The Inugami ‘effect’ (‘The Inugami Family’ - Kon Ichikawa, 1976) / ‘Inugami’ - Masato Harada, 2001)

By Nicholas Poly
In this article I’m going to take a peek on a double bill. The first title is Kon Ichikawa’s intriguing mystery drama ‘The Inugami Family’ aka ‘The Inugamis’, which was released back in 1976. The second one is Masato Harada’s ‘Inugami’ which was released 25 years later, in 2001.

The interesting fact is the inugami ‘effect’ itself, in both films, which is also the obvious link between the two titles. It must be stressed though, that the theme is presented from a completely different angle in each one of these features. This means that there is no apparent ‘technical’ or ‘artistic’ relation between the two films. Harada’s film is nor a remake neither some kind of ‘hommage’ on Ichikawa’s title. Each one of the films forms a cinematic universe of its own, despite the dramatic overtones and symbolisms that reflect in both features.

But first of all what is ‘inugami’, what does it mean? 

‘Inugami’ (which stands for ‘dog god’) is a state of spiritual possession by the spirit of a forest dog, mostly revived in the western parts of Japan. The ‘Inugami’ belongs in the class of supernatural monsters, a ‘Yokai’ in Japanese terms. It is also believed that this kind of possession may not have a strictly ‘evil’ or vicious effect on a human, as these spirits of ‘god dogs’ come in various forms. The ‘Inugami’ is an inherited ‘curse’ that passes on from generation to generation, within the members of a family. The person who is primarily responsible for the possession has also the power to control its effect through the affected members of the family. It’s said that the ‘possessed’ have the power to cause health issues to enemies or even bring wealth to those who befriend them. To make a quite long and interesting story short, we’re talking about some kind of folklore superstition, a kind of deeply symbolic, supernatural state, which is quite possible to take a deadly, vengeful turn within a ‘clan’.

If you want to discover more about ‘yokai’ folklore beasts in general, there is this great book called ‘The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons: a Field Guide To Japanese Yokai’ written by Matthew Meyer. It’s full of beautiful illustrations by the author himself, plus you will find interesting stuff about the inugami concept. There are plenty of interesting books regarding yokai monsters. Of course there is also Miyazaki’s most popular celebration of forest god’s in his ‘Mononoke Hime’ back in 1997. A feature which should be analysed frame by frame in order to righteously explain the symbolism of the creatures Miyazaki presents.   Finally, if you fancy a little bit sleazier take on the Inugami myth you may find it it in Shunya Ito’s 1977 film ‘Curse of the dog god’. Though I like Ito as a director, who’s mostly famous in the west for his ‘Sasori’ series starring Meiko Kaji, I wasn’t overly satisfied with his take regarding the ‘inugami’ curse. He surely produced much better features throughout his career than that. But let’s take a look into our main titles.

Kon Ichikawa

First of all, I would love to write a few words regarding the great filmmaker, Mr. Kon Ichikawa. He is most widely known to the public for his 1959 epic ‘Nobi’. But that’s just a tip of an iceberg full of amazing masterpieces, literally created for every kind of cinematic taste and mood. Ichikawa himself had his own film remade 30 years later, back in 2006, under the title ‘The Inugamis’. This is no surprise as Ichikawa is widely known about his remakes on various titles during his career. In 1985, almost 3 decades after its original release, Ichikawa created a remake of his own poetic WWII chime ‘The Burmese Harp’. Moreover, one of his greatest masterpieces, which is also one of the most important and thoroughly entertaining films in the history of Japanese cinema, the blend of ‘kabuki’ revenge drama mixed with pure entertainment that ‘An Actor’s Revenge’ is, was released in 1963.  It also happens to be an absolutely stunning remake of the equally gorgeous 1937 film by the pioneer director Teinosuke Kinugasa.

Still taken from Ichikawa’s stunning remake on Kinugasa’s ‘An Actor’s Revenge’ 1963

Ichikawa also mastered the art of onscreen literary adaptations. For instance, his adaptation on Mishima’s iconic ‘Conflagaration’ in 1959 is a filmic essay on how one adapts a novel onscreen. In ‘Conflagaration’ he’s taking a genuine, fully symbolic, work of art in order to transform it into a solid, powerhouse cinematic statement. Hand in heart, and having watched a certain amount of his films on repeat, I dare say that even a whole volume might not be enough to describe in full detail the triumphs that Mr. Ichikawa has achieved through his creative years. Let’s not forget we’re talking about a spanning career that runs through 6 decades and about 90 features…the utterly rare but exact case where cinematic quantity meets quality.

