MUBI

Takezo goes to battle trying to make a name for himself. His friend Matahashi follows him, leaving behind a fiance. The battle does not go well and as they stagger back home they stop to be cared for at the isolated home of a mother and daughter. The mother and daughter use abandoned supplies from dead soldiers to make trades with bandits. Still both men fall for the daughter (Oko), but later when the mother lies about Takezo attacking her, Oko becomes bitter. Takezo is left behind, when the women decide to leave hurriedly and take Matahashi along as their protector from bandits. Matahashi will not return to his fiance. Takezo is known to be wild and unruly and so is not wanted when he returns to his hometown to break the news to his friend’s mother (Osugi) and fiance (Otsu). Mother Osugi blames Takezo for everything. He is outlawed and hunted around the hills of the town. A wise priest (Takuan) realizes it is not by force and numbers that Takezo will be caught, and heads to the hills to bring Takezo to justice. Otsu starts preferring the company of the priest and Takezo instead of the sad memories at mother Osugi’s house. The priest begins to teach Takezo how to be a man, not an animal, suggesting that the fight in his spirit is a good thing if he could just use it for the good of man. Eventually Takezo and Otsu run away to start a new life together but Otsu is captured and this renews the anger in Takezo. The priest must intervene again making sure Otsu is safe, and resorts to more extreme measures by locking Takezo in a room with a bunch of books to force him to become educated and be introspective. Years go by… Finally Takezo’s name is changed to Musashi Miyamoto, a name more appropriate for a samurai. By now Oko have a daughter, Akemi. Musashi has more training to accomplish but cannot resist seeing Otsu one more time before he goes, even though the priest advised him to cut himself off from his past. Takezo now has a new life before him, many travels, and a couple more movies!