SYNOPSIS Miyamoto Musashi (C

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MIYAMOTO MUSASHI: UNRIVALLED SWORDSMAN AND SPIRITUAL SEEKER BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION

A Mamoru Oshii & Production I.G Collaborative Project

72 mins / Release: June 13, 2009 / Animation: Production I.G

OVERVIEW The creative team of Ghost in the Shell, Innocence, The Sky Crawlers and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 resurrects the legendary swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi on the big screen!

Maverick filmmaker Mamoru Oshii is the mastermind behind the original concept for this project, in collaboration with top-notch studio Production I.G - the team that brought you cutting edge anime such as Patlabor: The Movie 2 (1993), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Innocence (2004) and The Sky Crawlers (2008).

SYNOPSIS Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584-1645) was an unrivalled swordsman in the days when internal wars in Japan had virtually ended. Nevertheless, he wrote a master treatise on military strategy, The Book of Five Rings and sought the way to enlighten his spirit and cultivate his mind. But could his image have been fabricated by the generations that followed…?

PRODUCTION NOTES Mamoru Oshii takes on an unusual portrayal of this legendary and aloof warrior, between spectacular duels and a tragic life in pursuit of greatness. With The Book of Five Rings as his guide, Oshii unsheathes his unique vision of this greatest swordsman in Japanese history, completely different from the widely known portrayals of this character. Oshii’s long-time collaborator, Mizuho Nishikubo directs the film, cleverly combining 2D and 3DCGI animation and live action footage with different narrative and visual styles, from swordplay classics to documentary language. Nishikubo has also devoted specific attention to the music score, in a mesmerizing east-meets-west fusion of sounds. For the battle scenes, traditional narrative singing called rokyoku was used. Director Nishikubo commissioned the rokyoku parts to a professional performer, Takeharu Kunimoto, who added several western instruments to the traditional shamisen sound.

Kazuto Nakazawa, director of the mind-blowing animation segment in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and creator of innovative characters as seen in Samurai Champloo (2004), has contributed the character designs for Musashi. The

animation is supervised by Kazuchika Kise, the chief animator in Ghost in the Shell, Innocence and Blood: The Last Vampire.

MAIN STAFF Original Concept / Screenplay: Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, The Sky Crawlers) Director: Mizuho Nishikubo (Innocence, The Sky Crawlers, Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato, Otogi Zoshi ) Character Design: Kazuto Nakazawa (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Samurai Champloo, Asience: Hairy Tale) Animation Director: Kazuchika Kise (Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire) Art Director: Shuichi Hirata (Innocence, xxxHOLiC - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Asience: Hairy Tale) CG Animation: Makoto Endo (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Le Chevalier D’Eon)

Nishikubo was born on January 15, 1953. A longtime and most trusted collaborator of Mamoru Oshii, he has participated as sequence director (but under his real name of Toshihiko Nishikubo) in all Oshii’s works since Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), namely Ghost in the Shell, Cannes Palme d’Or-nominated Innocence and Golden Lion-nominated The Sky Crawlers. It is said that Oshii’s movies would not look the same without his contribution. He uses his alias Mizuho Nishikubo when he directs. After graduating from Waseda University, Nishikubo began his career at Tatsunoko Production and later became a protégé of Osamu Dezaki, one of Japan’s most respected animation directors. His collaborations with Dezaki include TV series Lady Oscar (1979) and Ashita no Jo 2 aka The Champion (1980). Nishikubo made his directorial debut in 1983 with Mitsuru Adachi’s romantic comedy Miyuki (1983, TV series). Other credits include Red Photon Zillion, (1987, TV series) Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato, (1989, TV series), Video Girl Ai (1992, OVA) Otogi Zoshi (2004, TV series) and Atagoal: Cat’s Magical Forest (2006, movie). He also directed the music clip Tsepi i kol’tsa / Chains & Rings (2003) for the hugely popular Russian rock star Linda. COMMENT The starting point was this idea of making an animated movie in documentary style, and we tried to answer to a very basic question: why did Miyamoto Musashi never mention the duel with Sasaki Kojiro, otherwise the most renowned episode of his life in popular imagery? Mamoru Oshii's script covered an amazingly wide range of topics, from ancient Persia to Han China to the evolution of knights in Europe, and reached as far as the Russo-Japanese War and the appearance of tanks on the Western Front during WWI, of course not without

