Onmyoji (2001) Directed by Takita Yojiro Written by Yumemakura Baku.
”It is true, a person may become a demon or a Buddha depending on what is in their heart. Minamoto no Hiromasa.
This Japanese tale of sorcery and intrigue holds many elements of the fantastic; it is a faery tale, based on Japanese mythology. As such, it holds certain elements that are strange and unfamiliar to western audiences. However, it is not so laden with cultural “in jokes” that it can not be understood.
Available dubbed and subtitled, I will admit I only watch it subtitled; it has a purer ring to it that way. As I said before, it is easy enough to follow.
The story centers on the Court of the Mikado. 150 years before, Prince Suwara was falsely accused of treason and executed. His vengeful ghost haunted the capital, and granted power to minor demons and spirits, allowing them to vex the living.
The capital was moved, and a great ceremony performed to seal Suwara in his grave. A statue of the General and his sword were placed in the mound to keep him inside, and a guardian was appointed to see that the mound was never disturbed, and if it was, to render aid to the City’s Defender.
Move forward 150 years. The Makado is spending most of his time with one of his concubines, leaving the others neglected. There is also something of a power struggle among the Court Onmyoji, or exorcists. These sorcerers use their powers to investigate and purge hauntings and to banish demons. Doson, the Chief Onmyoji is jealous of the power and charisma of Abe no Seimei. Seimei is very powerful, but very centered. He is young, beautiful, and amused by the political maneuverings around him.
He is summoned by a young nobleman, Minamoto no Hiromasa. A lord of the land has found a puzzle; a gourd growing from a pine tree. Seimei examines it, casts a spell, and splits it open. Thanks to his spell, the lord and Hiromasa can see the serpent coiled inside the gourd. It would have been eaten with the flesh of the gourd, and then would have eaten the Lord from the inside out. Seimei follow the serpent to find out where it came from.
It leads them to a bridge, and to the body of a girl in the water. She had been the Lord’s lover, and he had abandoned her, and she had killed herself out of despair. When she became a vengeful spirit, she had caused the serpent gourd to grow on the pine, to extract revenge on her lover. A proper burial set things to rights.
But there are deeper mysteries afoot. Someone has cursed the Makado’s infant heir Asuhira. For this, Seimei needs more help, in the form of the mysterious Lady Aone.
They exorcise the baby, but fail to learn who cast the curse, so the investigation continues. As it does, Hiromasa falls in love with a mysterious lady in a cart who comes to view the moon and hear Hiromasa’s masterful flute playing. Hiromasa is smitten with the woman, who is obviously of high rank, and begins to fall in love with her.
These plots move forward; Seimei is trying to discover who is casting curses, Doson is trying to discredit of kill Seimei before his guilt can be found out, and Hiromasa is bouncing between thought of love for his Lady of the Full Moon, and being Seimei’s leg man. The magic scares him, but he really learns to like Seimei. In fact, there may be a bit of a romantic relationship there, more Seimei admiring young noble Hiromasa than that somewhat thick young man picking up on it.
Then the stakes are upped as a Naranai is discovered to be stalking the Makado. This creature is a woman who turns into a demon. So any lady in the palace could be one!
Can the skilled Seimei and heroic Hiromasa save the Makado? Will Hiromasa hook up with anyone? Will Doson set free the vengeful spirit of Prince Suwara?
This movie deals with the magic systems of Japan. A lot of it centers on appeasing those who died angry, and the use of spells and protections, most of which are somehow based on the use of paper and ink, or effigies. Seimei uses Shikigami or servant-gods, which are paper dolls magicked up into replicas of people. The evil spirits us them too, and effigies. The whole system is very different from our western witch’s bubbling cauldron, but the dolls remain the same, whether of wax or straw.
It is really very interesting from an anthropological point of view, but more importantly, it works from the movie’s perspective. The special effects are not expensive CGI effects, but are used to great advantage, and effectively relay the sense of wonder.
Also, the period work sets and costuming are brilliant. It suspends disbelief and transports you to feudal Japan.
The pacing, cinematography, lighting, and music all work together to craft a mood. The music is subtle, features almost no singing (a plus in my book; classic Japanese opera leaves me cold.) but Hiromasa’s flute is exquisite, and becomes an element of the story.
The story is well written, from the occidental point of view; I can’t speak to dialogue, but the subtitles seem to be well done. It may sound hokey in Japanese, but it reads well in English.
And the acting is very nice. There is a little low budget feel to the overall production, but I must say, the acting is very nice, and elevates the overall performance. The fact that Seimei and Hiromasa are absolutely gorgeous does not hurt. The female leads, Lady Aone is very handsome, and Sukehime is lovely without being a classic beauty. All of them turn in very nice performances, making us care about their characters. Hiromasa comes across as a little slow, but I am sure that is scripted.
Doson as the villain is very nice, particularly while he is still undercover. Suave, powerful, and unconcerned, you would not suspect him of his evil ways.
Taken all together, this makes for a most enjoyable experience. It is not on the level of a Kurasawa Akira movie, but it is also a hundred times better than your standard wuxia (Wire Fu) movie. If you want a change of pace, check this out.
Check out my reviews of all things Japanese:
My Neighbor Totoro
Across the Nightingale Floor
Grass For His Pillow
Brilliance of the Moon
Onmyoji II
Onmyoji
The Hidden Fortress
Hellboy: Storm of Swords
Vexille
Sanjuro
The Hidden Blade
Yaji & Kita: Midnight Pilgrims
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Gay Tales of the Samurai
Howl's Moving Castle
Ghost Dog
Memoirs of a Geisha (Book)
Memoirs of Geisha (Movie)
The Last Samurai
The Sword that Cut the Burning Grass
Taboo
Forbidden Colors
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