Geishas were depicted fairly often in Mizoguchi’s films. Perhaps this stems from his humble background, which played a major role in the development of geisha themes in his films. In 1905, his father went bankrupt after a failed business venture at the end of the Russo-Japanese war. Film historian Le Fanu (2005) states that “the failure necessitated a childhood move from a relatively middle class area in Tokyo to a more plebian district close to the theatre and brothel quarters” (pg.22). This move coincided with the birth of his younger brother and the disappearance of his elder sister, Susumo, who was a drain on family finances. It was shortly discovered that she was sold intogeishadom. However, Susumo continued to play a huge part on Mizoguchi’s young life, enabling him to acquire his first job through her professional contacts,and bringing Mizoguchi and his brother under her shelter when their mother passed away. There is a “parallel between the trajectory of Mizoguchi’s adolescent life and the plots of numerous melodramatic shimpa dramas” (LeFanu, 2005, p.23), which recount the sacrifices made by geishas on behalf of the men they are involved with. This aspect of Mizoguchi’s adolescent life is extremely apt because the subject of women’s suffering is fundamental in all his work; while “sacrifice – in particular, the sacrifice a sister makes for her brother” –has a ubiquitous presence in many of his films in the 1930s. (Le Fanu, 2005,
p.25)

Osaka Elegy and Sisters of the Gion are two Mizoguchi films worth a mention. Although the milieus depicted in the two films differ greatly (only Sisters of the Gion is specifically set in the world of Geisha), their spiritual affinity is obvious when observed closely. Both films are centrally concerned with what it means to scrabble for patronage. In the pre-war Kyoto Geisha world depicted in Sisters of the Gion, Omocha and her sister search for an elderly rich client to
support them financially. This search for patronage is not quite as formalized in Osaka Elegy, where Ayako, the heroine is a lowly company employee, rather than a “bird in a gilded cage” (Le Fanu, 2005, p. 71). But in a way, she is a bird in a cage too as her quest is the same. In these two films, Mizoguchi explores circumstances, which force beautiful yet desperate women to exchange freedom for money. Mizoguchi thus seems to possess a fondness for revealing the true nature of distressed women in times of turmoil in a male-dominated society, main
reason being that his sister herself fell victim to family circumstances and societal norms.

To many critics, Mizoguchi is an impassioned defender of women’s rights who feels that women have little choice under the Japanese patriarchy but to sacrifice themselves. Their only way out is to “develop spiritual strength to transcend their oppression” (Noletti & Desser, 1992, p.32). One such film, in which this occurs, is The Life of Oharu. The heroine, Oharu, falls from a high position in society and eventually becomes the lowest type of street prostitute. In accordance to authors Noletti, Jr. and Desser (1992), critics have frequently asserted that Oharu has “attained transcendence by the end of the film” (p.33). It is interesting to note that because of Japan’s deep-rooted patriarchal system, Mizoguchi could explore the repressed plights of women compared to Japanese men, as men’s plights could never be as inherently piteous.

Ozu Yasujiro is another famous Japanese director whose films often encompassed the role of average Japanese women. His most acclaimed film, Tokyo Story, examines the disunion between a stereotyped “traditional”Japanese female and the characteristics that embodied the “modern” Japanese women in the early 1950s. The film’s main theme centers on the disintegration of the family spurred on by post-war urbanization, demonstrating how this shaped the demeanor of the female protagonists, complex in their intricate fusion of Japanese and Western, emotional and pragmatic, modest and independent.
(Sato, 2003, pg.3)

One example of this complexity of the feminine is Shige, the eldest daughter and impudent wife. She fits the stereotype in some ways, but in other ways she does not. Working at home as a hairdresser, her “domestic occupation has been practiced by women since pre-modern times”. (Sato, 2003, pg.6). However, her casual behaviour around her parents indicates the blase attitude frequently associated with latter-day womanhood.

A clear example of this would be in one scene where Shige deliberates with Koichi, her brother, concerning an imminent visit to their debilitated mother. Shige, still unsure of the critical state of their mother’s affliction, placidly asksKoichi whether they ought to pack mourning garments. Surprised at her insensitivity, Koichi hesitates before replying unenthusiastically. Shige immediately responds with “Settled. Let’s pack them in case”. Despite her purported filial piety, her judgment of the circumstances disturbs the frequently expressed perception of Japanese women. (Sato, 2003, p.7).

Film Historian Sato (2003) states that Shige’s unembellished servitude of family claims to the demands of her work makes Shige a “disquieting image of domesticity” (p.7). In spite of that, Shige occasionally embodies a hybrid of ‘old’ and ‘new’, and partakes in an effort to place herself within broader social customs, such as those of urban and professional working women. It is the working daughter-in-law Noriko who ostensibly reveals the attributes of an
independent woman, professionally industrious in a broader society, and not Shige herself. And yet, Noriko complies with befitting female traditions within the family. While Shige and Koichi are too self-absorbed to perform family-related activities, Noriko prevails as the personification of filial piety, uncomplainingly leaving work in order to entertain her parents-in-law during their Tokyo visit.

Subsequently, also staying by the father’s side after his wife’s death, long after the rest have paid their desultory respects and left. Noriko’s image as the “prevailing stereotype of the modern single woman” (Sato, 2003, p.9), contradicts her behavior, as it is she who resides independently in a modern apartment, traveling daily to her desk-bound clerical job. Ultimately, Ozu wanted to show the conflicts that Japanese women faced as they emerged from the traditional and rigid old-world customs to the more liberal emancipation of working women.

In conclusion, the portrayal of women in Mizoguchi’s and Ozu’s films are starkly different, both carried out in a different fashion, with different stylistic devices and different approaches in different circumstances. However, one similarity between the two directors lies in the need to showcase the plight of Japanese woman in a patriarchal old-fashioned society, and also as not just an object of desire and subservience, but also what it means to possess an indomitable spirit.

Written by Suzie Knight

List of References

LeFanu, Mark. Mizoguchi and Japan, Londo: Cromwell Press, 2005.

Mizoguchi, K. (Director) Fujiwara, T. (Writer) & Osaka, S. (Writer) & Yoka, Y. (Writer) (1938)

Osaka Elegy. [Film DVD]. Japan: Daiichi Eiga.

Mizoguchi, K. (Director),. Kuprin, A. (Novelist) and Mizoguchi, K. (Writer). (1938).

Sisters of the Gion [Film DVD] . Japan: Daiichi Eiga.

Noletti, Jr. & ;Desser,D. Reframing Japanese Cinema: Authorship, Genre, History. Indiana University Press, USA, 1992.

Mizoguchi, K.(Director), Ihara, S.(Novelist) & Mizoguchi, K. (Writer). (1952).

The Life of Oharu [Film?DVD]. Japan: Koi Productions

Sato,B. The New Japanese Woman: Modernity, Media, and Women in Interwar Japan. Duke University Press, USA, 2003.

Ozu,Y.(Director), Noda,K.(Writer) & Ozu,Y. (Writer).? (1953).

Tokyo Story.[Film DVD]. Japan: Shochiku Kinema Kenkyûjo

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