his sarcastic commentary on how Japanese tend to identify modernization with the removal of their cultural heritage. So my challenge was about how to make this profoundly erudite excursus on Musashi entertaining. This movie could be described as a combination of Oshii's philosophical insight and social criticism, and cool samurai action, all arranged in documentary style. I'm sure this is something no-one has ever tried or seen before, so I hope you'll enjoy it. ABOUT THE SCRIPTWRITER: MAMORU OSHII Born in Tokyo on August 8, 1951, Mamoru Oshii is considered as one of the most remarkable personalities in modern Japanese filmmaking. He introduced introspective philosophical speculation into the world of animation, influencing at the same time movie creators all around the globe with his visionary style. Oshii joined the animation industry in 1977. His main works are Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984), Patlabor: the Movie (1989), the epoch-making Ghost in the Shell (1995, N. 1 in Billboard Top Video Sales Chart), Innocence (2004, first Japanese animated feature film ever nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes) and Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters (2006, selected for the 63rd Venice Film Festival). He has also directed a number of live-action features, including Avalon (2001). His latest movie, The Sky Crawlers, was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 65th Venice Film Festival, screened at the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival and was greeted with three awards at Sitges 2008 (Critic Award, Best Music Award, Young Jury Award). COMMENT I have been interested in Musashi for a while. Nobody is less known than a famous man. He's a hugely popular figure, everybody knows him, even outside of Japan. But I'd rather say, people believe they know about him. In fact, most of what people "know" about Musashi comes from novels and movies. Musashi’s image has been interpreted, modified and fabricated in different ways and for different purposes during three centuries. He was a multi-talented man who lived in a very particular period. But Japanese people tend to admire those who achieve perfection in one craft or discipline, and are strangely indifferent if not suspicious toward universal men. That’s why I wanted to portray a Japanese who was very different from contemporary Japanese people. A man whose effectiveness is not confined to a specific country or era.

62nd Film Festival Locarno

Official Selection: Filmmkers of the Present ”We are really delighted to be showing Musashi at Locarno, The film's aesthetic references the best of

animation cinema, but also the great masterpieces of Japanese film history. In addition to the combination of different styles and genres it ★ INT’L SALES / PUBLICITY ★ creates a unique, post-modern universe that fits Production I.G / Francesco Prandoni perfectly with the Festival's programming objective, [email protected] which is to remain constantly on the alert for new

mobile: +81-80-3361-4641 developments in film language. ” Frédéric Maire, Artistic Director, Film Festival Locarno

Established by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa in 1987, Production I.G is one of the world's leading animation studios. With its cutting-edge works, such as Ghost in the Shell (1995), Jin-Roh (2000), Blood: The Last Vampire (2000), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (animation segment, 2003), Innocence (2004) and The Sky Crawlers (2008), I.G has gained high reputation around the globe, inspiring Hollywood creators such as James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers.

Official Website: http://www.production-ig.com Contact: [email protected]

BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION MUSASHI Miyamoto Musashi (circa 1584-1645) was a Japanese swordsman who became renowned through stories of his distinctive style and excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels. He is particular famous in the Western world as the author of The Book of Five Rings, a book on strategy, tactics, and philosophy that is still studied today. He is also an iconic presence in Japanese culture. He was the solitary warrior that never lost a duel. The man who somehow forged the idea of bushido, or way of the warrior, as a balance of spirituality and fighting techniques. His name was given to the Yamato twin battleship that was the pride of the Japanese Imperial Navy during WWII. However, many details of Musashi`s life are still debated, starting from his actual birth date. The existing corpus of chronicles, hagiographic material and pure legends is countless as the fictional works that depict his figure, contributing the creation of a popular image that is very likely to be rather distant from truth. As a matter of fact, Musashi's only writings are related to strategy and sword technique, and offer very few details on his life.

EARLY YEARS In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi writes: “I have trained in the way of strategy since my youth, and at the age of thirteen I fought a duel for the first time. My opponent was called Arima Kihei, a sword adept of the Shinto ryu, and I defeated him.” In 1599, when he was 15 or 16, he left his village, and since then he spent his time traveling and engaging in duels. He also fought in 6 battles, the most notably of which are: Sekigahara (1600), that established the power of the Tokugawa family over the Archipelago for the next 250 years by defeating Ishida Mitsunari, who supported the Toyotomi clan; the siege of Osaka Castle (1614-1615) where Tokugawa Ieyasu exterminated once for all the last descendant of the Toyotomi family; and the Shimabara Rebellion (1638), the desperate and disastrous last stand of the Christian lords against the power-that-be. Although the side he fought on at Sekigahara and Osaka is still debated, it is very likely that in this battle Musashi served under a vassal loyal to the coalition supporting the Toyotomi clan. As the battle ended with complete defeat of the pro-Toyotomi army, it is believed that Sekigahara must have been a traumatic experience that marked his life forever.

YOSHIOKA SCHOOL After Sekigahara, Musashi disappears from the records to re-emerge at his arrival in Kyoto at the age of 20 (or 21). Here he began a series of duels against the Yoshioka School, at that time the foremost among the schools of martial arts in the capital. The members of the Yoshioka family were defeated and two of them killed by Musashi in three separate duels, the last one against an entire army of archers, spearmen and swordsmen. Interestingly, according to some documents only one duel took place, and ended in a draw if not a defeat for Musashi.