Ichikawa’s versatility is something unique. His amazing artistic tuition, regarding so many different aspects, shines all over his films. His impeccable skills range from costume and set design to ‘manga’ storyboarding techniques. His perfect sense on using the right sounds and musical scores against the exact precise imagery make his features, most often, seem like an audiovisual marvel, to say the least. Ichikawa is a masterful entertainer, a really clever and definitely a complex one. The artist that hits all kinds of spots. There’s absolutely nothing to spare. He is the one who will use every tool he has to turn on the viewer’s senses to the highest volume possible. His heroes seem dignified, they seek redemption and even revenge, they often defy their limits, they resist. They become preserved, they demand spiritual enlightenment, but they are daring at the same time, ready to push their human boundaries.

After his epic triumph with the filming of the iconic documentary about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics for Toho studios, Ichikawa directed a few independent productions. There were a series of documentaries and a few dramas, including the beloved title of ‘Matatabi’ (aka The Wanderers) a marvelous, metaphorical film about three ‘ronin’ warriors in feudal Japan which shouldn’t be missed.

The Inugami Family

In 1976, he decides that it’s about time to get involved with proper studio production once again, as things in Japanese film industry went extremely tight for a vast number of first rate creators. He teams up with Kadokawa studios and directs the onscreen adaptation of the novel ‘The Inugami Clan’. This is the first film from a series of five created by Ichikawa, which involve the iconic Japanese detective Kosuke Kindaichi. This is a character originally created by the acclaimed novelist Seishi Yokomizo and followed by almost 80 absolutely classic mystery tales. Ichikawa strikes gold as ‘The Inugami Family’ becomes a huge box-office success, accompanied by critical appraisal. The production values are huge and the refund is equally big. This is possibly the film which fuelled Ichikawa’s engine to get going at full speed towards the next decades.

Once again, following his successful recipe of extremely complex but highly entertaining films, he manages to handle a quite big number of characters in absolute harmony, and respect the author’s hierarchy, at the same time. He’s so spot on balancing the ingredients of comedy – family drama – mystery – thriller in such a scale that his achievement only seems as effortlessly natural as much as impressive. Undoubtedly, Ichikawa has got exactly what it takes to accomplish this quite difficult task. We’re talking about a case where the viewer has to keep up with about 15 to 17 (to be a bit more precise 10 leading family members plus 2 leading outsiders consist the very core around which the main drama revolves) characters. These very characters constantly clash with each other in various ways, in order to dominate over a family fortune case.

But let’s try setting a few things in order by providing as much information as I’m allowed to give without spoiling the pleasure of watching Ichikawa’s extraordinary ‘craftwork’. The truth is that if the viewer digs into the film without reading Yokomizo’s novel or without a very rough sketch, there is a minor possibility of getting ‘lost’. The final conclusion is quite clear though.

The story is set around 1947. WWII has ended and the set is the small community around lake Nasu. A very wealthy and the apparent head of the Inugami family, Sahei, is ready to ‘leave’ this world. Sahei (a quite Shakespearean figure for at least as much time as we get to notice him) is also the founder of a big pharmaceuticals company, which runs under his name. As we sink further into the case, we learn a few secrets, which, by the way, seem to be a bit common within the community members. There are revelations which unfold through personal discussions, regarding how he set up his business and subsequently on how he grew extremely rich and powerful in the area of Nasu. After all, providing drugs to ease the human pain during wartime, equals big profits. The opening sequence captures Sahei surrounded by a number of family members. The family lawyer, Mr. Furutachi, is ready to read the will he left behind as Sahei’s body lies on the tatami, ready to take his very last breath. Except the fact that his will won’t be announced yet. This happens for the simple reason that he has commanded that each and every one of the Inugami family members should be present when that happens.

