by Andrea Grunert

Miyamoto Musashi (1), played by Sakaguchi Tak, is the main character in Shimomura Yūji’s Crazy Samurai Musashi (Kyō samurai Muasahi, Japan, 2020). Based on an idea by filmmaker Sono Sion, the film centres on the famous duel at Ichijōji Temple (2) between Musashi and samurai from the Yoshioka School of swordsmanship. Musashi (c. 1584-1645), a celebrated swordsman in Japanese history, is a blend of fact and fiction, much like d’Artagnan. Yoshikawa Eiji’s novel Musashi (Miyamoto Musashi), serialised between 1935 and 1939 in the newspaper Asahi Shinbun (3), has played a significant role in Musashi’s enduring popularity. Musashi is the protagonist of numerous films, some of which were inspired by Yoshikawa’s novel, such as Inagaki Hiroshi’s Samurai Trilogy (1954-1956; 4) and Tomu Uchida’s five films about Musashi produced between 1961 and 1965 (5). Mizoguchi Kenji also made a film about the famous swordfighter in 1944: Miyamoto Musashi. Mikami Yazuo’s Musashi (2019) is a more recent film. Musashi was also the main protagonist of a taiga drama in 2003 (6).
The duel at the Ichijōji Temple is a crucial episode in Yoshikawa’s novel as well as in the novel’s adaptations by Inagaki and Uchida and in Mikami’s Musashi. In Uchida’s and Mikami’s films, the number of Musashi’s opponents is given as about 70 (7). In Crazy Samurai Musashi, the number is given as 400! As a result, the film focuses heavily on swordfighting. There is almost no plot and only a few dialogues, but a series of fights between Musashi and a seemingly never-ending appearance of opponents he kills one after the other (8).
Before becoming a director, Shimomura worked primarily as an action director, stunt coordinator and stuntman. It is improbable, however, that his interest in fighting scenes and his expertise in the field are the sole reason for his choice. On the contrary, focusing on the fights is an effective means to reveal the very essence of the jidai geki and chanbara (9), as well as Musashi’s personality (10). This essence lies in the act of killing men. Inagaki and Uchida show the transformation of Musashi from a wild, uncontrolled youth to a disciplined swordsman. Musashi, the young peasant samurai (he is sixteen years old at the beginning of Yoshikawa’s novel) must learn how to harness his powers. He is presented with the chance to study and become a more accomplished swordsman, adhering to the samurai ideal of bu (martial valour) and bun (cultural achievement). After spending two and a half years in seclusion, reading and reflecting on his violent past, the protagonist embarks on a long journey to perfect his skills and master the sword and his mind. During his travels in Japan, he encounters several renowned warriors of his time, including Seijurō, the leader of the Yoshioka School whom he defeats, as well as Seijurō’s brother Denshichirō. At Ichijōji Temple, the Yoshiokas, led by thirteen-year-old son Matashichirō (11), attempt to regain their honour.
In Miyamoto Musashi, Mizoguchi already questions the motives of the protagonist. This Musashi (Kawarasaki Chōjūrō) denies fighting for personal reasons such as revenge, but Mizoguchi casts doubts on the purity of his acts. However, he depicts him as a master of the sword who is in full control of his body and mind. In Inagaki’s Sasaki Kojirō trilogy (1950/1951; 12), Musashi, played by Mifune Toshirō, is a wild, ruthless fighter who kills without hesitation. Mifune also plays Musashi in Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy, where the famous swordsman exhibits more romantic traits (13). However, the three films do not completely obscure the ambiguity behind his violent actions. This ambiguity is further explored in Uchida’s Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijōji no kettō (1964), the fourth film in his series of five in which Musashi (Nakamura Kinnosuke) kills his opponents being in a frenzied state. At the end of the fight at Ichijōji Temple, Musashi, on the brink of madness, runs away as if escaping from his murderous self.
