In
the years following WWII, the American military sought to eradicate
all trace of Japanese military tradition and, around the same time,
tested atomic bombs in the Pacific Ocean. This testing resulted in
the deaths of several Japanese fishermen. The Japanese grew in their
resentment. A fundamental quality of the Japanese military tradition
was the use of bushido, or the samurai code of ethics.
Furthermore, this code was and still is an important factor in
Japanese culture so by attempting to remove this from Japan, the
American military was, in effect, attempting to eradicate a core
element of Japanese culture. Kurosawa's Throne of Blood mirrors
this socio-political conflict thematically and technically; in doing
so it examines the destructive nature of mankind as a whole.
The proximity of Japanese culture and military within Bushido
warrants a thorough examination. Bushido is a philosophy
composed of several other philosophies including Taoism, Buddhism,
and Shintoism. One side effect of having multiple source philosophies
is the presence of paradoxes. One such example is that Bushido
stresses loyalty and duty to one's family or overlord while also
demanding one's responsibility to make morally “right” decisions
(Parker, 510). What is the cultural significance of these paradoxes?
In the years leading up to WWII, the emphasis on loyalty and duty was
exploited for militaristic ends. Kurosawa's attitude towards Bushido
seemed to be ambivalent though he disagreed with certain aspects such
as its regimentation and brutality (Parker, 509). In Throne of
Blood, Kurosawa examines the significance of the breakdown of
this code in addition to examining the code's paradoxes.
Kurosawa
is often called the 'most Western' of Japanese directors but
considers himself “the most Japanese” of directors (Parker, 508).
In the case of Throne of Blood, Western influences appear on
several levels; strong wind is reminiscent of American Westerns while
the story is based on Shakespeare's MacBeth. However, in his
adaptation, Kurosawa utilizes Western influences within a Japanese
framework (Noh theater) to focus on the collapse of the samurai code,
a phenomenon that is distinctly Japanese.
There
is a stylistic contrast within the film. Kurosawa draws heavily from
the traditional Noh theater, saying that it, “is the real heart,
the core of all Japanese drama” (Richie and Mellen, 117). The
actors' make-up is reminiscent of the masks worn by Noh actors. The
cinematography is largely static which transforms locations (rooms in
the Cobweb castle, or the evil spirit's forest hut) into stages. The
characters are in primarily wide shots making them appear as if they
are actors on a stage. A common thread in these scenes is the
emphasis on the individual or socio-political issues. When Washizu
(Mifune) and his wife (Yamada) enact the plan to kill his daimyo,
for example, the style is very Noh: the murder occurs off screen,
we watch Lady Washizu whose make-up resembles the shakumi mask,
and hear the nohkan (the Noh flute). Their murderous plot is a
rejection of the Bushido's call for both loyalty and for moral
decisions. However, the decision to commit murder wasn't reached by
Mifune strictly out of a desire for power. His wife pointed out his
natural, and understandable, fears. She says that if Miki (Kubo) goes
to the daimyo and explains the foretelling of the evil witch,
the daimyo would probably kill Washizu. It is a realistic
possibility which motivates Washizu to kill just as much out of
self-preservation as it is a hunger for power.
One
important quality of Noh theater is the emphasis on the universality
of its subject matter. That is, the audience isn't supposed to relate
to the characters lest we “...lose spiritual transcendence”
(Parker, 512). As Parker also notes, such a style has received harsh
criticism from some Shakespearean critics who find the result
distancing “emotionally unsatisfactory” (512). This indicates the
level to which Kurosawa has adapted the play by making it distinctly
Japanese. By presenting a classically Japanese social issue, the
breakdown of Bushido, within the context of Noh theatre,
Throne of Blood resonates with the issues of identity felt by
post-WWII Japan. The film ponders the physical and metaphysical
implications of rejecting the supposed social order.
Sequences
which involve nature or the supernatural mark a departure from Noh to
something more dynamic. Tracking shots are the most characteristic
detail. As Washizu and Miki ride through the cobweb forest, for
example, the camera smoothly follows their movements. This movement
coupled with the spider-web like branches between the actors and the
camera causes the audience to relate to the forest (Parker, 515). By
forcing us to relate to the forest, we lose the impartiality of Noh
to be entangled in the cinematography and action on screen. This
suggests another level of conflict between film and Noh theater.
This
film is noted as being a completely cinematic adaptation of
Shakespeare's play and yet it draws heavily on Japanese theater. The
line “all our yesterday's have lighted fools / The way to dusty
death,” is altered to Washizu shouting “Fool,” while looking at
his predecessor's regalia. It is an image which contains the same
message but in a visual way. At the same time, Throne of Blood
utilizes the telephoto lens which flattens and shortens a shot.
It alters “the perspective to the two-dimensional, surface
orientation traditional in Japanese art” (Parker, 513).
The
stylistic difference develops the conflict between nature and society
which Parker discusses (513). Nature, he explains, is presented in
completely negative fashion. The prologue and epilogue, which frame
the story as a flashback, establish a tone of desolation. Nature will
undermine and outlast society and that any attempts of mankind to
prove otherwise will only result in destruction. The army of trees
shot in the film's finale is a key moment of nature's
characterization. The army is surrounded in fog revealing only the
tops of the trees. It is shot in slow motion with a telephoto lens
which fills the frame with a cascade of branches. The music is
menacing. It is a short image but it projects the sense of dread felt
by Washizu. To emphasize the eventual erosion of society, Washizu's
death comes at the hands of his own men, within his own castle.
If
we consider the fact that, although Throne of Blood is
considered completely cinematic, it is influenced heavily by other
styles, this alters the initial conflict-based notion about the film
as a whole. It isn't “nature vs society,” but “society
functioning with respect to nature” or “societies building and
crumbling through the passage of time.” In terms of cinematography,
Kurosawa presents Noh theater using the language of film to
capitalize on qualities of each style. We are forced to address the
film from a disconnected perspective but still have the visual
complexity provided by film. If we consider the larger cultural
issues of post-WWII Japan, we will see a similar situation. Western
military versus Japanese military fails to address the complexity of
the situation. The Japanese were recovering from WWII while being
influenced to adjust their culture by way of the removal of Bushido,
a code which only years previously been utilized to cause untold
destruction.
