"Harakiri"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the movie "Harakiri", based on a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi, by Masaki Kobayashi, which takes a dark look at the samurai code of bushido and the problem of the distortion of history in Japan. The paper notes that the movie is neither a glorification of the warrior nor an exciting adventure film, but rather a simple conversation between men watched by an audience, simplistic almost to the point of breaking the fourth wall. The paper also notes that throughout the film, Kobayashi reveals to the viewer the hypocrisy and emptiness of the samurai code of the late Tokugawa era. In addition, the paper notes that the film gives a critique of the state and the state's perversion of norms to serve the ends of those in authority, being largely corrupt men, as well as challenges the traditional belief of the unfailing honor of the samurai.

From the Paper:

"Despite the recent changes in the government, the Iyi Clan is prosperous and adheres strictly to their oaths of honor and the samurai way. Thus, when a man claiming to be a retainer of the fallen Fukushima Clan, Hanshiro Tsugumo, arrives, and asks permission to commit "Harakiri", or ritual suicide, in the Iyi Clan's forecourt, they question his motives. The counselor, Kageyu Saito, is skeptical because many ronin have been attempting to extort money from various clans by playing to their sympathies under the guise of this sacred ritual. Saito then meets with Tsugumo in private, speaking frankly in the ascetic environment, telling the story of a young man, Motome Chijiiwa, who made the same proposition."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Audie Bock. Japanese Film Directors. Kodansha International, 1978.
• Hoaglund, Linda. A Conversation with Kobayashi Masaki. Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique. 1994.
• Contreras, Cynthia. "Kobayashi's Widescreen Aesthetic." Cinematic Landscapes: Observations on the Visual Arts and Cinema of China and Japan. Austin. 1994.

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