Sansho the Bailiff

is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a sekkyo-bushi(oral lore) appearing in written form in the 17th century. It follows two aristocratic children who are sold into slavery. Sansho the Bailiff bears many of Mizoguchi's hallmarks, such as portrayals of poverty and elaborately choreographed long takes. Today, the film is often ranked alongside Ugetsu (1953) as one of Mizoguchi's finest works. Plot Sansho the Bailiff is a jidai-geki set in the latter part of the eleventh century, during the Heian period of feudal Japan. A virtuous governor is banished by a feudal lord to a far-off province. His wife, Tamaki, and children, Zushiō and Anju, are sent to live with her brother. Just before they are separated, Zushiō's father tells him, "Without mercy, man is like a beast. Even if you are hard on yourself, be merciful to others." He urges his son to remember his words and gives him a statuette of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy.