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Harakiri (jap., Seppuku), 1962

It would seem impossible that any samurai movie could surpass Kurosawa’s Ran, Kagemusha, or even Rashomon in visual impact, masterful storytelling, and moral imperative. However, there is such a film, and it is Harakiri(Seppuku), produced in 1962, arguably the best samurai movie ever made.

Harakiri (1962), as it is known in the West, was directed by one of the post-WWII great filmmakers of Japan, Masaki Kobayashi. This film, considered by many as his masterpiece, won him the International Jury Prize at Cannes in 1965. Unfortunately, Kabayashi is not as well known outside Japan as some other giants of the Japanese cinema. He was very much affected by the war, and his films, contrary to most Japanese filmmakers of the post-war eras, are very political in nature. Kobayashi’s films explore the dark side of the Japanese culture, with its wars, corruption, and hypocrisy, and their consequences. His film, The Thick-Walled Room (1953), won him the 1956 Peace Culture Prize. His nine-hour trilogy, The Human Condition (1959/61), won the International Jury Prize at Cannes 1963, which actually launched his public recognition, presents a scathing critique of the horrors of WWII, experienced first-hand while on the Manchurian front, and later on the Ryukyu Islands. While serving, as a statement of dissent against war, he refused any promotion and remained a private until he was taken prisoner by the U.S. He spent one year in a prison camp before returning to the business of film making, in 1946, until 1952 as an assistant director under Keisuke Kinisheta. Other awards bestowed on Kobayashi were San Giorgio prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1960 for his Human Condition I: No Greater Love, and the International Jury Prize in 1963 for Kwaidan (1964). Other films in his opus are Samurai Rebellion (1967), staring Toshiro Mifune, and Fossil (1975).

Masaki Kobayashi’s film is an indictment of the hypocrisy of the establishment, any establishment, would it be in feudal 17th Century Japan or in any other time. Dogma, on which the establishment’s authority rests, is evil. The established, codified order, with all its smoke and mirrors, must be preserved at all costs, and nothing must be allowed to come in its way. It is the duty of each member of any government, organization, church, or brotherhood not to spare any effort and to go to any length to protect the appearances and status quo, to achieve this essential goal of survival. The end justifies the means, and no lie or deceit can be eliminated if this survival is at stake.

The Ritual of Seppuku

In Japan, Seppuku is the formal term for ritual suicide by disembowelment. Harakiri, as it is known in the West, is the common term, which literally means "stomach cutting.” It was an integral part of bushido, the code of conduct of the samurai warrior class. Seppuku was ordered by a superior as punishment to redeem some offence, or chosen over a dishonorable death at the hands of an enemy. In both cases, it demonstrated the honor, courage, loyalty, and high moral character of the individual. Except when performed on a battlefield, it was a very formal ceremony, requiring certain etiquette, witnesses and considerable preparation.

Harakiri is a particularly painful and rather messy way of ending one’s days. In this ritual, the “performer” opens his abdomen, starting from left to right and then finishing from top toward bottom. But there is so need to be left for hours contemplating one’s entrails. Another swordsman acting as a “second,” called kaishakunin, is standing by to decapitate the departing at a pre-arranged moment in the ceremony. Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, who founded Japan's last great shogunate dynasty in 1603, ordered the practice of harakiri to be discontinued by both secondary and primary retainers. Later on, in 1663, a stronger edict from Lord Nobutsuna Matsudaira of Izu, put an end to the practice altogether. By that time, the ritual had become an idle formalism, and the “performer” was decapitated at the instant he took his sword out of the scabbard, thus avoiding a painful death. In some instances, the sword was replaced by a fan.

The Story

We are May 13, 1630, in Edo. Following the centralization of power by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the early 17th Century, few feudal clans were allowed to remain, leading to a substantial downsizing (but not off-shoring) in the samurai profession. A scrawny former retainer of the Lord of Geishu arrives at the gates of the official residence of Lord Iyi. This mysterious and somber ronin (un-retained samurai), Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai), unemployed since the abolition of the Geishu Clan in 1619, requests the temporary hospitality of the Clan in order to end his life as a worthy samurai by committing harakiri.

Hanshiro is not the first ronin to come knocking at the door of one of the local remaining feudal clans with such a request, including one most recently at Lord Iyi’s residence itself. In the beginning of this “recession,” the surviving clans were impressed by the steadfast samurai and generously turned them away with small alms. Unfortunately, this practice led to abuses on the part of some destitute ronin who faked the desire to commit harakiri in the hope of employment or of a small financial relief while retaining their lives (one must not be too harsh in judging these poor fellows, remembering that in those days unemployment compensation did not yet exist).

