Izo

[The Baron]

I'll preface this by stating, for the record, that I am a big fan of Takashi Miike's work. I consider him to be the most important film maker of the early 21st Century. That being said, bear in mind that the following are only my opinions, and do not exist to refute anyone else's opinions. My interpretations of symbolism are based largely upon what I learned during my many years as a student of the world's religions.

Izo is a movie that has caused many a glottal stop to occur in conversation. Now that I've finally had the opportunity to obtain a copy of it, I can, hopefully, contribute something of value to the understanding of this amazing piece of work.

I haven't watched the Special Features disc yet, in which Miike will probably say a lot of cryptic stuff and explain nothing. However, we know that Miike didn't write the screenplay, That was Takechi Shigenori. We also know that Miike views scripts as very basic maps, and he makes sudden and frequent detours into uncharted territory.

***SPOILERS AHEAD*** (As if that will really matter...)

A "What," Rather Than a "Whom"

The character of Izo represents the inherent imperfections within any and every system. The longer a system remains in place without evolving, the more pronounced and destructive the imperfections become. The inevitability of entropy.

Every system, even those which one may deem to be evil or with which one may be ideologically/morally opposed, still will have positive aspects. Izo is "The Final Solution." Izo is the imperfections that make a system averse.

Izo - The Character As a Person

Izo is a low-born samurai, anxious to advance in rank and attain glory. He murders his own mother in order to leave home without responsibility and serve a Daimo. This is the first curse he brings upon himself in this world.

Izo isn't too bright.

Bushido, the samurai system of belief, is used by the corrupt Daimo to get Izo to commit atrocities and murder. The Daimo convinces Izo that he is not a man, but a demon. A very bloodthirsty demon.

The purer the strength of belief, the more "true" it becomes. After all, what is reality and what is illusion? Where does one end and the other start? Izo believes/is convinced/convices himself that he's a demon. It is only in dying that he sees that he was manipulated. In death, he becomes the embodiment of a "grudge." (And that's on top of everything else!)

After his executioners curse him again as he dies, Izo enters a "rift." The rift harkens back to a Shinto belief, and can be thought of as a sort of space-time continuum. Here, he travels to various Hells. He is cursed by the souls of those he murdered in life. (Miike regular Ishibashi Renji appears as a murdered samurai.) Now, Izo is cursed in this world and the next.

Karma

Izo returns to the matrix of creation, the character called the Original Mother, in an effort to free himself of his karma. But Izo's a selfish fuck, so instead, he becomes "unstuck" in time/space. His dharma, as well as his karma, is to destroy all systems, including himself. However, when one kills, one takes on the karma of that which is destroyed. Izo's appearance becomes more vampiric/demonic as his journey continues.

Oni/Yokai/Tengu

Izo learns that he has some control over damned souls of kindred bloodlust, just as his Daimo had control over him. The karma of those killed by Izo, (those parts of the system he destroyed,) IS to be killed by Izo (the imperfections in the system,) and thus to serve the system by being destroyed. If you're having a problem with this concept, ask someone for change for a paradigm. The system is One with its imperfections.

Redemption/Salvation

Izo, in a self-contradiction (which this movie is intentionally full of) seeks to destroy that which he denies: the gods. Izo repudiates his own atheism by desiring to destroy those whom he denies existence. Hence, Izo feels he must destroy the Emperor, who is the Living Representative of the Gods on Earth. He believes that by destroying the Emperor/Gods, that he can destroy his own karma/suffering. Instead, the Emperor is All-Merciful. He opens the rift between Heaven and Hell, sending Izo into an infinte cycle, until he has a moment of enlightenment. Izo cuts through Infinity, returns to the hour of his death and confronts the corrupt Daimo. Izo resolves his karma by replacing himself on the cross with the Daimo.

At least, that's the movie I saw.

As I've asserted elsewhere, like Bunuel, Lynch, and Cronenberg, Miike works from his unconscious. This can make a lot of his stuff "inaccessable" to movie-goers in the west.

Personally, I found Izo to be one of the best movies I've ever seen. Not only does it succeed as a piece of story-telling, it is also social commentary, political satire, and a healthy dose of Miike's self-confessed endulging in fuckin' with the audience.

My only complaint was one piece of CGI that didn't work: when Izo slices the bald giant in half, diagonally. Bady executed CGI. That the only reason I didn't rate this a "10".

[Rory L. Aronsky]

Goddamn, man! I bow down fully!

[El Duderino Diablo]

In response to your PM and this post I have to say that this is without a doubt the best, most thoughtful interpretaion of Izo I've read. In retrospect your points all make absolutely perfect sense. Good work, man! I feel I may now be ready to view this movie again in an all around better informed state. Thanks, G!
-B!

