The Evolution of the Japanese Period Film Jidaigeki from 1997 to 2012 Vibeke Oseth Gustavsen Master’s thesis (60 credits) Asian and African Studies – Japanese Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages University of Oslo Spring 2013 The Evolution of the Japanese Period Film Jidaigeki from 1997 to 2012 Vibeke Oseth Gustavsen Master’s thesis (60 credits) Asian and African Studies – Japanese Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages University of Oslo Spring 2013 Copyright Vibeke Oseth Gustavsen 2013 The Evolution of the Japanese Period Film: Jidaigeki from 1997 to 2012 Vibeke Oseth Gustavsen http://www.duo.uio.no Abstract The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the Japanese period film, also known by its Japanese term jidaigeki, and to find out how it has evolved in terms of narrative patterns, style conventions and genre formulas in the last fifteen years. While English-language research in the field of Japanese film studies has tended to concentrate on earlier period film productions, particularly by world-known masters such as Kurosawa Akira, Inagaki Hiroshi, Kobayashi Masaki, Gosha Hideo and others, there is still a need to examine newer films in this genre. The focus of this thesis is therefore on a selection of nine recent jidaigeki released between 1997 and 2011; films that ranked among the top ten movies of the year by Kinema Junpō and/or had a domestic box office gross of JPY 15 billion. This was done to ensure that the films analyzed had either been of critical interest or had attained a certain success in movie theaters in Japan. The objective is to analyze and compare these recent productions with earlier narrative patterns and subgenres of the Japanese period film to find out if there is a relation between contemporary and earlier cinematic codes within the jidaigeki genre. Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my supervisor Dick Stegewerns for his help and relentless feedback. I am grateful to all my friends and family for their support and words of motivation. A special mention goes out to Marte and Åshild for their meticulous proofreading, and to Kristine, my sister, for everything. Last but not least, I would like to thank my precious cat Børre for his strangeness and love. Table of contents 1 Introduction........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Thesis structure ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Research question.................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research method ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Japanese cinema from a Western point of view – the dangers of cinematic ethnocentrism and essentialism ....................................................................................................... 7 2 Historical framework.........................................................................................................9 2.1 The classification into two mega-genres................................................................................ 9 2.2 Connections to Japanese theater.......................................................................................... 11 2.3 The 19010s, 1920s and 1930s – Cinematic supervision and the breaking of old conventions ...................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 From kabuki to kōdan – The pioneer Makino Shōzō....................................................... 13 2.4 World War II and the American Occupation years (1940-1952) – The suppression of period films...................................................................................................................................... 14 2.5 The 1950s and 1960s – The power of Tōei jidaigeki ........................................................... 15 2.5.1 Breaking the Tōei formula .............................................................................................. 16 2.5.2 Basic characteristics of Tōei jidaigeki films.................................................................... 18 2.6 The 1960s and 1970s – The coming of television, audience decline and innovation ....... 19 2.7 The 1980s, 1990s and current cinema.................................................................................. 20 2.7.1 The multiplex ................................................................................................................... 21 2.7.2 Increased attendance, decreased domestic market share ................................................. 22 2.7.3 Positive developments ..................................................................................................... 22 3 Jidaigeki developments in the prewar and postwar eras..............................................24 3.1 Jidaigeki in the prewar era – the main narrative patterns ................................................ 24 3.1.1 The vendetta narrative...................................................................................................... 25 3.1.2 The ōie-sōdō narrative ..................................................................................................... 26 3.1.3 The kanzen chōaku narrative............................................................................................ 26 3.1.4 The legendary swordfighter narrative.............................................................................. 27 3.1.5 The working-class hero narrative..................................................................................... 27 3.2 Jidaigeki iconography............................................................................................................ 28 3.2.1 Prewar .............................................................................................................................. 29 3.2.2 Postwar and onwards ....................................................................................................... 29 3.3 Jidaigeki developments in the postwar period.................................................................... 32 3.3.1 The great paradox ............................................................................................................ 33 3.3.2 The “frontier of hopelessness”......................................................................................... 34 3.3.3 Giri versus ninjō: A binary opposition ............................................................................ 35 3.4 Jidaigeki subgenres................................................................................................................ 36 3.4.1 The nostalgic samurai drama ........................................................................................... 36 3.4.2 The anti-feudal drama ...................................................................................................... 38 3.4.3 Zen fighters ...................................................................................................................... 41 3.4.4 Chanbara – the sword film .............................................................................................. 43 3.4.5 The influence of Kurosawa: Seven Samurai.................................................................... 45 4 Analysis .............................................................................................................................48 4.1 Plots......................................................................................................................................... 48 4.1.1 Samurai Fiction................................................................................................................ 49 4.1.2 Gohatto............................................................................................................................. 50 4.1.3 Gojoe................................................................................................................................ 51 4.1.4 The Twilight Samurai ...................................................................................................... 51 4.1.5 Zatoichi ............................................................................................................................ 52 4.1.6 The Hidden Blade ............................................................................................................ 53 4.1.7 13 Assassins ..................................................................................................................... 54 4.1.8 Abacus and Sword ........................................................................................................... 55 4.1.9 Scabbard Samurai ............................................................................................................ 55 4.2 Narrative structure................................................................................................................ 56 4.2.1 Prewar narrative “relics”.................................................................................................. 57 4.2.2 A variation of the traditional narrative............................................................................. 60 4.2.3 Cinematography: How framing emphasizes the importance of children and assists the narrative.......................................................................................................................................