STUDENT VIEW

Comparative Study of Yojimbo,
Seven Samurai & The Yakuza,
Black Rain

Author Yujin Fukatsu

By Yujin Fukatsu
Background & Distinctive Features of Yojimbo
Yojimbo is a renowned Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa
portraying the image of a masterless samurai (Ronin) named
Sanjuro Kuwabatake. It is also known that it influenced Sergio
Leone’s Western A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood.
What is unique about the character of the protagonist Sanjuro
Kuwabatake (Toshiro Mifune) is that he is not a typical hero. He israther portrayed as a vicious character with a sinister face. However,his plan to extort money jumping between two groups of gangs isremarkable. His ultimate goal is to destroy both factions, aftergaining as much money as possible and maintaining peace in thetown. His plan is to trigger a war between the two gangs so that they
will destroy each other. In the process, he shows mercy to a farmerand his wife, who had been taken as a hostage, and rescues her fromone of the gangs. His actions and his cynical comments are
sometimes contradictory but he appears to have a warm heart. Not
only Sanjuro’s unique character but also the clear structuralism that
underlies the plot distinguishes the film from others. This will be
discussed in the following section.

Oriental Symbol Versus Occidental Icon
In the film, there are two gangs, one called the Seibei family andthe other called the Ushitora family. In the Seibei family, the shadow
leader, Seibei’s wife, usually takes control of the group. Seibei ismore a merchant-type character than a swordsman. Seibei’s
subordinates are mainly a nameless band of outlaws, and theweapons they possess are basic swords. That’s the reason why theyneeded Sanjuro as a mercenary to fight for the family. Unlike the
Seibei family, there are more dangerous characters in the Ushitora
family. For example, the biggest obstruction for Sanjuro is Yoichiro,
one of Seibei’s sons, a slick strategist always armed with a gun who
was part of a plot to assassinate a government official. After he cameback to the village after a long odyssey, the stalemate between thetwo gangs began to change.
In all samurai films, the sword is a symbol of the warrior spirit andit represents not only the status but also the pride of the user. The

https://www.jef.or.jp/journal/

possession of a sword symbolizes the code of honor. On the other
hand, a gun is a symbol of modernization. Yoichiro’s use of arevolver drastically turned the tide of the turf war towards theUshitora family. The gun, of course, is a symbol of Western society
and its use contradicts the samurai code of honor. The conflict
between the two gangs is now a clash of Oriental power versus
Occidental power. The results were quite predictable. Aided by the
gun and Yoichiro’s sharp tactics, the Ushitora family easily
outmaneuver the Seibei family. This could be seen as a story ofWestern modernized power prevailing over Oriental traditional power.
However, this is just a prelude to a comeback of the Japanesesamurai spirit. After being heavily wounded by the Ushitora family,
Sanjuro heals his wounds in a shed near the river, with the aid ofvillagers, dreaming of revenge. Hearing that the Ushitora family had
beaten up a bar owner, who was his sidekick, the infuriated Sanjuro
rushes back to the village and slaughters all of the gang members,
including the gun-toting Yoichiro. This magnificent comeback
demonstrates that the swordsman’s spirit can trump Western power.

Structural Analysis of Yojimbo
Yojimbo can be analyzed in four dimensions using the semiotic
square of Algirdas Julien Greimas, the eminent French-Lithuanianlinguist and semiotician. In Chart 1, Sanjuro (S1), the protagonist, isplaced in the far left corner. In the opposite corner, S2, there is the
Seibei family (S2). They are linked because they both use swords,
the symbol of the samurai. In addition, Sanjuro is just a vagabond
who happened to drift into the village and not a stereotypical hero
who carries out virtuous actions. He shares this unique character
somewhat with the Seibei family gang.
Sanjuro feels sympathy for the townspeople and farmers who
reside there (~S2). He also finds collaborators such as the bar ownerand the undertaker. With their help, Sanjuro manages to take out theUshitora family. They share the common interest of keeping peace inthe town. This ultimate goal makes them work together. By contrast,
the Ushitora family (~S1) is placed in the diagonal position, ~S1.
That’s because the Ushitora family is a band of villains that use slick
strategy and Western weapons, the reverse of Sanjuro, a rugged

Japan SPOTLIGHT • March / April 2019

55

STUDENT VIEW
samurai who will eventually clash with them. In conclusion, Sanjuro,
expressing sympathy for townspeople and being a drifting
masterless swordsman, was not a stereotypical hero of virtue but inthe end destroys all the vicious characters and restores peace in the
town.

