Comment

Jul 30, 2012akirakato rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Wow! What a shocking, horrendous, and mesmerizing movie it is! Most of the Japanese consider the rules of Bushido Code to be the genuine pillars of the traditional Japanese culture. Indeed, Inazo Nitobe proudly showed Bushido to the whole world in his book. This film, however, depicts the tragic and hypocritic aspects of Bushido, which prevailed in the most of the Edo period. This hypocracy is presented by the the vanity of the feudal lord's counsellor Kageyu Saito, to whom the outward appearance of honour is more important than real honour. His hypocratic attitudes certainly make you anger with him. The whole incident seems riduculously tragic. The hypocratic counsellor orders the retainers disgraced by Hanshiro Tsugumo (protagonist) to commit seppuku, and makes sure that those who were slain or had their topknots cut off by Hanshiro are written off as casualties to illness so that his house would not lose face. I believe, this film is one of the most important anti-samurai movies.