Samurai Rebellion – Jôi-uchi: Hairyô tsuma shimatsu (1967)

Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi | 128 minutes | drama | Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gô Katô, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Etsuko Ichihara, Isao Yamagata, Shigeru Kôyama, Michiko Ôtsuka, Tatsuo Matsumura, Masao Mishima, Jun Hamamura

“Each must live his own life”, a wise lesson that you will not soon hear from the mouth of a seasoned samurai from the 18th century. Times of peace mean uncertainty for the combative samurai clans and a missed opportunity to gain more honour. Director Masaki Kobayashi (known for ‘Harakiri’, ‘Kwaidan’ and ‘The Human Condition’, among others) was a pacifist at heart and with that vision made a different type of samurai film than we are used to. No more heroic battles and extraordinarily strong warriors, but a story that delves deeper into the political and mental problems of a samurai who makes his own loyalties and life choices in question.

‘Samurai Rebellion’ is basically an anti-samurai movie in every way. The clans in ancient Japan stood for honor and protection of the people, but in many cases this original code was hard to find. Corrupt political games and abuse of power were not unheard of, not even in the clan of Isaburo Sasahara (Toshirô Mifune) and Tatewaki Asano (Tatsuya Nakadai). In a period of long peace in ancient Japan, there is little for the older warrior Isaburo to do. Sword fighting is all he is good at and what he has. His wife is in charge of his family, despite being the head of his family. Isaburo decides to retire, but before passing the baton to his eldest son Yogoro (Gô Katô), he must first find him a bride. The old mistress of the leader of Isaburo’s clan, Ichi (Yôko Tsukasa), becomes the ‘lucky’ one. This to the great surprise of everyone in Isaburo’s family. Ichi has a bad reputation for her outburst against the leader and his new mistress. She was forced to bear him a son, only to be cast aside for another. This results in an argument between the women and the leader and Ichi is banished from the castle. Yogoro and Ichi have a surprisingly good marriage and even have a baby. However, the couple is separated from each other when Ichi is recalled to the castle by the chiefs of the clan. The heir to the throne has died and Ichi’s son can only rule when the mother is part of the clan and lives in the castle. Yogoro and Ichi don’t want to be separated from each other at all costs. What follows is a conflict between loyalty and self-will in the Sasahara family.

A striking theme in Kobayashi’s films is the struggle of the individual with his ruler. As in Harakiri, the main characters are forced to make a choice between their honor and their own feelings. Toshirô Mifune shines as a wise warrior and father, a role we have not seen more of him. The facial expressions on his old face often betray his point of view when he consults with his leaders. In decades of loyal service to his clan, he has not had time to find the calling in his life. When his son threatens to make the same mistake, something snaps in Isaburo. Now it’s time to do what a real samurai does; protecting his family from corruption and injustice. The battle he and his son must face seems a lost cause. Nevertheless, a smile suddenly appears on Isaburo’s face; he has never felt so good in all his life.

The title of the film has a remarkable history. Originally, the film was going to be called ‘Rebellion: Receive the Wife’ to attract women as well. If it were up to Kobayashi, the film would have simply been called ‘Rebellion’. In the end, the Americans opted for the current title and the Japanese went along with it.

The common perception of samurai is that they are unbreakable, deadly serious fighters who will do anything for their honour. Nothing could be further from the truth in Kobayashi’s film. Although there are still exciting fight scenes in ‘Samurai Rebellion’, the film is much more about the inner battle that a samurai has with himself. Is the choice to become a samurai the right one? Isaburo has given his life over to men who don’t care about him. His son Yogoro has to do things differently and better. In this sense, Isaburo represents the old Japan before the Second World War and Yogoro the new Japan that has to reinvent itself from the ashes of war and self-isolation. That is a recurring feature of the golden generation of Japanese film (1950-1970).

‘Samurai Rebellion’ is a critical and progressive film. Critical of the hypocritical, corrupt politics of the samurai and of clinging to ideals that are old-fashioned and bygone. This criticism applies not only to Japan from that period, but also to Japan after the war. Kobayashi wants the Japanese to come out of their shells and stand up for themselves to create a better Japan. Every individual has to live his or her own life in his or her own way.