It is the contrast between the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment and the use of deadly force which is often depicted in films about Musashi as well as in other jidai geki. Many jidai geki of the 1960s feature samurai or rōnin who do not wish to kill, yet end up doing it anyway. This is the case in Okamoto Kihachi’s satirical Kill (Kiru, 1968) and in Gosha Hideo’s Goyōkin (1969). Also in Mikami’s Musashi, one of the characters states: “The only purpose of the sword is to kill people.” In this film, Musashi (Hosoda Yoshikiro) is a killing machine, driven by the idea of winning, despite his remorse after having killed a child at Ichijōji Temple.
In Crazy Samurai Musashi no guilt feeling is expressed. Violence is presented as a simple, unavoidable fact without being idealised or masked by notions of duty or honour. Musashi must kill to survive against the superior number of opponents. The film focuses on Musashi’s fighting without providing any explanation about his character or psychological approach. The lack of dialogue emphasises the importance of the action (14).
The film features three distinct locations in close proximity to the temple where the battle one against 400 occurs. The first is a small clearing in a forest, with Musashi facing a large number of opponents. The other two locations are the narrow streets of an abandoned village and the open space at the village entrance. These locations require varying camera positions and framing. Throughout the sword fighting sequences, Musashi is often filmed from behind, which conceals his emotions from the viewer. The fights filmed in the narrow streets of the abandoned village are shorter and more fragmented due to the visual closures created by the space.
Most shots are long shots, with close-ups and medium close-ups being infrequent. However, the fight sequences are presented with a variety of framing, camera movements, and the use of the handheld camera. For instance, in one duel sequence, the combatants are illuminated by lightning while the rolling thunder accompanies the sound of the fighting. The pouring rain blurs the contours of the setting, emphasising its desolation and adding to the sense of tragedy surrounding the violent action. The final moments of the fierce battle at Ichijōji Temple are shot from a bird’s-eye view, revealing Musashi surrounded by a multitude of adversaries.
The fight sequences depict Musashi taking brief breaks to drink water and recover, with his exhaustion palpable at times. Despite heavy panting, he quickly resumes his deadly business and ultimately fights with two swords, a technique attributed to the historical Musashi. The short pauses and infrequent dialogue, along with the soundtrack, contribute to the production’s originality. There are moments in which the only sound are the cries and the panting of the men and the clashing of the swords. The wind can also be heard and, in the aforementioned sequence, rain and thunder. The haunting sound of drums accompanies several moments of the fighting, while melodious tunes played on the piano and violins appear in others. The colour palette is dominated by shades of brown and grey and of blue, the colour of many of the kimonos worn by the combatants. The red of blood is the only vivid colour used in the long fighting scene. Musashi’s face and kimono are stained with blood; blood spurts from ruptured arteries. The limited colour palette and long takes emphasise the repetitive nature of the killings. Despite the abundance of action sequences, the film manages to avoid becoming tedious due to the sufficient visual and acoustic variations. However, repetition is also used to create tension. The numerous killing sequences can have an unsettling effect on the viewer. This feeling of anticipation and discomfort could lead to insight and deeper reflection on the sense or nonsense of violence and the code of honour of the samurai.
