Gohatto (Taboo) (1999)
Director: Nagisa Oshima.
Starring: Takeshi Kitano (Captain Toshizo Hijikata), Ryuhei Matsuda (Samurai Sozaburo Kano), Shinji Takeda (Lieutenant Soji Okita), Tadanobu Asano (Samurai Hyozo Tashiro), Koji Matoba (Samurai Heibei Sugano), Masa Tommies (Inspector Jo Yamazaki), Masatô Ibu (Officer Koshitaro Ito), Uno Kanda (The Geisha Nishikigi-Dayf), Kazuko Yoshiyuki (The Servant Omatsu), Tomorowo Taguchi (Samurai Tojiro Yuzawa), Yoichi Sai (Commander Isami Kondo), Jiro Sakagami (Lieutenant Genzaburo Inoue), Zakoba Katsura (Wachigaiya), Kei Sato (The Narrator voice).
Shinsengumi men fall in love with a girlishly attractive young man which causes great instability in a local militia
Spoiler Warning: below is a summary of the film.
After moving to the Nishi Honganji Temple the Shinsen militia are recruiting. (The main job of the militia is to put down uprisings.) For the militia, men are now being hand picked. One young fellow who wants to join the militia is the very feminine looking 18 year old named Sozaburo Kano. He is a merchant's son and his swordsmanship master was Senzaemon Hamano of the Shingyoto school. He was the assistant to the master after graduating. His family, the Echigoya's, are wealthy textile dealers from Minokano. They were in the service of Inaba during the civil war. Utanosuke Kano was an outstanding warrior who moved to Echigo and later to Kyoto. Despite their higher class status, the family kept the samurai name, Kano. Sozaburo will be tested in a contest with the instructor for the militia named Soji Okita. He performs fairly well.
Okita now has a match with a young man named Hyozo Tashiro of the Kurume clan and the Hokushin Itto school. Commander Kondo and Lt. Commander Hijikata, along with another man, serve as the judges. From watching Tashiro's performance they all agree that Sozaburo is a notch above Tashiro. Tashiro and Sozbura are told to go to the commander's quarters. They tell Sozaburo that he has talent. The commander decides that he will take Sozaburo as his aide. Tashiro will go with Okita as part of the First Unit. To test further the 18 year old, Suzaburo is given the job of executing a man from the Fourth Unit tomorrow.
The Samurai Code: never betray the samurai ways; never desert the Shinsen militia; never borrow money; never be involved in civil suits; and never fight for personal motives. Anyone violating this code must disembowel himself. Tashiro has no problem with the code of conduct, but he does not like some of the battle codes. When a captain falls, his men must follow him to the grave. Tashiro says the rule is absolutely absurd. Sozaburo tells him that the rule was put in after the Imperial Palace battle. Tashiro asks Sozaburo why he joined the militia, but Sozburo only smiles at him. At night Tashiro asks Sozaburo if he has ever killed anyone and has he ever made love. Tashiro definitely is sexually interested in the pretty Sozaburo, who pretends to be asleep.
The next day Sozaburo cuts off the head off Seijiro Muto for borrowing money. Tashiro comes crashing in after the execution. He apologizes for being late. He is informed that the execution was not open to the public. Tashiro receives a punishment of five days detention in jail.
Five days later Tashiro is freed. He sees Sozaburo and tells him that he often called out for him. He called out for his true love's name, he says. Tashiro adds: "I'll come to you tonight." Sozaburo only smiles and leaves. At night Tashiro gets in bed with Sozaburo. But as he does Sozaburo puts his short sword next to Tashiro's neck. He obviously does not want sex with Tashiro.
In a very short while rumors start. Sozaburo has never had a woman. Many of the samurai tease Sozaburo about it. Other men are courting him. One notable courtier is the leader of the Fifth Unit, the physically huge Captain Takeda. And, of course, there is Tashiro. Sozaburo avoids Tashiro. Still, he likes being the object of desire. Lt. Commander Hijikata asks Okita how he is doing. He replies: "I was only sick at the Battle at Ikedaya." The Choshu were crazy for wanting to set Kyoto ablaze and take the emperor captive.
