Loyalty and Honor in 16th Century Japan

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, throughout the span of his life, Akira Kurosawa endeavored to provide his audiences with a message of morality based strongly in the Shinto and Buddhist traditions. In particular, it looks at how "Ran", which is widely acknowledged as his greatest work, has Kurosawa exploring the theme of loyalty, especially as it is epitomized with in the tenets of Bushido, the warrior's code.

From the Paper:

"These remarkable examples of loyalty however, must be tempered by the traitors who get caught up in their own intrigue. Leading them all is Lady Kaede, the wife of Taro. Her hand can be found firmly clasped to every other traitorous action we see. Her first act is to elevate her own position by forcing Hidetora's connubial procession to step aside so that she could make her way into the castle. Though she puts on demure and unassuming airs, we quickly learn that her black-heartedness is contagious. By asking a seemingly innocuous question of Taro, she sets into motion events that will begin Hidetora's decent into his personal hell."

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