ART401: APPRECIATING FAR-EASTERN CINEMA

Instructor: Dr. Ritwij Bhowmik

Summer Semester (May - July 2016)

1st Written Assignment

Film Name: NINJO KAMI FUSEN
(HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS)

Name: Bhagyesh Ghagi

Roll No.: 12194

Department: AE
E-mail: bhagyesh@iitk.ac.in
 Introduction

Title: Japanese: Ninjo Kami Fusen

English: Humanity and Paper Balloons
Director: Sadao Yamanaka
Release Date: August, 1937
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: Jidaigeki

This is unlike any other film of that time in Japanese cinema. This film shows a critical edge of
Japanese society. At that time samurai people belonged to upper cast, but this film shows their
poor situation due to this cast system. Merchants were only caring about the money not
humanity.
 Director's Profile

Name: Sadao Yamanaka

Born: November 7, 1909 (Kyoto City, Japan)
Died: September 17, 1938 at the age of 28 years

Main genre he worked on: Jidaigeki

Other movies he made: The Million Ryo Pot (1935)
Kochiyama Soshun (1936)

Director of this Japanese film was Sadao Yamanaka. He was also a great screen writer. He done
most of his work in Kyoto City, Japan. He worked with Toho Production in this film. He was
showing current situation through his films. He made some movies which were showing Japan's
army. In most of the films he was criticizing Japanese government due to this Japanese army
arrested him and later died in a field hospital in year 1938.
 Film Genre: Jidaigeki
These kind of genre shows lives of Samurai, Warriors, Craftsman, Merchants and government
persons. These were made to show Japanese tradition and history and to make propaganda for
their strong army and government.

Genre of this film is Jidaigeki. Jidaigeki is a popular film genre of Japanese films. It was admired
and adopted by many directors and screen play writers in that era. This genre mainly shows
various professions of Japanese people.
Meaning of word 'Jidaigeki' is 'period drama' and sometimes Jidaigeki means to 'cloak and
dagger drama'. Jidaigeki has a sub-genre named as 'Chanbara' which means 'sword fight'.
Some films based on Jidaigeki genre:
1. Sword of Penitence
2. Nao-zamurai
3. Jobless Samurai
This movie takes us in 1930 of medieval Japan where class division was following by their
people. Four main classes was Samurai, farmers, artisans and merchants. Samurai were placed
at the top of society. Samurai were placed at the top of society because they started an order
and set a high moral example for others to follow. Samurais had some pride with them.
Samurais were ruling class. Second most praised were the peasants because they produced the
most important commodity that was food. Peasants lived in villages and they were engaged in
producing agricultural goods. That time farmers were more than any other division in number.
Third were artisans because they produced non-essential goods. Merchants were at the bottom
of the social order because they generated wealth without producing any goods. This class
division was not based on wealth but they were ordered on the basis of their work and
responsibilities in society. This class division was based on birth. Son of a samurai will be known
as a samurai.
 Story Summary
Humanity and Paper Balloons is different from most of other Japanese movies of that period. At
that time most of the films were showing glorify samurai as an upper class man. But this Sadao
Yamanaka made a quite different movie that shows to refuse a glorify samurai. This movie
shows Japanese social structure. In that system there was some pride associated with higher
choices. In this movie Yamanaka mainly shows inferior status of Samurai and Merchants.

Movie start with a suicide of poor samurai. Then film introduce us to another samurai,
Matajuro Unno who was also suffering from money crisis. His wife was putting her great effort
to run their family. She was engaged in making of the little paper balloons for running their
livelihood. He was losing his respect in his family due to his drinking habit, sometime later to
regain his health he had given up drinking. Then new character come in, Shinza who was a
barber who was making his efforts to achieve his real respect in society. He apparent ly loves
Okuma, daughter of Mr. Mori who was a merchant. Mori wanted her to get married with a
samurai, so that he can achieve respect like a samurai. But daughter loved another man who
was clerk of his father. Both of them wanted to run away from home.
As above mentioned Shinza was very different than any other, once he operated a gambling
party without permission of local gangsters so he got some problem with them. He wanted that
Yatagora, boss of mafia learn a lesson. So he kidnapped Okuma. Mori gave some money to
Yatagora to save his daughter. After search operation Shinza was the prime suspect so Yatagora
tried to give him some money after some refusals Shinza took the money and gave the address
of Okuma. After this incident mafia don found Shinza near a bridge and killed him
 Critical Analysis

 Gender biased society:

In the movie during a scene people were talking about a girl like a material this shows their
lower mentality to women. In a scene they were comparing girl with chicken. This shows that
they don't have sympathy for women.

 Humanity:
Shinza was showing humanity mercy towards the people in the society whether they are high
class or lower class. In a scene he was offering drink and to his people. He distributed the
money he got from Yatagora. These qualities turns him in into the hero of this film.

In this scene Shinza was helping Matajuro Unno from mafia men. This quality shows that he
brave as well as kind hearted man.

 Class Gap:
Lower class people feel happy when they meet an upper class person. Upper class people live
an ideal life. But, lower class people try to cheat each other to fulfill own greed. People like
Mori, Landlord, Local gang only work for money. They try to make profit.

 Social Barrier:
Unno unable to find a job because Mori ignores him. Working with a merchant is also not a
pride work. He ends up with involving in Shinza's plan. He spent time with low class people. He
loses all his respect. He was no longer a respectful samurai. So he ends up with suicide. On the
other hand, Shinza gain respect and end up like a local hero. Shinza was a lower class man but
he had all the properties of an upper class person.

 Significance of Title:
Humanity in this film was like the paper balloons, paper balloon don't associate a good money
with them, like this in the film Mr. Mori and landlord were only taking caring of their money
they didn't showed a little bit of sympathy towards Ronin.
 Courage of Shinza:
In the starting of the film Shinza was threaten by landlord but in the middle of the film he was
daring the Yatagora and at the end of the film he was fighting with his small knife. This
characteristics made him hero of this film.

 Corrupted people:
Okuma was shown like a doll. After Okuma kidnapped, When she was living in a home, she was
not shouting for the help her because may be she knows that nobody will help her. This shows
that people were corrupted.

 Telling Lie to his wife:

Samurai are having so called greatness in Japanese culture. They never speak lie but when
Matajuro Unno came at home after fighting with mafia men, he spoke lie to his wife. Actually
he was in pain.

 Self-respect is more important than any other thing:

In this scene when Shinza was requesting merchant's clerk for a loan then clerk was shouting on
him. Then Shinza said that he is not a beggar and for him self-respect was more important than
money.
  Camera angle:
Whenever a new seen start In this film the camera shows the symmetry in scene, like in this
picture peddler is moving exact mid on the road. These symmetry make scene clearer and
audience can't distract easily.

Conclusion
This film shows the dark side of samurai. As they don't have humanity. Humanity is compared
with paper balloons. In the it is showed that paper balloon goes into the muddy water this
shows that as paper balloon don't have a destination, like this humanity also don't have any
destination. This film don't show glorify samurai, in most of Japanese films samurai are shown
as brave and warriors but in this they are not even fighting against social barriers and
discrimination. On the other side it shows the revolution of Shinza against landlord. Shinza
shows his humanity, determination and courage, in the end he emerges as the hero of this film.

References
1. Bhowmik, Ritwij. “Japan Segment: Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937).” Appreciating Far-
Eastern Cinema. IIT Kanpur. Kanpur. May 2016.Lecture.
2. “Humanity and Paper Balloons.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web.6 th June 2016.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanity_and_Paper_Balloons >
3. “Edo society” from Wikipedia. Web 6th June 2016.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_society>