Hijikata tests Sozaburo himself. Then he tests Tashiro. He then has Sozaburo and Tashiro fight. The better Sozaburo is easily and consistently beaten by Tashiro. Hijikata thinks that this is strange and concludes that the two are lovers: "No doubt about it." The rumor quickly spreads that Sozaburo and Tashiro are lovers.
Hijikata reports to Commander Kondo. The commander says he must go to Hiroshima to testify against the Choshu. Hijikata says: "We have orders to invade them." He then asks the commander to "tell me the truth." The commander only repeats himself and tells the lieutenant commander that he will be left in charge. He then talks about Sozaburo. He has heard that the young man has taken a lover. "This has happened before," he says. Passion influences the heart and this in turn means trouble. He adds: "It must not happen again."
Sozaburo talks with an old samurai who he figures is around 60 years of age. He talks to Okita about the man and learns the fellow is named Genzaburo Inoue. He's the senior member of their samurai, the captain of the Sixth Unit and is only 43 or 44 years of age. Okita says that Commander, Lt. Commander, old Inoue and he are all from the same dojo and the Tennenrishin school. He advises Sozaburo that when he spars with Inoue, he should go easy on the man. "This advise proved difficult to put into practice." And it leads to a minor scandal.
Inoue spars with the reluctant Sozaburo. Inoue is just terrible as a swordsman. And the sparring is so atrocious, that two swordsmen passing by look into the window and make derogatory comments about the level of swordsmanship of the militia. This offends the men of the militia and they chase after the insulters. But the two men get away. They both had Higo accents, which turns out to be an important clue to their identity. The disparagement of the militia's swordsmanship brings about a request for an investigation and a big search for the offenders. The lieutenant commander assigns Inoue and Sozaburo to "settle the matter".
At a geisha house, a samurai named Yuzawa asks Sozaburo why he held back when he sparred with Inoue. Sozaburo denies that he held back. Yuzawa says he is not criticizing the young fellow. He says we all bow and scrape to the men at the top. "We're only equal in theory." Anyone who doesn't agree, who wants out, is killed. Then he asks Sozaburo if he knew how he (Yuzawa) knew he was holding back. No is the answer. Because Yuzawa has been watching him very intently. He then reveals that he wants to have sex with Sozaburo. He grabs Sozaburo and forces him down on the floor telling him to "make my dreams come true." A geisha sees the two men in action. Later Sozaburo tells Yuzawa: "Don't tell Tashiro."
As part of the investigation, Sozaburo goes to the Higo hangout twice a day to check for the culprits. He sees the two suspects and starts to follow them. He runs into a company aide and tells him to follow the two men. The man says he will report to him back in Gion. Later the company aide is found dead under the bridge near the hangout.
Okita reports to the lieutenant commander and tells him that he has pushed Inoue too far. The old man went with Sozaburo to the Ogawa Inn, the hangout where the Higo men gather. Inoue wants to make up for his error. Hijikata tells Okita to take some men and get down to the inn. He will follow with reinforcements. Inoue and Sozaburo knock on the door of the Ogawa Inn. The two suspects are warned by management and go out the back way. Finally, Inoue and Sozaburo are let into the inn. They find the beds of the suspects still warm to the touch. Sozaburo suggests they go out the back way. The two suspects jumped down to the ground, but Inoue has to get a ladder with Japanese lanterns on it to get to the ground. While he climbs down, one of the suspects pushes down the ladder with Inoue still handing on to it. The old man breaks his leg and is in danger of being killed by the suspect. Sozaburo jumps down to go to the rescue, but twists his ankle. The suspects turns on Sozaburo and the two fight with their swords. Sozaburo receives a bad cut on his head, the blood runs into his eyes and he is temporarily blinded. The young militiaman swings his sword blindly and thus wildly without effect. Reinforcements from both sides arrive and a general fight begins.
The profusely bleeding Sozaburo is carried back to militia headquarters on a cart. Tashiro hangs over him attentively.
December 22 and it is snowing. Commander Kondo returns from Hiroshima. A banquet is held is his honor. The commander tells his men that the Choshu clan is feigning loyalty to emperor and shogunate, but have their own secret agenda. They are arming for combat. Inoue arrives and apologizes for the deaths and injuries caused by his blundering.
