Twilight Samurai, a review

Twilight Samurai "Tasogare Sebie"

Directed by Yojo Yamada

Written by Shuhei Fujisawa and Yoji Yamada

2002

Review.

Hiroyuki Sanada plays Sebei Iguchi

Rie Miyazawa - Tomoe Linuma

Nenji Kobayashi - Choubei Kusaka

Ren Ohsusi - Toyotarou Kuda

Mitsuru Fukikoshi - Michinojo Linuma

Sebei Igushi is a poor widower samurai with a sick mother and two daughters at home. The relaxed and thoughtful hero previously had sold his sword to pay for his wife’s funeral. He leaves his job in “Clan Stores” promptly at the end of each day and goes directly home to care for his family. This story is narrated from the memories of his youngest daughter - Itu - five at the time.

The family lives in a small thatched roof home with chickens in the yard. Kayano, at 10 and the oldest daughter, helps out with the cooking. A male servant - Noata also apparently lives there, along with Sebei’s elderly and memory challenged mother - ‘Gran’.

Itu tells us that in his situation Sebei had become unkempt and grimy. When the ‘lord’ visits for an inspection, he embarrasses Sebei and his supervisor by taking him down for his appearance and smell.

Gran’s brother drops in and informs Sebei that as the elder in the family, he, the uncle, has apologized to the lord. Uncle also lets Iguchi know that he has found a farmer’s daughter wife for him - one with broad hips to have more children.  But not good looking - of course - because his salary was only 50 koku of which 20 was going to pay off debts. Sebei refuses by saying he is “not as miserable as you (uncle) think.”

Later, Sebei asks his girls if they are lonely and need a mother. He notes the proposal and how disrespectful it is to both the samurai and the proposed bride. The girls respond that they are happy with their father’s attention and love.

Next, a samurai friend returns from Kyoto, Mitsuro Linuma, with news that Sebie’s childhood friend, and Mitsuro’s sister, the beautiful Tomoe was back in town after going through a bitter divorce from the abusive Captain Koda. The two also talk of life and politics in the capital.

Upon arriving home, Iguchi doesn’t recognize his childhood friend who has spent the afternoon with his daughters. The mood is set when he shows his feelings for her, and his aging mother recognizes Tomoe but not her son.

Sebei walks Tomoe home that evening (with Noata as chaperon) to her brothers house and finds Captain Koda , drunk and requesting the return of his ex-wife. The exchange ends with Koda and Sebe agreeing to to an illegal duel behind a temple the next morning.

Iguchi arrives behind the temple in time to find Mitsuro beginning the fight with Koda, but brushes his friend aside. Iguchi lets Koda know he only has a wooden sword whereby Koda says he will proceed and kill Iguchi The hero gives the drunk several chances to end the duel noting that the Captain would have been dead if a genuine tool was in use, the last where he had knocked Koda’s sword to the ground and asked for an apology. Iguchi responds to the last lunge by rapping Koda on the head and knocking him out. Clearly this was no ordinary storeroom clerk and now everyone knew it.

At work a few days later at work, one of Koda’s drinking buddies, Zemen Yogo, dropped by to say he had been asked to avenge the loss of honor from the duel. Modest and polite SIguchi declines but notes he had ‘attended’ short sword master Toda’s dojo.

At work, due to knowledge of the fight, Iguchi’s collegues, are now worried retribution from  calling him “Twilight” behind his back. Tomoe leaves him a letter at home where she apologizes for the trouble she has caused but lets him know she is thrilled. She also says she wants to thank him in person. (Pop!) She also says she wants to be of use to him in the future - whatever she can...

Itu tells us Tomoe visited them at this point every evening or two or three days teaching them to cook, sew among other things. She even took them to a festival off limits to the samurai class.

Meanwhile, Tomoe’s brother MItsuro, while fishing informs Iguchi about Tomoe’s marriage interest with him and also of other proposals. Due to the political situation, Mitsuro gives three days for an answer. Sebie lets out that his first wife and her family was not satisfied with his petty salary, and he believed Tomoe would  come to regret it as well. He refuses. Tomoe stops vising the girls.

Late one evening Iguchi’s boss arrives at his house and takes him to new lord Haki, where he is given an assignment to kill drunken Koda’s friend, and previously rejected opponent, Zemen Yogo. It seems Yogo had belonged to the losing faction for control of the clan. He had followed the orders of his sponsor, and when control was settled, refused to commit hari-kari with the rest of the losers.

Iguchi eloquently twice refuses the commission, and attempts to delay the process, but ,when faced with clan banishment he accepts  - to complete the task by dusk the next day (twilight?). In the discussion we discover Iguchi was in fact an instructor at Master Toda’s short sword dojo, and not a student, as Sebei had wanted everyone to believe. The clan believed Iguchi, with his short sword expertise, would have an advantage inside Yogo’s house.

Sebei thinks he will win and prepares for the worst. Through his boss he conveys his regards to his office mates. His boss says he will take care of his family. Iguchi sharpens his sword and sends Noata to ask Tomoe to come over, and help him dress.

While dressing they discuss the conversation with her brother regarding marriage. Iguchi lets Tomae know that he has always “dreamed” she would be his wife. And, of course, Tomoe has to tell him she has accepted the offer of another. Off he goes to fight and she tells him she won’t be there when he returns. Both are devastated. Sebei cries.

