Conflicts of Obligation Harakiri and other Japanese Lit.

ShammyCOPE
1/1/05
St. John DeMatha’s Honors World Lit. Class

Dear Dr. McMahon and all other readers

In a society with so many obligations, what happens when the obligations conflict with each other? Japanese often tries to deal with this question by putting obligations of the characters in conflict. Examples of this are present in Hara-kiri, Patriotism, and The Treasury of Loyal Retainers.
In Masaki Kobayashi’s Hara-kiri, the obligations of the Samurai Hanshiro Tsuguno and Motome Chijiiwa continually conflict with each other. Hanshiro’s obligations first come into conflict when Jinnai, Hanshiro’s good friend and father of Motome, commits ritual seppuku, also known as Hara-kiri. Acording to his own honor code, Hanshiro wishes to commit Seppuku as well, and join his friend in the afterlife. Jinnai’s last request, found on a note, forbids this. Jinnai wishes Hanshiro to adopt Motome and raise him. Hanshiro’s honor code has come into conflict with his best friends last request, both of which Hanshiro is obliged to follow. In order to resolve the conflict, Hanshiro seeks the Daimyo of his fief. The Daimyo firmly commands Hanshiro to follow Jinnai’s last request. Hanshiro obeys, and takes Motome in.
Hanshiro’s fief later dissolves, leaving both he and Motome as Ronin. Motome finds a job as a teacher, but it is not enough pay to support Hanshiro, Motome, and Hanshiro's true daughter, Mino. They live poorly in a small house. Hanshiro's obligations scuffle again when a rich daimyo offers to take Miho into his harem. Hanshiro has three obligations: to find Miho a husband, to support the family, and a fatherly obligation to protect his daughter. Hanshiro does not want Miho to join a harem, as it is against his honor code. Hanshiro decides to offer Miho’s hand in marriage to Motome, who accepts. They are married, and have a son named Kingo. Hanshiro has fulfilled two of his obligations: to marry Miho and to protect her, but the family is still poor.
Motome’s family is not doing well. Miho has caught Tuberculosis, and Kingo is suffering from an unknown ailment. Neither Motome nor Hanshiro has enough money for a doctor, and they own little more than a house and their swords. A Samurai’s sword is seen as his soul, so neither has sold their swords. The rank of Samurai also limit the types of jobs the can do, the best of which is to be a warrior, but there is no call for warriors at this time. Hanshiro’s and Motome’s obligations as Samurai are coming into conflict with their obligations to their family. Hanshiro has such a strict honor that the idea of this conflict never even crossed his mind. Motome, however, puts his family over his Samurai obligations. He attempts to get a normal job, but is recognized as a Samurai. Motome then sells his swords. This is unforgivable, as the swords are a Samurai’s soul. To conceal his actions, Motome buys cheap, useless bamboo swords.
The family is still poor. Miho’s and Kingo’s illness grows worse. Motome finally decides to throw away his honor in order to help his family. After promising to return by night, Motome goes to the house if Y, and pretends to be seeking a house in which to perform Seppuku. Motome hopes that the house will end him away with some money, or hire him, as the house of Y has done this for others. The house, however, is under new management. After leading Motome to believe that the house will hire him, he is told he must perform Seppuku. Now Motome has another conflict of obligations: his promise to his family, and his promise of Seppuku to the house of Y. The house resolves the problem for him by forcing him to commit Seppuku with his bamboo swords.
Hanshiro latter learns what happened. He is ashamed that he put his Samurai obligations over that for his family. He has also failed to complete the last request of his friend Jinnai. After Miho and Kingo die, he has two more obligations in conflict: he must commit Seppuku for failing Jinnai, and he must both avenge and restore Motome’s name, as he has been branded a coward. Hanshiro first defeats but does not kill the three Samurai of Y who brought Hanshiro Motome’s body. He also steals from them an important symbol of their Samurai status: a hair knot, and thus avenges Motome. He then goes to the house of Y, and under the pretense of telling his life story before committing Seppuku, reveals the truth about Motome, and what Hanshiro himself has done. The house of Y, however, refuses to even consider the possibility that they did anything wrong. Realizing the house will never restore Motome’s name, Hanshiro commits Seppuku, completing his final obligation to Jinnai.
The Treasury of loyal Retainers deals specifically with obligations in conflict. A daimyo named Lord Asano of 1703 Japan was given incorrect information concerning the dress code for an important meeting with the Shogun of Japan. Upon arriving at the meting, he realized that he had been lied to. Lord Asano had two obligations in conflict at the time: he had to take revenge on the man who lied to him, Lord Kira, but he also had to respect the Shogun. Lord Asano chose to avenge himself by striking Lord Kira with the flat of his sword. In order to repent for his disrespect of the Shogun, Lord Asano committed Seppuku.
Some of Lord Asano’s Samurai, now Ronin, wanted to avenge Lord Asano. This obligation however came into conflict with their loyalty to the Shogun, who had forbidden the taking of revenge. Like their Daimyo, forty-six ronin, led by a ronin named Oishi, chose the take vengeance on Lord Kira. They realized, however, that there would be a lookout for anyone trying to commit just such an act. Oishi decided that, in order to move suspicion away from them, they should act dishonorably. This violated their obligations as Samurai, but they chose their obligation of avenging their master over this.
Oishi and his forty-six ronin took their vengeance two years later. Now that they had avenged their daimyo, they had to make up for their disrespect to the Shogun. Just like their master, Oishi and the forty-six ronin committed seppuku, with the Shogun’s permission. The ronin and Lord Asano managed to fulfill all of their obligations, but in unorthodox ways.
In Yukio Mishima’s Patriotism, Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama of 1936 Japan suffers from a conflict of obligations. A rebellion has occurred within the Japanese army, and many of Takeyama’s friends have joined the rebellion. Takeyama knows that he and the rest of the loyal army will be ordered to attack the rebel. Takeyama’s obligations to his friends and to his country are in conflict. He does not want to attack his friends, but as a disciplined soldier, he will not disobey orders. Takeyama’s solution is a little different than the others discussed. He chooses neither obligation over the other, but rather commits Seppuku.
All of these examples end in Seppuku, which is seen as a “cure-all” for failed obligations. It appears that, in a society with many obligations, conflicting obligations can ultimately be solved only in death.

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