Anju To Zushio Maru (movie)

An officer is falsely accused of setting on fire a forest he was supposed to protect. While he is under trial in Kyoto, his family receives an order to leave their mansion and to surrender to the new owner of the land. The family flees, but they end up being tricked and separated by bandits. Sold as slaves, the two children start living a bitter new reality where they must struggle to survive doing harsh physical labor. Anju and her younger brother Zushio try to protect each other as they wonder if they will ever see their parents again.

In 11th century Japan, an honest governor's family suffers after he is unjustly imprisoned by a disgruntled palace official. While fleeing the arrest, the family is ambushed by bandits and separated. The daughter, Anju, and the son, Zushio, are sold into slavery to the private manor of Sansho the Bailiff, who is a cruel master. The children's mother is sold into prostitution. The father dies in prison. Zushio escapes the manor. Anju drowns herself to aid in Zushio's escape and is turned into a mermaid. The mother dies and becomes a crane. Zushio manages to reclaim his father's honor and inherits the position of governor with the help of his pet bear cub, mouse, and dog. With his new governorship, Zushio destroys Sansho's slave trade, but he's too late in saving the lives of his family.