FAQ

It was confirmed during interview with the director that the bandit represents a yokai or forest spirit and therefore is immortal.

"Mina koroshi" which translates as "all murdered".

While half of the scenes probably were only cut out to make the movie a little shorter, there are also other cuts which were probably made for a different reason. In principle, the movie tries to be realistic and serious, however, those viewers who have some knowledge about Japanese mythology will find hints at a supernatural element. Koyata—the hunter who was freed by the samurai from the trap in the forest—has several quirks which hint at the fact that he might be a demon and not a human being. Many of these scenes were cut out of the international version; not all of them, but enough of them so that the audience does not get too confused. Not only does the Japanese version give a better insight to Naritsugu, but it also gets clear that the samurai do not only destroy the village by assaulting Naritsugu, but they really seem to suffer for it. Most—but not all—of the scenes that were cut out can be found on numerous DVDs and Blu-ray discs (e.g. on the German release) as a part of the bonus material. Curiously enough they also included a few scenes in the bonus material, which were not even shortened.