User Reviews

It would seem impossible that any "samurai" movie could surpass Kurosawa's "Ran," "Kagemusha," or even "Rashomon" in visual impact, masterful storytelling, and moral imperative. However, there is such a film, and it is "Seppuku" ("Harakiri"), produced in 1962, arguably the best samurai movie ever made.

"Harakiri" (1962), as it is known in the West, was directed by one of the post-WWII great filmmakers of Japan, Masaki Kobayashi. This film, considered by many as his masterpiece, won him the International Jury Prize at Cannes in 1965. Unfortunately, Kabayashi is not as well known outside Japan as some other giants of the Japanese cinema. He was very much affected by the war, and his films, contrary to most Japanese filmmakers of the post-war eras, are very political in nature. Kobayashi's films explore the dark side of the Japanese culture, with its wars, corruption, and hypocrisy, and their consequences. His film, "The Thick-Walled Room" (1953), won him the 1956 Peace Culture Prize. His nine-hour trilogy, "The Human Condition" (1959/61), won the International Jury Prize at Cannes 1963, which actually launched his public recognition, presents a scathing critique of the horrors of WWII, experienced first-hand while on the Manchurian front, and later on the Ryukyu Islands. While serving, as a statement of dissent against war, he refused any promotion and remained a private until he was taken prisoner by the U.S. He spent one year in a prison camp before returning to the business of film making, in 1946, until 1952 as an assistant director under Keisuke Kinishita.

In Japan, Seppuku is the formal term for ritual suicide by disembowelment. Harakiri, as it is known in the West, is the common term, which literally means "stomach cutting." It was an integral part of bushido, the code of conduct of the samurai warrior class. Seppuku was ordered by a superior as punishment to redeem some offence, or chosen over a dishonorable death at the hands of an enemy. In both cases, it demonstrated the honor, courage, loyalty, and high moral character of the individual. Except when performed on a battlefield, it was a very formal ceremony, requiring certain etiquette, witnesses and considerable preparation.

Harakiri is a particularly painful and rather messy way of ending one's days. In this ritual, the "performer" opens his abdomen, starting from left to right and then finishing from top toward bottom. But there is so need to be left for hours contemplating one's entrails. Another swordsman acting as a "second," called kaishakunin, is standing by to decapitate the departing at a pre-arranged moment in the ceremony. Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, who founded Japan's last great shogunate dynasty in 1603, ordered the practice of harakiri to be discontinued by both secondary and primary retainers. Later on, in 1663, a stronger edict from Lord Nobutsuna Matsudaira of Izu, put an end to the practice altogether. By that time, the ritual had become an idle formalism, and the "performer" was decapitated at the instant he took his sword out of the scabbard, thus avoiding a painful death. In some instances, the sword was replaced by a fan.

Hanshiro Tsugomo (Tatsuya Nakadai) comes to the castle of the Iyi Clan to seek revenge for the humiliation and cruel death of his son-in-law, Anjiwa Motome (Akira Ishihama). Kobayashi is a superb storyteller, and in a slow and deliberate rhythm, he develops his story, which could have been taken from the pages of the Iliad or of the Mahabharata. The tension grows, as the Clan members slowly realize that they are in turn being humiliated by this stranger who truly believe in the samurai code of honor: he must be terminated to prevent him to broadcast his truth.

The final duel with the master swordsmen of the Clan, Hikukuro Omodaka, on the Plains of Gojin-in, is like a meditation, a ballet of death. The film ends in a spectacular combat, and the coup de grace to Hanshiro Tsugomo's seppuku is fittingly not applied by a gallant swordsman, but a cowardly platoon of muskets. Even to the end, the samurai honor code has been violated by the Clan.

As Toshiro Mifune has long been associated with the success of Kurosawa's films, so are Kogayashi's films enhanced by the brilliant interpretation of Tatsuya Nakadai (also staring in the leading roles in Kurosawa's "Kagemusha",and "Ran"). This outstanding actor contributed further to the success of this director's films, "Kwaidan" and the "Samurai Rebellion." The screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto is based on a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi The cinematography, by Yoshio Miyajima, in black and white, is gorgeous. Many on the shots are "haiku-like" in the imagery. The musical score, written for an ensemble of ancient instruments and percussion by the renowned classical composer Toru Takemitsu, is used sparingly throughout the film, reinforcing the dramatic moments.

Masaki Kobayashi's film is an indictment of the hypocrisy of the establishment, any establishment, would it be in feudal 17th Century Japan or in any other time. Dogma, on which the establishment's authority rests, is evil. The established, codified order, with all its smoke and mirrors, must be preserved at all costs, and nothing must be allowed to come in its way. It is the duty of each member of any government, organization, church, or brotherhood not to spare any effort and to go to any length to protect the appearances and status quo, to achieve this essential goal of survival. The end justifies the means, and no lie or deceit can be eliminated if this survival is at stake.

