My name is Yamada Nagamasa.
I am a soIdier
attached to the Japanese volunteer army.
Fate brought me here.
I have a secret that can be shared
with no one.
This dark secret must end
with my enemies.
This series of events occurred
after King Naresuan
waged the elephant war
against Hongsawadee.
Though Ayothaya won the war,
peace was hard to come by...
A group of mysterious men dressed
as soldiers of the Hongsawadee army
robbed Siamese people,
causing much grief and sorrow.
King Naresuan issued orders
to all village headmen
and the voIunteer armies of various nations
to find the assaiIants at aII costs.
l have been assigned
by the Japanese volunteer army chief
to find these cuIprits as weII.
They are Japanese
but dressed as Hongsawadee warriors.
They raided the people of Ayothaya,
causing hardship all around.
No one else must know of this treachery.
Bring me the culprit responsible for this
and I will give him to the King of Ayothaya,
so he can behead him.
Yes, sir.
Thank you all for coming
You have come to the famous pIace
with the Sengen Shrine
Come on up, come have a Iisten
to two or three Suruga stories
Taira's Okubo TempIe dedicated to Kannon
Large bush-clover trees, cut in eight
A beard of katsura trees
in an eight-bush clover temple
lnside the temple, the all-knowing Kannon
The assigned position of the temples
in the 33 Kannon Temple Pilgrimage
The first, Nachisan
The second, Kimiidera
Next, Kokawa
The fourth, the fourth...
The most essential, Wada Temple
but Kannon who loves stories
became absorbed while reading
and forgot to mention it
Somehow, he forgot to get
the stamp of the amulet issuing temple
Leaving it to others, he left it out
of the thread of the narrow path
Finally arriving at the 33 Temple Pilgrimage
it was excluded, the eight cut into two
Leaving it to others, he left it out
of the thread of the narrow path
A daydreamer, he is called Kannon
who forgot it from the book
So he didn't forget again
they made him carry a brush and notebook
Keshi Temple in Shigoshiga Valley
Surrounded by bushy trees, sitting squarely
is Geshi Hikoroku, the lord of Shiga
Thank you all for coming
You have come to the famous pIace
with the Sengen Shrine
Come on up, come have a Iisten
to two or three Suruga stories
Leaving it to others, leaving it to others...
You...
I never wanted to kill my fellow Japanese.
We don't know who this man is.
After buying iron ingots,
we saw him being attacked
so we helped him
and brought him back here.
We rowed through the night
until noon the day after.
He shouId have died from his wounds.
We never imagined that he was so tough.
He is a foreigner. Can we trust him?
I've heaIed wounded animaIs.
This is a human being.
How can I Ieave him to die?
Now, Sasaki knows that
the attackers are Japanese.
We have to stop everything
before it becomes a problem for us.
You must bring Yamada to me.
Wherever you find him, kill him at once,
and report to me immediately.
Champa...
White face is awake.
He has come to his senses.
Water...
White face can speak our language.
The complexion of your face is
as fair as a woman.
The hair is long too, isn't it, Champa?
Krathin, help me bring some herbs
to put on the wound of White face.
He became conscious
so I don't think he will die.
Yes.
Where is this place?
The city of Phitsanuloke Song Kwae.
The selection of the King's bodyguards
this time
will be personally overseen
by King Naresuan himself.
This man's name is Sua.
He is King Naresuan's chief bodyguard.
He is my student.
I brought him to teach you
martial art techniques.
He looks so young.
What will he be able to teach us?
All of you listen to me.
Our homeland is now in trouble.
The treacherous Hongsawadee
want our land.
This is why all of you must unite as one.
Don't just think or talk.
All of you must act.
Once we are born,
all of us have to die eventually.
But the value of our death is different.
Some bear the weight of a mountain,
while some are as light as a feather.
All of you should think.
Did you find Yamada?
No, sir. I believe he is already dead.
Three Japanese were killed.
He was probably silenced.
Kuroda, you must search all of Ayothaya
to find the mastermind responsible.
Yes, sir.
Where is my sword?
We refer to the eclipse
as the celestial dog swallowing the moon.
