Introdution
Twilight Samurai is a film centered on a samurai’s life before the Meiji Restoration, exploring themes such as samurai stereotypes, gender roles, and social class disparities. Rather than emphasizing battles, romance, or honor, the director took a different approach by focusing on the daily struggles and challenges faced by the main character, Iguchi Seibei. The storytelling is uniquely presented through the perspective of Seibei’s daughter, Ito, who narrates the entire movie. As a result, Twilight Samurai can be seen as a heartfelt portrayal of her father’s life, based on her fond memories.
At a young age, these incidents changed her father’s life permanently. He was known as the Twilight Samurai because he differed from other samurais who prioritized their clans. Despite his colleagues’ entertainment and drinking, he would rush home every evening to care for his senile mother and two young daughters, Ito and Kayano. Iguchi’s determination to provide for his family caused him to neglect his physical appearance, often appearing unkempt in torn and soiled kimono after his wife’s death from consumption (tuberculosis).
Contrary to the typical image of samurais with neatly tied hair, clean-shaven faces, and wearing kimonos,
Iguchi’s situation challenges this stereotype. Summoned by his clan to assassinate rebel Zenemon Yogo who refused to commit seppuku, Iguchi admitted feeling unsure about the task at hand. He stated that he had “lost the desire to wield a sword” and that it required an “animal ferocity and calm disregard for one’s life.” These circumstances challenge the prevailing perception of samurais as ruthless yet loyal individuals who dutifully carry out their clan’s orders.
It is clear that Iguchi is seen as an outsider among the samurais. He sees himself as a “petty samurai” who doesn’t concern himself with the upcoming war. His greatest joy in life is watching his daughters grow up. This contrasts greatly with the traditional image of samurais as power-hungry individuals whose main goal is to expand their clans through battles and eliminating rival clans. Iguchi’s lifestyle suggests that if given the choice, he would prefer not to be born as a samurai.
Despite being considered nobility, the samurai willingly surrenders his prestigious title in favor of a humble life as a farmer. This illustrates his lack of ambition and his contentment with a simple existence focused on cultivating crops and nurturing his daughters. When Iguchi confronted Zenemon Yogo inside the house, he lacked the inclination to engage in a lethal battle with him. Instead, he sat down and conversed with Zenemon, suggesting that he could still escape if he desired. Iguchi exhibited hesitancy towards fighting and even claimed that his sword was made of bamboo, yet a confrontation inevitably took place.
This paragraph discusses the differences in behavior and beliefs of a samurai named Tomoe, as well as the gender inequality portrayed in a movie.
Unlike traditional samurais who would immediately engage in battle, Tomoe takes a different approach. She emphasizes the importance of the peasants and believes that without them, there would be no samurais. Tomoe also makes it clear that she does not agree with samurais being prohibited from attending a festival that is exclusively for peasants.
The movie depicts women as insignificant and suggests that their only role should be limited to being housewives. While Iguchi encourages his daughters to study diligently, their great uncle expresses the opinion that girls do not need to devote excessive effort towards education.
When Kayano informed Iguchi about the potential of learning needlework and its ability to lead to the creation of kimonos in the future, Iguchi reacted by acknowledging that he did not fully grasp the significance of education. However, he recognized its power to enhance critical thinking skills and potentially contribute to one’s future survival. This demonstrates Iguchi’s distinct mindset regarding education, as he firmly believed in providing equal opportunities for both boys and girls to pursue their studies. Later on, their great uncle visited them and suggested that Iguchi consider remarriage as a means of escaping his impoverished circumstances, but Iguchi strongly opposed the idea.
Iguchi believes that remarrying without any emotional connection would be impolite to the woman, likening it to treating her as a mere commodity. Unlike other men of his time who view marriage solely as a means to carry on the family lineage, Iguchi considers mutual affection and respect between partners to be crucial. Moreover, when Tomoe attempted to find Iguchi, her sister-in-law scolded her, citing societal expectations that prevent women from engaging in conversations with samurais in public.
Tomoe resented her sister-in-law and believed that she had not acted wrongly. I perceive Tomoe as distinct from typical Japanese women who embrace conservative ideologies and perceive themselves as having lower gender status. A further theme in the movie is the disparity in social class. Tomoe and Iguchi appear to have developed affection for each other, evident in Tomoe’s frequent visits to Iguchi’s home where she instructs Ito and Kayano in calligraphy, sewing, and cooking. Iguchi displays shyness in Tomoe’s presence and ultimately confesses his love for her before departing to battle alongside Zenemon Yogo.
Despite being childhood friends with Tomoe, Iguchi felt that he was inadequate for her due to their different social classes. Coming from a 50-koku family while Tomoe was from a 400-koku family, Iguchi believed he couldn’t provide her with a good life and didn’t want her to suffer like his late wife did. The social class disparity made Iguchi feel inferior and unworthy of her. However, when Iguchi was assigned to assassinate Zenemon Yogo, his clan assured him that life would become easier if he succeeded in the mission.
The lower social class to which he belonged made it clear to his clan that they should exploit this fact in order to coerce him into complying with their demands. In addition to his role as a retainer in the grain warehouse to provide for his family, Iguchi and his daughters would also collect herbs by the river and create insect cages as a means of earning extra money. The movie depicted two instances of bodies being discovered floating in the river.
During that period of time, life was difficult and many people died without proper burial or funeral. Despite common perceptions of samurais, this movie focuses on an “outcast” samurai and explores his everyday life and the challenges he faces as an “unwilling samurai.” The director effectively portrays samurai stereotypes by presenting the story from the perspective of Iguchi, allowing us to see the world through his eyes.
This direction is very intriguing and has sparked my curiosity about samurais. In general, Iguchi is a samurai who prioritizes his family, and as someone who is mildly interested in samurais, I will not consider him an idol because his actions do not exemplify the “coolness” associated with samurais. However, I do agree with and admire his values in life. He has been a responsible father, providing for his family, and he does not possess any malicious intentions towards others. [pic][pic] Perspective of a samurai. Iguchi Seibei (left), an unkept samurai.
