Mikogami Trilogy - Part Three: Slaughter in the Snow (Mushukunin mikogami no jôkichi: Tasogare ni senko ga tonda aka. 無宿人御子神の丈吉 黄昏に閃光が飛んだ )

SLAUGHTER IN THE SNOW
Mushukunin mikogami no jôkichi: Tasogare ni senko ga tonda

Director: Ikehiro Kazuo

Cast:
Harada Yoshio
Natsuyagi Isao
Yasuda Michiyo

1973
Format Viewed: DVD (Animeigo)

It's taken me a little while to get around to this, but I finally am posting a review of the final installment -- or should I say, what was not planned to be, but was -- of the MIKOGAMI TRILOGY, 1973's SLAUGHTER IN THE SNOW (aka. Mushukunin mikogami no jôkichi: Tasogare ni senko ga tonda.)

Once again directed by chanbara director extraordinaire Ikehiro Kazuo (the helmer of the first two), this time our titular hero Jokichi from Mikogami (Harada Yoshio) is still a wandering lone wolf looking for bloody revenge-- only the more he searches for the bastards that ruined his life, the farther afield he goes.

Firmly rooted in the matatabi tradition (and what turns out to have been "Ikehiro's last matatabi work to be released theatrically..."**) , this installment is a marked departure from the tone and storytelling of the first two and appears to have been an attempt to delve into a full-fledged chanbara series ala ZATOICHI and NEMURI KIYOSHIRO (both of which have entries directed by Ikehiro). Alas, the studio decided that they'd had enough of Jokichi and he would never be able to satisfy his bloody revenge.

(ATTENTION Miike Takashi! Screw Zatochi! Here's your next chanbara film series to complete! Jokichi has razor sharp finger nails perfect for plucking out eye balls! What more do you need?)

In this installment Jokichi is sketched even darker, as a remorseless, unfeeling knot of a man who wanders the countryside in search of revenge. Hoping one day to eviscerate the men who killed his wife and child he let's the winds blow him where they may, in the hope that fate will guide him to a delicious revenge against: Kunisada Chunji.

When Jokichi meets the tubercular "Windmill" Kobunji (Isao Natsuyagi), so named for his unorthodox use of cooking knives as deadly projectile weapons, he discovers that Kunisada Chunji has a large bounty on his head. Have accepted a 20-ryo advance for the killing of Jokichi, Kobunji hotly pursues Jokichi, taunting our three fingered swordsman with cocky statements about his superior fighting skills. Only, it seems that Jokichi and Kobunji have a lot in common and an unlikely camaraderie develops between them and though Kobunji says he will have Jokichi's head, his heart doesn't appear to be into it. Perhaps Kobunji is taking the money to kill Jokichi for another reason? One that is rooted in the love sick dreams of a former farmer's son who had the misfortune to fall in love with a woman of a higher class?

Back when Kobuji was a lowly farmer's boy he rescued Oharu (Michiyo Yasuda) from a brutal rape at the hands of the Tozo gang and in the process he fell in love with her. His noble actions endangered him and to add insult he was shunned by the woman he loved. But once smitten he became convinced that all of his problems would be rectified if he could raise his social standing. By taking the Jokichi job, Kobunji's path would take him to his home town and to a final happy reunion with the woman he loves-- before he dies of tuberculosis (!).

Alas, Kobunji was born under an unlucky star and once home-- having not killed Jokichi due to the worsening of his tuberculosis-- he discovers that Oharu doesn't love him and in fact, is now in love boss Tozo, the head of the very gang that attacked her! As some consolation for Kobunji though, the ending will prove tragic for all who have wronged him as Jokichi will reign bloody havoc on those who have doomed Kobunji to this pitiful life.

From this description you can tell that the focus of SLAUGHTER IN THE SNOW is not really on Jokichi. This installment seems to be more interested in turning Jokichi into a character with the kind of folklore that the Zatoichi films have with the Zatoichi character. The notion in the matatabi picture of the wandering hero blowing into town and then finding themselves embroiled in some sort of situation that only they can solve through their superlative fighting skills is a classic archetype of the chanbara genre. With Jokichi you've got the added element of the character who has his own shopping list of baddies that he needs to dispatch before he departs this earth, but it turns out that he has an additional calling as a general problem solver-- and if you chose to look at it this way, as the moral conscience of the world he is in.