There's nothing for you to worry about.
Have you regained your strength already?
While you are here
you don't need the sword.
The people of Ayothaya live in peace.
Everyone is friendly.
I don't know who your enemies are,
but all I know is that if you stay here,
all you will have are friends.
Who is sneaking around over there?
It's just you.
What do you want from me?
I have come to thank you
for healing my wound
even though l am a foreigner.
It is not important.
Right now the people of Ayothaya
don't care about anything else
but about our country
and King Naresuan.
How to protect him...
If we don't have King Naresuan
then Ayothaya will not exist.
Do you understand?
Why did you come here, Japanese?
Kham?
It's me. What's up?
I thank all of you for saving my life.
Never mind. You are not Hongsa,
the sworn enemy of Ayothaya.
The Japanese are King Naresuan's allies
who are ready to die for Ayothaya
and King Naresuan.
So, I consider you my friend.
Friend.
Each sword that I make must taste
the blood of the damned Hongsawadee.
Staying here,
amongst strangers close to me
makes me feel
even more comfortabIe than with
my own relatives who are far away.
They offer love and kindness to me,
a foreigner,
As if our bIood is of the same coIour.
This friendship given to me is like water
that nurtures the heart and the body.
lt gives me the courage
to overcome any obstacle.
l don't feel like l am alone any more.
l never imagined that friendship
would grow into something much bigger.
Why are the Japanese
trying to kill each other?
His identity is not as important
as to whether he is a good person or not.
I am worried that the Japanese will bring
his enemies to our homeland.
Since the incident
he hasn't spoken a single word.
I don't want to interfere
with his personal business.
If he wants to tell us he will talk.
And you don't need to ask him.
Sometimes people need to keep secrets
because once revealed,
it could lead to trouble.
If it was you, would you talk?
So why do his fellow Japanese
want him dead?
The Japanese killed each other...
What does it have to do with you?
Don't complicate things
since no trouble has come to us.
I am sure he is not a bad guy.
What you should be worried about is
the selection of the King's chief bodyguards.
Champa, you need not worry.
Will you help him, brother?
He will be all right. Phra Khru will help him.
Do you want us to deal with him?
No.
Yamada is not a native of Ayothaya.
He can't stay there for long.
He will come back one day.
And that day will be the day he dies!
It is a secret that must die with me.
l will not allow anyone to tarnish
the reputation of the Japanese peopIe
by accusing us of treason against Ayothaya.
Painful memories are like a sharp blade
that can hurt us.
Since you don't want to talk about it
you don't have to.
At the time I decided
to leave my birthplace of Suruga,
Japan was a country in chaos
as warlords fought for power.
No matter who came to power,
those defeated would be killed.
I am just a soldier of a lord
who lost his power.
l have no relatives
which is why l thought about
finding a new life
and decided to come to Ayothaya.
We are volunteer mercenaries in the army
of King Naresuan.
A soldier is born to fight
no matter where he is.
Power struggles exist everywhere,
but it's a good thing
that Japan has never been
conquered by a foreign power.
It is different here in Ayothaya
because we are constantly attacked
by the armies of Hongsawadee.
Becoming a vassal state of your enemy
is not only physically painful,
but your honour is also compromised.
You wouldn't understand.
So, is this your Japanese martial art?
Can your Japanese martial art compete
against that of Ayothaya, White face?
I am sorry, Champa.
I didn't think it would turn out like this.
White face, don't fight with Master Sua.
You cannot beat him.
There is only one person
who can beat Master Sua.
What do you want?
I want to be your student.
Please teach me Thai boxing.
Your martial art technique is pretty good.
You don't need to learn from me.
Learning from an experienced teacher
for a single day is far better
than practising by oneself.
And why do I have to teach you?
Ayothaya's boxing is our national treasure.
lt doesn't belong to foreigners.
And more importantly your blood
is not the same colour as mine.
My blood is Ayothaya blood,
yours is Japanese.
Yes. But now I live in Ayothaya
and when I die,
the soil of Ayothaya will cover my face.
It is not my birthplace
but where my soul will rest.
