europe and America,
was clearly reflected in that ordinance.
But the peasants considered the measure unreasonable,
and their discontent soon exploded in riots.
There was no end in sight,
with countless incidents of looting, arson, and vandalism.
Many rumors circulated, particularly about "men in white,"
said to be pawns of the new government,
who killed conscripts and drained their blood.
This was the root of the tragic incident that changed everything.
MEIJI 6 (1873)
KOICHI VILLAGE, AIMI COUNTY SHIMANE PREFECTURE
Shiro!
Let me go!
- Mommy! - Shiro!
Let me go!
Mommy!
Look! He's wearing white! He's one of them!
- He's a conscription officer! - Kill him!
Don't be absurd!
I'm the new elementary school teacher.
Shut up and die!
GISHIRO TSUKAMOTO
BANZO TAKEMURA
TOKUICHI SHOKEI
My husband!
OKONO KITAHAMA
This is an outrage!
Why?
Darling!
Has the time come?
Soon.
You should go.
There's nothing more obstructing your path.
Thanks to the many years you've spent training me.
I have no way to repay you, and that saddens me.
Nonsense.
You've made an unbreakable vow.
In the name of vengeance you must forswear all human emotions,
all love and hate, everything.
So set aside your sadness.
Such words don't suit an asura.
An asura?
Master, how often you've scolded me
by calling me that.
SAYO KASHIMA
TORA KOBAYASHI
You are an asura, not a being of this realm.
You are a diabolical fiend,
one who walks the asura path in human form.
Even the Buddha has forsaken you.
Sayo, you have to hold on!
Otora, what's taking so long?
I've helped with a lot of births in this jail,
but I've never seen one this difficult.
If we force things, Sayo could die.
Even if I die...
save the baby!
Please... Otora!
Oh, no!
It's a breech baby!
I don't care!
Just save my baby!
You don't even know who the father is!
If my baby is stillborn...
I swear I'll kill you, Otora!
But why did those four do such an awful thing?
For the money.
The money?
They told the people there was a rule
that if you paid 270 yen,
you'd be excused from service.
They swindled the poor villagers out of tens of thousands of yen.
They split the money equally
and fled as planned.
Tokuichi Shokei lusted after me...
and took me with him to Tokyo.
There he opened a little eatery.
I did as he said, waiting for the right moment.
I killed Tokuichi...
and was hunting down the other three
when I was arrested.
Three of my enemies remain.
But I'm in prison for life.
I can no longer avenge myself
with my own hands.
So you intend for this child to...
That's why you wanted a strong boy.
Otora...
remember how many times you said...
"You're a nymphomaniac!"
But it's all right. It was true.
All I wanted was a baby...
and so I...
At the women's prison in Ichigaya...
and later, when I arrived here...
I acted like a mad bitch in heat.
I seduced one man after another and had sex with them all.
You all despised me.
There are things I've left undone in the outside world...
wrongs that must be avenged,
even if takes seven lives.
So I'm passing on this vendetta to my child.
I will die, and my spirit will possess her.
That's the only way I can get my revenge.
Otora...
I beg of you.
Okiku, look after her.
You must bear this vendetta,
my poor child.
My asura.
Yuki...
do not fail to destroy our enemies...
your father's...
your big brother's...
and mine.
Yuki...
avenge me.
Sayo!
Otora Mikazuki was soon released
and took the baby
to live under the care of Dokai, a priest and former vassal.
An asura child needs discipline,
and Dokai was a brutal disciplinarian.
Her mother's vendetta and grief weighed on her slight shoulders,
but young Yuki bit her lip and endured it all.
MEIJI 15 (1882)
YUKI KASHIMA, AGE 8
Push hard against the barrel.
Don't get thrown out.
Yes, sir.
Get ready.
Yuki!
Get up! On your feet!
Again!
You must stay inside until the barrel stops!
You were not born as a human child,
but as an asura,
one who gives her life to avenge another.
You mustn't forget that even for a moment.
Feel like a beast! Become a beast!
Where are you looking? Look me in the eye!
You must look me in the eye!
Idiot! Get up!
What's the matter with you?
Come on!
What's that look?
Climb out of there!
At long last...
At long last I've made it this far.
Mother.
Though born and raised as an asura,
the warmth of human compassion never left her heart.
Her mother's face, branded in her memory, filled her with grief,
yet her journey of vengeance was far from over.
That day marked the 20th anniversary of her mother Sayo's death.
CHAPTER TWO
BAMBOO WIVES AND TEARS OF WRATH
Not many days later,
a letter arrived from Matsuemon, leader of the beggar clan.