This structure works fine when you've got a longer series, but it's hampered in this situation by two things-- First: there's no precedent for it in this series. In the first two installments Jokichi is kind of a fuck up and is morally compromised from the get go. Second: through no fault of the filmmakers, the series abruptly ends with Tasogare ni senko ga tonda, and this is the unsatisfying final note on Mikogami. Too bad.

In an interview in Chris D.'s book "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film" director Ikehiro Kazuo says: "The original idea for those films was to show more with Yoshio Harada's wife and children while still alive, before they were murdered." ºº Presumably the idea being that we see his inner-motivation to survive and fight at all costs. Personally, I'm the kind of fan that likes to get down into the nitty-gritty of character motivation and flaws so I would have liked to have seen where this would have gone if given the chance. Ikehiro goes on to mention that "There was a conviction behind showing Harada's character on his vengeance quest that the men he was killing also had their own wives and children. That Harada, in turn, was becoming no different from them."º* Intriguing stuff. The good becomes the bad-- this is some heady stuff that seems informed by the real world, where heroes can become villains lest they watch their moralizing and justification of their violent actions. (The question is, would audiences have bought into this? Or do they just want a good time at the movies?)

It's a shame that the series ends here, because I kind of like where this third installment goes and would have loved to have seen what would happen next. The moral vagueries questioned in this film and (implied) with future installments would make for good (chanbara) drama.

Technically the film is well done, shot in clean wide-format with a beautiful color pallete of whites, blues and blood reds. The music is 'off-da-chain' with its booty-shaking funk (please, put out this soundtrack SOMEONE!) and the pace moves with a brisk, well focused editorial style typical of these 1970s studio pictures: Get the audiences in, get them out! Sell! Sell! Sell! But with the Ikehiro's 13 years or so of contract directing his hand is firm, but so is confidence in adding with the occasional splash of experimental cinema seen in the psychedelic, kaleidoscopic spinning transitions. I especially appreciated this and it reminds me of Inoue Yoshio's experimental flourishes in THE RAZOR: WHO'S GOT THE GOLD? (Goyoukiba: Oni no Hanzou Yawahada Koban (1974))-- a classic, by the way.

One can only wonder what series of these films would have turned into, but we'll have to file that in the large section "WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN..." As for me, I'm waiting for someone to make a follow-up; there's no time like the present.

Previous Mikogami Posts.

(**D. Chris: "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film" I. B. Taurus, 2005, p. 103)
(ººD. Chris: "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film" I. B. Taurus, 2005, p. 108)
(º*D. Chris: ibid.)

The Fearless Avenger (Mushukunin Mikogami no Jokichi: Kawakaze ni Kako ha Nagareta)

The Fearless Avenger
Mushukunin Mikogami no Jokichi: Kawakaze ni Kako ha Nagareta

Director: Ikehiro Kazuo
CAST:
Harada Yoshio
Nakamura Atsuo
Minegishi Ryunosuke

1972
80 minutes
Format Viewed: DVD (Animeigo)

The second film of the Mikogami trilogy and for some mysterious reason named “The Fearless Avenger” though the Japanese title should be translated to something like “The past flows on the river breeze.” You know what? On second thought, “The Fearless Avenger” really is a better title, seeing as this series of films is constructed on one of the old standbys of the Chanbara genre: revenge.

Our favorite razor finger nailed hero, Jokichi from Mikogami, apparently is not that good at what he is billed as being: a badass sword fighter and general ass kicker. He, however, IS good at starting up trouble and inevitably getting over his head into it. Right here we’re already in some interesting territory for the Chanbara genre—and this is one of the reasons why this second film of the Mikogami trilogy is ultimately more interesting than the enjoyable first installment.

While in title it is a revenge story—and this series still has Jokichi hot and bothered on the trail of bloody revenge for the men whole brutally raped and murdered his wife and slaughtered his young son—it proves to be a greater lesson of how shitty life really was in old Edo; how the rich and powerful held onto power in through coercion, manipulation and strong-armed tactics (some things never change!). We also learn that having three main bad guys is a perfect equation for a trilogy because you only need to kill one baddy a time at the rousing climax of each film. But what makes this all alternately interesting and occasionally frustrating is that Jokichi’s odds of survival in these films are so totally against him that he has no choice but to be saved by dumb-luck, last minute decisions for mercy by scheming Yakuza honchos (they never learn, do they?), and the occasional mysterious sword fighter, who has an incredibly well-defined moral compass and stunning sword skills.