The series of fights takes place between two scenes containing comparatively more dialogue. In the film’s second scene, young Matashichirō (Kimura Kōsei) appears. He is a small child of approximately nine or ten years, an innocent boy who apparently does not fully understand the dangerous situation in which he is been placed by the elders of his clan. Matashichirō, smiling happily, is more interested in a white butterfly than the impending fighting, but Musashi’s sudden attack ends both the child’s and the butterfly’s life with a single stroke of his sword. The youthfulness and immature behaviour of the boy accentuate the horror of Musashi’s murderous action.
In Buddhism, white is a symbol of both purity and death. Combined with the delicate butterfly (15), it suggests the transience of life. In the final scene, which takes place seven years after the events at Ichijōji Temple, Musashi, now bearded and with his face covered in scars, is meditating beside a small stream when a white butterfly lands on the pommel of his sword. The butterfly is now associated with the warrior whose life is often short (16). Additionally, the butterfly remembers past events that continue to linger and seem to materialise in this very scene. Suddenly, Chūsuke (Yamazaki Kentō), a former student of the Yoshioka School, appears at the stream with a group of samurai. The short opening scene, which precedes the dialogue scene before the beginning of the battle, focuses on Chūsuke, practising with a wooden sword. Close-ups and medium close-ups of the young man in an interior are alternated with shots of a one-on-one duel taking place in a landscape. The fight is filmed in close-ups and extreme close ups, fragmenting bodies and objects. The combatant’s faces remain indistinct. It can be presumed that these shots are memory images showing Musashi who fights against one of the Yoshioka brothers. The dreamlike quality of these flashbacks is underlined by black-and-white photography. In the following scene, Chūsuke expresses his ardent desire to take revenge for the deaths of Seijurō and Denshichirō, providing an explanation to the previous shots. Seven years after the battle at Ichijōji Temple, Chūsuke challenges Musashi, driven by his desire for revenge fueled by the mass killing. Chūsuke appeals to his opponent’s sense of duty and honour as a samurai. Musashi dismisses these concepts as meaningless and declares that his only goal is to win. He then proceeds to kill Chūsuke’s men one by one, this time using a sickle instead of a sword. Throughout the short fight, Chūsuke is mesmerised by Musashi’s incredible swordsmanship.
Yoshikawa’s novel and the films made about Musashi present his life as a series of fights. However, none of them consist solely on fighting scenes. Crazy Samurai Musashi portrays violence in a concentrated and unadorned form, illustrating Musashi’s bitter realization at the end of Uchida’s Shinken shōbu (1971), the sixth film added to his series of five films on Musashi: “The sword is finally nothing else then violence.” (17)
Crazy Samurai Musashi reveals the ultimate consequences of violence as an inherent element of jidai geki. Shimomura’s film, which goes far beyond the works of his predecessors, presents a radical vision of the violence at the heart of the samurai ethos. The film does not include reflections on ethics, the search for the meaning of life, or honour and nobility. The only question is whether to kill or be killed. Musashi is portrayed as a killing machine who attacks with a frenzy. However, Shimomura also depicts the protagonist as an individual trapped in a cycle of violence that he strives to overcome and survive (18). The film ends with Chūsuke asking: “What are you?” Musahsi’s response is : “I am…”, followed by the words “crazy samurai Musashi” written in red kanji over a black background. Although Musashi’s actions may seem to be driven by obsession and insanity, it is important to note that they are rooted in an ethical system strongly asscoiated with violence. This system has inspired an entire cinematic genre. In a broader sense, Shimomura’s film reveals humanity’s persistent atavism.