One of Yuki's targets, Banzo Takemura,
had been located.
Dad, I'll go sell the "bamboo wives" I've made.
I feel bad, making you do all the work.
It's not your fault.
There are so many orders, I just can't keep up.
Really?
They're selling that well?
- Did you see me? - Why did you do that?
They wouldn't sell anyway.
Here. For you.
I made it.
What's your name?
Kobue Takemura.
Why?
Good-bye.
HAMAKATSU
Here's your usual three yen. Please count it.
It's correct, sir.
One more thing.
Here.
Take it.
Your customer tonight is a prefectural official,
and one of my important financial backers.
Please don't make any mistakes.
I understand.
Kobue, is that you?
You two, eh?
Who'd you think it was?
What happened to you, Takemura?
You're looking pale.
We're here today representing the house of Hamakatsu.
Looks like Kobue isn't home yet.
She went out to sell her wares.
Probably shopping on her way home.
What's so funny?
Listen...
why don't you open your eyes?
You think she's really selling those bamboo wives?
Idiot.
Your daughter throws everything she makes
into the sea.
But she brings home money.
Want to know where that money comes from?
Look here.
Eighty yen in all.
These loans came due a long time ago.
That's bullshit!
It's all your fault.
You wound up selling her off!
The poor thing.
Has to scrounge up money
to pay for her drunk dad's booze and medicine.
Shut up! Kobue would never do such a thing!
New round.
Place your bets.
Hey, is that woman the new traveling gambler?
Yes, sir. From Sanshu. No gang affiliation.
Said her name is Yuki.
She's a real looker. Turns me on.
She's not just some petty crook.
We have a one.
It's a one.
Banzo!
Next round.
We begin.
Place your bets, please.
It's a four.
Next round.
We begin.
Place your bets.
We begin.
Next round.
We begin.
Bets, please.
- No more bets! - Score!
Hold it!
Takemura...
may I speak to you?
Please forgive me.
I can't do that.
Spare me.
Let's roll him up in a bamboo mat and throw him into the sea.
What's the rush? We'll torture him first.
Please forgive me!
You can have Kobue.
Too late for that!
Please wait.
As the dealer, I should have spotted his cheating.
Allow me to compensate you.
This is none of your business! Get out!
What's all the racket?
What is it you want, stranger?
For my own special reasons,
I beg you to spare his life no matter what.
I think you saw him cheating but pretended not to.
Very well.
Masa, Kame...
- let him go. - Boss!
It's no use getting worked up over everything.
Thank you, sir.
Son of a bitch!
Show your face in here again
and I'll chop you in pieces and feed you to the pigs!
Oh!
What brings you here?
If anything should happen, you can come to Tokyo.
Okiku of Tajire, in Block 7 in Ueno,
can put you in touch with me.
But I can't just leave my dad here.
You're still here?
I owe you one for earlier.
But honestly, it was all the same to me
whether I lived or died.
If it weren't for my daughter -.
But tell me, why even bother with me?
Because we have unfinished business, Banzo Takemura.
Shall we go?
Go? Where?
Are you...
I've been sent to escort you to where you truly belong.
Come along now.
It's time to embark on your final journey.
Who are you?
Who the hell are you? What are you gonna do to me?
Are you afraid, Banzo?
I bet you are.
A man like you
must have horrible memories he can never forget.
What are you talking about?
A long time ago...
you lived in the village of Koichi.
Along with Gishiro Tsukamoto...
Okono Kitahama...
and Tokuichi Shokei...
in your scheme to swindle money from unsuspecting villagers,
you mercilessly killed a man.
You raped his wife for three days and nights.
I don't know what you're talking about!
Take a good look at my face.
Doesn't it resemble...
that of the woman you tortured?
My name is Snowblood.
I'm the daughter of a woman
who died in prison cursing your name:
Sayo Kashima.
It was wrong!
I was wrong to do it!
They made me do it!
Not a day goes by that I don't remember it.
Forgive me!
Where is Gishiro?
Where is Okono?
I don't know!
I really don't know!
Please forgive me! Spare me!
I will do neither!
Please!
Please don't kill me.
I beg you!
Please!
If I die...
what will become of Kobue, my daughter?
Please!
For her sake -.
An eye for an eye!
"Everything is transitory, bound by the laws of birth and death."
With one of her enemies slain,
it is now the break of dawn.
The wild roar of the sea
is like an echo of the feelings
in Yuki's heart.
The path of vengeance seems to grow ever longer.