[The Baron]

I'm flattered, gentlemen. Thank you.

There's a lot more to the movie and the symbolism than I went into here. I figured that the rest of it was really obvious.

Just watched the Special Features disc. No one in the cast or on the crew will cop to knowing what the movie is about. That's brilliant. It allows the viewer to decide for him/herself.

[SilentHeaven]

Maybe hate is too strong a word. Miike is my favorite director (I will be the first to admit I am a sick puppy with a taste for the strange), but I didn't feel this was up to snuff with films like Gozu or Visitor Q. But for the next couple of days it was all I could think about. The more I spun it around in my skull the more it facinated me.

Baron, to be honest I saw the ending a little differently. Tonight I am going to go home and watch it again and keep what you said in your post in the back of my head. I have tried a couple times tonight to try to put into words what I think the ending meant, but it's been a good week since I last watched and a few things are a little stale.

I'll just say that what I saw changed my life. Strange, but true.

[The Baron]

Baron, to be honest I saw the ending a little differently.

And THAT, my friend, is the beauty of it. My interpretation dealt with Izo's spiritual redemption. After all, the characters of Izo and Hanpeita are not new to the Japanese. (Izo is a mass murderer and Hanpeita is the instigator. They've shown up elsewhere in Japanese literature.)

Since Izo is "reborn" or reassimilated and actualized by his anima, (Saya,) it could also mean that he has accepted his karma... his True Will... and will continue to be the miniscule, easily ignored, imperfection in the system. The imperfection, so easy to disregard, until it brings the whole enchilada down. Of course, it could also mean that Izo has been reincarnated, and the reincarnated fragment of his soul, Saya, has incarnated as the woman who would be his latest earthly mother. This would be a "logical" step (yeah, like logic figures into spirituality and faith,) after his incarnation as Saya's husband.

And you know, we haven't even looked at the social commentary. :D

Great gosh-a-mighty, but I would love to see a translation of Miike's shooting script on this one.

Please, SilentHeaven, let us know what you see in your latest screening(s). I always enjoy hearing different perspectives.

[SilentHeaven]

Baron, please keep in mind that I don't have your understanding of Japanese Culture, especially in respects to religion. Your post opened a whole other way for me to approach the film. You looked at it much more spiritually than I did. I saw the strong spiritual undertones (in some spots, overtones), but my lack of understanding left me with several questions. I looked at it as a statement of the anger and violence created by a political system.

The Prime Minister and his pals are mortals. Easily replaced. Izo slays them with little effort. But when he got to the God Emperor and stood before him, I missed what happened. I saw it. I even ran the DVD back. I just couldn't for the life of me figure out what the God Emperor did.

As I mentioned earlier, I thought about it a lot. A couple of days later I popped the movie back in and watched the end. ****Spoiler**** It looked to me like the God Emperor blew on him and knocked him back into the abyss. Izo could slay mortal government all he wanted. There would always be fresh bodies to replace them. The God Emperor is something he can never defeat. He is more than just one man. He is the ideal, the heart of the government, the will of the people. Most of all- Immortal; invincible even. He defeated Izo with a breath.

****Spoiler****
In the last scene, he was reborn. He saw the futility of violence. The futility of fighting a system that will always be in place. People want to be ruled. That is a sad fact. The God Emperor was the representation of that, and it defeated him with a breath. You can't fight everybody. He tried at the ruined amusement park. Hell, he tried pretty much the whole damn movie!

I will say that when I came up with my own interpretation of the ending, I liked it a whole lot more. I still had buttloads of unaswered questions, but I felt I had enough facts to back-up my arguments on how I saw the ending.
I loved the movie, but I'm biased on Miike movies. On the other hand I can see how it could leave a lot of folks scratching their noggins. But as you said, Baron, its all open to interpretation. You saw one way (spiritual), and I saw another angle (social). You gave me a lot more to take into it when I view it in the future. Thanks.

The scenes that stick with me most are the kids in the classroom. Their answers sent chills up my spine. The ruined amusement park, also. That was some harsh goings-on. I could pick it apart technically, but Miike's heart was in the right place. In summary Izo is 'Exotic brain food'.

[SilentHeaven]

That might be a little strong. Altered my thinking when it comes to the 'government/people' relationship might be more apt. Yes, I don't like Bush. Actually, I don't like the whole government. In my eyes Bush is a symptom, a symbol might be a better word, of the larger problems within our government. I'm not going to turn this into a political debate, but to make a long story short- I saw my futile struggle against forces that I know are unjust, but within my present station are beyond my power to affect. I can fight and fight, but what happens in the end? People always want to rule. They will always elect leaders. Some leaders will abuse power. The cycle continues. Izo broke out of his cycle. The other cycles go on, but he broke out of his. He was reborn. He was able to move on. Izo is a lot to wrap your head around.

