. Reframing Japanese cinema : authorship, genre, history / edited by Arthur Nolletti, Jr. and David Desser. 0253341086 series Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1992.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1993.5.J3 R44 1992
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1993.5.J3 R44 1992
Call#: Van Pelt Library--4 East--Temporary Location Annenberg PN1993.5.J3 R44 1992
Call#: Van Pelt Library--4 East--Temporary Location Annenberg PN1993.5.J3 R44 1992

 

David Desser's essay, "Towards a Structural Analysis of the Postwar Samurai Film," outlines the sub-genres of samurai film, describes their properties, and examines their cultural implications. The first of Desser's sub-genres is the "nostalgic samurai drama." The chief characteristic of the grouping is what Desser calls "mono no aware." The term refers to a "feeling of sweet sadness, or an almost inexpressible sensation of life's mortality, which is pleasantly painful" (Desser, 148). Characters in these films are generally "powerless yet proud samurai," condemned by the society that created them. However, he does not rebel against the system, instead he "takes the path of righteousness out of a sense of obligation" (Desser, 149). Next, Desser discusses the "anti-feudal drama." The anti-feudal drama, a reaction to America's post-war presence in Japan, tracked its hero from a position of prominence to his ruin. In these films, self-hatred replaces mono no aware. The anti-feudal drama is also more violent than the nostalgic samurai drama, as the protagonist must rage against the flawed conventions of society. Finally, Desser analyzes the "sword film," or chambara. While the author admits that critics generally apply the term chambara as a pejorative, he believes the sword film to be the "most interesting and revealing of all the sub-genres within samurai film" (Desser, 155). The Western viewer's inability to appreciate chambara stems from the movement’s extreme aesthetization of violence, specifically, gores. Sword films use violence as a kind of nihilism. Furthermore, the genre subverts Bushido (“the way of the warrior”) through the meaninglessness of death.

Through Desser’s essay, we can classify Shogun Assassin (1980) within the larger context of the samurai film. The film most fits the conventions of the chambara. Its slow motion decapitations, spurting blood, and high body count all work to undermine the established order. Desser’s assertion that the film’s movement provides both an agenda and an aesthetic, denotes artistry unfound in the exploitation film.

 

NitobeL
, InazoL, 1862-1933. . Bushido, the soul of Japan. 19th ed. series Tokyo, Teibi Publishing Co., 1913 [c1904]
Call#: University Museum Library MUSEUM 915.2 N638.2a

 

            First published in 1900, Inazo Nitobe’s book, Bushido: The Soul of Japan, attempts to justify the idiosyncrasies of Japanese culture and history to the Western world. Chapter twelve, entitled “The Institutions of Suicide and Redress,” examines the bewildering Japanese practices of ritual suicide and vengeance. Using biblical citations and examples in Classical mythology, Nitobe argues that self-immolation has a rich history in Western culture. By appealing to the Western ideal of balanced justice, Nitobe contends that Western society embraces vengeance too (when exacted properly).

            For the samurai, seppuku, or ritual disembowelment was the preferred method of suicide. Dating back to the turn of the millennia, seppuku had numerous functions. Samurai used seppuku to set an example for other samurai, as a form of protest, or as a form of punishment. Most significantly, however, seppuku served as a form of atonement. The ceremony allowed a shamed samurai to die with honor. Nitobe however cautions, “The glorification seppuku offered, naturally enough, no small temptation to its unwarranted committal” (Nitobe, 85). Thus, rules and circumstances dictated when seppuku was appropriate. Nitobe condemns those that disemboweled themselves purely for the pursuit of honor.

Nitobe likens revenge to a mathematical equation, “until both terms of the equation are satisfied, we cannot get over the sense of something left undone” (Nitobe, 88). It is an “ethical court of equity, where people could take cases not to be judged in accordance with ordinary law” (Nitobe, 88). Vengeance also had its regulations. It was only justified when undertaken at the behest of one’s superiors. Consequently, a samurai should not pursue revenge against those who wronged him personally.

            As Shogun Assassin (1980) is a story of revenge, Nitobe’s study obviously applies. Itto Ogami’s objective in the film is to exact vengeance on the Shogun, who had his wife and child assassinated. Nitobe’s code both supports and rebukes Ogami’s actions. While Nitobe states specifically, “One’s own wrongs, including injuries done to wife and children, were to be born and forgiven,” he also notes the importance of balanced justice. It is unclear whether Nitobe would condone Ogami’s actions, but the fact that there is room for discourse on the subject marks Shogun Assassin as a jidai-geki.