S2, and ~S1 is moral. Our seven samurai dedicate their lives to thiswar, not to mention the lives of the farmers as well, compared to thebandits who underestimate the might of their opponents. Thisdifference in morality is one important factor in determining theoutcome of the combat.

Background of Severn Samurai & Its Structural
Analysis

Clash of Western Power & Eastern Power

Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai is a distinguished movie
with an international reputation. It also had a strong impact on the“Western” movie genre. The story starts with a village of poor
farmers being regularly pillaged by a group of bandits and theirprecious crops taken as tribute. In order to protect themselves, thefarmers asked one masterless vagabond Kanbei (Takashi Shimura) tobe their bodyguard in exchange for food. Kanbei first declines theirplea but changes his mind after seeing their desperate situation anddecides to stand up for them. First, Kanbei decides to recruit moresamurai – seven in all – in order to compete equally with the bandits.
After succeeding in gathering seven warriors, they and the farmers
bravely fight a fierce battle against the bandits and succeed in wipingthem out. At the end of the battle, Kanbei tells one of the youngest
samurai that they had lost the battle, looking sadly at the graves offour of the samurai. The following diagram demonstrates thecharacter structure of the movie.
Chart 2 places the characters into four dimensions. In the top left,
we find the seven samurai (S1) led by Kanbei. In the top right corner
are the farmers (S2). They share the common interest of protecting
the village and maintaining peace. Free food and drink are supplied
to the mercenaries in exchange for risking their lives. Townspeople(~S2) rarely show up in the plot, but they are basically monks, anddrifters who show up at the beginning of the story playing a minor
role. Bandits (~S1), put in the bottom right corner of ~S1, are thearch-enemy eventually to be annihilated by the seven samurai andthe farmers. The biggest difference between the alliance of S1 andCHART 1

Structural analysis of Yojimbo
S1

S2
Sanjuro~S2
Townspeople

Another significant distinction between the farmer/samurai allianceand the bandits is the weapons they possess. The bandits use guns,
whereas the alliance uses swords and bamboo spears. This can beunderstood as a battle of Western power versus Eastern power,
because guns are a symbol of the Occident and sword and spear of
the Orient. The clash of two different cultural groups starts out infavor of the West but as the combat continues the tide turns to theEast. This comes from the strong bond between samurai andfarmers, but the role of war tactician Kanbei should not be
overlooked. Not only his leadership but also his strategy of fighting aguerrilla war is brilliant. The alliance takes out the villains one by one
and gradually corners them. With impatience and fatigue, the bandits
become reckless and end up losing to the alliance despite the factthat they outnumber them by 40 to seven (not including thefarmers). Also, the bandits have horses and guns, and moresophisticated weaponry to take advantage of their apparently moreprimitive opponent, but in the end that does not affect the outcomeof the combat. This implies that excellent tactics and the strong
moral bond of samurai and farmers were sufficient to eventually
trump a ferocious enemy equipped with Western weapons.
Understanding the contrasts between the four groupings by using a
structural analysis helps the viewer to understand the plot moreeasily. As the plot proceeds, the first four structures divide into twobigger groups and at last into only one: the farmers. Kanbei’s lastwords, lamenting that they were defeated again, demonstrates thenihilism of war.

CHART 2

Structural analysis of Severn Samurai
S1

Seibei family~S1
Ushitora family

Seven Samurai~S2
Townspeople

Note: Red is good relationship and black is hostile relationship.

Note: Red is good relationship and black is hostile relationship.

