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Yojimbo

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For other uses, seeYojimbo (disambiguation).
Yojimbo
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
KanjiDụng tâm bổng
Literal meaningBodyguard
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnYōjinbō
Directed byAkira Kurosawa
Screenplay by
Story byAkira Kurosawa
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyKazuo Miyagawa[1]
Edited byAkira Kurosawa[1]
Music byMasaru Sato[1]
Production
companies
  • Kurosawa Production
  • Toho
Distributed byToho[1]
Release date
  • 25 April 1961(1961-04-25)(Japan)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Budget¥90.87 million,$631,000[2]
Box office$2.5 million (est.)

Yojimbo(Japanese:Dụng tâm bổng,Hepburn:Yōjinbō,lit.Bodyguard)is a 1961 Japanesesamurai filmdirected byAkira Kurosawa,who also co-wrote the screenplay and was one of the producers. The film starsToshiro Mifune,Tatsuya Nakadai,Yoko Tsukasa,Isuzu Yamada,Daisuke Katō,Takashi Shimura,Kamatari Fujiwara,andAtsushi Watanabe.In the film, arōninarrives in a small town where competing crime lords fight for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the newcomer as a bodyguard.

Based on the success ofYojimbo,Kurosawa's next film,Sanjuro(1962), was altered to incorporate the lead character of this film.[3][4]In both films, the character wears a rather dilapidated dark kimono bearing the same familymon.[a]

The film was released and produced byTohoon April 25, 1961.Yojimboreceived highly positive reviews, and, over the years, became widely regarded as one of the best films by Kurosawa and one of the greatest films ever made. The film grossed an estimated $2.5 million worldwide with a budget of ¥90.87 million,$631,000. It was unofficially remade bySergio Leoneas theSpaghetti WesternfilmA Fistful of Dollars(1964),[5]leading to a lawsuit by Toho.

Plot

[edit]

In 1860, during thefinal yearsof theEdo period,[b]arōninwanders through a desolate countryside. Coming to a fork in the road, he chooses which path to take at random.

Stopping at a farmhouse for water, the rōnin overhears an elderly couple lamenting that their only son has run off to join the "gamblers" in a nearby town, which is overrun with criminals and contested by two rivalyakuzagangs.

In the town, the rōnin stops at a smallizakaya(tavern). The owner Gonji advises him to leave. Gonji tells the rōnin that the two warring bosses, Ushitora and Seibei, are fighting over the lucrative gambling trade run by Seibei. Ushitora had been Seibei's right-hand man until Seibei decided that his successor would be his son Yoichiro, a useless youth. The town's mayor, a silk merchant named Tazaemon, had long been in Seibei's pocket, so Ushitora aligned himself with the localsakebrewer, Tokuemon, proclaiming him the new mayor.

After sizing up the situation and recognizing that no one in town cares about ending the violence, the stranger says he intends to stay, as the town would be better off with both sides dead. He convinces the weaker Seibei to hire his services by effortlessly killing three of Ushitora's men. When asked his name, he sees amulberry fieldand states his name is Kuwabatake ( "mulberry field" ) Sanjuro ( "thirty-years-old" ) (Tang điền tam thập lang).[c]

Seibei decides that with the ronin's help, it is time to deal with Ushitora. Sanjuro eavesdrops on Seibei's wife, who orders Yoichiro to prove himself by killing the ronin after the upcoming raid, saving them from having to pay him. Sanjuro leads the attack on Ushitora's faction, but then "resigns" over Seibei's treachery, expecting both sides to massacre each other. His plan is foiled due to the unexpected arrival of abugyō(a government official), which prompts both Seibei and Ushitora to make a bloodless retreat.

Thebugyōleaves soon after to investigate the assassination of a fellow official in another town. Overhearing the assassins discussing the hit in Gonji's tavern, Sanjuro later captures them and sells them to Seibei. Then he comes to Ushitora and tells him Seibei's men caught the assassins. Alarmed, Ushitora generously rewards Sanjuro for his "help," and kidnaps Yoichiro to exchange for the two assassins. At the swap, Ushitora's brother Unosuke kills the assassins with a pistol.

