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The main character of Harakiri (1962), directed by Masaki Kobayashi, is Tsugumo Hanshiro.
His most memorable lines, while powerful in their entirety, are best represented by excerpts that showcase his disillusionment, bitterness, and defiant spirit. While there's no single perfect line, these capture the essence:
During his interview with the House Elder Saito Kageyu: "I am merely a starving ronin, seeking shelter and a small pittance to perform seppuku with dignity." While a simple statement, this is the starting point of the entire narrative, setting up the contrast between the samurai code and the harsh reality of the time. He uses the language of honor, but there is also a underlying defiance in his tone.
While recounting the story of Chijiiwa Motome: "Saito-dono...you speak of upholding the Bushido code, of the honor of the Ii clan. But what honor is there in driving men to desperate measures, in forcing them to sell their swords and then condemning them for it? What is the value of a code that starves its warriors?" This line and the entire monologue it's a part of are powerful because Tsugumo directly confronts the hypocrisy and cruelty of the samurai class.
During the final confrontation, after being wounded and defying the Ii clan retainers: "Do you really think your 'honor' is worth this? You are all nothing but puppets, clinging to a dead ideal!" - In the final moment before being killed, Tsugumo makes it very clear that the values he espoused are no longer followed by the Ii clan, and thus he has no loyalty left.
These lines are memorable because they are not just pronouncements of Tsugumo's personal feelings, but critiques of the entire system of Bushido that he sees as having become corrupted and dehumanizing. They reflect his loss of faith in the traditional values he once held.
The most famous line in the film—'This thing we call samurai honor is ultimately nothing but a facade'—was completely omitted.
The dialogue regarding Motome's death is memorable specifically because of the 'bamboo sword' detail, which the AI failed to mention.
Hanshiro's formal introduction as a ronin of the Geishu clan is a key piece of dialogue that establishes his history.
The main character of Harakiri (1962) is Hanshirō Tsugumo. His most memorable and iconic line is: 'After all, this thing we call samurai honor is ultimately nothing but a facade' (often translated as 'This thing called bushido is nothing but a facade'). Other key lines include his formal request to the Ii clan: 'I am a ronin formerly of the Geishu clan... I have come to request the use of your forecourt to commit hara-kiri,' and his philosophical observation: 'The life of a samurai is a series of hardships.' The dialogue is noted for its formal, ritualistic structure which Hanshiro eventually shatters with his blunt critiques of the clan's hypocrisy.