CHIJIWA Motome, his son-in-law, also a ronin Miho, Tsugumo's daughter, Chijiwa's wife |
Kingo, their infant son |
The commisioner in change of castle maintenance also forbids Hanshiro from following suit. Since the clan cannot be saved anyway, "It would be pointless." "Jinnai died because he knew you would if he didn't." You must live on for both of you. Who will look after his son if you don't?"
HT: "Tell Jinnai I will watch over his every step on the path to manhood. I will not fail him. I swear this on my life." So this was Hanshiro's pledge to his friend. This commitment has deep meaning for him.Much more than any abstract pledge or code.
This was something, true, genuine, and meaningful/ All the "feudal system" had to offer was Distorted codes of honor and the Hypocrisy of the powerful clans
the conflict between one's duty to others and one's own feelings about things. It was recognized that these two did not always align. The samurai code, as modified inthe Edo period, is that obligation always too precedence. But sometimes this can result in something cruel and inhumane.
No matter how grinding the poverty, for a samurai to present himself in someone else’s entryway and decide to commit hara-kiri is an unspeakable act and can in no way be excused. However…To wa iinagara…the manner in which the House of Ii handed the matter, surely left a great deal to be desired. If a samurai risks shame and ridicule to beg for a day or two’s grace, he must surely have a good reason. A simple inquiry as to the reason for the request would have told so much….yet with this witnesses present, not a single one among you had the consideration to ask. With his wife gasping for breath and his son dying from a burning fever, he probably wanted to come back and talk to me before he returned to the Ii house and turned everything over to me.
Enough of your self-serving excuses! As for Chijiwa Motome, the circumstances that drove him here were no doubt complex. But it was he who declared his wish to commit hara-kiri. What followed upon his request may not have been what he intended, but he reaped what he himself sowed. He was in no position to complain or blame or condemn anyone. At that point, his was but to cast al else aside and die a magnificent death. To face death without wavering—that is truly the way of the samurai. But what did this man do? He cravenly asked for a day or two’s grace. One might accuse him of having gone mad.
TH: True enough. Motome had probably gone mad. But I say good for him. I praise him. He may have been a samurai but hewas also a man of flesh and blood. He could not live on air alone. When he had reached the point of no return, even a man as strong as Motome will go mad trying to protect his family, and I would praise him for it. They will call him “the bamboo ronin” and sneer. Not only samurai but townspeople, too, will scoff at his wavering. But let them laugh all they want. Who can fathom another person’s heart. Thanks to the Shogunate’s ruthless policy of wiping out provincial lords, countless samurai lost their masters and were cast out to wander the depths of hell. How can those who never wanted for food or clothing understand their misery? To those of you who find Motome loathsome, I ask you: What if you found yourself in the same position? Would you do any differently? After all, this thing we call samurai honor is ultimately nothing but a façade
SK: Is that it? Is that your grievance. If a samurai says he wants to commit hara-kiri we let him; in fact, we will make sure he does it! That is the policy of the Ii house! For us, samurai honor is no mere façade.
Pause…HT laughs.
TH: You think I just came here out of bitterness for my grievances? I can’t wait to join Motome, Miho and Kingo. But I cannot go empty-handed. I thought perhaps that once I explained, EVEN members of the Ii clan would say, Ah, that’s how it was. Perhaps we were overzealous that day in rushing to that end. Anyone can see that the handling of the situation was less than ideal. Perhaps there were ways in which we carried things too far. No doubt, both partiers could have conducted themselves to better effect. If I could take with me even a single word in this vein, it would be a comfort to Motome. Was this not the most fitting gift I could hope to bring him? Such were my thoughts. But I see now it was nothing but wishful thinking.
SK: the world does not bend to sentimental tales. If you really think that samurai honor is just a façade, then you never had a chance of swaying us.