Anticipating this, Seibei reveals he had ordered the kidnapping of Tokuemon’s mistress. The next morning, she is exchanged for Yoichiro. Sanjuro learns that the mistress, Nui, is a local farmer's wife. After he sold her to Ushitora to settle a gambling debt, Ushitora gave her to Tokuemon aschattelto gain his support. After tricking Ushitora into revealing where Nui is held, Sanjuro kills the guards and reunites the woman with her husband and son, ordering them to leave town immediately. He comes to Ushitora and informs him that Seibei is responsible for killing his men.

The gang war escalates, with Ushitora burning down Tazaemon's silk warehouse and Seibei retaliating by trashing Tokuemon's brewery. After some time, Unosuke becomes suspicious of Sanjuro and the circumstances surrounding Nui's escape, eventually uncovering evidence of the ronin's betrayal. Sanjuro is severely beaten and imprisoned by Ushitora's thugs, who torture him to find out Nui's whereabouts.

When Ushitora decides to eliminate Seibei once and for all, Sanjuro escapes. Smuggled out of town in a coffin by Gonji, Sanjuro witnesses the brutal end of Seibei and his family. Sanjuro recuperates in a small temple near a cemetery.

Upon learning Gonji has been captured by Ushitora, he returns to town. In a final confrontation with Ushitora, Unosuke, and their gang, Sanjuro dispatches them. He spares a terrified young man (the son of the elderly couple from the opening of the film) and sends him back to his parents. As Sanjuro surveys the damage, a now insane Tazaemon comes out of his home in a samurai outfit and stabs Tokuemon to death. Sanjuro frees Gonji, proclaims that the town will be quiet from then on, and departs.

Cast

[edit]
  • Toshiro Mifuneas "Kuwabatake Sanjuro"(Tang điền tam thập lang),a wandering ronin and master swordsman drawn into a gang war.
  • Eijirō Tōnoas Gonji(権 gia),theizakaya(tavern) owner and the ronin's ally and confidant.
  • Tatsuya Nakadaias Unosuke(Mão chi trợ),a gun-toting gangster and younger brother to both Ushitora and Inokichi.
  • Seizaburo Kawazu as Seibei(Thanh binh vệ),the original boss of the town's underworld. He operates out of a brothel.
  • Kyū Sazankaas Ushitora(Sửu dần),the other gang leader in town. He was originally Seibei's lieutenant but broke ranks to start his own syndicate in a succession dispute.
  • Isuzu Yamadaas Orin(おりん),the wife of Seibei and the brains behind her husband's criminal operations.
  • Daisuke Katōas Inokichi(Hợi chi cát),younger brother of Ushitora and older brother to Unosuke. He is a strong fighter, but is very dim-witted and easily fooled.
  • Takashi Shimuraas Tokuemon(Đức hữu vệ môn),a sake brewer who claims to be the new mayor.
  • Hiroshi Tachikawa as Yoichiro(Thối dữ nhất lang),the timid son of Seibei and Orin who shows little inclination to take over his father's gang.
  • Yosuke Natsukias Farmer's Son, a young man seen running away from home at the beginning of the film who joins Ushitora's gang.
  • Kamatari Fujiwaraas Tazaemon(Đa tả vệ môn),the town mayor and silk merchant who is going insane from fear.
  • Ikio Sawamura as Hansuke(Bán trợ),the town constable who is completely corrupt and concerned only with keeping himself alive.
  • Atsushi Watanabeas the town's coffin maker, who is profiting heavily from the gang war but ultimately chooses to help Sanjuro and Gonji put an end to it.
  • Susumu Fujitaas Honma(Bổn gian),Seibei's "master swordsman" who deserts his employer before a battle with Ushitora's men, allowing Sanjuro to take his place.
  • Sachio SakaiasAshigaru
  • Yoko Tsukasaas Nui(ぬい),the wife of Kohei. She was taken prisoner by Tokuemon because of her beauty after her husband could not pay back his gambling debts.
  • Yoshio Tsuchiyaas Kohei(Tiểu bình),the husband of Nui who lost all of his money gambling and frequently gets beaten for trying to visit his wife.
  • Taku Iyaku[ja]as Kannuki(かんぬき),Ushitora'sacromegalicenforcer.

