Samurai Films (13 page)

During the 1970s, the genre was heavily influenced by Japanese comics (manga), many of which were adapted into live-action films. These films shared the over-the-top action and characters of their source material, and took the graphic violence of the 1960s films even further. The manga-inspired films were wonderfully overblown, and didn’t take themselves too seriously, resulting in simple entertainment that was beautiful to look at. The most famous of these films are the
Lone Wolf
and Cub
series, featuring Itto Ogami, his baby son Daigoro and a baby cart concealing an arsenal of deadly weapons. Others include the
Lady
Snowblood
and
Hanzo
the Razor
series. There is more to these films than just the action; the
Lady Snowblood
films in particular have a definite point to make.

The
Zatoichi
series continued into the 1970s, also influenced in part by the style of manga-inspired films. This is not surprising, considering that Shintaro Katsu’s (the star of the
Zatoichi
films) production company was responsible for both
Lone Wolf and Cub
and the
Zatoichi
films of the 1970s.

A nameless ronin receives a strange assignment from his new employer. He is to proceed to a desolate mountain pass and wait for something to happen. His employer, a mysterious samurai, tells him he will know when the time is right to act. Arriving at the pass the ronin stays at a small inn and meets a series of interesting characters. Among them are a young gambler, a criminal, an inspector, a young woman the ronin saves from her abusive husband, and a mysterious physician, hiding away from the world. Through a series of events it becomes clear what is really happening at the pass: Gentetsu, the physician, is in fact a samurai also hired by the ronin’s employer, his mission being to ambush a caravan carrying Shogunate gold. Gentetsu takes control of the inn with a gang of thugs and the ronin’s real mission is delivered to him; his employer wants Gentetsu dead and the ronin is to kill him. The caravan is completely fake, all to lure Gentetsu into a trap. Enraged by the betrayal of his mysterious employer, the ronin attempts to save Gentetsu, who throws himself down a gorge, preferring to die than be captured. The ronin leaves the pass alone and kills his employer, in vengeance for all the bloodshed he has caused.

Incident at Blood Pass
is a character-driven film, set amid majestic snow- capped mountains. The way these characters interact makes up much of the first half of the film, and their exchanges are both well written and acted. The film’s writing team have created an interesting blend of characters, whose differing perspectives often act as an examination of justice, one of the central themes of
Incident at Blood Pass
. Mifune’s ronin is a compassionate man, taking great pains to avoid killing his adversaries in combat. He has his own sense of justice, choosing to viciously strike down those he believes deserve death. Yujiro Ishihara plays Yataro, a tough young gambler, who despises the law and thieves alike. Shintaro Katsu, famous for his long-running role as Zatochi the blind swordsman, here plays Gentetsu, a seemingly uncouth ex-physician, hiding away from the world for his own reasons. The two women at the inn, Okuni and Oyuki, are both merciful and tolerant, and prefer not to see harm come to anyone. This is particularly poignant for Okuni who, badly beaten by her husband, still begs the ronin not to kill him, and shows concern when he is injured later in the film.

When an inspector and the criminal he was chasing arrive at the inn, both nearly dead from their wounds, the theme of justice is examined more thoroughly. Gentetsu shows great apathy in refusing to treat them but is spurred into action by the ronin and Oyuki. When he regains consciousness the inspector treats his prisoner with great brutality, beating him and making him eat like a dog, all the while refusing him water. He claims to do this in the name of justice. It’s hard not to take a strange sense of enjoyment from a later scene, where the thief is freed and savagely beats the inspector, which seems far more just than the earlier tortures.

The second half of the film contains some unpredictable twists, which ultimately lead to violence. The fight scenes are well choreographed, both frenetic and chaotic, which adds a sense of realism, even though there is very little blood and gore on display.

Although the content of this film is different to the historical epics he usually directed, Hiroshi Inagaki created an entertaining film from this compelling material. In particular, he makes good use of the scenic backdrop of the snowy mountain pass, in many ways reminiscent of the grand landscapes of his other films.

All in all,
Incident at Blood Pass
is a great samurai film, containing clever characterisation, thought-provoking themes and skilled direction.

Needing a break from his violent lifestyle, Zatoichi returns to a village he has fond memories of. He finds the village a much more sombre place now, with a yakuza boss, Masagoro, and his father, Eboshiya, fighting over a hidden stash of gold stolen from the Shogunate. Masagoro has hired Sasa, a samurai, as his yojimbo (bodyguard). After Zatoichi roughs up some of his men, Masagoro sends Sasa after him, but the two end up having a drink instead. Sasa is in love with Umeno, the young woman who runs the sake house. Attacks by Sasa and Masagoro’s men on Eboshiya’s house and warehouse both fail to reveal the location of the gold. Kuzuryu, a skilled warrior, arrives to protect Eboshiya, sent by Sanyemon, his other son, who originally sent the stolen gold from Edo. It becomes clear that both Sasa and Kuzuryu are agents of the Shogun, attempting to recover the gold. Meanwhile, Zatoichi discovers that the gold is hidden inside the 130 small Buddha statues that Eboshiya had made for the village shrine. A large battle between Eboshiya and Masagoro’s gangs erupts, and Zatoichi takes advantage of the confusion to gather all the gold dust in a large pile outside the village gates. Sasa attempts to arrest Eboshiya, but Sanyemon, trying to kill him, wounds his father. The battle subsides as Eboshiya, Masagoro and Sanyemon all make for the gold. Kuzuryu kills them all with a pistol, wanting the gold for himself. Sasa kills him, but not before Umeno is shot. Sasa attempts to save Umeno, but believing it’s hopeless, he and Zatoichi begin to fight. Umeno regains consciousness, and the two stop fighting. Both Zatoichi and Sasa attempt to get the gold, which all blows away in the wind. Zatoichi leaves Sasa to take care of Umeno.

