Free Sunday Matinee! Samurai Film: Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman

Recently, due to the earthquake, tsunami and the subsequent nuclear accident at Fukushima, this blog (and everyone else) has been completely preoccupied with those events. Several regular readers have asked that I start the free Sunday Japanese cinema again.

You asked for it, you got it. Here is a well known story in Japan. It is called Satoichi - the Blind Swordsman. Wikipedia says:

Zatoichi (座頭市 Zatōichi) is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist Kan Shimozawa (子母澤 寛 Shimozawa Kan). This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios (now Kadokawa Pictures) and actor Shintaro Katsu, who created the screen version. A total of 26 films were made from 1962 to 1989. From 1972 to 1974, a television series of the same name was made. One hundred and twelve episodes were aired before the "Zatoichi" television series was cancelled.

Film number 17 of the original series was remade in America in 1990 (by TriStar Pictures) as Blind Fury, an action movie starring Rutger Hauer.

Today, we will watch, in full the 2003 remake starring Takeshi Kitano directed by Takashi Miike. Satoichi is a much loved character in Japanese modern day folklore and this samurai film is quite possibly one of the best of the modern samurai movies. It has a quite bizarre ending too! Enjoy!

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 1/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 2/13



Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 3/13



Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 4/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 5/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 6/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 7/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 8/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 9/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 10/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 11/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 12/13

Zatoichi - the Blind Swordsman 13/13

The Value of Silence at Business Meetings - the Samurai Way

I often am reminded of how much some people like to hear their own voices at meetings. Not me. If I can, I want to go through meetings and be completely silent unless I am absolutely sure that I understand all facets of the problem(s) being discussed and there is something that is urgently pressing that I feel that I must say.... To be quite dramatic... It is like the wat a samurai would do things... They'd shut up unless they have something important to say.

Zatoichi - Samurai Fight Scene

 Hopefully, against all odds, what I did have to say, when I finally said it, would be relevant.

Otherwise, I want to be like samurai. 


According to ancient folklore, the samurai weren't big talkers. They didn't say too much.


Perhaps they kept their mouths shut because they already knew the score or perhaps they kept silent because they didn't know fully comprehend the subject at hand.


I suspect it to be a bit of both.


Either way, it seems to me a good way to be.


NOTE: Many regular readers have been asking for more great Japanese cinema. We haven't had any since the earthquake and tsunami, but here's some of the best scenes from Zatoichi a 1989 samurai film about a samurai who is blind. This is an awesome film. I will search for an English subtitled version and place it online if I can. Until then, enjoy!

SATOICHI

Samurai Assassination Movie

There's a movie coming out in Japan that really looks good. It's a movie about an assassination of the chief minister of the Edo shogunate government in 1860. Student's of Japanese history will know this as the "Sakuradamon incident." It was also the last hurrah for the samurai.

Authentic photo from 1860 of the Sakuradamon incident

The Sakuradamon incident occurred when Japan's pro-foreign Chief Minister Ii Naosuke was assassinated by xenophobic samurai who wanted foreigners kept out of Japan (an understandable concern!)


Now, there's a lot of bad movies coming out of Japan, but when it comes to samurai films, Japan still does a pretty good job (well, duh!) 


The Mainichi Newspaper reports: 

A famous ambush assassination of a high-ranking government official in Japan's late samurai period has been adapted into Junya Sato's new movie "Sakuradamongai no Hen" (The Sakuradamon Incident). The film carefully depicts the country's upheaval at the end of the samurai era from the view point of the assassins, making it easier for everyone to understand the historic background of the incident. The climax of the movie is the assassination of Naosuke Ii (starring Masato Ibu), the chief minister of the Edo shogunate government, by a group of 18 samurais on a snowy day 150 years ago.


Here's the trailer for the movie. It's in Japanese but you don't need to speak the language to see how good this movie is going to be!





Link: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101023p2a00m0na021000c.html


Thanks to News on Japan

In the Collapsing Japanese Economy Even Samurai Have No Work

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

The economy is getting really bad here very quickly. Today the Nikkei 225 declined for the 4th day in a row. The yen is nearing an all-time high.