Production

[edit]

Writing

[edit]

Kurosawa stated that a major source for the plot was the 1942film noirclassicThe Glass Key,an adaptation ofDashiell Hammett's 1931novel of the same name.It has been noted that the overall plot ofYojimbois closer to that of another Hammett novel,Red Harvest(1929).[6]Kurosawa scholar David Desser, and film criticManny Farberclaim thatRed Harvestwas the inspiration for the film; however,Donald Richieand other scholars believe the similarities are coincidental.[7]

When asked his name, the samurai calls himself "Kuwabatake Sanjuro", which he seems to make up while looking at amulberryfield by the town. Thus, the character can be viewed as an early example of the "Man with No Name"(other examples of which appear in a number of earlier novels, includingDashiell Hammett'sRed Harvest).[8]

Casting

[edit]

Many of the actors inYojimboworked with Kurosawa before and after, especiallyToshiro Mifune,Takashi ShimuraandTatsuya Nakadai.[9]

Filming

[edit]

After Kurosawa scolded Mifune for arriving late to the set one morning; Mifune made it a point to be ready on set at 6:00 AM every day in full makeup and costume for the rest of the film's shooting schedule.[10]

This was the second film where director Akira Kurosawa worked with cinematographerKazuo Miyagawa(the first beingRashomonin 1950).[11] The sword instruction and choreography for the film were done byYoshio Suginoof theTenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryūand Ryū Kuze.[12]

Music

[edit]

The soundtrack for the film has received positive reviews.Michael Woodwriting retrospectively for theLondon Review of Booksfound the film's soundtrack byMasaru Satoas effective in its 'jaunty and jangling' approach stating:[13]

The film is full of music, for instance, a loud, witty soundtrack by Masaru Sato, who said his main influence was Henry Mancini. It doesn’t sound likeBreakfast at Tiffany’s,though, orDays of Wine and Roses.The blaring Latin sound ofTouch of Evilcomes closer, but actually you wouldn’t think of Mancini if you hadn’t been told. Sato’s effect has lots of drums, mixes traditional Japanese flutes and other instruments with American big band noises, and feels jaunty and jangling throughout, discreetly off, as if half the band was playing in the wrong key. It’s distracting at first, then you realise it’s not decoration, it’s commentary. It’s a companion toSanjuro,the sound of his mind, discordant and undefeated and unserious, even when he’s grubby and silent and apparently solemn.[13]

Release

[edit]

Yojimbowas released in Japan on 25 April 1961.[1]The film was released by Seneca International in both a subtitled and dubbed format in the United States in September 1961.[1]

Box office

[edit]

YojimbowasJapan's fourth highest-grossing filmof 1961, earning adistribution rentalincome of¥351 million.[14]This was equivalent to estimatedbox officegross receipts of approximately¥659 million[15]($1.83 million).[16]

Overseas, the film had a September 1961 release inNorth America,but the box office income of this release is currently unknown.[17]At the 2002 Kurosawa & Mifune Festival in the United States, the film grossed $561,692.[18]In South Korea, a 2012 re-release grossed₩1.566 million[19]($1,390).

In Europe, a January 1991 limited French re-release sold 14,178 tickets,[20]equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately€63,801[21]($87,934).[22]Other limited European re-releases sold 3,392 tickets between 2000 and 2018,[23]equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of at least€18,995[21]($27,938). This adds up to an estimated$678,950grossed overseas, and an estimated$2,508,950grossed worldwide.