Jokichi still on his quest for revenge makes a rash decision to assassinate the evil Chogoro while he is at a meeting of the eight Yakuza heads during the memorial for a deceased comrade. This show of bravado and stupidity guarantees Jokichi a death sentence, which is narrowly averted by Boss Juzaburo, who, for some reason, desires harmony at this important occasion. Now totally in Juzaburo’s debt, Jokichi is hesitant to take up boss Umezo’s request to guard and transport Juzaburo’s daughter Oyuki back to him. Ultimately Jokichi has no choice in the matter and agrees to transport Oyuki through the danger forests home. But tragedy strikes when Oyuki is raped and murdered (this seems to be par for the course in old Japan) and Jokichi becomes truly stuck between bad and worse. All that remains for him is to walk down the path of hell that is his fate in life and fight for his survival and maybe, kill those who destroyed his life.

So, after watching The Mikogami films and Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance Harada Yoshio is officially one of the oddest choices for badass swordsman. Though a relatively famous actor in the seventies who was well-known for embodying anti-hero pathos, he is a veteran of countless films (and still working at a mind-bending rate, thank you very much). That said, there’s something about his slightly cross-eyed, shaggy-haired Jokichi that is anathema to the Chanbara genre. What he does do well as an actor is force and brooding anger. What he doesn’t do so well is romancing the ladies, generally appearing too soft or sensitive—at least to this reviewer’s eyes. While not a bad actor in these early films of his career, he isn’t nearly as engaging enough of a performer to really support the weight of these films. But as I mentioned at the start, that didn’t really matter, what people were coming to these films for was the comfort of the Chanbara genre with, perhaps, a bit of a twist of something new. This time it is a razor taloned sword fighter who is a bit of a fuck up who gets beaten constantly. That, in and of itself, was something that you didn’t see too much in Chanbara. Jokichi is interesting to watch because he doesn’t seem so super powerful, or super human-- that alone made for a different type of viewing experience.

This all being said, the Mikogami films aren’t, honestly, the best of the Chanbara genre. While fun to watch, they are very obvious quickie cash-ins—but that’s what program pictures were intended to be, cash machines. Therefore this film and others of the exploitation genre should be viewed in the same sort of context as the modern V-Cinema flick: they satisfy the hankering for this kind of storytelling. You want O-Toro and Kobe Beef? Don’t eat at the mall. You want some comfort food, maybe a pretty good burger? This is the place to come.

Trail of Blood (Mushukunin Mikogami no Jokichi: Kiba ha Hikisaita)

Trail of Blood (Part One of the Mikogami Trilogy)
Mushukunin Mikogami no Jokichi: Kiba ha Hikisaita

Director: Ikehiro Kazuo
CAST:
Harada Yoshio
Nakamura Katsuo
Ishimatsu Ryunosuke

1972
88 minutes
Format Viewed: DVD (Animeigo)

1960s and 70s Chanbara films (sword fighting films) are like pulling on an old pair of jeans: familiar and comfortable (partly because they are familiar). They aren’t meant to do much more than entertain and pass the time; they feel familiar because the stories are recycled (as are the actors and the sets) and the action set pieces are more or less the same.

1960s and 70s Chanbara films are also like hamburgers in the same way that you get a craving for one occasionally and then satisfy it. It’s not supposed to be an everyday meal—at least it shouldn’t be if you want to remain healthy, right? Part of the ‘thing’ about these Chanbara films is that they are sword fight movies made by and for sword fight fans. Basically, if you don’t like burgers, you don’t eat them and if you don’t like sword fights, then stay away from these films. They’re for the hungry fans.

I’ll make this clear: I like the Chabara film genre a lot. I don’t expect anything revolutionary and (overly) surprising from these films when I watch them. I gravitate to them when I am in the mood for a thematic treatment of right triumphing over wrong delivered through a sword. It’s that simple.