Although taking place almost five centuries ago during the Tokugawa Shogunate, this film is also a strong denunciation of the entrenched cultural legacy of coercive rituals, blind obedience, and chauvinism that resulted in the tragedy of the Pacific War.

The outstanding screenplay, the superb acting, the cinematography and editing makes "Harakiri" the best samurai film ever.

This film is narrated by more than on e person. However the main character, Hanshiro, gets to tell his full story of how and why he got there to the Iyi Clan. There is suspicion from the beginning when he is asked if he really ants to perform harakiri or if he simply wants money or a job. The counselor asks him this and Hanshiro replies the same answer that his son in law, Motome, did when he came in search for an open hand. Through Hanshiro's story telling, we are able to see the true meaning for why he is there; revenge for his lost family. Althpugh his intention is not on killing them, he simply wants them to acknowledge the unethical way they went about with Motome. In the beginning of them movie, the Iyi Clan armor is depicted as honorable, brave and even a little frightening however after the plot uncovers how the samurai retainers acted, the armor becomes an insignificant and worthless statue.

A classic, surviving the test of time -- made in 1962 about 17th century people. Here in 2005, we still watch and discuss the film and the issues that it raises. Tsugumo Hanshiro, a middle-aged ronin formerly serving a clan abolished by the Shogunate, appears at the Ii clan gate. He wishes to commit seppuku rather than live on in poverty. In his inner headquarters, Saito Kageyu, the chief retainer, bemoans the fact that hordes of starving ronin have been making similar requests at clan gates; most have wanted handouts rather than to actually commit seppuku. Kageyu suspects the same of Hanshiro. Kageyu attempts to discourage Hanshiro. He tells a tale of another ronin from the same abolished clan, Chijiiwa Motome.

Motome had appeared a few months earlier, with a request, but had carried bamboo sword blades – the clan members had been enraged. As an example to other scrounging ronin, particularly those without real blades, the clan decided to force Motome to commit seppuku with his own bamboo wakizashi.

Hanshiro tells his own life story. The film shows us some historical background. Thousands of ex-retainers had been thrown out of their positions, made into ronin, by the Shogunate's abolishing of clans. In the rigid class system (samurai, farmers, artisans, merchants), these displaced ex-retainers had no place at all, being forced into marginal subsistence. Most trades (because they required long periods of apprenticeship) were out for most ronin. Many ronin became outlaws or obtained bodyguard positions for gangsters. If law-abiding, they were able to teach in schools for commoner children. Or become piecework artisans; they could contract with wholesalers (who also lent money) to make fans, umbrellas, insect cages, ink brushes, and the like. Even as most ronin had to fend for themselves in this netherworld, they still were to carry the two swords of their original rank, and to uphold their obligations. Hanshiro and his daughter Miho make umbrellas and fans to sell to wholesalers for a pittance; Hanshiro is in debt to one of the wholesalers. Motome teaches commoner children and receives a minimal wage for his work.

Miho and Motome marry and have a son. All goes well until sickness strikes. Miho contracts consumption and the child contracts a fever. Neither Hanshiro nor Motome can afford a doctor. Motome attempts to get a laborer job (which pays more than teaching does) and runs straight into job discrimination: "no starving ronin need apply." Motome sells his sword blades at a pawnshop, obtaining bamboo blades to wear inside his sword fittings, not an uncommon practice; some ronin (and some low-ranked clan samurai) desperately needed money. And yet, the sword was considered to be "the soul of the bushi." A bushi who sold his blades had to appear to wear the badge of his rank. The bamboo blades were available, thus no one would know of the despicable act of having sold his "soul" for money.

But Motome has not received enough; he still cannot afford a doctor. So Motome decides on something more desperate: to appear at a clan gate, with his hidden bamboo blades, in order to request seppuku -- with the actual intention of receiving a handout to get a doctor for his wife and child. The Ii clan officials have decided differently. The scene where Motome must commit seppuku with his bamboo wakizashi is one of the most harrowing scenes ever filmed. Motome is utterly humiliated, surrounded by the Ii clan retainers, with Onodaka Hikokuro, his assigned second preaching on how the sword is the soul of the samurai, the bamboo sword is what is appropriate for Motome, and so forth. While Motome painfully carries forth. Hikokuro refuses Motome's request to cut off his head and end the ritual's mockery, so Motome ends it himself, biting off his tongue.