TH: Well, nothing I can do then…but I have some things that I must return that belong to this house. Out come the topkots! Close up on Saito. Yazaki Hayato, Kawabe Umenosuke. I understand they’re among the best swordsmen of the Ii clan. Held in high esteem for their bravery and honor. But rest at ease; I did not kill them. Just took their topknots.
A sharp clanging noise and a closeup of Saito.
TH: Gives them the details:
Hayato 6 days ago; Kawabe 5 days ago, May 8th; But that master of the Shindo-Munen Ichi school was more difficult, perhaps because he knew what had happened to the others.
Having a topknot taken is the same as having one’s head stricken off. It is an ineptitude, a disgrace that can scarcely be atoned for even by death. Yet these men claim illness and shirk their duties while waiting for their topknots to grow back.
Go Karo! This house boasts of its red armor and martial valor, but it seems that even to the great House of Ii' samurai honor is nothing more than a façade.
Wild laughter!!
There! The trap is complete and sprung. He has suckered them in perfectly. Their claim that the House of Ii is above reproach, that it truly knows and practices samurai honor is now exposed as a sham and Hanshiro has executed his plan to perfection.
SK: Maniac! Kiri-sute! Cut him down.
Of course, that is all they can do! This is the only ground on which the Ii can stand. Their claim of Madness, Insanity. Guilt by mental deficiency.
In the end, the Ii Clan will claim that nothing is changed by Hanshiro’s heroic action; and officially this is so. But thehistorical record is falsified; the Ii House’smay claim that their honor was maintained—but it is honor founded on a lie. We viewers know that. Treir three greatest samurai are humiliated but they LIE about it. High fevers and severe joint pain--this is supposedly why they cannot be seen when someone is sent to their residence. But the reality is they were bested, humiliated, disgraced. And on top of it all, they disgrace themselves even further by lying about it. hanshiro totally has their number and he forces them to face who they really are even if they can never admit the truth to anyone! They are pathetic and have been exposed as such.
"Oh, hoo," as he loves to say. "All three unavailable on this partiular day? What a very odd coincidence. Most curious. "He then laughs with mad delight.
In the end, they cannot even take down Hanshiro with swords or spears;they cannot "Cut Him Down!" It has to be with bullets.
Hanshiro grabs the Ii clan suit of armor to defend himself showing us that anyone who grabs it can claim the mantle of authority. Like the whole Emperor system? Post-Tokugawa Japan, too, was founded on the lies of bushido culture. It created a monstrosity of authoritarian abuse in the 1930s into which Kobayashi himself was conscripted. As Audie Bock puts it, "the Ii samurai are actually cowards and this symbol of military might and dignity is a completely empty one. The initial awe inspired by the camera treatment, mist effects,and music in the beginning is totally overturned in the end." (256)
The history books may lie, but we know the truth of it. There was payback: Omodaka, Kawabe, Yazaki—the cream of the crop-- + 4 others all dead. But that is NOT what the official record will reflect:
All our dead died of illness says the Karo. The House of Ii has no retainers who could be felled or wounded by a half starved ronin. [Of course not!]
HT committed hara-kiri honorably according to his wish. Our men’s death were of illness; nothing to do with Tsugumo.
Saito’s reports to the House, but the Images tell a different story, a story of violence, chaos, death and destruction; but Saito still intones before the chest:
Former retainer of the Geishu Fukushima clan, Tsugumo Hanshiro , died by harakiri at 6:00 pm. His speech and behavior had been somewhat erratic; many of those present thought he showed signs of derangement. Furthermore, it has become clear that when another former retainer of the Fukushima clan, Chijiwa Motome, asked to commit hara-kiri in January of this year, we did not err in our chosen response. Word of the martial rigor of this house echoed throughout Edo. In the present case, too, word of our resolute handling spread across the city before two days were out. As a result, on the third day, in a formal session at Edo Castle, Lord Doi took the occasion to confer words of praise upon our young master Bennosuke: “At peace yet ever vigilant.”
Let the House of Ii continue to embrace this principle, and your fortunes are sure to prosper for ages to come.