Harakiri Essay on Obligations in Conflct

Nick Vita
12-23-04
Honors World Lit
Dr. McMahon, O.G.


Japanese Literature is rife with obligations in conflict. The movie Harakiri is a prime example of this as are the short stories Patriotism and On the Conduct of Lord Tadanao. The obligations in conflict in these stories and movie are harsh enough for death in some cases and exile in another. The conflict forces decisions that force the characters to decide which act is correct.

The movie Harakiri is a prime example of obligations in conflict. In the opening scene we are shown a Japanese man walking up to the gates of the house of Iyi. He threatens to commit seppuku and the house, not wanting a suicide committed on their front steps, lets the man in. The leader of the house of Iyi, Kageyu Saito, then speaks to the man, whose name is Hanshiro Tsugumo, an ex-warrior from the house of Geishu. Saito explains the fortunes of a man named Motome Chijiiwa, also from the house of Geishu, who a few months earlier had appeared at the house’s gate threatening to commit suicide. He was then forced to commit suicide with blades of bamboo that he had on him. The house of Iyi thought that Motome had no honor because his swords were bamboo and thus tricked him into a long and very painful suicide with his swords. Motome ends up biting his tongue off to hasten his death because his second, Hikokuro Omodaka will not chop his head off. Saito explains that he is telling this story to make sure Tsugumo is not trying to extort money from the house of Iyi. Tsugumo promises his intent is to die, and when asked if he knew Motome says he is not sure because of the number of people in the house of Geishu.

Tsugumo is then led to the court where he will commit seppuku. He then asks for three seconds, one of who is Omadaka. Saito sends a servant to get them but the all claim sickness. While the servant is out Tsugumo asks to tell a story. Saito lets him a Tsugumo begins his story. It is about Motome, the man who had come asking to kill himself a few months earlier. It turns out that when the house of Geishu was dissolved Tsugumo is assigned to take care of Motome. Motome eventually marries Tsugumo’s daughter Miho to prevent her from becoming a concubine in another house. Motome and Miho have a son, whose name is Kingo. Shortly thereafter, Miho gets tuberculosis and Miho gets a fever. Because Motome and Tsugumo do not have much money, they cannot afford a physician to see Miho and Kingo. The first conflict arises here. Motome, in an attempt to get money, sells his most valuable possessions; his swords that could cut through iron, to a pawn shop and gets bamboo swords in return. The problem with his act is that he is a samurai and a samurai’s sword is his soul. Thus Motome had sold his soul in an effort to save his family. When this proves to not be enough, the second conflict arises. Motome and Tsugumo both agree it is a shame to beg for money, so Motome says he knows a moneylender who will help him. The truth is, Motome is going to beg at the house of Iyi. Some ex-warriors had done this before by threatening to commit seppuku and being sent on their way with money to get rid of them. The conflict for Motome in this is that samurai are not supposed to give up, but they are also not supposed to beg for money. Also, when he gets to the house of Iyi and is let in, he begs for a few days to visit his family. Saito says that to beg for a few days of grace was the sign of a coward. The conflict here is that Motome just wanted to see his family before he was forced to commit seppuku after being tricked into thinking he was going to get money. His body is brought home by the three men who Tsugumo is requesting as his seconds, one of whom was Motome’s second. Tsugumo is the left alone as Miho and Kingo die and then seeks revenge on the three men who brought Motome’s body back. He cuts off their topnknots and shames them, but they pretend to be sick when the are called upon to be Tsugumo’s second’s. Tsugumo shows the topknots to Saito, who then orders him killed, and Tsugumo is eventually shot, but not until after his exposure of the lack of honor in the house of Iyi.

Another example of obligations in conflict is the short story Patriotism. This story is about a young Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama. He has been married for six months when he is called into action after a mutiny by some of the soldiers in the Japanese army. Shinji is gone for two days and when he returns tells his wife he must commit suicide because of an obligation in conflict. He knows that he will be called on to lead a unit of men to attack the insurgents, some of whom are his friends. Shinji’s two choices are to either kill his friends or go against orders, thus becoming an insurgent himself; he wishes to do neither. He cannot kill his friends but he also cannot go against orders. Shinji has worked hard to get the position in the army he has and has achieved it quickly at the age of thirty-one. To throw away all of his hard work and be labeled an insurgent is not what Shinji wants. Also, he knows he could be killed for disobeying orders. The only way for Shinji to resolve this conflict is to kill himself. He and his wife commit seppuku, thus keeping their honor.

A final example of obligations in conflict is the story On the Conduct of Lord Tadanao. Lord Tadanao is in charge of a large fiefdom and has been since he was thirteen. Everyone on his fief lets him winn and gives him praise because he is lord. When Tadanao finally figures this out for himself after hearing a conversation, he begins to go crazy. He tries many ways to find somebody who will resist him and when finding none, begins to kill people. Because Tadanao chooses to do this he loses his fief. The obligations in conflict in this story involve him and others. His obligations in conflict are whether or not he should ignore his two retainers he has overheard. Either way he loses, and he eventually goes insane by choosing to try to find someone who will resist him. The shogun puts him in charge of much smaller fief where he is much happier that people treat him as an equal. The retainers in this story also have obligations in conflict. They can either submit to Lord Tadanao’s will or resist him. Either way they are bound to incur his wrath in the end. Some end up killing themselves after attempt to challenge him and some kill themselves after attempting to submit to him. The situation is not resolved until Tadanao is relieved of his duties as Lord of the fief and sent away.

Japanese Literature has many obligations of conflict in it. Many times, these conflicts are only resolved through death. The movie Harakiri and the short stories Patriotism and On the Conduct of Lord Tadanao demonstrate this. These three have conflicts that are often too hard for the characters to resolve. Some of the conflicts are resolved through death. Much of Japanese Literature deals with this while also dealing with the concept of. The conflicts along with the characters honor make their decisions tough.