Source: Compiled by the author

Source: Compiled by the author

56 Japan SPOTLIGHT • March / April 2019

S2
Farmers~S1
Bandits

STUDENT VIEW
Background of The Yakuza
The Yakuza, directed by Sydney Pollack in 1974, is a JapaneseAmerican gangster movie starring well-known Japanese actor Ken
Takakura as Ken Tanaka playing the role of a former member of ayakuza gang. What may confuse the audience are the complicatedhuman relationships in the story. Basically, however, this is a story ofcollaboration between a former police detective from America, Harry
Kilmer (Robert Mitchum), and a former yakuza in Japan. Whatmakes it intriguing is Harry’s deep understanding of obligation. For
instance, in the conversation between Harry and Ken’s brother, they
discuss how important it is to abide by the code of honor andobligation. In the Japanese world of the yakuza, the sword is the sole
weapon to either protect or to destroy.
This is similar to the samurai code of honor, where the sword isused as a primary weapon for both attack and self-defense but also
to commit ritual suicide in the case of a losing battle. In the film, thesword is a metaphor standing for the samurai spirit and the pride ofa warrior, in this case the pride of being a yakuza. Therefore, Kenonly uses his sword in the main combat scene, yet Harry as a gaijin(foreigner) is allowed to use a gun. As the plot proceeds, Harry
gradually assimilates himself to the yakuza tradition and begins tounderstand the meaning of “obligation” (giri in Japanese). Japaneseculture and its unique way of thinking are also interpreted by Dusty(Richard Jordan), Harry’s American gangster sidekick. Dusty acts as
Harry’s bodyguard, with only a limited knowledge of Japanesesociety. His confusion and his view of the country represent thestereotyped image of a foreigner arriving for the first time in amysterious society. One example is the scene with Dusty in the baths
with Harry. He mentions that Americans kill everyone they see when
they become reckless but Japanese kill themselves. According to
Dusty, everything seems the reverse. This observation is significantly
important because Harry, who had already lived in Japan for many
years and is deeply embedded in the culture and tradition, hasoverlooked the intricacy of the cultural code. Moreover, Dusty
expresses the differences between two cultures with excitement as if
he were a small child who encounters something beyond
comprehension. This view conveys to the audience anotherviewpoint, which is different from Ken’s or Harry’s, who are alreadyexperts on Japan. Dusty’s curiosity as a true outsider, however, is adangerous attitude for a bodyguard. He eventually gets himself killedduring the battle against the gangs. These complicated views ofJapanese society from both an outsider’s and insider’s perspectives
will be simplified with a diagram below.

Structural Analysis of The Yakuza
This film demonstrates the complex culture of a Japanese
underground syndicate, while also projecting the virtue and code ofhonor of Japanese samurai. There are many similarities between
yakuza and samurai. This intrinsic and intangible cultural code isviewed from the perspectives of two outsiders and one insider. The

following diagram in Chart 3 will simplify the roles of the charactersand help the viewer understand the plot more readily.
Harry (S1) is the protagonist and the key person to convey hisview of Japanese yakuza culture to the audience. Even though Harryis savvy on Japan, having lived there extensively in the past, histrustworthy deputy Dusty (S2) will supplement the understanding of
this complicated cultural code from an outsider’s viewpoint. Dusty
could be regarded as a mere gaijin, but Harry is different owing to
his relationship with Eiko Tanaka, a sister of Ken and a bar owner.
The relationship between Harry and Ken (~S2) is more complicatedbecause, even though they both speak each other’s language, Ken isa former yakuza and still considered an insider. In the battle scene
with the Tono gang, Harry is allowed to use a rifle but Ken only uses
a sword, thereby abiding by the yakuza cultural code. As an insider,
Ken is only allowed to use a sword. The Tono gang (~S1) and Harryare enemies and don’t have anything in common, so they are
positioned in the bottom right diagonally.
Dusty and the Tono gang are both mafia, so their background is
the same. The Tono gang and Ken are both yakuza, the latter aformer gang member; they have the same background and so are
considered intertwined.

Interpretation of The Yakuza
As is demonstrated in Chart 3, the main characters are correlatedwith each other and help viewers interpret the complex cultural codeof Japanese yakuza society. A combination of Western weapons usedby Harry and the Japanese combat style demonstrated by a masterof the sword, Ken, will at last wipe out the Tono gang. This implies
that the integration of West and East will double their power andenable them to overcome difficulties. Moreover, the fact that a certain
level of language ability, in this case conversation levels of English
and Japanese, enables both men to build a mutual understanding
should not be overlooked. After the fierce combat against the Tono
gang, Ken deliberately cuts off a finger with his knife as a token. This

CHART 3Structural analysis of The Yakuza
S1

S2
Harry Kilmer

Dusty

~S2

~S1

Ken Tanaka

Tono gang

Note: Red is good relationship and black is hostile relationship.

Source: Compiled by the author

Japan SPOTLIGHT • March / April 201957

STUDENT VIEW
is because he inadvertently killed his nephew. Harry also chops off
one of his fingers, as a token to express his friendship with Ken.
Carrying out the same obligation as a Japanese in the end is a pledge
to eternal friendship and a sign of Harry’s integration into the society.

