Joiuchi

JOIUCHI also addresses the value system in feudal Japan. The son of a samurai family is forced to marry the former concubine of a feudal lord. Contrary to expectations, the marriage is a happy one and a daughter is born—but the woman is ordered back to the lord’s household. She and the family refuse, despite knowing that resisting this arbitrary injustice will destroy everyone around them. The precise shots and clarity and symmetry of the interiors are symbolic of the unrelenting social norms against which father and son now resolutely rebel.

Like few other directors of his time, Masaki Kobayashi (1916–1996) used his films to criticize the militarism and spirit of subservience in Japanese society, which he saw as a perpetuation of the country’s feudal past. The few historical films he made also address resistance to tradition and authority and the defense of personal freedom.