Notes
(1) The names are written according to Japanese conventions in the order of family name followed by given name.
(2) The Ichijōji Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in northeastern Kyoto. The duel marked the culmination of a long-standing feud between Musashi’s family and the Yoshioka family.
(3) The novel was serialised in 1013 episodes from 23 August 1935 to 11 July 1939.
(4) Samurai I : Musashi Miyamoto (Miyamoto Musashi, 1954), Samurai II : Duel at Ichijōji Temple (Zoku Miyamoto Musashi : Ichijōji no kettō, 1955) and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryū-jima (Miyamoto Musashi kanketsuhen: Kettō Ganryū-jima, 1956).
(5) Miyamoto Musashi (1961), Miyamoto Musashi : Han’nyazaka no kettō (1962), Miyamoto Musashi : Nitōryu kaigen (1963), Miyamoto Musashi : Ichijōji no kettō (1964) and Miyamoto Musashi : Ganryū-jima no kettō (1965).

(6) Ichikawa Ebizō XI played Musashi in the taiga drama Musashi, broadcast in 2003. Taiga dramas are year-long historical television dramas, produced by NHK (Japan Broadcast Corporation).

(7) According to the novel and films, a great number of students of the Yoshioka School as well as mercenaries hired by the Yoshioka clan were hidden near the temple to kill Musashi in order to save the reputation of the once famous swordsman school, whose existence was in jeopardy after Musashi’s subsequent victories.

(8) The fight scene at Ichijōji Temple lasts for around 118 minutes in the 131-minute film.

(9) The term jidai geki refers to historical films (and other historical narratives), particularly those set in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), while chanbara is a term for sword fighting films.

(10) However, viewers are free to enjoy the sword fighting.

(11) In Shimomura’s film, the boy involved in the scene is only referred to by name. However, in Yoshikawa’s novel, he is called Genjirō and is identified as the eldest son of Yoshioka Genzaemon, who is an uncle of Seijirō and Denshichirō. Other authors refer to the boy as Seijurō’s son and use the name Matashichirō. See Alexander Bennett, The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Fings and Other Works, Rutland, Vermont, Tuttle Publishing, 2018, p. 31.

(12) The trilogy comprises of the following films: Sasaki Kojirō (1950), Zoku Sasaki Kojirō (1951) and Kanketsu Sasaki Kojirō: Ganryū-jima no kettō (1951). Sasaki Kojirō (ca. 1575-1612) was a renowned swordsman and Musashi’s rival. He was killed by Musashi in a duel on a small island, which was later named Ganryū-jima after Kojirō’s nickname Ganryū.

(13) In Samurai II: Duel at Ichijōji Temple (1955), Inagaki does not mention the killing of the boy from the Yoshioka clan. The omission aligns with the portrayal of Musashi as a man who does not hesitate to kill but who also exhibits great dignity. For such a character, taking the life of a child seems inconceivable.

(14) There are a few occasions where language is used. The second scene, lasting approximately six minutes, comprises extended dialogue between members of the Yoshioka School. During the long fight scene, two of the Yoshioka students engage in a heated argument. Three or four of Musashi’s opponents introduce themselves by name before facing him in a one-on-one fight. Musashi occasionally speaks to himself, questioning the number of men the Yoshiokas have and making statements such as “It’s getting tough” or “I’ll kill them all.”

(15) Butterflies are mentioned several times in Yoshikawa’s novel. For example, he writes: “To the universe, the death of a man could have any more signification than that of a butterfly, but in the realm of mankind, a single death could affect everything, for the better or worse.” (Yoshikawa Eiji, Musashi, New York, Kodansha USA, 2012, p. 522).

(16) The cherry blossom is traditionally associated with the samurai, symbolising the transience of life.

(17) In Shinken shōbu, Uchida focuses on a famous episode from Yoshikawa’s novel: Musashi’s duel with Baiken, a master with a sickle and notorious robber. Uchida’s film concludes with a lengthy duel scene between Musashi and Baiken, played by Mikuni Rentarō. However, unlike Shimomura, Uchida’s primary focus is on the relationship between the two main characters. He highlights their conversations and emotions, with the duel being just one of many scenes, albeit a very long one. In Crazy Samurai Musashi, Baiken is one of the fighters who has joined the Yoshioka samurai and who faces Musashi in a one-on-one duel.

(18) Despite his pursuit of higher awareness, Musashi cannot be considered a clear-cut hero, as his ardent desire to win conflicts with the values of honour and duty associated with samurai. As Alexander Bennett put it: “As much as Musashi is revered as a supreme warrior by the majority of Japanese, he is also reviled by some as representing the antithesis of the Way of the samurai. A common criticism is his alleged use of cowardly delaying tactics to irritate his opponents and to win by any means possible, however, dishonourable.” (Bennett, op. cit., p. 20). This ambiguity makes Musashi an especially intriguing case for questioning the idealised Way of the samurai.