STORY STUDY - CRITERION WEEK - 52. and 53. “Yojimbo” and “Sanjuro”
We go back to Akira Kurosawa this month (and it won’t be the last) as we explore two samurai films that also inspired other artists and filmmakers for years to come.
Let’s start off with Yojimbo.
Directed by Kurosawa, and written by Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, and Hideo Oguni, the film stars a wandering samurai, or ronin, named Sanjuro Kuwabatake, who enters a town that is being plagued by two warring clans, both equally cold-hearted and ruthless. With the help of an izakaya, or tavern, owner, the ronin decides to pit the two clans against each other so the town will be free from their evil.
The film has a more simplistic story compared to the epic Seven Samurai, with the entire film taking place in one town. Being a traditional samurai film, the action that is portrayed goes by very quick: one slash killings before perfectly sheathing the sword against their waist; a classic trope.
Yojimbo, or “bodyguard” in Japanese, is memorable because of its main character. The ronin introduces himself as “Sanjuro Kuwabatake,” but it’s very possible that it’s a fake name. “Kuwabatake” means “mulberry field,” which is what the ronin was looking at when asked for his name. “Sanjuro” is a real name, but when said aloud, it can sound like, when translated into English, means “thirty years old.” Even when he introduces himself as “Sanjuro,” he immediately follows this sentence with “though I’m closer to forty, actually.” (From here, I’ll just refer to him as Sanjuro.)
After the success of Yojimbo, Toho Studios wanted another film featuring the hero, resulting in Sanjuro.
Once again directed by Kurosawa, written by Kurosawa, Kikushima, and Oguni, and based on Hibi Heian by Shugoro Yamamoto, Sanjuro is about a group of nine samurai who believe that the lord chamberlain is corrupt. The only one on their side is superintendent.
Sanjuro overhears their conversation, and he theorizes that it is the superintendent that is the corrupt one. His suspicions are correct as the superintendent has sent his men to attack the nine samurai. Sanjuro is able to cover for them, and even raise the interest of one of the superintendent’s henchmen.
Their newest goal now is to rescue the lord chamberlain and his family.
The film was originally going to be a straight adaptation of the Yamamoto story, but after the success of Yojimbo, Kurosawa rewrote the story to have Sanjuro be the main lead of the new film.
In this film, Sanjuro says his last name is Tsubaki, or “camellia,” after looking at some camellia trees, and he follows it up with the same pun as he did in Yojimbo.
Sanjuro doesn’t further explore Sanjuro as a character; it only further showcases how he is always willing to help, even though he is putting his life in danger.
Sanjuro may come off as a bitter man who doesn’t care about people, but it’s very clear, even to some of the characters, that he has a very noble heart. He wants to set things right because he feels it’s the right thing to do.
Both films also contain very memorable main villains. In Yojimbo, it is Unosuke, and his pistol.
In Sanjuro, it is Hanbei Muroto, and his famous duel with Sanjuro at the end of the film.
Something to note about Sanjuro is that it takes on a more lighter and comedic tone compared to Yojimbo. There are more humorous scenes and more bumbling characters on the hero and villain's side.
I decided it would’ve been best to combine both of these titles into one post because I felt that, unlike the Man with No Name trilogy, which had the protagonist aim for different goals (and sometimes gets overshadowed by other characters in its sequels), Yojimbo and Sanjuro both have its protagonist front and center, and defeating evil.
Speaking of the Man with No Name trilogy, it’s pretty clear that the first film, A Fistful of Dollars’, plot sounds familiar. After the film released, Kurosawa even insisted that Leone “had made a fine movie. But it was MY movie.” Since then, it’s considered to be an unofficial and unlicensed remake of Yojimbo. Both films have strangers with practically an unknown name walking into town that’s being plagued by two warring sides, involves a tavern owner and a coffin maker, and its protagonist playing both sides to kill one another. There are also scenes that emulate Yojimbo, such as the protagonist being lifted away from town in a coffin, getting tortured after one of the gangs find out about his deception, and one gang smoking out the rival gang and killing anyone who escapes.
Really, the difference is that in Yojimbo, it’s very clear that both sides are evil, whereas in A Fistful of Dollars, only one side is evil (the other is the sheriff of the town, and his family) but the Man with No Name doesn’t care.
The other big difference is its main character. In each film in the trilogy, the Man with No Name does everything to gain money: in Fistful, he was paid by both sides; in For a Few Dollars More, he gets money by being bounty hunter; in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, he hunts for stolen gold. However, Sanjuro’s actions are fueled by morality and nobility. Sure, he asks for money, but he follows it up with, “I’m hungry.”
In Sanjuro, it’s clear that he regrets killing, especially being told by a character that “the best swords are the ones kept in their sheathe,” something that he repeats at the end.
My personal favorite of the two films is Sanjuro because it showcases Sanjuro as being an intelligent, skilled fighter who is also being a, albeit strict, mentor to younger samurai. I also believe that it has better sword sequences, especially with the special effect in the climactic duel in the end (even though it came about as a complete accident.)
There also seem to be a shift in his mindset after being told that violence is not always the answer.
This month had us exploring very influential films, recognized domestically and internationally. I hope you learned something from this post, and especially from these five films.
Stroll into town, and check them out.
https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/590-yojimbo-sanjuro-box-set?q=autocomplete