Rentaro Mikuni as Sahei, the patriarch of The Inugami Family

The Inugami family tree is quite complex. Sahei has 3 daughters with 3 different women with whom he never got married. At some point, when the will is finally being announced, we are informed that he has a 4th one with a maid who worked inside his mansion. From the 3 apparent daughters, Matsuko is the eldest, Takeko is the second and the third one is Umeko. Matsuko and Umeko live in their father’s mansion, while Takeko lives  in Tokyo, with her husband, who happens to be a branch manager for the company there. The 3 daughters have 3 sons named Suketake, Suketomo and Sukekiyo except Takeko, the middle sister, has also a daughter named Sayoko. His 4th daughter has also a son named Shizuma. Shizuma’s and his mother’s last name doesn’t belong in the Inugami visibly ‘legitimate’ circle of family members. He and his mother are some kind of outcasts who do not receive any kind of approval from the rest  of the family members. At least as they present them to be. Shizuma and Sukekiyo (Matsuko’s son) were soldiers fighting for the Japanese army and one of the reasons Sahei’s will is not read in the first place is because Matsuko is missing away from the mansion for a while. This happens in order to meet her son who made his way back from the front, wounded, carrying a nasty face disfigurement. As a result, she’s bringing him back, with his face covered behind a white mask. As soon as Matsuko and her son return to the mansion the will can be read in front of every single member, as Sahei had commanded in the first place.

In the very beginning we also focus on a young girl named Tamayo Nonomiya. Tamayo is introduced as Sahei’s protégée. At first we learn that she has no connection with the Inugamis. We are informed that she’s just a character that Sahei felt connected with and eventually that’s how she found herself inside his mansion. Of course this is not quite the case as Tamayo’s presence is one of the keys for various reasons and faces within the family. This includes a hidden secret on how Sahei appeared in Nasu area out of nowhere at a young age and how he befriended a local couple there, including a strange romance. A story that goes 60 years back and which I am not going to analyze any further.

Yoko Shimada as Tamayo Nonomiya, Sahei’s protegee

At the same time, we witness the arrival of our hero, the man that becomes our guiding light through this puzzle. Detective Kindaichi is a fairly young man, who, at first glance, doesn’t quite make an impression of what some may call a stereotypical ‘detective figure’. He has a quirky spirit though, and an amazingly strong sense of what’s happening around him. He certainly knows how to get into the bottom of things in his own special way. He comes along a quite gentle, discreet and trustworthy personality. He’s spontaneous and a bit of a loner. I would say, for us the westerners, Ichikawa’s Kindaichi is a hybrid of Detective Colombo and a bit of Holmes. He seems to drift in his own thoughts, but the truth is that’s only a cover to get exactly where he wants.

Kindaichi is called by Wakabayashi, the Inugami’s lawyer young assistant. Apparently Wakabayashi reads the will by himself so he writes to Kindaichi and invites him to examine a few things. There is also a hint that this certain man has a thing going on with beautiful Tamayo, Sahei’s protégée. He understands that there will be lots of tribulations, so he calls the detective to have an eye on case. The thing is that Wakabayashi is the first one of the victims, as he’s found poisoned inside the small ‘Nasu Inn’, the place where Kindaichi’s staying, while he’s dropping in to have a meeting with him. Kindaichi also becomes the eye-witness of an incident concerning Tamayo’s assassination, as there’s an attempt to drown her by sinking her small boat. Note that all this take place within almost half an hour of a 2 and a half hour film. The audience is bombarded with details, names, hints from the past and quite a lot of action right from the first minute. And this is just a needle in a haystack full of information, full of turns and twists which occur in a delirious pace as the story proceeds.

At the point where the Inugamis finally gather, Furutachi, the lawyer, asks Kindaichi to be present while he announces the will as he’s being afraid after the incident of his assistant’s death. Every single member is having dreams about shares, making calculations and speculations regarding the patriarch’s testament. That goes especially for the 3 main daughters. The thing is, Sahei Inugami has his own unpredictable way of mixing the cards even without being physically present. Through his will, he commands that the only case of claiming any bit of his vast fortune is that only one of the 3 grandsons must be picked as a husband by his protégée, Tamayo. What’s even more interesting is that inside his will he predicts the possible implications which might come after his commandment. As a result, he leaves very specific orders about who claims what in every possible case. All this mess, just in case someone might go missing or even if an accident might happen to somebody. He even speculates the case in which Tamayo might get away with someone else than the 3 grandsons…and not only that. He also placed the son of his fourth estranged daughter, Shizuma, in the game to spice things up a bit. This is where all the mayhem starts breaking loose. A series of murders start taking place, drastically reducing the number of ‘candidates’ while family members try to prove their identities through a rollercoaster of role changing behind latex masks. There is some identity swapping occurring, human heads found on statues bodies and three family symbols are being transformed into killing instruments: axe, koto instrument and chrysanthemum.

