Frustrated with the bad behavior of his lord, Inaba Yajuro (Otomo) declares that he is leaving the clan and sets off on a journey that leads him into a small town besieged by a violent group of brigands. In a kind of homage to Kurosawa's 7 Samurai, the townspeople have been unable to defend themselves and Inaba sets out to teach them how to stand up for themselves. Meanwhile the vile Lord Yasumasa has sent the 4 finest swordsmen in the clan out to hunt Inaba down and kill him. Led by the magnificent Ichibei (Konoe), a master of weaponry in his own right, everything points to an ultimate showdown between the former friends in a battle to the death.
Gonza was a handsome young laborer, a footman and spear-carrier, working hard for his meager wage. All Gonza wanted was to marry his young sweetheart, but despite their mutual poverty, her status as the daughter of a samurai blocked their path to happiness. A chance opportunity to achieve samurai status would come one day, but Gonza will regret trusting the so-called honorable samurai who extended this fateful offer, and the terrible price he'd pay, fighting for his life in one of the most blood-spattered samurai battles ever filmed.
История о тяжёлой жизни японских бедняков, об унизительном положении японских женщин и о том, как доведённые до отчаяния бедняки организуются на борьбу за свои права.
Matsu-yan
Изысканно стилизованная картина о старинной традиции избавляться от стариков. Тех, кто не может уже работать и приносить пользу, относили на гору Нараяма, где души их вскоре отлетали к богам. Одна из женщин, уже под семьдесят лет, стоически принимает свою судьбу, выживая только на одной силе духа. Другая жертва противится смерти от рук жестокого сына, который убивает старика и сам, в свою очередь, становится жертвой убийства.