Adjusted for ticket price inflation, at 2012 Japanese ticket prices, its Japanese gross receipts are equivalent to an estimated¥9.75 billion[15]($122 million), or$162 millionadjusted for inflationin 2023. The overseas gross revenue of North American and European re-releases since 1991 are equivalent to approximately$1.5 millionadjusted for inflation, adding up to an estimated inflation-adjusted total gross of over$137 millionworldwide.

Critical response

[edit]

Yojimbowas nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Costume Designat the34th Academy Awards.Toshiro Mifune won theVolpi Cup for Best Actorat the22nd Venice Film Festival.

A 1968 screening in the planned community ofColumbia, Marylandwas considered too violent for viewers, causing the hosts to hide in the bathroom to avoid the audience.[24]

In a retrospective look at the filmMichael Woodwriting for theLondon Review of Booksfound the film to span several genres and compared it to other western and samurai films from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, such asSeven Samurai,A Fistful of Dollars,High Noon,The Outlaw Josey Wales,andRashomon,stating, "(The film contains) comedy, satire, folk tale, action movie, Western, samurai film, and something like a musical without songs. As everyone says, this work is not as deep asRashomonor as immediately memorable asSeven Samurai.But it is funnier than any Western from either side of the world, and its only competition, in a bleaker mode, would be Clint Eastwood’sThe Outlaw Josey Wales(1976). "[13]In 2009 the film was voted at No. 23 on the list ofThe Greatest Japanese Films of All Timeby Japanese film magazineKinema Junpo.[25]Yojimbowas also ranked at #95 inEmpiremagazine's list of the500 Greatest Films of All Time.[26]

Sequel

[edit]
Main article:Sanjuro

In 1962, Kurosawa directedSanjuro,originally intended to be a straight adaptation ofShūgorō Yamamoto's short storyHibi Heian(Nhật nhật bình an,lit. "Peaceful Days" ),but was reworked to include Mifune and his character following the success ofYojimbo.[3]

In both films, he takes his surname from the plants he happens to be looking at when asked his name: inYojimboit is the mulberry trees that feed the town's silkworms, and inSanjuroit is camellia bushes used to make tea.[27]

Legacy

[edit]
Western-influencing cinematography; Toshiro Mifune as a lone hero in wide framing.

Both in Japan and in the West,Yojimbohas had an influence on various forms of entertainment, starting with aremakeasA Fistful of Dollars(1964), aSpaghetti Westerndirected bySergio Leoneand starringClint Eastwoodin his first appearance as theMan with No Name.[28]That film was followed by two prequels. The three films are collectively known as theDollars Trilogy.Leone and his production company failed to secure the remake rights to Kurosawa's film, resulting in a lawsuit that delayedFistful's release in North America for three years. It was settled out of court for an undisclosed agreement before the U.S. release.[29]InYojimbo,theprotagonistdefeats a man who carries a gun, while he carries only a knife and a sword; in the equivalent scene inA Fistful of Dollars,Eastwood'spistol-wielding character survives being shot by arifleby hiding an iron plate under his clothes to serve as a shield against bullets.[citation needed]

A second, looser Spaghetti Western adaptation,Django(1966), was directed bySergio Corbucciand featuredFranco Nerointhe title role.Known for its high level (at the time of its release) of graphic violence, the film's character and title were referenced in two official films (a sequel and prequel) and over thirty unofficial ones.[30][31][32]

The filmZatoichi Meets Yojimbo(1970) features Mifune as a somewhat similar character. It is the twentieth of a series of movies featuring the blind swordsmanZatoichi.Although Mifune is clearly not playing the same "Yojimbo"[33]as he did in the two Kurosawa films (his name is Sasa DaisakuTá 々 đại tác,and his personality and background are different in many key respects), the movie's title and some of its content do intend to suggest the image of the two iconicjidaigekicharacters confronting each other.[citation needed]

Incident at Blood Pass(1970), made the same year, stars Mifune as a ronin who looks and acts even more similarly to Sanjuro and is referred to simply as "Yojimbo"[33]throughout the film, but whose name is actually Shinogi Tōzaburō.[34]As was the case withSanjuro,this character's surname ofShinogi(Hạo) is not an actual proper family name, but rather a term that means "ridges on a blade".[citation needed]

