Samurai Film Analysis : Analyzing the Realities of the Samurai

Samurai Film Analysis : Analyzing the Realities of the Samurai

The Samurai were members of the most powerful and revered military class whose influence and importance grew rapidly during the Heian Period. They were hired by wealthy and powerful landowners to protect their landholdings (Hane, 1991, pp.57-59). During the Kamakura Period, Yoritomo of the Minamoto family was appointed Shogun, the military commander-in-chief of the land, and he established an administrative system known as the Bakufu. The Samurai were propelled to the top of the Japanese social hierarchy and enjoyed great privileges (Hane, 1991, pp.64-66). As prominent as their rise to power was, the demise of the Samurai class during the Tokugawa Era was no less dramatic (Hane, 2000, pp.56-60). Were the samurai as noble, honorable and loyal as what they were thought to be? We aim to unravel the complex realities of the Samurai class during the Tokugawa Era supported by an analysis of the way they are portrayed in modern day cinematography.

Under Tokugawa Rule, the Tokugawa Bakufu established a rigid class system to ensure political and social stability. Class divisions were formalized among the people with the samurai being the ruling class, followed by the peasants, artisans and merchants (Hane, 2000, pp.38-40). The samurai order was further subdivided into the bakufu, the daimyo, the bannermen and the retainers: four prominent status ranks that more thoroughly represent the intensification of status within the samurai order. Among the daimyo, bannermen, and retainers in turn, a variety of privilege differentials further distinguished the higher and lower classes among the Samurai (Howland, 2001, pp.357-360). Thirty percent of the estimated 1.8 million samurai at the end of the Tokugawa era were lower-class samurai, and they were the group that bore the brunt of the suffering brought about by the era of peace and social reforms which effectively eliminated the demand for their skills (Hane, 2000, pp.38-40).

The plot in the film Harakiri and The Twilight Samurai revolves around the characters Hanshiro Tsugumo and Seibei Iguchi respectively. Both films showcase the divide between the different classes of samurai and it also showcased the hardship that the lower classes went through. Harakiri was set in the early Tokugawa Era. Hanshiro Tsugumo was a former retainer of the Lord of Geishu. Upon his lord’s death, he made a meager living by engaging in craftsmanship while seeking employment with a new master. However, during such times of peace, all his effort in looking for another master were in vain as the services of the samurai were not valued. He lived a life of extreme poverty barely being able to support his family (Harakiri). Similarly, The Twilight Samurai was also set in the Tokugawa Era albeit a later period. It follows the life of Seibei Iguchi also