Summary
If history is told in portraits, then Takashi Koizumi’s film on the passing of the Tokugowa Shogunate lingers on a vividly painted point in time.
Contrary to popular belief, Tom Cruise was not the last samurai. There are several people who could potentially make that claim, but it is true to say that the 19th century saw some of the most radical changes in the history of rulership of Japan.
Director Takashi Koizumi’s film pick up the end of Japan’s Edo period in 1867, with the relinquishing of power by Tokugawa Yoshinobu (Masahiro Higashide), the 15th Shogun of the Tokugowa Shogunate. As civil war erupts between the loyalists in the east and west, chief retainers Tsuginosuke Kawai (Koji Yakusho) desperately attempts to remain neutral and broker peace. Yet when his heartfelt attempts fail, Kawai nevertheless serves his duty as a samurai would.
For a film that refers to the battle at Enoki Pass in the title, director Koizumi certainly takes a measured approach to getting there. In the contemplative first act, we witness Kawai in a life of semi-tranquillity. After all, save for the civil war that ended it, the Tokugawa shogunate saw the longest period of peace and stability in Japan’s history at 260 years. “It shall be your era, Sir Shotaro,” he optimistically tells a young artist before the fighting starts.
More than anything, Koizumi’s film has a very particular sense of time and place. The period details, especially the blend of Japanese and increasingly western influences, is remarkable. Every time someone speaks, they do so with the weight of knowing exactly what this moment means to Japan. It’s almost as if all the players are aware of their ultimate place in history and which side of it they will be judged from.
When the main event begins — namely, the Battle of Hatchōoki at the Enoki Pass — the staging is quite impressive. Explosions, gattling guns and swords clash in equal measure. It’s a fleeting affair though, as if to signify that this violence was but a brief and bloody end to an otherwise peaceful era.
Koji Yakusho, seen of late as an embattled yakuza in The Blood of Wolves (2018) and Under the Open Sky (2020), is wonderfully cast in a role that allows him to contain those vivid portrayals just under the surface of a zen soldier. Takako Matsu as his wife is also a delight, and they make for a powerful on-screen couple. “Love is not about looking in each other’s eyes,” observes a contemporary, “but gazing together in the same direction.”
The period just before the Meiji Restoration is a fascinating one, serving as the inspiration for films like Shinsengumi (1969) and more recently When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2003). Given that some modern texts allegedly refer to it as a bloodless revolution, Koizumi’s solid film is one of many that have picked up on the ample evidence suggesting that the year-long Boshin War was indeed filled with lost lives, and brought the age of samurai to an end.
THE PASS: LAST DAYS OF THE SAMURAI (峠 最後のサムライ) is reviewed as part of our coverage of JAPAN CUTS 2021.
2020 | Japan | DIRECTOR: Takashi Koizumi | WRITERS: Takashi Koizumi | CAST: Kôji Yakusho,Takako Matsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, Masahiro Higashide | DISTRIBUTOR: Shochiku, JAPAN CUTS 2021 | RUNNING TIME: 114 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 22 August – 2 September 2021 (JAPAN CUTS 2021)