Director Ikehiro Kazuo is a veteran of the sword genre and came to Trail of Blood after making a slew Chanbara films during the 60s (including several Zatoichi and Nemuri Kyoshiro installments) with a journeyman’s knowledge of what makes one of these films tick.

For a time, what defined the Chanbara film and (therefore) filled seats was to take the equation of a badass stranger with a sword who rolls into town. Next add some sort of local problem that he gets wrapped up in (usually reluctantly) and then, after getting drawn into it, having him get brutally beaten up by the local bad guys. Finally the hero exacts a glorious (and sometimes bloody) revenge typically in a closing blowout that resets all wrongs to rights and the film ends with the hero wandering off to his destiny. The end.

As is to be expected, the audience occasionally tires of the same old thing, new package gimmick and in order to stymie this, the studios would add a little twist to the recipe to give it a different flavor. Enter the blind (or handicap) swordsmen, the female swordswomen, the anti-hero, the swordsman who uses his, ahem, ‘flesh-sword’ for interrogation purposes and, in the case of Trail of Blood, the swordsman with long nails.

The man with said nails, Jokichi ‘from Mikogami’, is a worn out swordsman who after suffering a particularly savage beating decides that maybe it’s time to go straight. Shacking up with the first prostitute he meets (Okimi, who also wants to go straight) they move far away to find their fortunes and be fruitful—but not before raising the ire of a group of yakuza thugs who a) like sleeping with Okimi and b) don’t like a smart ass swordsman telling ‘em what to do. Even with the odds stacked against them, Okimi and Jokichi manage to move to their own piece of land and carve out a quiet life for a short time before their whereabouts are discovered and their lives are brutally disrupted.

Falling squarely into the middle of a rival gang war, Jokichi is forced out of retirement to revenge the deaths of his wife and son, while also managing to lose two of his fingers. But rather than hindering his swordsmanship, Jokichi sharpens the nails on his remaining three fingers and turns it into a razor-sharp finger pitch-fork-- all the better to slash his enemies eyes!

The first installment of the Mikogami Trilogy (see part two’s The Fearless Avenger review), Trail of Blood runs at a brisk pace, has clear storytelling, solid performances, striking visuals and a fantastic score (one of the funkiest of the 70s sword flicks, to my ears, easily winning a cool ‘10’ on the booty-shaking scale!). The fights are good and the blood sprays ejaculates in copious crimson plumes. Collected this all together, if you’re a fan of the Chanbara genre then you already have a good reason to check out the film; but another reason for watching Trail of Blood is for Japanese film historical reasons: cinematographer Miyagawa Kazuo.

While not a household name in Japan-- or anywhere for that matter-- Miyagawa Kazuo’s work is familiar to even the passing Japanese cinema fan. Clearly a giant in Japanese film his career spanned more than 50 years and included cinematography on a veritable who’s who and what’s what of Japanese film: Kurosawa Akira’s Rashomon and Yojimbo, Mizoguchi Kenji’s Ugetsu Monogatari (Ugetsu) and Sansho Dayu (Sansho The Bailiff), Ichikawa Kon’s Tokyo Olympiad, Masumura Yasuo’s Irezumi (The Tattoo) and even an installment of the sleazy and exploitative Razor films! I mean, who was this guy? And yet here we find him doing solid cinematography on a slice ‘em up Toho program picture like Trail of Blood.

Rather than be a sad thing that such a talented and genius cinematographer would be working on an exploitation film, I think it’s kind of cool that he’s working on a genre film that most of the most prudish filmgoer wouldn’t be found dead at. Reason being, you never know what kind of riches you’ll find when you watch a Chanbara flick; that’s what makes them so much fun to watch. Essentially, Trail of Blood has everything that it needs to satisfy that Chanbara hankering but what really makes it cool is what’s unexpected about it—the ‘bonuses’ if you will: a funktastic score, razor talons, and solid genre cinematography by one of the masters. All I can say is enjoy!

Mikogami Trilogy-- Well, parts one and two...

What follows are two reviews that I wrote for Midnight Eye back in the Winter (2006) which weren't ultimately published. Not wanting them to be orphans forever, I've posted them in two parts.

Many more reviews are to come...