The final moments (SPOILERS!)

My theory is that Okita was the only "real" homosexual in this story.

Hijikata was confessing to himself that everyone was more or less drawn to eachother(or Kano in this case)... maby because of the situation they were in.

They were forced to trust their lives to eachother wich made them develope strong friendship-bonds, easily misenterpred as love.

Something like that...

Sorry about the spelling.

Okita couldn't have killed himself because Okita Souji was a real person, and the real person died of TB.

Okita and Hijikata both realized that Kano was the real killer. Kano's deceit and deception apparent when he whispered something to Tashiro to throw him off guard.

Okita went back to kill Kano. That was shown symbolically when Hijikata cuts down the blossoming cherry tree.

It is worth knowing that, there are actually TWO endings to this film, one that is shown in the film seen everywhere, but also one alternative ending that has been shown in Japan, and perhaps some other selected viewings.

When I first saw this film in cinema, I was quite confused! Didn't really understand the ending. After some researches, I found out that it is the director's intention to have an "open" ending, one which there is not a definite ending. It's partially open for imagination...

Hope this helps!

An alternative or additional theme.

Considering the political climate of the time and the worries about spies, was Kano sent to disrupt the clan? His refusal to cut his hair and willingness to provoke gossip created divisions between the samurai. We know that Kano didn't sleep with Tashiro but only once denies it, many months after gossip and rumour had spread.
I accept that it probably was Kano that murdered those people and I'm not entirely sure how this supports my theory. However remember the fight with the rival clan member in the stream behind the hotel? He was a dead man, lying on the ground, blinded by the blood in his eyes. And yet the attack stopped long enough for the reinforcements to arrive.
I have to say though, nearly everyone in that militia was a gossipy old woman.

I do agree with it being an open ending since a lot of Asian literature and movies seem to want its audience to think abstractly rather than just let it be an entertainment.

Kano is an embodiment of the ideal Japanese male beauty, a guy who looks like a pretty girl. Armed with this beauty, it's the perfect disguise for a killer in the midst of a crowd with the license to kill and libidos just one notch from breaking out of its restraints.

My guess about the whole story is that Kano planned the whole thing from the beginning, with his reason for joining the militia was to have the right to kill. And I also think that his first target was Tashiro, maybe because of his forwardness that he wanted Kano to be his lover or maybe another reason that is only dark and mysterious to us but makes perfect sense to Kano. This might also be all a game to him and that Tashiro was unfortunate enough to be caught in his trap. Remember that Kano's reason for joining was to gain the right to kill.

This might be the trigger as to why he killed Yuzawa, to get things started and then to finish it, he attempted to kill Ito and left Tashiro's dagger in the scene of the crime. This final piece to the plan was Kano's last nail to Tashiro's coffin. Since he showed to the officials that he wasn't squeamish about executing someone and that they seemed to think it a good irony that Kano be Tashiro's executioner.

Well, this was a good exercise for my mind.

Its either Kano who killed the men in his own clan and tried to frame Tashiro for some weird reason or (this is more likely) the homofobic Soji Okita killed them and framed Tashiro to get rid of a gayperson after that Kano which is also gay he was sure Kano would get the blame for all the deaths and would also get rid of. The last scene is a visualisation of Kitano for the Tree representing Beuty(Kano) and it must die. but i still dont get why Soji went back because he ¨forgot¨ something...

first Kitano sees himself going to Kano then he says no thats not right he was confused so then he thinks of Soji going to Kano but Soji is homophobic so Kano goes to Soji meaning that he said he loved Soji but Soji hates him

It could also be Kano that did the killings to prove his love for Soji who knows..

I believe that both Soji and Kano were both a little crazy and evil. In the early part of the movie Soji says to Beat Takeshi(The Captain) that it takes a madman to know a madman. I feel as though that was a forshadow because Kano is definitely crazy and loves to kill. In the end I believe that Soji kills Kano because the moment when Beat Takeshi see's Kano coming to Soji he is wearing red which is a symbol of love/lust and death. in the dream Kano is in the position that Tashiro was in and Soji in the position of Kano who killed Tashiro, which tells you that Soji was the final killer, and when he goes back it seems as though Kano is waiting for him( as if he was mislead by Soji). I can only assume that Soji's motivation for killing him was that he was coming between them all and starting all these lovers quarrels, or maybe his jealousy got the best of him. Kano is like the sirens from greek mythology. He reels people in with his innocent and pure beauty and kills them. That is why Beat Takeshi wanted him to cut off his locks. In the beggining he admits that even he is sensitive to his charms, as you can further see in his first vision with him and Kano that he tries to get out of his thoughts. Kano had to be destroyed because as Kondo had said, that the first time something like this happened something terrible went down, so it was a must. I love this movie and I love the ending because it is very interesting how the web of lies, lust, love and death are so complicatedly intertwined.


I WANNA BE LIKE THOSE GIRLS IN THE MOVIES!