Mifune's character became the model forJohn Belushi'sSamurai Futabacharacter onSaturday Night Live.[35]

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope(1977) pays narrative and visual homage toYojimboduringthe cantina sceneearly in the film. WhenLuke Skywalkerapproaches the bar, he is accosted byPonda BabaandDoctor Evazan,who like the gamblers confronting Sanjuro inform him of serious criminal penalties they have received elsewhere (death sentences in 12 jurisdictions) to intimidate him.Obi-Wan Kenobiintervenes just as they threaten Luke's life, and after he briefly wields hislightsaberthe camera likewise shows a severed forearm on the floor to demonstrate the character's prowess with the weapon.[36]

Similarly,Star Wars: The Last Jedi(2017) was also heavily influenced byYojimbo.In the film's third act,Luke Skywalker's attire is visually reminiscent to that of Sanjuro's, both characters are also framed inWide shotand are portrayed aslone heroeswith both having to deal with a larger threat by themselves, Sanjuro confronts Ushitora, Unosuke, and their gang while Luke confronts the entireFirst Order.During his showdown withKylo Ren,Luke's last line is "See you around, kid", which recalls Sanjuro's last line, "Aba yo", meaning "See you around".[37]

The Warrior and the Sorceress(1984) is another retelling of the story, this one in a fantasy world.[38]

Last Man Standing(1996) is aProhibition-eraaction filmdirected byWalter Hilland starringBruce Willis.It is an official remake ofYojimbowith both Kikushima and Kurosawa specifically listed in this movie's credits as having provided the original story.[39]

At the closing of Episode XXIII (S02E10) of the animated seriesSamurai Jack(2002; S02), a triumphant Jack walks off alone in a scene (and accompanied by music) influenced by the closing scene and music ofYojimbo.In Episode XXVI (S02E13), Jack confronts a gang who destroyed his sandals, using Clint Eastwood's lines fromA Fistful of Dollars,but substituting "footwear" for "mule". The influence ofYojimboin particular (and Kurosawa films in general) on the animated series has been noted by Matthew Millheiser at DVDtalk.[40]

Inferno(1999) (akaDesert Heat) is a remake and an homage toYojimbo.[citation needed]

Stan Sakai's comic-book seriesUsagi Yojimbo(since 1984) is inspired by Kurosawa's movies.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
Notes
  1. ^The mon Mifune's character wears in both films is theMaruni Kenkatabami(Hoàn に kiếm phiến xan), which is the mon of directorAkira Kurosawa.
  2. ^On screen text at about 00:02:15
  3. ^Tam thập lang Sanjuro is a proper given name (and therefore could very well be the rōnin's true name), but it can also be interpreted as meaning "thirty-years-old".

