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McKenzie, Andrew. "True Demon Bound by No Rules: AN INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTER AND VENGEANCE IN THE LONE WOLF AND CUB FILMS." Metro 148 (2006): 112-115. EBSCO. University of Pennsylvania. 10 Apr. 2008.
Andrew McKenzie’s essay, “A True Demon Bound by No Rules: An Introduction to Character and Vengeance in the Lone Wolf and Cub Films,” places the Lone Wolf and Cub series within the larger context of the Tokugawa Era (1600-1865), the Bushido (“the way of the warrior”), and the films’ reception.
Critics condemn the Lone Wolf and Cub series, arguing that the film’s masterless protagonist, Itto Ogami, is a caricature of the Tokugawa samurai. These critics allude to the meager and powerless existence of the historical ronin (masterless samurai). But McKenzie argues that Ogami’s unique freedom emphasizes the presence of feudal Japanese conventions. Without the existence of these customs, Ogami would not have a force against which to rebel. According to McKenzie, the primary targets of Ogami’s rebellion are the Bushido and the Eastern conception of fate. Ogami first violates Bushido code when he refuses an order from his superior to commit seppuku. McKenzie also cites Ogami’s disregard for his sword as a subversion of Bushido. In Bushido the sword is akin to the “soul of the samurai,” and its wielder should guard it at all costs. In his unorthodoxy however, Ogami hurls it like spear. Finally, McKenzie posits that “Belief in predestination or fate in Eastern culture is standard; Ogami however, simply refuses it” (McKenzie, 114).
The essay establishes Shogun Assassin’s (1980) historical relevance through Lone Wolf and Cub. Shogun Assassin, a reedited version of the first two Lone Wolf and Cub films, contains the same tropes of abandonment and rebellion against feudal convention. The films challenge the conventions and the authority of the Tokugawa era with their gruesome fight sequences. Because of the overt violence, McKenzie argues that critics incorrectly ignore the social and cultural implications of the film, and immediately assign it to the exploitation genre.
Call#: Van Pelt Library DS827.S3 S36 1995
Call#: Van Pelt Library DS827.S3 S36 1995
Call#: Van Pelt Library DS827.S3 S36 1995
Hagakure (literally “hidden in leaves”), written in the early 1700s by Tashiro Tsuramoto, is a spiritual guide for the samurai. Based on a series of conversations between the samurai Tashiro Tsuramoto and Yamamoto Tsunetomo, the book contains eleven volumes of observations about samurai life. Hiroaki Sato’s anthology of medieval Japanese texts, Legends of the Samurai, features an excerpt from Hagakure in which Tsunetomo muses on duty, honor, leadership, pretense, and death. While the passage’s subject matter seems to shift arbitrarily, one overarching theme makes itself quite apparent: the way of the warrior is to die.
Through a series of anecdotes, Tsunemoto illustrates the benefits of living prepared to die at any moment. He asserts that in order for a samurai to be useful to his retainer he must be willing to sacrifice himself. In this way, “someone of no special use can prove himself worthy of a thousand men at a time of emergency” (Tsunemoto in Sato, 288). It is through death, Tsunemoto continues, that the samurai achieves perfect harmony with his master. Additionally, to live in union with death ensures that one will live a mistake free life because, “In a situation with a choice, you can only choose at once to die” (Tsunemoto in Sato, 287). Thus if one always chooses death, one will never err. For instance, when seeking revenge, Tsunemoto claims the warrior must rush to battle immediately. He should be frantic with rage, unconcerned with the size of his opposition or the odds of his success. In fact, the samurai should attack his enemy with the soul purpose of dying. Any delay in retaliation indicates cowardice in the warrior and brings shame upon his character.
The Hagakure excerpt bears directly on Shogun Assassin (1980). The manifesto provided an ideological standard for the samurai of the time. Using this standard, one can judge the historical accuracy of the philosophy promulgated by Shogun Assassin, which takes place during the same era. The film espouses the same acceptance of death as Hagakure. At the beginning of the film, the protagonist, Itto Ogami, states, “Today I will begin walking the road to hell” (Shogun Assassin). The statement reflects Ogami’s mindset as he undertakes his mission of vengeance. He not only accepts death, he embraces it. Through Itto Ogami’s personification of the ideals of Hagakure, Shogun Assassin proves itself a jidai-geki (Japanese period piece).
tagged hagakure jidai-geki tokugawa by dmallet ...on 10-APR-08
Call#: Van Pelt Library GV1100.77.A2 H87 1998
“Martial Arts and Japanese Culture,” the first chapter of Cameron Hurst’s book, Armed Martial Arts of Japan: Swordsmanship and Archery, examines the dichotomy between the function of martial arts in contemporary and medieval Japan. Furthermore, Hurst takes issue with the facile popular conception of the feudal Japanese warrior.
Hurst begins his study with a syntactical analysis of the Japanese terms applied to various schools of martial arts. By identifying the differences between contemporary and ancient Japanese characters for martial arts, Hurst documents the evolution of the sport. In opposition to the vast array of martial arts styles practiced today, the feudal samurai were primarily concerned with budE . But rarely did samurai use budE to refer to specific combat activities. Instead, “it represented a moral ideal for the samurai” (Hurst, 11). Hurst then transitions to an investigation of samurai military practices, citing that contrary to the widely held belief that the samurai was a “solitary wandering warrior” wielding a sword; the samurai were chiefly mounted archers. Hurst does concede however, that the sword did find prevalent usage by the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600 AD). Hurst also corrects the widely held notion that the samurai were blood-lusting mongers. On the contrary, the Japanese viewed death and blood as forms of pollution and ritual impurity. He continues, “There were even taboos against causing bloodshed, incurring wounds, and being contaminated with blood” (Hurst, 21).
Hurst’s chapter provides a scholarly evaluation of Shogun Assassin’s (1980) historical inaccuracies. While he recognizes the sword’s popularity among Tokugawa samurai, he would take issue with the Shogun Assassin’s “wandering warrior” protagonist. He emphasizes that the samurai was predominately a mounted archer. Of course, Shogun Assassin is a chambara (swordplay) film, so its rampant swordfights are acceptable cinematically, if not historically. But in direct opposition to Hurst’s chapter, Shogun Assassin’s characters are obsessed with blood. One villain even describes aspirations of cutting a man across the neck so that the squirting blood makes the sound of a “wailing winter wind” (Shogun Assassin). In this way, Shogun Assassin’s producers pander to Western misconceptions about the samurai.
tagged film japan martial_arts shogun tokugawa by dmallet ...on 10-APR-08