Archetypes in Japanese film : the sociopolitical and religious significance of the principal heroes and heroines

252 Pages·1989·21.474 MB·English

by  Barrett, Gregory

Archetypes in Japanese Film

Archetypes
in Japanese Film
The Sociopolitical and Religious Significance
of the Principal Heroes and Heroines
Gregory Barrett
Selinsgrove: Susquehanna University Press
London and Toronto: Associated University Presses
© 1989 by Associated University Presses, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barrett, Gregory,1938-
Archetypes in Japanese films•
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1 .Motion pictures—Japan. 2. Characters and
characteristics in motion pictures. 3. Archetype
(Psychology) I. Title.
PN1993.5J3B37 1989 302.2,343,0952 8743126־
ISBN 0 7 ־941664־93־ (alk. paper)
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
to my mother

Contents
Acknowledgments 9
Note on Film Titles and Personal Names 10
Introduction 13
1 The Loyal Retainer and the Tormented Lord 22
2 The Chaste Warrior 43
3 Ydkuza Heroes 64
4 Wanderer 77
5 Vengeful Spirit 97
6 All-Suffering Female and Weak Passive Male 118
7 Prodigal Son, Forgiving Parent, Self-Sacrificing Sister 141
8 The Archetypal Family—Extended and Rejected 160
9 Modern Archetypal Antitheses 179
Conclusion 211
Notes 222
Bibliography 238
Index 243

Acknowledgments
All stills are courtesy of Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, Tokyo, and I
selected them with the help of Ms. Kyoko Sato there. I wish to thank Tadao
Sato, Donald Richie, and Keiko McDonald for all their advice and help.
9
Note on Film Titles and Personal
Names
At the first reference to a film in the text, the Japanese title is given in
parentheses after the title in English; all subsequent references have only
the English title. The Index contains a listing of all films under both their
Japanese and their English titles.
Personal names follow the Western order with the surname last, except
for legendary or mythical figures. For example, in the case of Momo Taro,
while Taro is a common given name, Momo, meaning *,peach,״ is not a
family name.
10