Who taught you to talk like this?
All the people of Ayothaya here taught me...
Taught you what?
They taught me the difference
between an honourable death
and one that is not.
lf one dies for the country
and King Naresuan,
no matter how many lifetimes one is born,
it is still worth giving up one's life.
At this moment, my heart is Ayothaya.
ln Ayothaya, if someone wants
to learn any art or discipline,
they will need a teacher.
From now on, you have a teacher.
You must be virtuous and never use
Ayothaya's martial arts to bully others,
but only use it for protecting
the country and yourself.
You cannot fight with others
if you are not at peace inside.
lt is like a swordsman who only depends
on the sharpness of his blade.
In the end, he wiII never understand
the way of the sword.
Ayothaya's boxing is an intelligent
form of martial arts
handed down from generation to generation
since the Sukhothai era.
It is the art of attack and defence.
We use eight weapons,
two hands,
two feet,
two knees,
and two eIbows,
in battle for hundreds of years.
It is a martiaI art which has
beautiful movements
with hidden strengths and aggressiveness.
Meanwhile your Japanese martial arts
are smooth,
fluid and peacefuI.
You watch your opponent
and use his strength to take him down
by throwing him, pinning him down,
grappling rapidly
and forcefully.
lf you are able to combine
the best of both martial arts,
then nobody will be able to beat you.
Your boxing technique is much better,
Japanese.
I taught him myself because I saw he had
the determination to learn.
He can be useful to our country
in the future.
Sua, are you angry that I taught
Thai boxing to a foreigner?
No, sir, you must have
thought it out already.
And I am thinking of entering him
in the selection trials
for the King's bodyguards.
But he is a foreigner.
Can he actually do it?
Luang, listen to me.
Love for one's country
doesn't necessarily belong
to only those
who were born on the same land.
Love for one's country
can be born in the heart of anyone
who wishes that the soil of the country
covers his face when he dies.
You three, believe me...
This Japanese will become
an important force of Ayothaya.
I give this to you.
It's your sword.
You hammered it so it must be yours.
I have my own sword.
Where is it?
Does it belong to the Japanese?
Yes.
Is it as sharp as our swords?
Muen, you don't know anything.
Japanese swords are famous
for being extremely sharp,
sharp and thin but strong.
Just like the Ayothaya people
who appear to be peaceful and weak,
but will never give in to any enemy.
Use it to kill your enemies.
Your sword is a masterpiece, Japanese.
The blade is Japanese
but the handle is Ayothaya,
just like you and me.
Some Japanese swords
take a lifetime to make.
lt is so thin and sharp
that you can cut the head of
your enemy without him feeling the pain...
The heart of a samurai
is as strong as a rock,
but must be as sharp
as the end of the sword.
You made me reaIise that
a friend in need
is a true friend indeed.
This memory will remain
with me until the day l die.
The loyalty shown by the people of Ayothaya to their
country and King Naresuan
is so great
that l feel honoured to be living on this land.
What is Tanai Luek?
A Tanai Luek is one
of the King's personal bodyguards.
He is at His Majesty's side at all times
without bearing arms.
Hence, a Tanai Luek must be
extremely skilled with his bare hands...
...and skilled in the discipline of boxing.
We must select fighters of Ayothaya
who are loyal to their country
and are prepared to die for their king.
Every drop of ink tattooed into your blood
represents the sacred aIphabet of
Buddhist vaIues.
l am not just piercing your skin
with a metal rod.
Each sacred letter will remind you
to do only good deeds.
Remember that the only eternal thing
in life is being virtuous,
so when you die, your name
and your good deeds will not die with you.
So that is eternaI
and from now onwards
the blood that flows in you is Ayothaya's.
You are not from Ayothaya.
Even though you weren't born in Ayothaya,
I ask that your spirit belongs to Ayothaya.
From now on
you are my personal bodyguard.
The heart of a fighter
has to be ready to die at any given moment.
Dare to die if your death is for a good deed
and for your country.
What brought you here, Sua Pa Maew Sao?
King Nandhabureng of Hongsawadee
has sent 200 warriors from various tribes
to assassinate Your Majesty.
