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The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail

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Wikipedia article




is a 1945 Japanese period drama film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, based on the kabuki play 'Kanjinch', which is in turn based on the Noh play 'Ataka'.

It was initially banned by the occupying Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP), likely due to its portrayal of feudal values. Kurosawa blamed bureaucratic sabotage by the wartime Japanese censors, who also disapproved. The film was later released following the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco in 1952.

Plot



In 1185, the Heike family fights against the Minamoto family. After a bloody naval battle in the Seto Inland Sea, Yoshitsune Minamoto defeats the enemy and the survivors commit suicide. When the triumphant Yoshitsune arrives in Kyoto, his brother, the Shogun Yoritomo, is uneasy and orders his men to arrest Yoshitsune. However, Yoshitsune escapes with six loyal samurai led by Benkei and they head to the country of his only friend Hidehira Fujiwara. Near the border, after crossing the forest disguised as monks, their porter discovers that they are Yoshitsune and the six samurais and advises that the fearful Kajiwara and his soldiers are waiting for them at the border to arrest them. Yoshitsune disguises as a porter and at the barrier, Benkei has to convince Kajiwara that they are six monks traveling to collect donations to repair the Todai temple in Nara.

Analysis



Critic David Conrad has said that the character of the porter, who does not exist in the original Noh or kabuki plays, prefigures Kurosawa's later commoner characters like the woodcutter in 'Rashomon' and the villagers in 'Seven Samurai'. "The presence of a low-class character among the high and mighty helps anchor the story in familiar ground, and the porter is free to express thoughts that proper samurai leave unsaid... Each of Kurosawas later 'jidaigeki', and many of his 'gendaigeki' as well, would use characters of different castes and classes to achieve something similar to this dynamic. His stories play out in three-dimensional social worlds, allowing him to explore events and themes from multiple perspectives."Conrad, David A. (2022). 'Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan', pp39-40.

Cast



* Denjir kchi as Benkei

* Tadayoshi Nishina (Iwai Hanshir X) as Yoshitsune

* Susumu Fujita as Togashi

* Masayuki Mori as Kamei

* Takashi Shimura as Kataoka

* Ken'ichi Enomoto as porter

* Akitake Kno as Ise

* Yoshio Kosugi as Suruga

* Dekao Yokoo as Hitachib

* Yasuo Hisamatsu as Kajiwara's messenger

* Shji Kiyokawa as Togashi's messenger

References



Sources



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