Introduction
Tokyo Sonata is one of the most recent works of Kiyoshi Kurosawa that depicts a conventional Japanese Family. The 2008 film delves deep into a culture where there are strict roles meant for every member of the family and the consequences that might arise when one fails to or is incapable of fulfilling their assigned roles. It identifies various themes to help in understanding the Japanese society, but that of family structure and the economic system of the country feature more prominently.
In a partially comical way, Kiyoshi Kurosawa has successfully explained what happens when there is a major economic shock in this society where people have to play their strict roles dutifully. He has also demonstrated consequences that may arise when one’s true position is challenged, especially by forces beyond their control. Thesis: In this paper, the researcher seeks to evaluate the main themes of Tokyo Sonata based on the historical context of the country.
Themes in Tokyo Sonata
Tokyo Sonata is a piece of literature that is based on the Japanese history and culture. According to Letiche, fictional film directors often have an opportunity to create their own world and tell their story primarily based on their imagination (67). However, most of them often base their stories on personal experiences. In fact, some of them often take the opportunity to talk to their audiences about the realities of the society, criticize social evils, support positive courses, and to promote specific socio-cultural and economic practices. In this film, the director focused on an economic recession in Japanese history (Davies 95).
In this period, often called the Lost Decade in Japan or a period of economic stagnation, refers to the decade of the 1990s in Japan where some companies in Japan opted to outsource some of the services overseas, especially in China as shown in that study.
It is important to note the timing of this film. In 2008, when it was released, the global society, including Japan, was in the middle of an economic recession. The film was very relevant at that time because it was a reminder to the audience of what happened when the country last experienced such an economic downturn. It was like a reminder to the Japanese society of what could possibly happen to individuals and families during the 2008 economic recession. Through the family of Rhyuhei and the family friends, the director has brought out various themes, which were relevant and important at a time when Japan was headed for an economic recession. The following are the primary themes that come out from the analysis of this film.
Family Structure
One of the main themes in this film is family member’s roles, responsibilities, and position in terms of the chain of command. In a traditional Japanese society, a family structure was defined by specific roles for every member. The patriarchal system meant that Rhyuhei, the husband to Megumi and father to Takashi and Kenji, was the head of the family. He is the ultimate authority and no one is expected to question that. In return, he is expected to provide for the family needs (Kurosawa 4:24).
It explains why when Rhyuhei lost his job, he could not afford to tell his family members of the unfortunate situation that he faced. It would have meant that his position as the head of the family would be challenged. The traditional family structure, especially the chain of command, became compromised when it was evident that Rhyuhei was unable to support the family.
Rebellion within the family is another theme that was evident and closely related to members’ roles and chain of command. The rebellion started with Takashi, the first son. He told his father that he wanted to join the United States army as a volunteer so that “he could protect the family.” It was a direct challenge to their father’s position that was unable to provide for them. It was annoying to the father because at that time, many Japanese loathed the United States army. Sasaki Kenji, the second son, defied the fathers orders and went ahead to join the piano classes. When the father realizes what the son did, he confronts him:
“I thought I told you piano is not allowed,” Rhyuhei, the father asked (Kurosawa 1:05:35).
“You just want to lecture me and act important, right”, challenged Kenji, the son (Kurosawa 1:06:28).
This was unacceptable in a family system where subordinates were not expected to question those in authority. The father responded with a sharp slap, just to remind the son that he was in charge and expected to be respected. It is one of the few cases in the entire film where violence is used. However, it is important that the use of violence failed because the son went on with his piano classes. It is possible that the director wanted to explain to the audience that sometimes the use of force cannot solve problems even one is in a position of power.
Obedience is another theme under family structure that is epitomized by Megumi, the wife to Rhyuhei and the mother to the two sons. She diligently undertakes her duties as a mother, cleaning and preparing meals for the family. When she accidentally learned that her husband had lost his job, she kept it a secret, partly to ensure that his position as the head of the family is not challenged. However, she made an extra effort to ensure that the family could get basic needs.
The revelation did not make her to change her perception towards the husband. She would always prepare the meals and inform him to come early after ‘work’ so that the family could eat together. When she learned that her younger son, Kenji, was using his lunch money to learn piano, she did not tell her husband because she knew it would bring unnecessary problems. In fact, she encouraged the son to continue with the lessons but in a discrete way to ensure that the father is not angered.
“I am not against piano. I like men who can play the piano,” the mother said to her son.
The fear of socio-economic uncertainties in the family is also evident in this film. When Rhyuhei prohibited his son from playing piano, his primary concern was the fear of economic uncertainties. He felt that he could no longer support most of the family needs and paying for the piano lessons was out of his financial reach after losing his job. When he slapped his son, he felt that his main fear of losing his authority and standing in the family had come true.
Takashi considered joining the United States military because he feared the economic uncertainties of the family after it became apparent that the father could no longer provide for the basic needs. When Megumi realized that her husband lost her job, he kept quiet about it because she feared that his position as the head of the house could be challenged. She also kept the fact that the son was going for piano lessons a secret because of the fear of a possible physical altercation between father and son.
Family secrets and hypocrisy also emerge in this film. Rhyuhei kept the fact that he lost his job from his family because of the various reasons discussed above. However, it was hypocritical of him to expect other members of his family to continue playing their roles normally when he was failing to meet his. His inability to communicate freely and openly with his wife and sons is typical in this Japanese culture where hierarchy in family and workplace is highly cherished. Megumi was a frustrated wife and mother. Her husband lost his job but kept it a secret from her. She could not manage to convince all family members to have their evening meals together as per her wishes.