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
combines two of the most enduring characters in samurai films: Shintaro Katsu’s affable Zatoichi and Toshiro Mifune’s gruff but likeable yojimbo. The two meet in a village which hides a fortune in stolen gold. Not only do they have greedy yakuza to contend with, but also each other.

A co-production between Toho and Shintaro Katsu’s production company, the greatest feature of
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
is its two leading men. As in
Incident at Blood Pass
, they make a wonderful combination, and are even more entertaining here. Mifune and Katsu play up the rivalry between their characters very well; their interplay is always entertaining, whether they’re insulting, threatening or trying to fool each other. The often sly humour of Katsu’s Zatoichi and the blustering, sometimes drunken, outbursts of Mifune’s yojimbo are a delicious mix, which writer and director Kihachi Okamoto never misses an opportunity to exploit.

Indeed, this film contains much more comedy than most Zatoichi films; the scenes with Sasa (the yojimbo) and the bumbling yakuza he associates with are always amusing, particularly the way Sasa continually imitates them. Similarly, Zatoichi himself is funnier, accidentally knocking himself out when trying to escape the local lawman and trying to fake death spasms with amusing results.

At no point does this tone detract from the more serious scenes, yet
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
is not without its faults. The plot has so many twists and turns that it could potentially confuse and irritate viewers, rather than surprise them. This is unusual coming from Kihachi Okamoto, the talented director responsible for classic samurai films such as
Samurai Assassin
,
Sword of Doom
and
Kill
!
It looks as though Okamoto tried to put a little too much into the plot; with a shorter running time and fewer twists,
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
could have been every bit as entertaining as his other work.

The battle scenes are also slightly disappointing. While Katsu and Mifune draw on their unique styles, they have both done much better work in other films. Similarly, the large-scale battle between the two yakuza factions towards the end is not up to Okamoto’s usual standards. The battles between Zatoichi and Sasa are not without merit, but seem somewhat anti-climactic.

Despite disappointing on some levels,
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
is interesting viewing for samurai film fans simply because it combines two of the genre’s most popular characters, and is worth seeing alone for Katsu and Mifune’s entertaining interaction.

Zatoichi, the famed blind swordsman, rescues a beautiful woman from a mistress auction. She doesn’t get far; a mysterious ronin finds and kills her. Attending the promotion ceremony for a local yakuza boss, Kuroko, Zatoichi is disrespectful, but the angry men are stopped by their supreme leader, Yamikubo, another blind man referred to as the shogun of the underworld. Yamikubo holds a vote among the yakuza bosses, and it is decided that Zatoichi must be killed. Several attempts fail, and the yakuza send Okiyo, a pretty young girl, to lure Zatoichi into their trap. Zatoichi meets the ronin, who accuses him of sleeping with his wife. The ronin has killed everyone else she slept with, and mistakenly believes Zatoichi did after he rescued her. The ronin promises they will duel soon. Okiyo and Zatoichi form a bond, and she tries to convince him not to attend the festival to which Yamikubo has invited him. Umeji, a young pimp Zatoichi befriends, unsuccessfully attempts to seduce and kill him. Arriving at the festival, Zatoichi is lured into a cunning trap. He escapes and succeeds in killing Yamikubo, but not before Okiyo’s family are murdered by the yakuza boss. The ronin arrives and saves Zatoichi from Yamikubo’s many henchmen. Zatoichi and the ronin duel, and Zatoichi emerges victorious. Seeing the way love ruined the ronin’s life, Zatoichi chooses not to have Okiyo accompany him, even though she wants to.

Zatoichi
:
The Festival of Fire
is an entertaining film and high point in the series. With the usual amiable performance from Katsu, the assured direction of Kenji Misumi and a great performance from the immensely talented genre veteran Tatsuya Nakadai, it’s one of Zatoichi’s best adventures.

Kenji Misumi, the director responsible for the early Zatoichi films, who would go on to direct the best of the
Lone Wolf and Cub
series, handles the material with the skill and assurance that samurai film fans have come to expect. Misumi creates some wonderful scenes in this film. The amusing opening sequence in which Zatoichi tries to get rid of a pesky dog, the scene where Zatoichi pulls Okiyo along in a cart and the blind swordsman’s rude arrival at a yakuza gathering are all classic Zatoichi, that entirely utilise Katsu’s charismatic performance.

Misumi also makes sure he doesn’t waste the talents of Tatsuya Nakadai, who puts in a tour-de-force performance as a ronin driven mad by his cheating wife; the kind of character he is famous for – an unnerving and inexpressive individual completely fixated on his violent goals. Similar to the characters he played in films such as
Sanjuro
and
Sword of Doom
, Nakadai’s cold stare, conveyed through his large eyes, is no less chilling here. Particularly memorable is the sequence in which the ronin, having drunk a lot of sake, finds himself reliving the events which changed his life forever. Shot against a stark white background, these scenes consist of very quick cuts of the ronin discovering his wife with another man, who he kills, before commencing the vengeful pursuit of his wife, for which he sacrifices his position as a Shogunate samurai. The sight of Nakadai, a look of horror and anger stretched across his face, made mesmerising by the blank background, is an image the viewer will not soon forget. Such highly stylised images show a talent that would become evident in Misumi’s later work on the
Lone
Wolf and Cub
films.