Similar to many of his other post-World War II films, Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story focuses on changes within a Japanese family. While superficially, the film seems to only deal with its primary characters, in actuality, the fragmented Hirayama family is allegorical of Japanese families in the post-war era. In looking at Tokyo Story, it is important to look the economic and sociological history of Japan in addition to the film's precise style to notice how Ozu blames his country's explosion into modernity for the decay of the family.

McDonald, Keiko. "Ozu's Tokyo Story: Simple Means for Complex Ends." The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese 17 (1982): 19-39. JSTOR.<http://www.jstor.org/stable/489426>.

 

In her analysis of Tokyo Story, Keiko McDonald suggests that Ozu provides three possible reactions to the changing world.  The first, shown by Shukichi, Tomi, and Noriko, depicts a saddened acceptance of change.  They are clearly disappointed by new values, but manage to continue their lives calmly.  The second reaction is shown through the three oldest children, Koichi, Shige, and Keizo.  They take the changing world for granted and passively go with the flow.  Finally, the youngest child, Kyoko, represents a denial of modern changes.

It does not seem fair to suggest that one of these points-of-view is better than another, and it is easy to see the reasoning behind each opinion.  While each philosophy is certainly subjective, McDonald astutely points out that Ozu aligns himself with the first group's view of the world.  Throughout the film, he pushes his audience to sympathize with Shukichi and Tomi's loneliness.  At the same time, viewers come to love Noriko who gives her full attention to the elderly couple despite not even being blood related.  On the other hand, the three oldest children are depicted as cold and selfish.  From a completely neutral position, it is not fair to blame them for their inattentiveness towards their parents; the children each have busy lives of their own, complete with children or time consuming professions.  Yet, at the end of the film, one cannot help but dislike them.

By aligning himself with the parents, Ozu shows himself to be a reflection of his protagonists.  He knows modernity is producing significant changes around him, and just like Shukichi at the end of the film, he is forced to accept the alterations in society.

 

Nakao, Keiko. "Sociological Work in Japan." Annual Review of Sociology 24 (1998): 499-516. JSTOR.<http://www.jstor.org/stable/223491>.

 

Keiko Nakao writes about the changing family structure following World War II.  The traditional family unit, known as ie, consisted of grandparents, a son and wife, and their children.  In 1947, however, Japanese laws were revised and no longer recognized the ie as a legal entity.  From here, Americanized nuclear families became more common in Japanese society.  While the nuclear family unit may seem typical to most contemporary viewers, the transition from ie to smaller families fragmented and separated traditional social roles.

Tokyo Story is essentially about the disbanding of the ie.  While the division of family is catalyzed by urbanization, the end of the ie familial structure is largely responsible for the the unwinding of the film's family.  In a symbolic scene, Noriko and the parents stand at the top of a building looking over Tokyo.  Noriko points across the city in different directions to show the parents where their children live.  Besides demonstrating the physical distance between the members of the family, these scene places Tokyo at the center of the detachment, making the city a central character in the film. 

This lack of ie which Nakao refers to is apparent throughout the film.  Traditionally, the son's wife would take care of the grandparents as they get old; with everyone separated in Tokyo, however, this is no longer possible.  Additionally, the lack of ie is shown when the parents are sent to a seaside spa.  The children give up their responsibility of caregivers and pay for someone else to entertain their parents on the vacation.  Had film taken place before the war with the ie still existing as the conventional family unit, the parents would not have been neglected.