The Ambitious (幕末)

TOHO FILMS, LTD. Presents

A NAKAMURA PRODUCTION

IN CO-OPERATION WITH KOCHI-PREFECTURE KAGOSHIMA-PREFECTURE

THE AMBITIOUS

Executive Producer OGAWA Kinichiro

From the novel by SHIBA Ryotaro Screenplay by ITO Daisuke Additional Material by HIRAO Michio

Music by SATO Masaru

Film Processing by TOKYO LABORATORIES

Production Managers ENDO Yoshikazu NAKAOKA Kiyoshi KATO Akio SUZUKI Issei

Cast

NAKAMURA Kinnosuke

YOSHINAGA Sayuri NAKADAI Tatsuya KOBAYASHI Keiju

NAKAMURA Katsuo KOYAMA Shigeru EBARA Shinjiro NAKAYA Noboru

MIKIMOTO Shinsuke MATSUYAMA Eitaro AMADA Toshiaki OTSUJI Shiro NITTA Shogen KATAYAMA Akihiko NIKI Terumi OTA Hiroyuki KAGAWA Ryosuke YAMAMOTO Gaku

NAGASHIMA Ryuichi FURUYA Ikko AOYAMA Hiroshi HOZUMI Pepe AKEDA Keiko NAKAMURA Tokinosuke SAWAI Saburo TANAKA Hiroshi

OKUDA Kiyoshi FUKUMOTO Isamu HASHIMOTO Senzo ASAWAKA Yoshitaro YASUDA Takashi SUZUKI Haruo

OGATA Shinnosuke KAGAWA Keiko

ERI Chiemi

NOSAKA Akiyuki YAMAGATA Isao

Dialect Coaches ANDO Takako OKUDA Kiyoshi

Narrator KUROSAWA Ryo

MIFUNE Toshiro

Directed by ITO Daisuke

TOSA KOCHI CASTLE

It's too much.

I'm very sorry for the delay.

I was sick for three days.

- Don't worry, I'll explain to the merchant later.

Here.

You better take it easy.

Here, this is for 2 rolls of fabric.

- I'm sorry, I'll make sure she's finished by tomorrow.

Yes.

Saichi! - Yes!

Go to the main house,

and ask them to use this pattern on the next fabric.

Yes, sir!

I'm leaving now. - Yes.

Hey, Umanosuke!

Where are you going?

Oh, I almost passed right by.

You're not paying attention.

I was getting an education.

Oh, it's raining.

- Hey! - Yes.

- Wait. - Yes.

You shouldn't wear straw sandals with your bad foot.

Take these!

- No, it's alright. I'm only a merchant.

How can I wear such sandals?

Don't worry! Don't worry!

- You have to be careful in such bad weather.

Here, take this!

Oh, no...

- Even though Takechi Hanpeita is trying to fight

the men he brings are like nothing!

Exactly!

Takechi is leading a group of mostly 'goshi' (Country samurai).

He's plotting together with a bunch of ronin.

About 30 or 40 men?

No, no!

Around 200 of them have already signed,

talking about Tosa 'Loyalists'.

They're acting like big shots!

They say "Revere the Emperor, expel the foreigners",

but meanwhile, behind the scenes

they plan to destroy the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Be careful of them...

Hey, Monk!

Get me an umbrella and some sandals!

- Yes! - Now!

That was some rain,

but it's stopped now.

Hey, Umanosuke...

Would you like to try some fresh manju...?

- Thank you! Thank you! - It's hot.

You clumsy oaf!

- Excuse me! Please forgive me!

A commoner like you has no right

to wear such expensive wooden sandals!

Please let me go!

Because of my injured foot in the rain,

I was given these wooden sandals to wear.

Please let me go!

Enough!

You're carrying an expensive umbrella, too.

Do you think it's alright to splash mud on a high ranking samurai?

I'll slice your head off! Be ready!

- Please forgive me! Please forgive me!

Thank you very much!

Please forgive me... Please...

Please forgive me...!

Forgive me... Forgive me... Please...!

What's wrong?

Hey, what happened?

What's the matter? Hey!

Oh, no! That poor guy...

- The poor guy? What...

What do you mean by that?

It's all my fault.

I gave him the wooden sandals and umbrella.

Are you trying to cover for him?

No, what I'm trying to say is...

What are you trying to say?

You're not allowed to speak to a samurai of high rank.

You're committing the same crime...

Be ready, too! - Please wait!

You've no choice! A fair fight!

Just a moment!

Hey... Take it!

- Please help! It's your brother!

Come to Seifuku Temple! - What?

You, there...!

Nimoto-sama!

Wait! - Let me go!

Nimoto-sama, stop, please!

It's very dangerous!

Please stop! Please stop...!

What's going on!

Did you do this?

Wait!

- "Promise to God that we will be obedient...

"and with clear mind, we unite with joy...

Oh, I can listen to that over and over!

- My blood flows and I want to dance when I hear that!

The Nakahira brothers are also coming,

so we'll have about 20 people at tonight's meeting.

Yes, that makes a total of 193 people.

We have so many people, but...

I disagree with Takechi talking about the Kinno.

Oh yeah?

I know the 'Loyalist' ideals are great,

but they shouldn't get involved with politics.

We have to make the high officials understand

and agree with us about the Kinno (Loyalists).

- Dogs! To them we're wild dogs!

They punch and kick us,

but we can't do anything!

What's going on!?!

Hey!

The Nakahira brothers are in a fight

with someone at Seifuku Temple!

Oh... Over there!

Wait!

They're trying to find Jukichiro-dono

and searching people's homes!

Oh! They are here!

Hey, did you see Nakahira Jukichiro?

Why do you want him?

What's your name?

Sakamoto Ryoma.

Sakamoto?

Oh, you're from 3 Chome, Honmachi,

aren't you?

You were in Edo learning swordsmanship, when did you

come back?

Hey!

It's impolite for you goshi to stand while talking to samurai!

- If... Jukichiro is here, you better hand him over!

If you don't... - No.

It's too bad. He is dead.

What? Is he dead?

He killed himself.

Like this?

You fool!

Even a 'country samurai' follows the code of Bushido.

So if that samurai killed himself,

how else but Seppuku...?

If that is so...

Can we have his corpse?

Bring it here!

I refuse!

You're just Yamada Hiroe's men,

so tell Yamada that Jukichiro died,

and your job is done.

All right!

After we check his corpse to make sure,

we'll leave!

- Checking the corpse is the work of the coroner.

It's not your job!

You can't ignore the law!

What?

- Smart mouth! - You're just a town samurai!

- Very well! Then... - We will be back!

Oh, Nakaoka-sama!

Welcome back! When did you arrive?

- Yeah, I just got back from my trip to Choshu.

I heard that Nakahira's younger brother is missing after a fight.

- Yes, his younger brother is... - Huh?

Well...

Nakahira-sama!

Any last words... for... the young lady?

- Please tell Miwa - Yes.

I wish her happiness.

I'll assist!

Takechi, you heard about the Nakahira brothers?

Yes, Manju-ya's Chojiro told me.

But we must decide what we can do about it.

For the time being, send the body to his house.

- We'll do that. It's all we can do for now.