Blog #8

1. Considering The Do Spirits of Japan, Zen Buddhism is “ So thoroughly integrated into the Japanese psyche…” (p.73). What kinds of aspects did you see in the film? Explain the reason why you think so.

Zen Buddhism is a very structured and methodical practice, The same was true for the Japanese military. At the beginning of the film we see Saigo and his friend digging defense trenches on the beach. This was standard practice for island defense for the Japanese at the time, and it had worked well in previous island defenses but at this point in the war the Americans knew how to defeat such defenses. That is why when General Kuribayashi got to the island he ordered that the trench building be abandoned in favor of carving caves in the mountains overlooking the beaches which was a much more sound decision. This decision from the general was a break from the well defined doctrine of the Military and it upset many of the general's subordinates and especially angered the Navy officer who was later ordered off the island.  

2. Considering Hedataru to Najimu, what does drinking (for General Kuribayashi) mean?

When the General invites someone for a drink he is trying to develop a closer understanding with that person. as the General he wants to form a bond of trust with his subordinates so he tries to eliminate Hedataru "personal space" by having a drink with them, thus having more Najimu in the relationship so that the two individuals will trust one another, which has a high value in battle. 

3. Considering Hedataru to Najimu and Shudan Ishiki, the sense of “uchi to soto” is more reinforced. What is the negative effect of “uchi to soto”?  How is this shown in the film?

Uchi and Soto are all about either being inside the group or outside the group. In the film all the Japanese soldiers belonged to the group of "soldier" they were all expected to fight and die for their country. That is fine until we get to the scene where the lieutenant informs his men that they have lost suribachi and that the punishment for that is death. To cope with the dishonor of loosing the soldiers one by one commit suicide with hand grenades. This is after Saigo told the lieutenant that the General wanted them to retreat. But that didn't matter the idea of being a soldier and fallowing that code meant more to the lieutenant than what the general had to say. And even though many of the soldiers looked like they didn't want to die like that they did anyway the social pressure forced many to do it any way. That whole concept is a huge detriment when you are trying to hold an island from an enemy force with no reinforcements. 

4. Considering Shudan Ishiki, what is the negative effect of groupism in this film?  Explain the scenes that demonstrate it.

The negative effect of groupism is that no one in the group can speak out against the general will of the group even if it would be to their benefit. The best scene of this that i can remember is the group suicide scene where Saigo has an order to retreat but the officer in command of his group orders a group suicide instead. Saigo cannot go against the orders and the other men, even though they would most likely want to live on or continue fighting wont go against the group either so they all kill themselves (except for Saigo who was the last man standing.)

5. Considering Hedataru to Najimu, how does psychological distance change between Japanese and American soldiers after Japanese soldiers captured an American soldier, Sam and read his letter from his mother.

After they read the letter of the American Marine named Sam they all realize that the Americans are not the evil savages that they had been made out to be. they were human beings just like the Japanese soldiers, they had mothers that worried about them and prayed for their safe return. The Japanese soldiers psychological distance closed significantly because the letter the American had was so similar to their own. 

6. What is the connection between this film and “The Last Ronin”?  Do you see “bushido” in this film? How do you think it affected this war? Explain the reasons.

Their are many scenes of the ideas of Bushido in the movie. During the war many soldiers and especially officers though of themselves as modern samurai and conducted themselves in a similar way on the battle field. The soldiers carried the sense of honor intrinsic to Bushido with them into battle, this made them fierce enemy's in combat, known for fighting to the last man and sacrificing themselves to inflict damage to the enemy. This had a great effect on the war. the fighting in the pacific was some of the worst seen during the war. most notably was the Japanese Kamikaze attacks carried out by Japanese's pilots against the American fleets, they traded their lives in exchange for the hope that they could sink even one of our ships. 

7. Movie- What happened to Saigo in the end? How about Lieutenant Ito?
Comparing with Saigo and Lieutenant Ito, how different are their views on the war, patriotism, and the Emperor?  How did their different views influence to your perspective?

Saigo was found by a group of Marines after he had burred General Kuribayashi. Lieutenant Ito was also found by Marines but he was hiding out in a cave after his failed suicidal anti tank run. Saigo was a simple baker before he joined the war. Saigo had no interest in fighting, he was drafted and had no choice but to become a soldier and fight. I'm sure Saigo respected the Emperor like all Japanese people but he wasn't about to die for him. Ito on the other had was an officer which meant that he most likely volunteered to become a soldier. He was very patriotic and was clearly ready to die for the Emperor.  These two views on the war made gave me insight into what exactly could drive men to act the way Ito did. As a civilian i can already understand Saigo's condition. 

8. Considering the prior concepts we learned in our classes, which one did you see in this film? Explain why you think so.

Well i know we saw the concepts of Bushido throughout the movie. Many of the solders had the samurai mentality. Honne to tatemai showed up quite a bit in the move, many of the solders really wanted to surrender and go home but they of course could not say that, so they just had to say that they were willing to do anything for japan to appease their officers. 

9.  What do you learn from this film? Tell us the most striking fact from the film.

Before the film i had no idea that the general who lead the Japanese defense of the island had been to America and studded at an American Cavalry academy.