Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza – Radiance

Director: Tai Katô
Screenplay: Masahiro Kakefuda, Naoyuki Suzuki
Based on a Novel by: Shin Hasegawa
Starring: Kinnosuke Nakamura, Junko Ikeuchi, Jirô Okazaki, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Kiyoshi Atsumi, Nijiko Kiyokawa, Yôko Mihara
Country: Japan
Running Time: 90 min
Year: 1966
BBFC Certificate: TBC

In 1928, Shin Hasegawa’s story of ‘Kutsukake Tokijiro’ was published and it proved popular enough to be adapted into a stage play and a film the following year. That was the first of eight film versions, in fact. Among these, one of the more popular adaptations was Kazuo Ikehiro’s film, simply titled Kutsukake Tokijirô, released in 1961.

The final cinematic rendition of the story (before a TV movie in more recent years) came only 5 years later when Tai Katô directed his spin on it, Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (a.k.a. Kutsukake Tokijiro – yukyo ippiki).

Radiance Films seem to be on a quest to make the previously unheralded Tai Katô a household name (at least one among Blu-ray collectors), with several releases from his back catalogue in their collection as well as a book about the director. They have now turned their attention to the director’s ‘Kutsukake Tokijirō’ adaptation for one of their latest releases.

I’ve watched a couple of Tai Katô’s films now and was greatly impressed, so I got hold of a copy of Radiance’s Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza Blu-ray and my thoughts follow.

The film follows Tokijiro (Kinnosuke Nakamura), a wandering gambler (or matatabi) with strong moral values and a longing for a peaceful life. He frequently takes shelter in the territories of yakuza clans and finds himself forced to aid in their conflicts out of payment/gratitude for their hospitality, due to a shared code of honour.

In one such situation, he ends up strategically avoiding getting involved, but his loyal disciple Asakichi (Kiyoshi Atsumi) steps up instead, believing it to be the honourable thing to do. Asakichi is not the swordsman that Tokijiro is though and ends up being killed. This forces Tokijiro to retaliate in revenge.

Another similar issue occurs soon after when Tokijiro is strong-armed into aiding a yakuza clan in the assassination of a rival, Mutsuda no Sanzo (Chiyonosuke Azuma). Tokijiro reluctantly goes through with the job but is given an unusual request by Sanzo, in his dying moments. Impressed with Tokijiro’s sense of honour, Sanzo asks the wandering gambler to ensure his wife and child get safely taken to his uncle.

The duty-bound Tokijiro agrees, particularly after he realises he had befriended the mother and daughter earlier during his travels.

Sanzo’s wife, Okinu (Junko Ikeuchi), is initially disturbed by the idea of her husband’s killer being her guardian but agrees for the sake of her son and the fact she believes Tokijiro to be a good man. When Sanzo’s uncle is found to be dead though, Tokijiro must watch over the pair for longer than expected.

As Tokijiro and Okinu grow closer, however, the woman worries about how this is affecting her loyalty towards her late husband.

Radiance’s championing of Tai Katô as an unsung master of Japanese cinema seems ever more justified with each title and Tokijiro is no different. Here he presents a classic ninkyo yakuza story that expertly blends sword-slashing, blood-streaming thrills with grand melodrama.

It’s rather unique in how it approaches violence, revenge and honour too. Tokijiro is an admirable, peaceful character who seems honourable in his actions. However, his dedication to the yakuza code frequently lands him in difficult situations he can’t get out of without doing terrible things. The yakuza often use this code to force him into these actions for their own selfish needs, leading to an endless cycle of violence and suffering.

The film displays Katô’s signature stylistic touches, such as the effective use of low angles and depth in frame, as well as some impressive long takes.

The long takes don’t always draw attention to themselves with complex movement but make great use of space within frames or simply allow the cast the breathing room to play a scene out in full. Star Kinnosuke Nakamura was a kabuki actor, so no stranger to performing without breaking everything down into manageable chunks.

A kabuki influence might be seen in the drama too, with the narrative leading towards heightened emotions throughout. This is perfectly pitched though, throwing up situations that might seem far-fetched or cliched but work a treat within the world Katô has created on film. Only the hardest of hearts would fail to be moved by the trials and tribulations of our hero.

As mentioned earlier though, the film film balances melodrama with more typical yakuza thrills. There isn’t a huge amount of action but, when it comes, it’s thrilling and brutal with lashings of blood. The final act is particularly exciting but intercut with high drama to push the emotions in play to another level.

All in all then, through successfully blending grand melodrama with bloody violence, Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza is an operatic exploration of codes of honour and the senselessness of conflict. Another classic from the great Tai Katô.

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