Hanshiro has realized -- too late -- that he had never dared to even consider selling his own sword blades to help out the family. The scene when he is confronted with Motome's body and the truth of what has happened is truly gut-wrenching, as Hanshiro weeps and slams down his "useless tokens" that he had clung to. Hanshiro reveals his own secret – he has used his "useless tokens" to avenge Motome's death. He has tracked down the three Ii retainers who were most responsible for Motome's death. The final duel between Hanshiro and Onodaka Hikokuro is absolutely stunning. Instead of taking the lives of these three, Hanshiro has taken their topknots. And while Kageyu has preached to Hanshiro about samurai honor, these three swordsmen have hidden themselves away, claiming sickness to cover up their own shame, while their topknots grow back.

Kageyu cannot deal with Hanshiro's revelations. He commands his men to slaughter Hanshiro. Hanshiro fights back gamely, taking four of the Ii clan retainers and wounding several more. In a symbolic scene, he tears down the ancestral armor of the Ii clan. Some Ii clansmen use their rifles against Hanshiro, but Hanshiro sticks his own sword into his belly, committing seppuku as he has pledged to do. In the end, Kageyu fashions a cover-up of the entire event; mysterious plagues have hit the Ii clan and a number of their retainers, including Onodaka, have died of "illness" rather than by the blade of an impoverished hungry ronin.

This film raises many issues. It is Kobayashi's impassioned protest against rigidly militaristic societies that uphold hypocritical codes of "bushido" while disdaining what that term really means. The film is also like a Greek tragedy, with a character (Tsugumo Hanshiro) possessing the tragic flaw of his own pride -- which in the end, he must pay for with his life. Which he does in a heroic way. This film doesn't just recount the oppression of poor people. It shows the strength that these poor people have, the choices that they make as individuals, refusing to just bow down and be mere victims of their society.

Harakiri is an outsatanding and underrated Japanese masterpiece. It seems to be heavily overshadowed by so-called magnum opuses like seven samurai. However, this samurai film was truly incredible in almost every way. The visuals and the themes complimented each other perfectly. It really shed light on the samurai experience like no film before and subverts expectations with regards to numerous samurai cliches.

The recurring mood of this movie is deceitful. Nothing should be interpreted at face value. Our protagonist Tsugumo enters seemingly disturbing the peace at the honorable House of Iyi. He even wears a dark outfit, deceiving one into thinking that he is evil in nature. One would expect that Tsugumo would promptly carry out his "wish" of dying honorably. Given that we know nothing about him and that the camera often keeps physical distance from him, he initially does not evoke pity. However he repeatedly prolongs the ritual, much to the annoyance of Sennukko. And Tsugumo finally tells his grand tale which subverts all of our expectations. It's revealed that he is the victim of corrupt government policies initiated by indifferent upper-class elites. He is really out to vent his grievances in front members of the elite.

But the film doesn't stop there. Part of its magic was just truly how unpredictable it was. Not only was Tsugumo lying in his intentions, he revealed that three of his proposed "seconds" to his harakiri were not sick at all, but could not face the humiliation of losing their buns. The final lines in the film in which sennukko orders the events of the film to be whitewashed to preserve the House's dignity, accentuates the theme of subversion. This is supported when the camera cuts at some of the most climactic moments. While not my original observation, I'd like to echo other reviews in acknowledging how in every death or samurai battle, we never actually see anyone die, or have their hair cut off. It's as if the audience is denied the convenience of being eyewitnesses and instead must accept Sennukko's words with submission.

I've read how this film, while taking place in the 17th century, has striking parallels to Japanese institutions during WWII, however I admit to being no aficionado on Japanese history.

This was my interpretation of the film. Samurais are often depicted as saviors and honorable warriors (ahem all of kurosawa's films), but this interpretation of them has to be the most pitiful and revealing.

In terms of entertainment value, this film was easily 10/10. We grow intrigued as our bereaved protagonist asks to commit ritual suicide after facing poverty. We then have to witness the cringy demise of one previous man named Chijiwa. As we are awaiting Tsugumo to succumb to the same fate, he creates tension by interrupting the procedure with his own anecdotes, where we learn an emotional backstory surrounding the loss of his job and ALL of his immediate family. As if this weren't intriguing enough, the suspense is cranked up when Tsugumo reveals how he retrieved the hair buns and preaches about the evil workings of the ruling class. The ending is a well earned and a well executed climax of realistic and authentic fight choreography for the time the film was made.

Again, I don't know how historically accurate this film was and I'm certain many inevitably dismissed it as political propaganda, but the execution of this movie from a filmmaking standard was near meticulous in my opinion.

Best Samurai film and probably the best foreign film I've ever seen! 10/10.