Directed by Akira Kurosawa (A Quick Summary) Rashomon Directed by Akira Kurosawa (A Quick Summary)

Akira Kurosawa (director) – 1910-1998 Trained as a painter before becoming a filmmaker (note carefully his compositions) Had worked at Toho studios for 10 years before directing Rashomon It was a critical and commercial success Established Kurosawa as one of the great international filmmakers – and put Japanese cinema “on the map” He went on to direct dozens of critically acclaimed films, including Seven Samurai, Hidden Fortress (a major inspiration for Star Wars), Throne of Blood (an adaptation of Macbeth) and Ran (an adaptation of King Lear)

Overview A man is murdered and his wife raped Eyewitness testimonies are inconsistent and incompatible Who is to blame? What is the truth? Is there a truth? Can anyone be trusted?

Backdrop Set in the 11th Century, Feudal Japan This was the end of the Heian era (794-1184) The evident breakdown of a centralized government, meant feudal lords ran things locally, with loyal Samurai as retainers Jobless Samurai were known as Ronin, who became mercenaries or bandits

Main Characters Buddhist priest Woodcutter Commoner The Bandit (Tajomaru) The Policeman The Samurai (Takehiro Kanazawa) The Samurai’s Wife (Masako Kanazawa) The Medium

Under the Gate A priest and a woodcutter take shelter under an abandoned gate They are confused An arriving commoner asks why They tell him of a horrendous crime they witnessed and whose trial they attended

Woodcutter’s First Tale Out cutting wood He finds a woman’s hat, a samurai’s cap, and some rope He nearly trips over the body as he walks towards an amulet case He runs to tell the authorities

The Priest’s Testimony He passed the Samurai and his wife walking The Samurai was heavily armed and the woman was veiled “A human life is truly as frail and fleeting as the morning dew.”

The Policeman He found Tajomaru, the bandit, thrown from his horse He “captured him” single-handedly Tajomaru denies this account He had drunk from a stream that made him sick, and he dismounted the horse to recover Only then was he captured

Tajomaru’s story As he rested beneath a tree, a cool wind woke him – the same breeze reveals the woman’s face “If it hadn’t been for that wind, I would never have killed that man.” He was entranced by the woman and meant to take her – but never intended to kill the man

Tajomaru – clever and honorable He tricks the man, and ties him up After putting up a fight, the woman yields to him willingly He wants to take her with him, and promises to “go clean” She insists that she must be won by the sword He fights honorably with the samurai and wins The woman runs away

Back to the gate The commoner immediately accepts that Tajomaru’s story is accurate (a likely story) But there is another story, that of the woman who was found Woodcutter insists that both of their stories were lies Commoner: “It’s human to lie, we can’t even be honest with ourselves” Priest: “It’s only because we are weak that we lie to ourselves.” Commoner: “I don’t care if it’s a lie, as long as it’s entertaining”

The wife’s story After her husband was tied up, and she had been raped, they were left alone She looked to her husband for sympathy, but saw in his eyes disgust and contempt In shock and out of control, she threw herself upon him with an outstretched dagger that she had intended for him to take her life because of her shame. She accidentally killed him instead.

Back to the gate Commoner is now confused, but thinks the woman’s story can be discounted Women tell lies and use tears to deceive In general, we prefer the comforting lie to the truth Priest: I can’t believe man could be so sinful. If that is true it is horrible.

The dead samurai’s story He tells his own story through a medium After the bandit had raped his wife, he asked her to come with him She agreed, but insisted he kill the samurai first The bandit is disgusted by this challenge and offers the samurai to kill her She escapes, and the bandit frees the samurai The samurai throws himself upon his own dagger

Back to the gate The woodcutter insists that the story that he killed himself with his dagger is a lie The commoner divines that there is more to the story, that the woodcutter has not revealed He insists that the woodcutter tell everything he knows

The Woodcutter’s Second Story He had arrived to find the bandit begging forgiveness of the wife – he asks her to marry him She refuses to give an answer, and insists that they fight for her They are initially reluctant but she shames them into a life and death struggle The bandit wins, and she runs away