CHAPTER THREE
BLOOD-SOAKED UMBRELLA, GRIEF SCATTERED LIKE FLOWERS
GISHIRO TSUKAMOTO
TAJIRE
I understand how she feels.
When we heard from you that Gishiro was dead...
she didn't want to believe it, no matter what I said.
But now that she's seen his tombstone with her own eyes,
she has to accept it.
Damn it!
If only...
If only I'd begun my search earlier...
When did he die?
Three years ago.
Shipwrecked on a voyage to America, they say.
People say he was involved with some foreigners
smuggling opium.
Three years ago?
Yuki had just come to me
to learn how to pick pockets.
The training I received from the priest...
and from you, Auntie...
was all so that I could avenge my mother with my own hands.
Gishiro was the ringleader.
He was the one I most longed to strike down
with the sword of my mother's vengeance.
Yuki!
Be strong!
You still have an enemy left to face.
Mr. Matsuemon...
I beg of you.
Find Okono Kitahama as quickly as you can.
My men are spread out searching as we speak...
but there's only so much we can do.
Looking for someone?
We meet at last. I've been looking everywhere.
- What do you want? - I'd like you to explain something.
That tombstone belonged
to a certain Gishiro Tsukamoto, right?
There's nothing I can tell you.
I think there is.
One doesn't chop up flowers left at a grave
for no reason.
You hated that man.
It's none of your business.
My name is Ryurei Ashio.
I publish a rag called The People's Courier
and sometimes write novels for fun.
You might call me curiosity personified.
If I catch a whiff of something, I start sniffing around.
- Like a stray dog. - That's right.
If I find some leftover meat, that's a good day.
You'd best stay away from me.
Why?
Indiscriminate curiosity can kill.
- Is that a threat? - Take it as you like.
People call me an extortionist.
My newspaper's a weapon. I find people's weaknesses
and exploit them. I'm a dirty blackmailer.
So when someone threatens me instead,
it makes me even more curious.
What are you after?
I'm not trying to blackmail you.
I just want to know the truth.
Stay away from me.
LADY SNOWBLOOD
BY RYUREI ASHIO
Back in 1873...
a fate worse than hell
befell an innocent family, victims of a blood-chilling plot.
Many years have passed.
Who's seeking revenge? And for what?
Who cries a river of revenge, lost in a whirlpool of karma?
Who kills without rules,
knows no forgiveness, roams seeking her enemies,
and leaves them dead without a second look?
Her name is Snowblood, child of vengeance.
It's true.
It was I who told Ryurei Ashio about you.
But why?
I can't understand your intention.
Don't you see?
It's bait to lure out your one remaining enemy...
Okono Kitahama.
Matsuemon's search has its limits.
But if Ryurei's novel becomes a hit...
Okono will certainly read it.
When she does, she'll surely make a move.
On that day, you will attain your long-cherished wish.
Besides...
I've taken an odd liking
to this Ryurei fellow.
He's a talented writer
who's full of hostility and hatred
for the powers that be.
He may be a rogue,
but I consider him the ideal man
to write your tale, the story of an asura.
But will Okono really make a move?
Will she really reveal herself?
You must be patient and wait.
Yuki, you mustn't rush things.
If the winds of carnage that carry the asura snowflake aloft
happen to give her a brief moment of tranquility,
the Buddha won't punish her just for that.
Going to Mount Kazusa.
And looking down on the valley below.
A child picks up a pebble.
She was born to settle a score
and wreak vengeance,
yet just hearing the children sing moved her to trembling.
As she turned away to walk her path alone,
her guiding light grew distant and faint.
Please tell me...
that this is all fiction.
That you made it all up!
No...
I wrote nothing but the truth.
So it's the truth?
It's the truth.
Then Yuki killed my dad after all.
Just who are you?
I'm Banzo Takemura's daughter.
This is horrible!
Now we have another girl seeking vengeance.
The two of you were born...
under unlucky stars.
Wait!
Wait a minute!
You could never understand how I feel!
I do!
I understand.
Are you Ryurei Ashio?
Yeah. What do you want?
Your "Lady Snowblood" story is so realistic
that it has people confused and outraged.
You're coming to headquarters!
- This is absurd. - Quiet!
Son of a bitch!
Calm down!
Get going!
Who's there?
Who are you?
Kobue Takemura.
Kobue?
Takemura?
You must be Banzo's daughter!
- Looking for Yuki? - I never want to see her again!
Then what brings you here?
Ryurei Ashio got arrested by some cops.
I didn't realize there's a police station
in the Kagetsu restaurant.
Wait! Just a minute!
Take that!
Son of a bitch! Gonna be stubborn, huh?
Get up!
Scum!
