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The Samurai genre has become one of the most recognised of Japanese cinema and has transported across into Western films as well as Western viewing. Whilst the Samurai film has always held popularity in Japan, it was not until the later films (post 1970) that Western mainstream audiences were captured. Spanning a great period of Japanese history, the Samurai film has adapted and changed according to the period in which it was produced. Interestingly the majority of Samurai films are set during the Tokugawa era (1600-1868) a period considered mainly peaceful (Silver, 2005, p.15). Early Japanese cinema from the years 1927-1944 was mainly dominated by Jidai-geki films (period dramas) particularly as Desser (1992) explains “stories concerning Samurai or feudal swordsmen” (p. 145). The Jidai-geki films often retold great legends, intending to protect and continue the legend of the Samurai. In order to understand better the political dimensions of the Samurai film it is first key to look briefly at the political history of Japan. The feudal system that was in place in Japan has been a key element to many Samurai films. Silver (2005) explains the Japanese feudal system as such:
“The possession of land and the ability to tax became components of the ruling class during the Nara (650-793 C.E) and Heian (794-1185) eras…this evolved as the classical feudalism mode of government” (p. 13)
It is considered that the feudal system itself is the “true antagonist” of the Samurai (Standish, 2005, p. 290). It is this anti-feudal theme that lies at the heart of the majority of the earlier Samurai films. ‘Shichinin no samurai’ (Seven Samurai, Kurosawa, 1954) is perhaps the most obvious example, the narrative centres on the villagers resisting the unfair crop demands of the bandits. As with the feudal governing system the American Occupation post 1945 came to be seen as a consistent theme within the Samurai genre. The response to the American Occupation interestingly runs parallel to the Meiji restoration (the Meiji period spanned the years 1868-1912). The emperor Meiji was moved to the new capital Tokyo restoring his imperial power. However, it is the treaty signed by the Asian nations (including Japan), that granted Westerners one-sided economical and legal advantages, that is considered a reflective parallel to the American Occupation that occurred post World War II. Under this occupation the Samurai film was banned meaning that by the 1970’s the once prominent genre was down to a dozen releases a year (Desser, 1992, p. 145).
The modernisation and Westernisation of Japan that followed the post war occupation caused a sense of national identity confusion and a longing for tradition (Desser, 1992, p.145). A nostalgic look at the traditional Japan was subsequently an important trait in the Samurai film; directors attacked the feudal governing whilst encapsulating and showcasing their countries tradition and history. The films from this period have come to be known as Nostalgic Samurai Dramas (Desser, 1992, p. 148). Akira Kurosawa’s films embody this tradition and interest in the individual’s sense of being. ‘Shichinin no samurai’ highlights the fear of imposing forces whilst evoking a nostalgic presence. The black and white cinematography (used in many versions of the genre) reflects as Desser (1992) concludes “…the Japanese ideal of wabi (poverty, prizing of that which looks simple” (p. 149) a concept clearly steeped within the traditional culture. The desire to showcase Japan’s history and restore knowledge of tradition can be seen with Kambei (Takashi Shimura), one of the seven Samurai’s, as he holds the gun, stolen from the bandits. The gun represents modernisation and the disappearing of time-honoured fighting methods. The fact that he rejects the gun and does not fight with it reflects the desire to keep the Samurai way of life alive and preserve tradition. Mellen (2002) goes further to explain that:
“…the gun represents an era, a historical time in which he will become atavistic and no longer have a place” (p. 54)
A sense of lost national identity may well have affected the Japanese under the American Occupation; new and alien ideas would have been encouraged upon them, leaving many in a state of uncertainty as the two cultures clashed. In ‘Shichinin no samurai’, Kurosawa draws on the lost/shadowed belief in the power behind those who fight for a cause, for honour and for a doomed battle (Desser, 1992, p 147). In 17th century Japan, a group of farmers living together in a small village face the prospect of again losing their crops to a band of roving thieves. Their solution is to go to the nearest city and see if they can hire samurai to protect them. The farmers are poor and can only offer food and lodging, but they soon recruit Kambei Shimada who determines that they will need a total of seven samurai to properly guard the village. Slowly, he recruits, by assessing each one’s talents, other samurai for their task. Once completed, the samurai group moves through the village. There they teach the farmers basic self defense and fortify the village itself. When the bandits attack, they are prepared but suffer many losses. A possible reaction to the un-knowing/un-belonging individual, ‘Shichinin no samurai’ presents the traditional national and cultural beliefs once desired for and found in their fellow countryman. The constant running of the Samurai’s shows their commitment to the cause as total and unquestioning (Mellen, 2002, p. 46) whilst the flag that is flown embodies a sense of unity and one for all. The honour of the Samurai’s themselves is apparent throughout the film, again reasserting possibly lost values to the Japanese audience. Although the battle is won, Kambei expresses himself and his fellow Samurai’s by saying “we have lost yet again”, as the camera moves to a shot of his comrades’ graves, the honour between each Samurai indicates the honour valued by the Japanese. ‘Shichinin no samurai’, as Mellen (2002) states:
“…at the last becomes an elegy, a window into Akira Kurosawa’s heart. From the vantage of the post-war moment, he mourns how and when Japan lost its best self”.
The nostalgic Samurai drama, such as ‘Shichinin no samurai’, can be seen to provide a clear picture of right and wrong, of evil and good in an otherwise modern and confusing world. However, as Desser (1992) states, this, in contemporary society, can be considered:
“Doubtless as many Japanese are caught up in the kinds of existential crisis previously unknown to the Japanese of an earlier age” (p. 150)
The nostalgic drama remained popular for many years; it wasn’t until post 1970 that the Samurai genre took a rather different direction and developed within mainstream cinema (think of Jarmusch’s ‘Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai’ - 1999). From the early days of Japanese cinema, the value of tradition is clear, the early Jidai-geki films remaining some of the most popular within the country. As Japan moved through periods of transition, politically and economically, the film industry became a useful medium to portray fears, concerns and ideals of the Japanese people. With the American Occupation the ultimate goal was the complete metamorphosis of Japan into a Western-style nation and whilst some Western practices were adopted (as during the Meiji restoration), modernising their country, many of the new ideas and practices meant tradition and history were sidelined. Directors’ response to this was to relight interest, knowledge and feeling for the history of Japan and re-emphasise national unity and identity. The Samurai became a key figure for this, be it a Ronin (masterless Samurai) or a hired swordsman. The honour and discipline that foregrounds a Samurai’s belief system brought with it nostalgia for a period of true tradition. Later Samurai films have gone on to address the individual’s response to an ever increasing consumerist and competitive world. Whilst the protagonists in many of these later films meets a bitter end, their fall is still regarded in high terms particularly for the Japanese audiences as it reconfirms the value of those willing to fight to the end for their cause. ‘Shichinin no samurai’ encapsulates the socio historical tensions found in the early samurai films as it addresses the issue of conflicting governing ideals and the effects of the ever-growing Westernisation.
Country: Japan
Budget: $2,000,000
Length: 207mins
Bibliography:
Desser, D. (1992) Towards a Structural Analysis of the Post War Samurai Film. In D, Desser and A, Nolletti Jr. (eds) Reframing Japanese Cinema. USA: Indiana University Press (pp. 145-165)
Mellen, J. (2002) Seven Samurai. London: BFI
Silver, A. (2005) The Samurai Film. Woodstock and New York: The Overlook Press.
Standish, I. (2005) A New History of Japanese Cinema – A century of narrative film. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group.
Filmography:
‘Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai’,1999, Jim Jarmusch, Pandora Filmproduktion
Pub/2008
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