[The Baron]

But seriously, aren't all selfish atrocity-mongers the same soul?

I, too, was stunned by some of the unveiled commentary on politics. Had Izo been made by an American studio, I don't think that stuff would have made it out of the editing bay.

The Emperor is immortal, but so are many of the ghosts that Izo slays in the Hells. My impression was that since the Emperor is the Living Representative of the Gods on Earth, he was beyond Izo... literally. Izo can only approach to a certain point. What you may not have noticed, is that when the Emperor reaches the top step, the screen behind him opens, revealing the Heavens. Simultaneously, in accordance with the Emperor's will, the Abyss opens behind Izo.

This is where archtypes will come into play... universal ideas in the collective unconscious. Yes, the Emperor subdues Izo with a breath. For me, the following explanation also answered the question of Izo's seeming bi-location.

In the Western esoteric tradition, a human being has different bodies which correspond to different planes of existence (in descending order):

1) The Absolute World - Divine spark, Quantum Deity level
2) The Archtypal World - Neschamah
3) The Creative (Astral) World - Upper Astral: Ruach; Lower Astral: Nephesh
4) The Material World - Physical Body, or Guph

Ruach translates as "breath." (Keep all this in mind. It'll make sense later. This is breath in the same sense of the Genesis "breath of God." Air, as an Element, is incisive. It is symbolized by a sword. This is Izo's weapon. He cuts through the lies and deception which make the system run smoothly.)

In the aftermath of his crucifixion, Izo's soul becomes fragmented. Leaving behind the absolutes, we can consider Saya to be Izo's Neschamah, the highest spiritual Self of which the lower selves can be consciously aware. The "consistant" Izo - that is, the Izo unstuck in space/time, is actually Izo's Nephesh. The Emperor, who in the movie is the True symbol of the gods, is the forth-speaker of deity. His IS the breath of the gods, and Izo's Nephesh, although of the same universal spirit, operates at a vibrationally lower level. Hence, a breath of the Emperor is enough to subdue Izo. (The Word is carried on the breath. Whether or not the Emperor pronounced a silent word at that critical point is also open to interpretation.)

Izo's Ruach reincarnates in physical form. It is this Ruach/Guph Izo which continues, in each incarnation, to commit murder and atrocities. (Izo as a World War II soldier, Izo as defendent as sentence is handed down.) But the Nephesh Izo has, as I pointed out earlier, become a demon. Izo is truly a splintered, unbalanced force. This is demonstrated (sorry... can't resist a pun...) by Izo killing his own incarnation(s). As he is a part of the system, he must, of necessity destroy himself. (You will recall that the Prime Minister refers to Izo as a minor imperfection and "a grudge.")

The question that begs, yet remains unanswered is, can Izo reconcile his Karma by "defragmenting" himself within the system? After being reborn to Saya in a state in which Ruach and Nephesh are reunited, (note how calm the reborn Izo is,) can he step off the wheel by resisting his impulse to destroy?

Hard to believe that Izo was originally intended for the V-Cinema market.

But how exciting is it to find a movie that can stimulate so much thought and serious conversation!

[SilentHeaven]

To be completely honest, I still have not been able to watch Izo again. Between Soul Calibur 3 and picking up a copy of A Snake of June, I've been quite distracted.

Baron, what you posted blew my bloody mind. Hell, I felt like a simp b/c I had to go back and re-read the post a 2nd time to get the gist of where you were going. With my very limited knowledge of Japanese culture, I looked at the film very differently. As I said before, I do see the religious (in regards to Bhuddism) subtexts and symobols, but I don't understand them. My background in Japanese culture pretty much revolves around the films I watch (Mostly Miike's films b/c he is my favorite director), internet articles, and a few native Japanese I have had the pleasure of meeting. But I have become a lover of Japanese Cinema the past several months and am trying to soak up anything I can get my grubby little paws on. Crumbs of information I have to try to make a meal of.

Now comes the fun part; trying to put what I think into words. This could get messy, so please bear with me.

Saya. You described her as Izo's Neschamah. I saw her as Izo's destiny, his soul-mate. When the 2 first speak, I thought she was discussing how Izo's quest disrupted their combined destines. I guess the best way to say it would be Izo forgot to 'stop and smell the flowers'. He was too busy being the human shredder to find the yin to his yang (wang- sorry couldn't resist :) ).

