13 Assassins (2010 film)

Plot[edit]

In 1844, during the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate is in decline. Lord Matsudaira Naritsugu of Akashi sadistically rapes, tortures, mutilates and murders nobles and commoners, but is protected by the Shōgun, his half-brother. With Naritsugu due to ascend to the Shogunate Council, the Shōgun's Justice Minister, Sir Doi Toshitsura, realizes that this ascendance will cause civil war between the Shōgun and the many feudal lords Naritsugu has offended. The Mamiya clan's feudal lord publicly commits seppuku as a protest against the Shōgun's refusal to punish Naritsugu, who had personally murdered the feudal lord's entire family. When the Shōgun insists upon Naritsugu's promotion, Sir Doi hires a trusted older samurai, Shimada Shinzaemon, to assassinate Naritsugu. However, Naritsugu's loyal retainers led by Hanbei, an old contemporary of Shinzaemon, learn of the plot by spying on Doi.


Shinzaemon gathers ten more samurai, including his nephew, Shinrokurō, plus one rōnin, to attack Naritsugu during his official journey from Edo to Akashi. Before Naritsugu leaves, Hanbei confronts Shinzaemon over the plot. The assassins decide to ambush Naritsugu at the town of Ochiai, predicting that he will insist on carrying out his pre-announced visit of Naegi and thus pass through Ochiai. During the assassins' journey to Ochiai, they stop at a town where they are attacked by rōnin paid off by Hanbei. Fearing more attacks, the assassins leave the roads, instead trekking through the mountains, but lose their way. They rescue a hunter, Kiga Koyata, who guides them to Ochiai and volunteers to become the thirteenth assassin.


The assassins enlist the help of Makino, a feudal lord whose daughter-in-law was raped and son murdered by Naritsugu. Using troops with firearms, Makino blocks the official highway, forcing Naritsugu to take a detour. Makino then commits seppuku to conceal his involvement in the conspiracy. Sensing a trap, Hanbei advises Naritsugu to avoid Naegi, but Naritsugu refuses as this would publicly embarrass him. Naritsugu acknowledges that visiting Naegi is unsafe, but also exciting. Meanwhile, the assassins, with the legal authority and generous financial assistance of Doi, buy the help of Ochiai to convert the town into an elaborate maze of booby traps and camouflaged fortifications.


Naritsugu and his retinue arrive at Ochiai, with reinforcements arranged by Hanbei, increasing their number from 70 to 200. As Ochiai's civilians escape, the 13 assassins trap Naritsugu's party in Ochiai. A lengthy battle begins, with the assassins first using arrows and explosives, then using swords for melee combat, with the exception of Koyata, who fights with rocks in slings and with sticks. While many of Naritsugu's retainers are killed, Naritsugu is aroused by the bloodshed of the battle and declares that when he ascends to the Shogunate Council, he will start wars reminiscent of the Sengoku Period.


While most of the Akashi forces are defeated, at least 10 of the assassins perish, with several fighting until they collapsed dead from their injuries. Eventually, Shinzaemon and Shinrokurō confront Naritsugu, Hanbei and two remaining retainers. Shinzaemon argues that Naritsugu will ruin the realm, but Hanbei insists on loyalty to his master. Shinzaemon duels Hanbei and decapitates him after kicking mud into Hanbei's eyes, while Shinrokurō slays the last two Akashi retainers. Naritsugu kicks Hanbei's decapitated head away and announces that the people and the samurai have only one purpose: to serve their lords. Shinzaemon counters that that lords cannot live without the support of the people and that, if a lord abuses his power, the people will rise up against him. Naritsugu and Shinzaemon mortally wound each other. Crying, crawling in the mud, and experiencing rare fear and pain, Naritsugu thanks Shinzaemon for causing the most exciting day of Naritsugu's life. Naritsugu is decapitated by Shinzaemon, who succumbs to his wounds.


Shinrokurō wanders through the carnage and Koyata runs up, appearing virtually unharmed despite being impaled through the neck by Naritsugu and slashed in the stomach by Hanbei. Koyata dismisses his previous injuries as trivial. Shinrokurō and Koyata leave separately, with Shinrokurō intending to become a bandit or travel to America, while Koyata vows to elope with his lover. An epilogue states that Naritsugu's death was officially attributed to illness, and that 23 years later, the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown during the Meiji Restoration.