CHART 4Structural analysis of Black Rain
S1

S2

Background of Black Rain
Black Rain is an action movie directed by Ridley Scott in 1989. It
is also known in Japan because Ken Takakura and Yusaku Matsuda,both famous Japanese movie stars, were cast in the parts ofpoliceman and underground syndicate leader. This film is alsosignificantly similar to the plot of The Yakuza. The protagonist Nick
Conklin (Michael Douglas), a police officer in New York, and his
deputy Charlie Vincent (Andy Garcia), happened to be in a restaurant
and witness a shooting among Japanese yakuza. The perpetrator Koji
Sato (Matsuda) is later apprehended and sent back to Osaka,
accompanied by Nick and Charlie. Arriving at the airport, Sato’s gangmembers disguised as Osaka police officers trick Nick, taking backtheir boss Sato. Later Nick and Charlie meet the real police from
Osaka and discover they have been tricked. This is the start of thecollaboration between the two American detectives and a determinedand disciplined police officer, Masahiro Matsumoto (Ken).
In the film, as in The Yakuza, there’s a scene where Matsumoto ispracticing kendo in a kendo hall. This demonstrates the Japanesewarrior spirit, gained through training in the Japanese traditionalmartial art. The kendo arena’s solemn atmosphere is a place toprepare warriors before physical confrontation. In kendo only
bamboo swords are allowed, so that the competitors won’t hurt eachother. However, in the real battle scene, Matsumoto removes hisarmor and replaces his bamboo sword with a real sword. The sword
is also a symbol of the Japanese spirit and the user is to abide by thecode of honor.
In a parking lot, in front of him, Nick’s deputy is beheaded with asword. This act provokes and infuriates Nick, who pledges to takevengeance on Sato. In this dramatic scene, the murderer Sato uses asword (not a gun) because he is a young and new leader of his own
yakuza group. It could be interpreted as a declaration of war against
Nick and Matsumoto. As a yakuza member, Sato also cuts off his
finger in front of his former boss as a token of reconciliation. Thisact of chopping off a finger is an action conveying apology, to takeresponsibility for misconduct. These scenes represent an ideal
Japanese yakuza culture which is linked to the traditional samurai
culture of Japan. Observing the society of Japanese mafia from an
outsider’s perspective enables the viewer to decode this complex
behavior.

Structural Analysis of Black Rain
The following diagram in Chart 4 demonstrates the structure andrelationships of the characters in the story.
Nick (S1), a police officer from New York, is the protagonist andthe audience witnesses Japan from his viewpoint. Charlie (S2) is his

58 Japan SPOTLIGHT • March / April 2019

Nick

Charlie~S1~S2
MatsumotoSato

Note: Red is good relationship and black is hostile relationship.

Source: Compiled by the author

deputy but is not as observant as Nick and is a bit of a lax character.
His outsider carelessness causes his death. Matsumoto (~S2) is aJapanese policeman and collaborates with Nick to crush Sato’s plot.
From this perspective, they are partners and have common
objectives. Moreover, Matsumoto speaks English and has no
difficulty in conversing with Nick. This allows them to work together
smoothly despite the fact they are not legally authorized to arrest
Sato. Sato (~S1) and his men are arch-enemies of Nick and arebound to be apprehended. They are put in the furthest corner due totheir distinct character and background. In the end, after Charlie’s
death, Nick and Matsumoto work together to crush Sato’s plan andcapture him.

Conclusion
Looking at two Japanese samurai movies and two yakuza films
directed by American directors, there are some similarities anddistinctions. In all of the films, there is a clear distinction between
the usage of guns (an icon of Western power) and the usage ofswords (an icon of Japanese power). In some cases, Japanese
power prevails over its counterpart and in the other cases a
combination of the two leads to triumph. In the two yakuza films, analien’s point of view helps the audience understand the intricate
cultural code of the yakuza, which is an example used to decode thecomplications of Japanese society. The samurai code is applied to
yakuza in contemporary society and the sword is another iconic signthat represents Japanese society. However, in modern times, suchicons have been replaced by Western-made items on a daily basis.
Collaboration between West and East as represented in the fourCharts suggests the significance of using both.

Yujin Fukatsu is a student of Keio University Graduate School of Media andGovernance specializing in American visual culture and applied linguistics. He
currently teaches English part-time at Kanagawa University, Gakushuin-Jyoshi
University and Kunitachi School of Music.