Sergeant Yamazaki reports to Hijikata. He says that one of their men has been killed. It is Yuzawa of the Tenth Unit. (The lover of Sozaburo.) And, unfortunately, the murderer was also one of their men. The commander tells Hijikata to have Sergeant Yamazaki take Sozaburo and introduce him to women. Yamazaki asks Sozaburo to go with him to be with some women. But Sozaburo absolutely refuses to go with the sergeant. Later Hijikata tells the sergeant that Sozaburo thinks that he is making advances toward him. So Yamazaki will just have to win the man over with kindness. Yamazaki tries again and again and again. About one month later he starts making some progress with Sozaburo. The pretty young man tells the sergeant that the dead man had courted him. But he denies that he ever gave in to the man's sexual advances. The sergeant asks him why he joined the militia. He answers: "To have the right to kill." Finally, on another day Sozaburo suggests going with the sergeant to see the women.
Yamazaki goes to a lot of trouble to set up a nice evening with a patient beautiful geisha to entertain Sozaburo. On the designated evening a fancy dressed geisha struts in to see Sozaburo. Yamazaki then heads for home. The next day Yamazaki talks with the geishas. They report that the evening was an absolute disaster. There was a terrible ruckus. The geisha tells Yamazaki that his buddy really only wanted to sleep with him. Yamazaki is defeated again.
An unknown assailant attacks Yamazaki with a sword, but Yamazaki is able to chase the man away. When he looks around on the ground he finds a dagger used by the samurai. Yamazaki finds out that it is Tashiro who is missing his dagger. Hijikata tells Yamazaki that it was Tashiro who attacked him because he thought the sergeant was stealing his boyfriend.
The commander talks with Hijikata about the problem with Sozaburo and Tashiro. He says that a samurai can be undone by the love of a man. It is most likely that Tashiro killed Yuzawa. The commander then shocks Hijikata when he adds: "Let's kill him." No, Hijikata will not do the killing. Sozaburo will kill Tashiro. Hijikata and Okita will observe but won't interfere. When Sozaburo is told of his new assignment, he only says: "I'll do my best."
Okita and Hijikata show up at the viewing area for the murder of Tashiro. While waiting Okita wonders if the commander and the lieutenant commander are not a little in love with Sozaburo. Hijikata is not amused. The lieutenant commander then asks Okita if he is not a bit taken himself by the pretty Sozaburo. No way. It turns out that Okita is a bit homophobic. He says he hates Tashiro and Sozaburo. Then Sozaburo and Tashiro come walking down the path. Sozaburo pulls his sword on Tashiro. Tashiro tells Sozaburo that he knows that he stole his dagger to blame the assault of Yamazaki on him. The two fight. Tashiro starts to get the better of Sozaburo. Then Sozaburo asks Tashiro to forgive him. This causes the still-in-love Tashiro to hesitate just long enough for Sozaburo to grab his short sword and deliver a mortal wound to Tashiro. Sozaburo then leaves.
Okita and Hijikata could hear nothing of the conversation between the two men. But Okita tells Hijikata that he forgot something and has to go back. He walks in the direction taken by Sozaburo. Hijikata says aloud that although Okita did not love Sozaburo, Sozaburo loved Okita. It was Sozaburo who killed Yuzawa and he tried to frame Tashiro for the crime. Hijikata walks down the path a ways. He says aloud "Destroy him!" From the distance comes the voice of Sozaburo saying tenderly: "Okita." Then Sozaburo lets out a loud scream. (Okita has killed Sozaburo.) Hijikata says: "Sozaburo was too beautiful. Men took advantage of him. He was possessed by evil." He then cuts off the top of a small cherry tree with his sword, just as Okita had cut down Sozaburo.
Good movie. Apparently, homosexuality per se was not forbidden among the samurai according to the movie. The problem was the disruption arising from the competition among some of the men for a very pretty young homosexual man. Just too many men were falling in love with Sozaburo with negative consequences for the militia as a whole. Men were starting to fight each over for Sozaburo's attention. This caused the militia commander to use murder to help settle down the trouble in the ranks.
Patrick L. Cooney, Ph. d.
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