Assassination

Assassination (1964) may be Masahiro Shinoda's masterpiece. It is the story of the Meiji restoration and chronicles the moral and social breakdown preceding the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868). Regent Naosuke Ii, has been assassinated for suspected collaborating with the foreigners from the “four black ships” determined to open Japan to the West. Ii’s strategy, in reality, was to enact a period of trade with the foreigners to afford Japan time to prepare its defences against them. Assassination explores the meaning surrounding the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This involves a character study of one exceptional ronin (disenfranchised samurai), an exceptional scholar and swordsman named Kiyokawa Hachiro (Tanbata Tetsuro) from a humble background. Kiyokawa has operated a fencing school, attracting disciples because of his great skill and no less than by the force of his personality. A man gifted in intrigue, he is referred to as “mysterious.” Kiyokawa is befriended in Shinoda’s fictional film by a hero of the Restoration, the dissident Tosa samurai Sakamoto Ryoma (Sada Keiji). The story of intrigue is somewhat confusing (however, much less so than Shinoda's Samurai Spy). The period sets, typically memorable score by Toru Takemaitsu, and dynamic cinematography standout in this masterful production. Some memorable scenes include: the scene where a hand-held camera reflects the unsteady gait of Kiyokawa, now alcoholic, he frequents brothels. A prostitute stops him on the street, to return the straw hat he had left behind. The only sound audible is that of his geta. A scene at the “Peony” is shot entirely from Kiyokawa’s point of view, the viewer doesn't see him at all. His voice is heard as he calls a prostitute “Oren!”(his former lover killed in his defense). Shinoda zooms ironically in to a freeze frame of Kiyokawa’s sword, now useless to him. Then a rare dissolve transports the spectator to the final scene, also filmed with a shaky hand-held camera. A quick tilt down to Kiyokawa’s feet collides with Shinoda’s use of slow motion as Kiyokawa falls. Blood splashes onto the assassin Sasaki’s face as for the final time Shinoda uses the image of blood splashing to embody the cruel and senseless violence that led to the restoration of the Emperor Meiji.