Tajômaru’s Story
Wife’s Story
Samurai’s Story
Woodcutter’s Story
Narration at the Rashômon Gate
Narration at the Rashômon Gate
A woodcutter, a common man, and a priest take
shelter under Rashômon Gate. Woodcutter and priest
say they’ve experienced the most twisted story, and
offer to tell why.
Rashômon Gate
Present
The notorious bandit
appears before the
court after getting
himself captured.
The Court
3 Days Ago
Sees the samurai and
his wife on the road,
and is mesmerized
by the wife’s beauty.
He lures the samurai
through the woods
where he attacks the
samurai, then ties
him up.
The Woods
6 Days Ago
He seduces the
samurai’s wife.
He asks the wife to
marry him.
She says that both men
can’t know her shame,
so one of them has
to die. She will marry
whoever wins in a duel.
He kills the samurai
with the sword after
fighting a duel.
The wife runs away,
and he can’t catch
up to her.
The wife flees to the
temple where the
trial is being held and
testifies there.
Tajômaru rapes
her in front of her
samurai husband.
The duel is epic and
skillfully fought.
Tajômaru kills the
samurai after crossing
blades many times.
The Court
3 Days Ago
The Woods
6 Days Ago
Tajômaru steals the
samurai’s sword and
leaves. The wife begs
the samurai to kill her
to absolve her of the
shame. She faints.
The samurai dies,
killed by her own
pearl dagger.
The dead samurai
testifies via a medium.
Tajômaru rapes the
wife in front of him.
Tajômaru asks the
wife to marry him.
The wife says she will,
as long as Tajômaru
kills the samurai
husband.
The wife wakes up
and discovers this, but
doesn’t know how it
happened.
The Court
3 Days Ago
The Woods
6 Days Ago
Angered, Tajômaru
asks the samurai if the
wife deserves to die for
making that request.
The wife runs away,
but Tajômaru can’t
catch her.
The samurai is dead,
killed by the wife’s
pearl dagger.
He committed suicide
with the pearl dagger
to save his own honor.
The woodcutter
only gives limited
information at the trial.
He doesn’t tell the truth
because he doesn’t
want to get involved.
He finds the body of
the dead samurai in
the woods.
The Court
3 Days Ago
The Woods
6 Days Ago
Tajômaru rapes the
wife in front of her
samurai husband.
Tajômaru asks the
wife to marry him.
The wife says that
Tajômaru and the
samurai must fight for
her hand.
The samurai refuses to
fight for his dishonored
wife, saying that she is
spoiled and Tajômaru
can have her.
The wife goads
Tajômaru and the
samurai into fighting
over her, saying they
are unmanly cowards if
they don’t duel over a
woman’s love.
Tajômaru kills the
samurai with the
sword after fighting
a duel.
The duel is pitiful and
unskilled. Tajômaru
kills the samurai with a
lucky blow.
The wife runs away
and Tajômaru can’t
catch her.
The three men find a baby wrapped in a kimono with
a protective amulet around its neck. The commoner
steals both. When the woodcutter protests, the
commoner calls him a hypocrite because the he
thinks the woodcutter stole the pearl dagger. The
woodcutter explains to the priest that he already has
six children and offers to take the abandoned baby
in. The priest, realizing that the woodcutter took the
dagger to feed his family, has his faith in humanity
restored. They watch the sun come out together.
Rashômon Gate
Present