The Rebirth Scene. I think Izo did reconcile in the end. The look of tranquility to me was the proof. He saw that no matter the what he did, how much he fought, the God Emperor (as I said, I believe he represents the Systems of Government thoughout history) could not be stopped. Once again going back to Izo being defeated by a breath. Izo took that knowledge and actually learned that his quest is impossible. The G.E. will always be in place b/c people want to be ruled. He lets go of his grudge and is reborn, to be put back into the system.

Baron, what the hell did you read to come up with your previous post? As I said before, my mind was spinning after I read that. The way you look at the film is much more evolved than mine, and let's be frank- It's pretty fucking cool. Any books or websites you might suggest?

But what I really need to do is watch the movie again so we can continue this discussion....

[The Baron]

Baron, what the hell did you read to come up with your previous post?

Not so much read as was taught. There are books out there, but nothing quite equals the spoken traditions passed from Master to pupil. Books will veil the truth so that only those who have been initiated into certain traditions can fill in the blanks and see past the surface. Direct personal experience of certain truths tends to blow open places in your own psyche. That's pretty much what enables me to riff on matters esoteric.

For books, try Archtypes and Synchronicity, both by Carl Jung; The Sepher Yetzirah, (Aryeh Kaplan, translator and commentator,) The Upanishads, and maybe Emmanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Then meditate on all of them until something inside your head snaps. (It also helps to be able to read Hebrew, Latin and ancient Greek.)

There are more similarities than differences to the mystical experience in the East and the West. Approach the heart of the experience.

Saya comes right out and tells Izo that she is a fragment of his soul. I find it odd that so many people with whom I discuss this film have somehow missed whole sections of dialogue, and those sections involve characters coming right out and saying who they are and what's going on. I strongly suggest watching this movie with the English sound track, simply because you can't read subtitles and follow 100% of the action. Often times, the spoken word deals with a deeper level of the images we're seeing on screen, and vice versa.

I often wonder if the sleep deprivation Miike endures/inflicts on himself during shooting has much to do with images and ideas bubbling to the surface from his unconscious mind.

[SilentHeaven]

Not so much read as was taught. There are books out there, but nothing quite equals the spoken traditions passed from Master to pupil. Books will veil the truth so that only those who have been initiated into certain traditions can fill in the blanks and see past the surface. Direct personal experience of certain truths tends to blow open places in your own psyche. That's pretty much what enables me to riff on matters esoteric.

Baron, Sorry, kinda in a rush. But the above statement.... Wow! I feel where you are coming from. There are certain matters that I feel have been veiled, books speak of them, but the words mean nothing. They are nothing more than smoke and mirrors to trick the unitiated. More later....

[kgcrawford@craw]

Is there a version available that has subtitles for the lyrics? I saw the film first at a festival in Montreal with lyrics, but the dvd copy I saw did not have them. I think its an important part and I'd like to have the right one to watch and show others.

[The Baron]

How odd. My dvd has the lyrics subtitled. You might want to see if your player has a secondary subtitle option.

[kgcrawford@craw]

As far as I can tell, there are three versions out there

2 pictured here:

http://www.animecastle.com/catalog/anime-video/non-anime-dvd/cat_izo-dvd.html

and another pictured here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AC7P3S/002-0688046-7937662?v=glance&n=130&s=dvd&v=glance

Can you tell me which you have that has the subtitles to go with the singing segments?

[The Baron]

As far as I can tell, there are three versions out there

2 pictured here:

http://www.animecastle.com/catalog/anime-video/non-anime-dvd/cat_izo-dvd.html

Can you tell me which you have that has the subtitles to go with the singing segments?

On the above link, I have the Special Edition (Live). I guess the "Live" reference is to the footage of the opening night in Tokyo.

Anyway, it's a two-disk set. I ordered mine at borders.com and had it sent to my local Borders store. (It took all of a week.) It was priced at $29.99, but I would have paid more if necessary.

[The Baron]

In retrospect, this post made no sense what-so-fucking-ever. So I killed it.

And I was going to move it here. Oh, well...

I don't know whether or not this is the point upon which you disagree with me about Saya, but the character, herself, outright says that she is a fragment of Izo's soul. (The rest of what I had to say about her was interpretive conjecture.)

[SilentHeaven]

I looked it more of the Jerry McGuire, "You complete me," sense. I believe that Saya is Izo's soulmate. I am trying to stay away from the Hallmark Valentine's Card on Crack Scenario, but Saya is the love missing from his life. I have this insane belief that man and woman were put on this Earth to be one another's compliement (or why in the hell do we have inter-locking parts:D ?). When Saya was frozen in ice (at least it looked like ice, some of the effects left something to be desired), I saw it as she was frozen out, stuck. When Izo begins his quest through the soul she is freed b/c it is giving him a chance to discover something he is missing. She is there to guide him back into the light, the love. I'm just gonna stop here. The more I read it, the dumber it sounds.