Iguchi arrives at Yogo’s much nicer house and stepped over the previous fly-covered commission holder at the front door. Inside the two talk for a long time. Yogo is drunk and asks Iguchi to let him escape as ronin to another province. Both tell their stories and backgrounds, leading eventually to Yogo’s apparent insult in that his assassin had brought a wooden sword. The fight ensues whereby Iguchi uses his short sword, and Yogo - the long. Both were cut before Yogo took the decisive blow, and caught is long sword in the rafters.

Sebei staggers home, bloodied and limping where he is met by Itu. Tomoe, then steps through the door, and after a slight hesitation, they embrace.

Itu then wraps up the story by letting us know they had three good years together before Iguchi was shot and killed in the Meiji Restoration - civil war. Tomoe then moved with the girls to Tokyo where she supported the grils.

Sam Glass: g'day

Divine_Malevolence: G'day mate. Right o' bit o' sun in th' outback, eh?

Sam Glass: That was in 2002?
 

Divine_Malevolence: Very recent. I'm surprised.
 

Sam Glass: Yea.. I liked it. Especially the fishing!

Divine_Malevolence: The fishing was amusing. "You two are picking on me!"

Sam Glass: What was that line?

Divine_Malevolence: When the friend told him Tomoe would be willing to marry him. He said she wouldn't be interested in a 50 Ryo Samurai.

Sam Glass: Yes. Sebei was very sensitive and humble, even about his fighting skill which ended up to be excellent.
 

Divine_Malevolence: It was above average, but he wasn't perfect.

Sam Glass: Of course.. but it was good enough to win.

Divine_Malevolence: Modest yet awesome guy, he was. If I was one of his office-mates, I'd help him with his duties so he could come drinking once in a while.

Sam Glass: Ahh... but what if he didn't want the help?
 

Divine_Malevolence: Or smell less. I 'unno. Insist! He didn't refuse Tomoe's assistance.

Sam Glass: But who could resist the beautiful Tomoe???

Divine_Malevolence: Her hubby.

Sam Glass: Drunk hubby... and abusive.. she was strong..

Divine_Malevolence: Strong of will, and fleet of foot.

Sam Glass: But she stayed in the end.. I didn't expect her to be there when he came back from his assasination. Did you?

Divine_Malevolence: It's a movie. Of course she stayed. I would've been surprised if she didn't.

Sam Glass: But she had accepted another marriage proposal. Do you think she wasn't telling the truth about it? Was she just saying that to see something about him?

Divine_Malevolence: She was trollin'. She was probably serious, but..... Hey, one can be fickle at times, no?

Sam Glass: OK... sure but was she scheeming.. or just following events?

Divine_Malevolence: Too benevolent to scheme.
 

Sam Glass: Interesting, but I don't know about it. What about Sebei's relationship with his daughters?
Divine_Malevolence: It was very nice. He was a good pops an' a very good character.
Sam Glass: Did this line say anything to you? On studying Confusious: "Well, it probably be as useful as needlework. But you know, book learning gives you the power to think. However the world might change, if you have the power to think, you'll always survive somehow. That's for boys and girls. All right?"
Divine_Malevolence: 'Tis a great truth. Above all else, one must think. Which is one of the reasons I'm against political parties.
Sam Glass: Umm... I think that thought will need expanding at another time...
Divine_Malevolence: Truly. But that's another topic entirely!
Sam Glass: Back on the movie.. I was interested in one other quote.. it goes back to modesty of the samurai: "I am ashamed to say that over many years of hardship with tow daughters, a sick wife and aged mopther, I have lost the drive to wield asword. A erious fight, the killing of a man, requires animal ferocity ad a calm regard for one's own life. I have neither of these within menow. Perhaps in a month... alone with the beasts in the hills I could gather them back. But tomorrow, I am afraid, is completly impossible."
 

Divine_Malevolence: He's not a cold blooded killer. It's true. Had he been the next scene would've been rather boring. "Sit, Twilight." "No" *Stab*

Sam Glass: Yea.. But don't these great samurai always have modesty? It seems to bendfit them in many ways... like in lulling their opponents into false security.. and in disarming emotions from the anticipated confrontation.
 

Divine_Malevolence: Intimidation probably gets one more than false modesty. A smart adversary will not lower his guard to a seemingly weak adversary.
 

Sam Glass: But Sebei didn't intimidate anybody... yet he won both his fights.. that is a lesson from this movie.

Divine_Malevolence: Because his opponents were.... Less than bright. One was a drunk moron, and the other forgot he had a roof.

Sam Glass: Exactly.. but they underestimated Sebei...

Divine_Malevolence: Or overestimated themselves.
 

Sam Glass: yes.. but in the last fight.. it didn't
 

Divine_Malevolence: "I'm a 400 Ryo Samurai! I won't take that from you!" Admittedly, the bamboo sword might've won him that fight.

Sam Glass: And the second fight didn't start until Sebei told him he had sold his sword to pay for his mother's funeral.

Divine_Malevolence: It didn't start until he revealed his current sword was bamboo.

Sam Glass: But he had an excellent short sword.. his specialty in the dojo.

Divine_Malevolence: Yup yup.
 

Sam Glass: He sharpened it... Daughter Ito recalled listening to it overnight... Anything else? OK, great!