Video information
The Rashomon Gate, the main southern gate of Kyoto, Japan. A wandering monk, a woodcutter, and a beggar take shelter from the rain beneath the gate, and as they chat idly, the story begins: a samurai and his wife pass through a deserted mountain, where they encounter an unspeakable tragedy. The wife is violated, and the samurai is brutally murdered. How did this tragedy unfold? The murderer, the wife, and a medium who claims to speak for the samurai's spirit each have their own version of events. There can only be one truth, but the motives behind each person's testimony are varied. To embellish their own morality, to mitigate their own guilt, or to conceal their own faults, everyone begins to narrate a story that paints them in a favorable light. The tragedy on the mountain becomes a fog of mystery, impenetrable and unclear. After their discussion, the rain clears, and the sky brightens. The woodcutter discovers a crying abandoned infant near the Rashomon Gate. He decides to take the child in and carries the infant into the depths of the setting sun.