I will take this moment to wish everyone a happy Turkey Day, and all that other fun stuff. If you don't celebrate Turkey Day? Just eat like a fucking pig and you'll get the picture. Ciao.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Any of you astute filmfreaks seen Hideo Gosha's Hitokiri? Currently in the process of reading Tom Mes' Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike and thought that, in light of what's been said here, I'd head over to Midnight Eye see what Mr. Mes has to say on the subject of Izo when I found this review for Hitokiri. Could make for an interesting Izo Okada double feature some night.


http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/hitokiri.shtml

HITOKIRI
by Tom Mes

The downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate in the early second half of the nineteenth century is one of the more dramatic periods in Japan's history. Though inevitable - it was brought upon by the very structure of the feudal system installed by the Tokugawa - numerous forces resisted it, some out of loyalty to the shogun, others to protect the archipelago from the foreign invaders on its doorstep. Yet others tried to profit from the winds of change that were blowing, hoping to further their own positions of power. They saw the imminent restoration of the emperor's reign as merely a reshuffling of the feudal cards and believed that regardless of who was ultimately at the head of it, the social structure of lords and domains would remain the same.

Hideo Gosha's Hitokiri is set against the background of such profiteers, in particular the Tosa Loyalist Party headed by Hanpeita Takechi (portrayed by Gosha regular Nakadai). Though officially fighting on the side of such revered modernist reformers as Saigo Takamori and Ryoma Sakamoto (played here by former Nikkatsu star Yujiro Ishihara), Takechi followed his own agenda, using a squad of stealthy samurai assassins as his main weapon to eradicate his enemies, which included those who were officially his allies.

One of his most effective servants to this scheme was Izo Okada, a ronin of Tosa stock, and childhood friend of Sakamoto, who joined Takechi's private army to escape poverty. The third film to dramatise his life story, Hitokiri follows Okada's (Katsu, who also produced) induction into the Loyalist ranks, where he is soon basking in the glory of his murderous deeds. He takes to his new vocation with glee, racking up the body count and spreading the reputations of both himself and his master far beyond the borders of Kyoto, their base of operations.

In what is perhaps his stylistic triumph (no one has rivalled this director's ability to compose with muted colours and earth tones), Gosha portrays Okada's ascension as pure decadence: a man living above his status with no sense of humility. Naïve stupidity plays a major part in his psychological make-up; as he revels in his newfound fame, he fails to see that he is merely being used, a pawn in Takechi's chess game, or a dog, as his old friend and would-be saviour Sakamoto puts it.

This condemnation of arrogance is central to the way Gosha approaches the actions of Takechi and his ilk, for whom loyalty to the emperor is merely a front. The abuse of the cry of "Tenchu!" (divine punishment) as a devious way for the assassins to overwhelm their victims before the kill, is emblematic. As the film progresses and Nakadai's character grows increasingly determined in the face of mounting adversity to his deeds, a parallel with the military leadership that headed Japan in World War II becomes apparent in the willingness to sacrifice everyone and everything for an abstract notion of victory.

Izo Okada is given some respite from this, however. His foolishness also humanises him, as the more comic situations that evolve from his thick-headedness show. In Gosha and Katsu's portrayal of the character, there is always a sense of compassion for a simple soul swept away by powers beyond his control and comprehension. Throughout, he is defined through the contrast he forms with Ryoma Sakamoto: clumsy, boorish, unkempt country boy versus the latter's unwavering air of determined sophistication. But his lowly status never serves as an apology; Okada learns humility before paying for his crimes.

Although the narrative closely follows the giri-ninjo tradition (represented by master Takechi and friend Sakamoto respectively), Hitokiri manages to rise above the plot machinations in a way that some of Gosha's later films (like the Nakadai starrer The Wolves) don't. Furthermore there is the stellar cast, which includes Mitsuko Baisho as Okada's prostitute girlfriend Omine and author Yukio Mishima as Shinbei Tanaka, his rival in the assassination stakes whose end is suitably Mishima-esque. Resonant and meaningful, and being so without moving into the heavy metaphors and symbolism of Takashi Miike's later Izo, Hideo Gosha's Hitokiri remains the ultimate portrayal of Izo Okada, but above all an enthralling film in its own right.
copyright 2001-2005 Midnight Eye


Here's a link to Mes' review of Izo: http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/izo.shtml