SASAKI KOJIRO In 1612, Musashi fought his most famous duel (perhaps politically motivated by a local vassal) with Sasaki Kojiro, who wielded a gigantic 90-cm long sword. Musashi came late and unkempt to the appointed place - the remote island of Funajima (also known as Ganryujima), north of Kokura. The duel was short. Musashi killed his opponent with a wooden sword that he had carved from an oar while traveling to the island. Musashi fashioned it to be longer than his opponent's weapon. Musashi's late arrival is controversial. Sasaki's outraged supporters thought it was dishonorable and disrespectful while others thought it was a fair way to unnerve his opponent. Another theory is that Musashi timed the hour of his arrival to match the turning of the tide. The tide carried him to the island. After his victory, Musashi immediately jumped back in his boat and his flight from Sasaki's vengeful allies was helped by the turning of the tide.

LATE YEARS Following his duel with Kojiro, Musashi seems to have focused his energies on perfecting his style of swordsmanship, spending much time in travel and reflection - thus epitomizing the much-beloved image of the brooding wanderer samurai. In 1643 he retired to the Reigando cave as a hermit to write The Book of Five Rings, that was completed in early 1645. He died about three months later of what is believed to be thoracic cancer.

WARRIOR AND SEEKER Musashi wrote to have fought over 60 duels and claimed that he was never defeated. He created and perfected a distinctive two-sword fencing technique called 二天一流 niten-ichi ryu, or "Two Heavens as One." In this technique, the swordsman uses two blades, such as a katana and a smaller type known as wakizashi. It is said that Musashi named his fighting style after a Kongen Buddhist sutra that refers to the two heavens as the two guardians of Buddha. However, in the movie, Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai Oshii gives a radically different interpretation to the real meaning behind this naming. It is true that Musashi also dedicated many years to the study of Buddhism, but he wrote, “Buddha is to be respected, but I’ll seek not his mercy.” He was an accomplished artist in brush paintings, sculptor, and calligrapher. In The Book of Five Rings he states that "When I apply the principle of strategy to the ways of different arts and crafts, I no longer have need for a teacher in any domain.”

THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS The Book of Five Rings is perhaps the most famous text on Japanese swordsmanship, completed by Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. It is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's Arthashastra. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work. The book is divided into five sections or scrolls, labeled according to the five elements in Zen Buddhism: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Void. The Earth Scroll provides the foundations for understanding the Way of Strategy. The Water Scroll focuses on the techniques. The Fire Scroll explains the principles that can be applied both to individual battles as well as large scale battles, such as selecting the right weapon or analyzing the battlefield before combat. The Wind Scroll covers and compares the other sword styles. Finally the Void Scroll is considered the most enigmatic section, where Musashi explains his philosophy. Descriptions of principles are often followed by admonitions to "investigate this thoroughly" through practice, rather than try to learn by merely reading. Furthermore, Musashi intentionally avoided abstract wording in his book, that stands on its own as a rare example of military treatise written in plain Japanese.

MUSASHI IN FICTION Musashi has been depicted in at least 28 movies, 12 TV dramas, 11 novels, 7 comic series, 18 video games, plus radio dramas and theatrical pieces. The 1954 movie Miyamoto Musashi, first of a trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune was released in the English-speaking world as Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, and won the Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. But since the Edo period Musashi was featured in fictional texts, kabuki pieces and novels. It is therefore difficult to separate fact from fiction when discussing Musashi. Eiji Yoshikawa's novelization Miyamoto Musashi, serialized from 1935 to 1939 on the newspaper Asahi Shinbun, was hugely succesful and has greatly influenced successive fictional depictions (including the ongoing best-selling manga, Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue) and is often mistaken for a factual account of Musashi's life. As Oshii says in his movie, “Written during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Yoshikawa’s novel reinterpreted Musashi's teachings into a spiritual reading which still linger today. Clearly Musashi's identity was fictionalized for political reasons.”

THE DREAM OF THE LAST SAMURAI With Musashi: The Dream of the

Last Samurai, Mamoru Oshii adds his own interpretation to this legendary, multifaceted and controversial figure. A man deeply traumatized by the battlefield of Sekigahara when he was just a young ashigaru, and who later theorized on combat techniques and strategies on both individual and large scale level in a time when war had been virtually eradicated from his country. What did he see in the defeat of Sekigahara? Why did he never mention the duel with Sasaki Kojiro, otherwise the most renowned episode of his life in popular imagery? What did he pursue during his whole existence?

★ INT’L SALES / PUBLICITY ★ Production I.G / Francesco Prandoni [email protected] mobile: +81-80-3361-4641 www.production-ig.com