Blog #6

1. Considering Bushido, how did Magoza’s acting demonstrate Bushido? Choose two of his actions and explain the reasons.

When Magoza chose to follow his masters instructions and take care of his wife and child, even though magoza would be labeled a traitor and coward by the other samurai for abandoning the mission. This is inline with the Bushido teachings of absolute loyalty to ones lord.
Another scene would be when Magoza fought Kichiemon after kichiemon had tailed Magoza to his house. Kichiemon was a close friend to Magoza, but when Kichiemon got too close to finding out about Kane Magoza drew his sword and attempted to kill Kichiemon to protect the secret he had been entrusted with. Again this is an example of Bushido because Magoza is putting the orders of his master above all else.

2. “Giri does not have an equivalent concept~” (p.95). What is the difference between Giri and the English word “obligation” Compare and explain the differences of each word.

The biggest difference between Giri and obligation is that Giri is a deep rooted social idea in Japan it is a standard in human relationships between Husbands and wives, family members, and friends. It is more than just the feeling of being indebted to someone, it is more like a social responsibility to care about others that have shown you a debt of gratitude. In English an obligation is something you have promised to do or are expected to do for someone else. The concept is not nearly as deep or complex as giri.


3. Considering Bushido and Giri, what are the differences between Giri and Burshido? Using scenes from the movie, explain both concepts.

Giri and Bushido are fundamentally different Ideas. There is one scene from the opening of the movie that demonstrates this idea perfectly. It is the scene where Kichiemon arrives to the house of the widow of one of the 47 Ronin lost on the night of the revenge mission. He gives her a letter with an amount of gold on behalf of the former head of the family who lead the revenge mission. What drove the head of the family to give money to the family members was the concept of Giri. He had sent men to their deaths on a mission of revenge and for that he was indebted to them. Bushido on the other hand is the reason why Kichiemon spent close to a decade tracking down the relatives of the 47 Ronin and handing out the reparations. He was ordered by his master to carry out the task so as a samurai he was compelled to do so.


4. Considering the Japanese Ie system, what scenes of the movie represent this concept? Choose two scenes and explain the reasons.

The scene where Magoza goes to the rich merchants house and discusses Kane's marriage to the son of the house. The Rich merchant wants Kane to marry his son because she is beautiful and would be a good addition to the house hold. this is in keeping with the ie system. Their family will need an heir and the best way to make a good heir is to wed two people of a high pedigree or people who will be a good asset to the household.

Another scene would be when the samurai from Magoza's old group were gathering to honor those lost on the night of the revenge mission. They were all from houses or branch houses of the family and were gathered together because of the honor of their house. This is the basic idea of the ie system. To bring related families together to strengthen the whole.

5. Considering the Japanese Ie system, what kinds of conflicts/contradictions does this concept bring into the relationship between Magoza and Kane?

Magoza and Kane's relationship is a strange one and the ie system does not help matters. Magoza's mission was to raise Kane to adulthood and make sure she would marry into a good household thus ensuring her safety and happiness. The problem is that Kane loves Magoza, getting past the fact that Magoza is probably 20+ years older than Kane. The main problem is that Magoza has forsaken his status as a Samurai and also given up his family name and heritage to fulfill his masters last wish to protect Kane instead of participating in the revenge mission. This means that if Kane married Magoza their offspring would be inheriting the legacy of the daughter of a criminal and a traitor and coward that abandoned his master. That's not a great foundation to start a family with in the ie. system. This would also mean that Magoza would have failed his master and he wont let that happen.


6. Considering the Japanese Ie system, “51 percent of people think that men are treated better than women in the family, while 40 percent think that men and women are treated equally”(p.124). What do you think about it comparing with American culture. Use your experiences and explain the reasons why you think so.

In America women have gone through great strides to ensure that they are treated as fairly as men do, they have had to fight to gain voting rights and today they are still struggling to achieve the equal pay men receive for doing the same job. And already their have been may laws passed to ensure that they will get fair compensation. So i believe that right now men and women are probably the closest to equals in the eye of the law than they have ever been before. This extends to the house hold where previously the Man of the house would work while the wife would take care of the house and children. Nowadays many women work full time and manage to raise a family this shifts some of the power in the household their way because they provide a % of the overall income.


7. Considering Omiai, “The wish of the people who were getting married were most often ignored….” (p.166). What was Magoza’s wish as the head of the family? Kana refused the initial Omiai because she likes Magoza, but once she understood how Magoza felt about this Omiai, she told Magoza to accept Omiai. Here it is said “wish” meaning is NOT “wish that she doesn’t like the son” but “wish that she doesn’t want to get married because of Magoza.” Does it mean that Kana’s wish is ignored?

Magoza's wish was for Kana to marry the son of the rich merchant, that way he could fuffill his mission to his master and end his duty and return to his fellow samurai.

Yes Kana's with is ignored, she wants to be with Magoza but Magoza cannot allow it because he was ordered by his master to make sure Kana would be married into a well off family where she could be happy. If she stayed with him he could not guarantee her future. So Magoza had to ignore her wishes for her own good even if it was killing Magoza on the inside.


8. What do you think of Magoza’s acting at the end? Using citation from the textbook and guess the ending.

My guess is that at the end Kana and Magoza will commit murder suicide together, My guess is based on the puppet play that has gone on in the background of the film that portrays a samurai and his lover who eventually die together at the end of the play. the play runs in parallel with the movie so the ending is based of the events of the play. Magoza's actions near the end of the play further add to my prediction. He now understands Kana's wish to be with him and not get married to another family, even though Magoza tries to convince her not to love him it looks like he is sad that he has to do so, i think he loves Kana as well but his promise to his former master will not let him act on his desires. So i believe in the end he will not be able to let her go but his actions will dishonor him to the point where he must take his own life "Samurai valued honor in an extreme and strict, way which was expressed in the adage "die rather than disgrace yourself"." (P.47). Magoza will either kill himself or be killed by an angry member of his former house. Magoza's death will most likely make Kana so upset that she will commit suicide instead of continuing life without Magoza.


9. Considering the prior concepts we learned in our class, which concepts do they use effectively in the film? Why do you think so?

The concept of Bushido, ie, and giri show up throughout the film but the concept that stood out to me was the use of Honne to Tatemai. During the scene where Kane tells Magoza that she will marry the son of the merchant, she does so only to make Magoza happy what she really wanted to say was, hell no im not marrying him! but in order to abide by Magozas wishes she had to agree. Another concept that come up several times in the movie is the concept of Amai, much of Magoza's speak is ambiguous (in order to hide his identity) When he goes to the merchant to sell the vase, he introduces himself as, just a traveler, He uses Amai to stay as inconspicuous as possible.


10. Share whatever you want to tell considering your personal perspective.

I enjoyed the part of the move we got to see. It was very interesting to see a movie from that time period, how the dressed, acted and spoke. it was all very different than what im used to seeing in a film. I cant wait to see the ending.