It was frustrating to her, but she kept her pain to herself. Kenji keeps the secret that he has joined piano classes because he is aware of the possible consequences when the father finds out about it. It is a system where everyone tries to keep his secret. At school, Kenji gets into trouble because he is found sharing an adult magazine. He is punished for it, but he feels it is unfair because he had seen one of his teachers reading it. He could not understand the hypocrisy of these teachers, especially when he realized that the one who was castigating him was the one who had been reading the same magazine. He felt that the same level of hypocrisy and secrecy at school was the same he experienced back at home.
Family dissolution is one of the painful themes that are presented in this film. When Megumi finally met her husband working as a janitor, he felt so ashamed that he fled from his wife. He felt that his authority and position as the man of the house had been taken from him and could no longer face his wife anymore. At the time of the encounter, Megumi had been kidnapped, and her captor allowed her to use the restroom before returning to his car.
She had an opportunity to escape, but the encounter made her realized that she could not go back home. Instead, she opted to go back to her captor. The captor drives the car to the beach where they spend the night. At night, she gives in to her captor’s sexual advances, telling him that he was a man enough to admit that he had lost his job (Kurosawa 1:20:15). This was an act she could not have imagined before, given the strict Japanese culture. However, the thought that her husband failed to confide in her and tell her that he lost his job was so painful that she felt it was okay to have an affair with the robber. She realized that her family was already broken beyond repair and as such, she had to prepare herself to start over again.
“We are an ordinary family with dad, mom, and a big brother. But we all have our own secretes,” Kenji said.
Labor Differences Coming from Bubble Burst
When analyzing the film ‘Tokyo Sonata’ it is important to understand the historical background of Japan, especially when focusing on the economic themes that the director presents to the audience. Immediately after the Second World War, Japan registered impressive economic recovery thanks to the stimulus plan, popularly known as the Marshall Plan (Germer et al. 78). The country rose very fast to the middle-class status after it embraced capitalism. However, the event during the 1990s when companies started looking for ways of cutting their operational costs was a major shock to the economy.
Many multinational corporations were keen on moving to countries where they can enjoy low cost of production. In Japan, the level of technical knowhow of workers was exemplary, and their work ethics admired by many firms. However, there was a feeling that the cost of labor was significantly high in the country (Davies 49). As such, it increased the cost of production. This concern pushed many companies to consider moving to other regional countries where the cost of labor was still low.
One of the preferred destinations was China, a country with a huge population, high rates of unemployment, and willingness of qualified employees to work under very low wages. It created a trend where most of the manufacturing firms were outsourcing these jobs to countries such as China as the best way of lowering their operational costs and increasing their profitability. The bubble burst led to economic frustrations in the country, upon which basis, this film was created.
One of the main themes that the film presents is joblessness. As soon as his company outsourced activities that were conducted in Japan to China, Rhyuhei was rendered jobless. However, it was not only him that was affected by the problem. Kurosu, one of his old classmates, was also laid off when their company embraced downsizing as a strategy of remaining globally competitive. The two of them struggle to find new jobs, but what they encounter is an increasing number of people who have also lost their jobs recently (Kurosawa 36:35). They had to line for free food at the park during lunch hour after spending most of the day trying to find a job.
It is a frustrating experience but the two friends decide to keep it a secret from their families as a way of protecting their image. In fact, Kurosu sets his phone to play a ringtone periodically and pretends to be picking an important job-related call, especially when he is at home.
Crime increases in town as soon as the number of jobless individuals continues to increase. Megumi was in her house when she her house was invaded by a robber. The robber explained that he had lost his job but had to make ends meet. As such, he was forced to become a criminal. He goes ahead to kidnap Megumi with intentions of molesting her sexually, which he tries that night (Kurosawa 1:35:44).
It is apparent that Kurosu’s wife learned that her husband was actually jobless. One of the mornings, he and his wife were found dead in what authorities concluded was a double suicide. The thought of being jobless was too much for him to embrace. Kanji is arrested and taken to court for trying to escape from his family. Although the charges were dropped, it was an indication that the police felt that he was trying to engage in an unlawful act.
Shame from the inability of a man to support his family is another theme that is demonstrated in this film. There is a deeply-rooted cultural practice that a man should always have the capacity to provide for his wife and children. When one fails in this responsibility, he will have to face shame as an incapable person. When Kurosu lost his job, he had to hide that fact from the wife as a way of avoiding shame. When it was revealed, he considered death to be a better alternative to the shame. Rhyuhei also emulated his friend Kurosu, but when his wife learned that he had lost his job, the marriage crumbled (Kurosawa 1:45:52). The robber considered it nobler to be a criminal than to have a situation where he could not provide for the family.
Conclusion
Tokyo Sonata is a film that focuses on a socio-cultural breakdown in Japan during the 1990s economic meltdown. Before then, the country was experiencing impressive economic growth and families such as that of Rhyuhei followed strict Japanese culture and tradition. Everyone knew their role and positions in the family and respected them. However, the meltdown created a disorder, and cultural practices lost their meaning as men were no longer able to provide for their families as strictly expected of them. Some families, such as that of Kurosu, perished as they could not withstand the new order. Others such as that of Rhyuhei were shaken as Megumi, his wife, considered starting life afresh.
Works Cited
Davies, Roger J. Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations. Tuttle Publishing, 2016.
Germer, Andrea, et al., editors. Gender, Nation and State in Modern Japan. Routledge, 2014.
Kurosawa, Kiyoshi. “Tokyo Sonata.” YouTube, uploaded by 8th Sin Movies. 2008. Web.
Letiche, Hugo. Turn to Film: Film in the Business School. Brill Sense, 2019.