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefghiGalbraith IV 1996,p. 448.
  2. ^Jiji Press 1962,p. 211.
  3. ^abRichie, Donald.The films of Akira Kurosawa.p. 156.
  4. ^Yoshinari Okamoto (director) (2002).Kurosawa Akira: Tsukuru to iu koto wa subarashii[Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create] (in Japanese).
  5. ^"Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars and the curious case of Kurosawa vs Leone".Firstpost.2017-12-18.Retrieved2020-07-17.
  6. ^Desser, David (1983). "Towards a Structural Analysis of the Postwar Samurai Film".Quarterly Review of Film Studies(Print).8(1). Redgrave Publishing Company: 33.doi:10.1080/10509208309361143.ISSN0146-0013.
  7. ^Barra, Allen (2005)."From Red Harvest to Deadwood".Salon.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-05.Retrieved2006-06-22.
  8. ^Dashiell Hammett (1992).Red Harvest.Knopf Doubleday Publishing.ISBN0-679-72261-0.
  9. ^"Kurosawa's Actors".kurosawamovies.com.Retrieved18 November2016.
  10. ^Peary, Gerald(June 6, 1986)."Toshiro Mifune".The Globe and Mail.Retrieved2013-04-30.One day Kurosawa said, 'I won't mention names, but the actors are late.' I said. 'What are you talking about? I'm the actor.' Every day after that, when Kurosawa arrived, I would be there already, in costume and makeup from 6 a.m. I showed him.
  11. ^Bergan, Ronald (20 August 1999)."Kazuo Miyagawa The innovative Japanese cinematographer whose reputation was made by Rashomon".theguardian.com.Retrieved18 November2016.
  12. ^Li, Christopher (18 April 2015)."Interview with Yoshio Sugino of Katori Shinto-ryu, 1961".aikidosangenkai.org.Retrieved18 November2016.
  13. ^abcLondon Review of Books, Vol. 29 No. 4 · 22 February 2007, page 17, At the Movies, Michael Wood,Yojimbodirected by Akira Kurosawa.
  14. ^Kinema Junpo2012,p. 180.
  15. ^ab"Statistics of Film Industry in Japan".Eiren.Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.Retrieved20 June2020.
  16. ^"Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Japan".World Bank.1961.Retrieved20 June2020.
  17. ^"Yojimbo".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved20 June2020.
  18. ^"Kurosawa & Mifune Festival".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved20 June2020.
  19. ^"영화정보"[Movie Information].KOFIC(in Korean).Korean Film Council.Retrieved26 August2019.
  20. ^"Yojimbo (1961)".JP's Box-Office(in French).Retrieved20 June2020.
  21. ^ab"Cinema market".Cinema, TV and radio in the EU: Statistics on audiovisual services (Data 1980-2002)(2003 ed.).Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.2003. pp. 31–64 (61).ISBN92-894-5709-0.ISSN1725-4515.Retrieved23 May2020.{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)
  22. ^"Historical currency converter with official exchange rates (EUR)".31 January 1991.Retrieved23 May2020.
  23. ^"Film #16103: Yojimbo".Lumiere.European Audiovisual Observatory.Retrieved20 June2020.
  24. ^Joseph Rocco Mitchell, David L. Stebenne.New City Upon a Hill.p. 116.
  25. ^"Greatest Japanese films by magazine Kinema Junpo (2009 version)".Archived fromthe originalon July 11, 2012.Retrieved2011-12-26.
  26. ^"The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time".Empire.Bauer Media Group.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-08-14.RetrievedAugust 17,2011.
  27. ^Conrad 2022.
  28. ^Curti 2016,pp. 25–26.
  29. ^Galbraith IV 2002,p. 312.
  30. ^Marco Giusti,Dizionario del western all'italiana,1st ed. Milan, Mondadori, August 2007.ISBN978-88-04-57277-0.
  31. ^Django (Django: The One and Only)(DVD). Los Angeles, California:Blue Underground.1966.
  32. ^Cox, Alex(2009-09-01).10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western.Oldcastle Books.ISBN978-1842433041.
  33. ^ab"archive.animeigo.com liner notes".Retrieved2018-08-18.
  34. ^"Đãi ち phục せ".Eiga.com(in Japanese).Kakaku.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-09-09.Retrieved2018-08-17.
  35. ^Barra, Allen (2010-08-17)."That Nameless Stranger, Half a Century Later".Wall Street Journal.Retrieved2012-01-10.
  36. ^"Star Wars Episodes IV-VI: Influences".Spark Notes.Retrieved2022-04-26.
  37. ^"HOW AKIRA KUROSAWA INSPIRED STAR WARS & THE LAST JEDI 40 YEARS APART".2018-01-25.Retrieved2022-07-28.
  38. ^DVD Talk - Roger Corman's Cult Classics Double Feature: The Warrior and the Sorceress/Barbarian Queen
  39. ^"A Comparison of 'Yojimbo', 'A Fistful of Dollars' and 'Last Man Standing'".30 September 2003.Retrieved2018-08-19.
  40. ^"Samurai Jack: Season 1: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video".Dvdtalk.com.Retrieved2014-04-08.

Sources

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