The Abe Clan (1995 film)

The Abe Clan (阿部一族, Abe ichizoku) is a 1995 Japanese historical television film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It is an adaptation of the 1913 Japanese short story "Abe ichizoku" by Mori Ōgai,[1] which had previously been adapted into a 1938 theatrical film directed by Hisatora Kumagai and released by Toho.

The Abe Clan
GenreJidaigeki
Based on"Abe ichizoku" by Mori Ōgai
Screenplay byKinji Fukasaku
Tsutomu Furuta
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Kōichi Satō
Keizō Kanie
Shōchiku Kabushiki Kaisha
Story byMori Ōgai
Directed byKinji Fukasaku
Starring
Narrated byNakamura Kichiemon II
Country of originJapan
Original language(s)Japanese
Production
Producer(s)Seichi Ichiko
Running time94 minutes
Release
Original release1995

Plot

The film is set during the Tokugawa period. Hosokawa Tadatoshi, feudal lord of the Higo Province., falls ill in the spring of the 18th year of the Kan'ei era. Tadatoshi and his son Mitsunao both forbid Tadatoshi's vassals from committing seppuku, yet after Tadatoshi's death his vassals one by one commit junshu loyalty suicide out of a sense of duty to their lord. The only one who obeys his lord's last wish is Abe Yaichi'emon. After he is treated as a coward by his comrades he also commits seppuku to honor his family. Mitsunao, who has succeeded his father and is now the new feudal lord, punishes the Abe clan for Yaichi'emon's failure to obey this order. The Abe clan shuts itself up in its manor in protest of the unfair treatment as Mituano's troops approach.

Cast

Production

The film is a television film adaptation of the 1913 short story "Abe ichizoku" by Mori Ōgai[2] (translated into English under the titles The Abe Family as well as The Abe Clan),[3] which was inspired by the junshi loyalty suicides committed by Russo-Japanese War hero General Nogi Maresuke and his wife on the day of the funeral of Emperor Meiji.[4][5][6] The short story had previously been adapted as a 1938 theatrical film directed by Kumagai Hisatora and released by Toho,[4] followed by three television adaptations broadcast in 1959, 1961, and 1993 before Fukasaku's production.[7] Filming took place in 2003.

Broadcast

The television film was broadcast in Japan on the Fuji Television show Friday Enterainment at 9:00 p.m. on November 24, 1995.

Video release

The film was released on Region 1 DVD as part of the four-DVD collection 深作欣二監督 シリーズ1 (Fukasaku Kinji Works Vol.1) on Aug 23, 2003.[8] The film was released on DVD in Japan by Japan Video Distribution (JVD) Co. Ltd. on January 24, 2004. A Director's Cut is available.[9][10][11] The film is available from the library of the Humboldt University of Berlin, where it is recommended viewing for a lecture on Mori Ōgai within the Seminar for East Asian Studies.[12] The Director's Cut of the film is available in the University of Hamburg library.[13]

Reception

The film was shown as part of the Historica Focus category for period films at the 7th Kyoto Historica International Film Festival, which described the film as "A true tragedy that happened within the Hosokawa clan during the early Edo era. The film captures various human reactions and the subtleties of the samurai's code. Director Kinji Fukasaku takes on the megaphone to turn Mori Ogai's historical novel into a piece of period entertainment. Tsutomu Yamazaki, Keizo Kanie and Koichi Sato take on the role to play out the tragedy of a vassal struggling to serve loyalty at the death of his lord. A masterpiece with a luxurious cast of veterans including Noboru Nakaya, Hiroyuki Sanada and Renji Ishibashi."[14]

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References
  1. 阿部一族 = The Abe clan. 28 November 2018. OCLC 62716183.
  2. Karatani, Kōjin (28 November 2018). History and Repetition. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231157292 – via Google Books.
  3. Mori Ôgai: A Bibliography of Western-language Materials. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. 28 November 2018. ISBN 9783447058049 – via Google Books.
  4. Sharp, Jasper (13 October 2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810875418 – via Google Books.
  5. Bargen, Doris G. (28 November 2018). Suicidal Honor: General Nogi and the Writings of Mori ?gai and Natsume S?seki. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824829988 – via Google Books.
  6. Mori, ?gai (28 November 1991). The Historical Fiction of Mori ÅOgai. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824813666 – via Google Books.
  7. Morikawa, Takemitsu (31 March 2014). Japanizität aus dem Geist der europäischen Romantik: Der interkulturelle Vermittler Mori Ogai und die Reorganisierung des japanischen 'Selbstbildes' in der Weltgesellschaft um 1900. transcript Verlag. ISBN 9783839418932 – via Google Books.
  8. "深作欣二監督 シリーズ1 FUKASAKU KINJI WORKS Vol.1" – via Amazon.
  9. "Abe Ichizoku (The Abe Clan) Director's Cut Digitally Remastered TV Drama DVD". CDJapan.
  10. "YESASIA: Abe Ichizoku -Director's Cut Digitally Remastered (Japan Version) DVD - Motomu Furuta, Yamazaki Tsutomu, Shochiku Home Video - Japan TV Series & Dramas - Free Shipping - North America Site". www.yesasia.com.
  11. The Abe clan. 24 January 2019. OCLC 915952609.
  12. h0652egc. ""Möwenfern". Ôgai Mori Rintarô und die Seinen - ein Kaleidoskop japanischer Kultur — Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften". www.iaaw.hu-berlin.de.
  13. University Library listing
  14. "ABE ICHIZOKU".
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