Take that!
Come on! Out with it!
Where's Snowblood?
I read the story in your paper very carefully.
It's all clearly based on fact.
You couldn't have written it without knowing Yuki!
Okono Kitahama, you've revealed yourself, as expected.
So the blood money you ruthlessly pocketed 20 years ago
pays for this bizarre den of demons, huh?
How nice.
Silence!
Tell me! Where's Yuki?
Tell me!
I don't know! I don't know her.
Pigheaded fool!
Beat him till he talks!
I want to see you suffer!
Suffer!
That's enough. Leave him for now.
But...
He's no good to us dead.
- He'll be our bait. - Bait?
Yeah. Yuki's bound to show up.
She's here!
So you've come, Snowblood. I've been waiting.
Okono Kitahama...
we meet at last.
That's right. I did exactly as you hoped.
A sand bomb!
- Let's get out of here! - Hold your breath!
Be careful!
Snowblood!
Okono...
Did she get away?
It's all over, Yuki -
your vendetta, your revenge.
Can it really be over?
- Is this how it ends? - Yes, it's all done now.
Forget it all.
Can the bloodied snow return to its gentle purity?
Born in prison, a child of vengeance...
can you return to a normal life?
I remember...
everything I saw...
when I was born.
I still see that scene before my eyes.
That's why...
my mother's vengeance is my own.
Her revenge is my revenge.
CHAPTER FOUR
Just as I thought: You're alive after all.
I hoped I was hallucinating.
Why did you fake your own death?
Who are you talking about?
The petty crook Gishiro Tsukamoto?
He died three years ago in a shipwreck -.
No, he's alive!
He's right in front of me!
The boat you were on was shipwrecked,
but since the police wanted you for smuggling opium,
the shipwreck was a perfect opportunity to fake your own death!
You survived...
to live a life even more crooked than before.
You haven't changed a bit
since you ran away ten years ago.
Why are you here?
To make sure you forget
about Gishiro Tsukamoto and the man you think you saw.
Forget about all that.
Your "Lady Snowblood" tale is over.
It ended with Okono Kitahama's death.
There's nothing more to write.
Is that a threat? How like you.
No.
Just giving you some advice.
Let me tell you something.
I'm now mostly in the arms trade.
Even the government can't buy arms without my involvement.
Japan's about to plunge into war. You hear the slogans:
"Rich country, strong army." "Grow the military."
I'm playing a role in expanding the empire.
I have no time for some stupid 20-year-old tale
of revenge.
I spend most days at the Rokumeikan,
where supposedly proposals are advanced
to revise our unequal treaties with the West.
The Rokumeikan:
symbol of Meiji-era Westernization and European thought.
What really goes on there
is nothing but nightly parties for the elite,
who indulge their desires and lust for pleasure.
But all around them society is changing,
and I intend to ride the waves of change,
seizing ever more money and power.
"Justice," "conscience," and "rebellion" are all well and good,
but in the end they're just words here in this filthy hole.
Forget your newspapers.
If you want, you can come work for me.
I severed all ties with you long ago.
Very well. I'll just say this:
Don't probe any further.
Back off.
That's my final word of advice. From the heart.
Ryu...
Gishiro is alive.
He was just here.
The rickshaw!
Wait!
He won't get away. I'll finish him off.
Listen. There's something I have to tell you.
Gishiro Tsukamoto...
is my father.
When I realized one of your enemies was my father...
my only comfort was knowing he was dead.
I wouldn't have been able to write your story otherwise.
But when Kitahama was killed...
at that moment I realized who killed her.
That's why I couldn't tell you. I just couldn't.
I've stopped writing "Lady Snowblood."
I can't write it anymore.
But...
CHAPTER FOUR
THE PLEASURE PALACE, FINAL SCENE OF CARNAGE
ROKUMEIKAN CHARITY MASQUERADE
Wait!
Back off.
That's my final word of advice. From the heart.
Damn it!
This is just like him.
His hands are clean
no matter who kills or is killed.
His problems are solved either way.
Ryu!
Gishiro Tsukamoto...
I'm going to kill you.
It's all I've thought about these 20 years.
Nothing else.
That's about to end now.
Yes, it's about to end now.
Yuki, don't worry about me!
Do it!
Yuki, hurry!
Hurry!
An eye for an eye!
The morning has died.
And the snow falls in mourning.
A stray dog howls.
And her geta clatter beneath her feet.
She bears the weight of karma.
As she walks gazing straight ahead.
Embracing the darkness.
With her umbrella-sword.
She walks the path dividing life and death.
Having long ago dried her tears.
THE END