On top of all this bad economic news, the thing that is even worse is the mood of the people. I spoke today with a young 27-year-old company worker who works in the music industry and he told me that there was talk at his company that they weren't going to last the year.

Later, I spoke to the vice president of a large Japanese music publishing company and even he told that, "Things are bad. Everyone is cutting staff and budgets... And it's only going to get worse."

Certainly, the economy is bad and there is no good news on the horizon but, it's also the mood of the people that makes things worse. A vibrant economy needs people with confidence and a positive attitude. Japan certainly doesn't have that now.

It's gotten so bad that even Japan's modern samurai are out of work and that is not a joke.

This report from Al Jazeera:

Samurai movies once made Japanese cinema famous worldwide.

In the 1950s, films such as the Seven Samurai by Akiro Kurosawa were extremely popular both in Japan and abroad.

But waning interest is now leaving many of Japan's silver screen swordsmen out of work.

Cinema and music are escapes for people. They are a cheap way for people to forget their cares.

When people working in these industries start screaming for help then it's probably long past the "canary in the coal mine."

Kamakura Japan's Big Buddha & the Origin of Martial Arts

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Today, I want to take you on a short trip outside of Tokyo to Kamakura to share a video showing monks chanting at the Big Buddha at Kamakura and, while I'm at it, explain the origins of martial arts.... After reading this, you will understand why these two subjects; martial arts and great buddha statues are closely related.

Buddha at Kamakura

Japan is an ancient country that was established over 2,700 years ago. Beliefs and ways of life are handed down through many generations. Of course all things change over time. But even in today's Japan, not only hand-guns, but even "Katana" (Samurai swords), are illegal for the average person. It has always been this way in Japan.

At about the time of the death of Christ, all Asian countries were very class segregated societies. There were the aristocrats, the farmers, the merchants, the warrior class, peasants, outcasts, etc.

Even in the old days of Western class society – during the European Monarchies, it was forbidden for classes to intermingle. This is where many ideas of fables of princes marrying commoners, like Cinderella, were born. In Asia, it was the same; excepting the girls had dark hair.

These were the days of struggle for control of the land between various warlords. So in most of Asia, including Japan, only the warrior classes were allowed to have weapons.

For over a thousand years, wars were fought between the warrior classes for control of territory and for honor. These wars were first generational warfare. The armies would decide when and where to meet and they would fight it out at the appointed place. To be defeated, would mean to bring disgrace upon one's name and family.

These battles, as well as who won or lost, usually did not affect the people in the other classes. For the merchants and farmers, it didn't matter who was warlord at the time. They would be taxed. Of course there was no concept of democracy – or even the notion of the people rising up and fighting the warrior class.

But if only warriors could have weapons, then how did the other classes of people defend themselves?

And here is where Martial arts like Karate were born. Even though the exact history is unknown, it is generally believed that the origins of Martial arts in Japan can be traced back to around 2000 years ago. Even further back, these methods of training and self-defense are said to come from a priest from India, named Dharma, almost 4000 years ago.

Since the peasants and farmers were not allowed to own weapons, they learned how to use farm tools and sticks as lethal weapons for self-defense. The local warlords could not outlaw sticks or scythes from the farmers. The farmers needed these tools to care for their crops.

These tools, then, became the tools for Kung Fu and other ancient Eastern ways to fight.... Karate, by the way, means, "empty hand."

Since the warriors were all employed by the aristocrats, the warlords – in order to consolidate power – ordered all weapons taken away from the other classes. In Japan's case, Toyotomi Hideyoshi instituted this law, called the "Sword hunt" in 1585. The collected weapons were all melted down and the Great Buddha statues were built.

Now you know why the Great Buddha and Martial Arts are so closely intertwined that it's difficult to knowledgably talk about one without knowing the other.

Now, for your enjoyment, here's some monks chanting at Kamakura Big Buddha:

Original video here.

---------

Keywords:

Mike Rogers, Martial Arts, Karate Kid, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Kamakura, Japan, Marketing Japan, Big Buddha, Samurai, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Tokyo, Sword Hunt, Kung Fun, Dharma, Buddha, Christ, Jesus Christ