Final discussion at the gate Commoner laughs and insists that the woodcutter still has not told the truth Priest: “If men can’t trust one another, this world is hell.” They hear a baby crying – and the commoner steals the kimono off the abandoned child When the woodcutter accuses him of selfishness he reveals what he inferred from the stories: that the woodcutter had stolen the dagger from the crime scene and distorted the truth to hide that fact

An act of compassion As the baby cries, the woodcutter reaches to take her The priest refuses, thinking he means to steal something else from the child He explains: he already has several mouths to feed and one more wouldn’t make a difference The priest: thanks to this simple act of compassion, I think I can keep my faith in man The rain stops, and the woodcutter walks away with the child

Quick Story Comparison Bandit (Tajomaru) He tricked samurai He tied him up Wife yielded to him She insisted they fight as a matter of honor He accepted He released samurai They fought He won in an honorable fight – killing him with the sword The wife ran away He left with the horse and bow

Quick Story Comparison Bandit (Tajomaru) He tricked samurai He tied him up Wife yielded to him She insisted they fight as a matter of honor He accepted He released samurai They fought He won in an honorable fight – killing him with the sword The wife ran away He left with the horse and bow Wife Husband tied up She was raped Bandit mocked samurai and ran off She felt pity for husband Samurai was disgusted by his wife, and rejected her coldly She untied him and offered him the dagger to kill her Confused by his refusal to speak, she killed him instead with dagger

Quick Story Comparison Bandit (Tajomaru) He tricked samurai He tied him up Wife yielded to him She insisted they fight as a matter of honor He accepted He released samurai They fought He won in an honorable fight – killing him with the sword The wife ran away He left with the horse and bow Wife Husband tied up She was raped Bandit mocked samurai and ran off She felt pity for husband Samurai was disgusted by his wife, and rejected her coldly She untied him and offered him the dagger to kill her Confused by his refusal to speak, she killed him instead with dagger Dead man Then she agreed to leave with the bandit She insisted he kill her husband first The bandit was disgusted by her words, and offered to kill her, but she fled Bandit freed him He wept He killed himself with the dagger

Quick Story Comparison Bandit (Tajomaru) He tricked samurai He tied him up Wife yielded to him She insisted they fight as a matter of honor He accepted He released samurai They fought He won in an honorable fight – killing him with the sword The wife ran away He left with the horse and bow Wife Husband tied up She was raped Bandit mocked samurai and ran off She felt pity for husband Samurai was disgusted by his wife, and rejected her coldly She untied him and offered him the dagger to kill her Confused by his refusal to speak, she killed him instead with dagger Dead man Then she agreed to leave with the bandit She insisted he kill her husband first The bandit was disgusted by her words, and offered to kill her, but she fled Bandit freed him He wept He killed himself with the dagger Woodcutter Rape is implied Bandit begs forgiveness of the wife and promises to change his ways if she’ll have him She shames them into battle They fight, but both are terrified, it is not an honorable fight The bandit kills the samurai with his sword and then flees

Which Story is True? Are all of them lying? Is only one telling the truth? Or are they all telling what they believe to be the truth? Can we explain the differences in terms of different assumptions and biases? Or is it selfishness and viciousness? Is there any way to decide between these possibilities? Is there a way to decide between the different stories?

Similarities and Differences (Samurai and his Wife) Samurai and Wife agree: she was raped, he was killed by a dagger Samurai and Wife disagree: he killed himself, she killed him Why do neither of them tell a story that involves the husband fighting Tajomaru and dying? Why does he insist that he committed suicide and she insist that she killed him (but by accident)?

Similarities and Differences (Bandit and Woodcutter) What do they have in common, that might account for their fundamental agreement on broad details? (there was a duel, Bandit won with his sword) Why might they disagree on specifics? (not an honorable fight, they were both cowards, they fought only because they had been shamed and ridiculed by the wife) What accounts for the fundamental differences between the stories of the two groups?