They have already set foot
over the Mae La Mao border.
I lost my son during the battle
with King Naresuan.
And he dares to mount
an attack on Hongsa.
lf l cannot bring an end to his life
to appease the spirit of my son,
I won't be able rest in peace.
Those of you tribesmen
who are able to bring me his head,
will enjoy the rewards
and riches for the rest of your life.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty,
I think they will try to attack you at a stream
near the Phitsanuloke Song Kwae,
along the route to return to Ayothaya.
Good!
I will meet his challenge.
Be patient, Your Majesty.
Two hundred hongsa warriors
are not the obstacle.
A high, powerful mountain is still lower
than the grass that grows on its top.
Ten bodyguards might be able
to use war strategies to our advantage
and cause damage to Hongsa City,
Your Majesty.
Sua, take 10 bodyguards to meet
the 200 Hongsa soldiers.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Use only one to deal with 10,000 others.
If your heart is superior
to that of the normal man,
then victory is in sight. Remember...
In two nights they will come back
and be by your side forever.
I will wait for two nights
and if you do not return,
I will go to help you.
Your Majesty, we are ready, blood and soul,
to protect you and Ayothaya.
Your sword will taste the blood
of the enemies of Ayothaya
just like you wished.
Because Ayothaya has brave men
like all of you,
we need not be afraid of any enemy.
Pick up a piece of soil
from in front of you...
...and keep it with you.
When you are in combat,
it will remind you that
this piece of soil is like your place of birth
and death,
a burial site handed down
from your ancestors,
that you must protect
for the sake of your children in the future.
I thank you for your love for me
and my country.
l feel like we are brothers
who share the same bIood.
In front of the Buddha image
and the sacred spirits here,
you and I will swear
to be brothers and never betray
one another. We will die for each other
like this sword which has a Japanese blade
and an Ayothaya handle.
They are inseparable.
I will kill your enemies
and you will kill the enemies of Ayothaya.
Let the sky and the earth be our witness...
Will you swear to this?
I swear.
That giant's name is Tosakan.
The green face is Rama
and that monkey is Hanuman.
It is a battle between the giants
and monkeys.
Do you understand, White face?
What are you worried about?
When I am here,
I feel only happiness and peace.
Only the people of Ayothaya treat me
like one of their own.
I was never afraid before...
...but now I am scared.
What are you afraid of?
I am afraid of leaving you.
In Japan, we have a legend of Hagoromo.
The Hakuryu, a fisherman,
fell in love with an angel
who came to visit the earth.
Hakuryu stole Hagoromo's wings
so that she couldn't return to heaven.
No matter how he loved her,
he still had to return her wings
and both of them parted ways in the end.
It is necessary for me to return
to the Japanese village.
What awaits you there?
Teru teru bozu.
What is it?
It's a doll used to bring good weather
like you, Krathin.
White face, don't go, please don't go.
What are you doing, Krathin?
Today if you die
your evil deeds will stay with me,
but if I die, the secret dies with me.
If your hands never spilt blood, you would
never be able to achieve greatness.
You!
Kham.
Love King Naresuan, love Ayothaya...
Promise me.
Kham...
Kham!
May your spirit rest in peace.
Your courage will remain in the hearts
of the people of Ayothaya forever.
Your death is only one but it gives rise
to thousands of brave souIs.
Your spirit should be proud.
My dear friend, l will use your sword
to kill the enemies of Ayothaya
as you intended.
This piece of King Naresuan's soil
will always remind me that
this is the birth and death place
of a true friend.
Brave men do not yearn for a long life.
l promise that
l will protect this land with my life.
I aImost died from the hands
of my fellow countrymen.
Then so be it, but destiny brought me here
to this great friend
where even high mountains, wide seas
and disconnected Iand
cannot stop our friendship.
This made me reaIise
that those with different bIood
can stiII be friends.
True friendship is based on equality
and it will never fade away.
The people of Ayothaya and the Japanese
wiII be united as one forever.
l will repay the friendship
of the Ayothaya people.
l swear that this land is not my birthplace
but where my soul will rest.