The Iyi Clan elder, Kageyu Saito (Rentaro Mikuni) receives Tsugumo, but warns him against making such a request unless he is sincere. Saito tells Tsugomo of a recent tragic incident involving another ronin, Motome Chijiiwa (Akira Ishihama), who had come to the clan under the false pretence of committing harakiri with the hope of obtaining some money and being turned away safe and sound. Suspecting Motome’s sincerity, the Clan entrapped him by calling his bluff, and forced him to go through his harakiri. The ritual was even crueler, as Motome, being totally destitute, had previously sold the razor-edged blades of his swords and replaced them with bamboo blades. Nevertheless, he was compelled to perform the ritual using these blades. The samurai carried a long sword and a short sword, each named differently depending on the occasion: tachi or katana and tanto or wakizashi, respectively. These are the essential “tools of his trade,” and under no circumstances should he part with them, lest he become totally dishonored.

Tsugomo is undeterred by this gruesome story and reaffirms his determination to commit harakiri. Saito, thinking that this event will serve as a good example for the troups and will reinforce their morale, agrees to the request. Tsugomo takes his position, sitting on a small platform, in the middle of a sand-covered courtyard, with his wakizashi in front of him. The members of the Clan surround the courtyard and the ritual is presided over by the elder of the Clan.

Tsugomo asks to be seconded by the number one swordsman of the Clan, Hikokuro Omodaka (Tetsuro Tamba). He happens not to be present that day, and a messenger is sent to his home to summon him back to the Palace. In the meantime, Tsugomo, a superb storyteller, recounts the journey which brought him to this situation. Slowly, with a deep, gravelly voice, in a deliberate rhythm, he recalls his story, which could have been a bard reciting pages of the Iliad or of the Mahabarata. He recalls how his best friend, Jinna Chijiiwa ((Yoshio Inaba), also a retainer of the Geishu Clan, committed harakiri upon being dismissed at the dissolution of the Clan. He had left a note asking Tsugomo to adopt his young son, Motome. Motome grew up with Tsugomo’s own daughter and eventually married her. Tsugomo’s narration melts into flashbacks of his past life.

As the messenger returns with the news that Omokada has taken a leave of absence and cannot attend the ceremony, Tsugomo requests another kaishakunin, Hayato Yazaki (Ichiro Nakaya), but it turns out that he also happens not to be in attendance. Finally, Tsugumo names Umenosuke Kawabe (Yoshio Aoki) who, surprise, is also absent. Saito, sensing a trap, but still unable to comprehend the situation, names a “second” himself, and orders for the ritual to proceed. Nevertheless, Tsugomo is able to buy enough time to finish his story. The family, although poor, was surviving until his daughter and grandchild became sick. And this is how, out of money, Motome, decided to try his luck and went to the residence of Lord Iyi.

Saito, exasperated, orders his men to attack. At that moment, Tsugomo reaches in his kimono and throws on the ground three topknots, bearing the names of their former owners, who are none other than the three suggested “seconds.” In so doing, Tsugomo exposes the hypocrisy of these samurai, reminding his audience, “To lose one’s topknot is equivalent to losing one’s life, a laxity and dishonor which even death cannot wipe away!”

Tsugomo ends his narrative with recalling how he met, one by one, in duels with the three “now-indisposed” samurai, and having won each encountered, proceeded to take their topknots instead of their lives, a supreme humiliation for a samurai. The final duel with the star swordsman of the Clan, Hikukuro Omodaka, on the Plains of Gojin-in, is like a meditation, a ballet of death.

The film ends in a well-choreographed combat. In an ultimate effort, badly wounded, Tsugomo seizes the Clan’s idol, the emblem and embodiment of the Clan’s honor, above his head and sends it crashing at his feet. Fittingly, the coup de grace to Tsogomo’s seppuku is not dispensed by a gallant swordsman, but by a cowardly platoon of musket-carrying warriors. Even to the end, bushido, the code of conduct of the samurai, is violated by the Clan. The battlefield is cleaned up and the Clan’s idol is restored and righted. The casualty report lists four dead and eight wounded. Hikukuro Omodaka is the only one who commits harakiri. The two other “seconds” will be “harakiri-ed,” if necessary, by a delegation from the Clan, on Saito’s orders. All of these casualties, including Omodaka, will be declared as having died from “sickness” and so appearances will be preserved.

Although taking place almost five centuries ago during the Tokugawa Shogunate, this film is also a strong denunciation of the entrenched cultural legacy of coercive rituals, blind obedience, and chauvinism, that resulted in the tragedy of the Pacific War.

As Toshiro Mifune has long been associated with the success of Kurosawa’s films, so are Kogayashi’s films enhanced by the brilliant interpretation of Tatsuya Nakadai (also staring in the leading roles in Kurosawa's Kagemusha,and Ran). This outstanding actor contributed further to the success of this director’s films, Kwaidan and the Samurai Rebellion.

The screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto is based on a novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi. The cinematography, by Yoshio Miyajima, in black and white, is gorgeous. Many on the shots are haiku-like in the imagery. The musical score, written for an ensemble of ancient instruments and percussion by the renowned classical composer Toru Takemitsu, is used sparingly throughout the film, reinforcing the dramatic moments.

This film is available in the VHS format, digitally re-mastered, letter boxed, widescreen version, in Japanese with English subtitles, and runs 134 minutes. It seems that recently, it is also available in DVD, from Japan and Korea.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older