Koji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi is waiting behind the Inugami’s lawyer to hear Sahei’s will announcement

The performances are absolutely spot on. Koji Ishizaka is absolutely convincing as detective Kindaichi. He performed the same hero in all 4 Kindaichi adaptations by Ichikawa which followed ‘The Inugami Family’. Teruhiko Aoi plays a double part as both soldiers – sons – heirs who return from the front, while in most of the film he’s being covered by a white latex mask. Yoko Shimada as Tamayo is absolutely stunning in front of the camera and Ichikawa is fully aware of that so he gives her plenty of time. Overall, I cannot isolate a specific performance for the simple reason that we have a truly amazing ensemble cast performance. The result is brilliant to say the least. Ichikawa conducts his ‘orchestra’ with absolute precision, providing all the space and time he can afford, from the biggest time consuming parts to the smallest ones. Even Seishi Yokomizo himself appears in a quite small part as the Nasu Innkeeper.

As a viewer and as an Ichikawa fan, I got the impression that 2 and a half hours are not quite enough to spread the storyline and I can bet the auteur was aware of that fact. The film runs a bit fast at the beginning, it becomes more rapid in the middle and slows down a bit in the end so we can digest the overall effect of the mystery. In fact, this could be a top quality TV mini series. I  guess that this is one of the reasons that the film was a crowd pleaser, without putting my hand on any bible, as audiences are a strange breed. Though it’s an overwhelmingly complex and multidimensional story, Ichikawa chooses his depiction not to be too formulaic, too academic if you want. And he makes the right choice. He lets things a bit loose like he doesn’t want to push things in a certain direction. Of course he probably took advantage of the fact that Kadokawa films are not meant to be formulaic. They usually pick different thematic genres, mixing them with easygoing and popular styles in order to flash out pure, fun entertainment. But in the end, it’s the same Japanese cinematic versatility that makes them another beautiful cinematic cult. After all, that’s a positive way to attract different kinds of audiences and experiment with them. The more demanding, academic audience, plus the more ‘televised’ audience who seeks straightforward thrills. I may understand why Kurosawa, who found himself in absolute turmoil at the time, despised films produced by Haruki Kadokawa. I don’t share his opinion on this certain issue, as I recognize that Ichikawa made that happen by not losing any of his already confirmed artistic integrity and legacy. I would say, on the contrary, he fully succeeds in this experiment by gaining even more viewers, by showing a way to others and by potentially reinventing himself. Making it through such a difficult task, in such hard times and with such tough competition all around him, it only makes this kind of experiment look like a great achievement.




Inugami

In Masato Harada’s ‘Inugami’ we are ‘teleported’ half a century later, in the forests of Mount Omine where his story unfolds, based on a novel by Masako Bando.

In the opening sequence, we meet one of the two main characters. At first we meet Miki Bonomiya, a name which sort of reminds the last name of Tamayo Nonomiya, Sahei’s protégée in Ichikawa’s ‘Inugamis’. She’s a traditional in-house maker of paper used for calligraphy. She cooperates with a wealthy family near Omine, the Dois, who own a big paper factory. She hands over her handmade calligraphic papers to them and they both make profit as the Dois push it in the big market along with their own products. Seiji, a young local from the Doi family and apparent heir of the Doi paper fabric is responsible for trading with Miki. At first glance and as we observe Miki’s character, we see an obviously good looking woman who has somehow abandoned herself. She’s a loner and a hard worker, living with her estranged family who has quite a name in the area. Her hair are gray-ish, though she doesn’t look old enough. At the same time, we meet our second main character, Akira Nutahara, a newcomer in the area who arrives there to teach in a school in Ikeno area, which is right next to Omine. As he runs out of gas, he accidentally meets Seiji. They have small talk regarding who’s who and Seiji gives him some information about the location. Seiji, who’s a kind figure throughout his presence in the film, helps Akira by giving him a ride. He tells him he’s got to make a stop at Miki’s place first. As they walk through a forest to reach Miki’s isolated paper lab, Akira passes out. As a result, he’s found unconscious in Miki’s working place and that’s how the two main characters get in touch.

Yuki Amami as the Inugami possessed Miki Bonomiya

In the meantime, we have already met the third-key character, Takanao. He’s Miki’s brother and he’s not a particularly easygoing character. In fact, he’s an oppressive patriarch in disguise, who uses everything and everyone to do whatever he wants. Practically, he kinda sweeps under the rug his personal failures and his weaknesses which have an impact on the rest of the family. He also treats women in a despicably chauvinistic manner, as he has these misogynistic outbursts where he drives his wife on the edge of her temper. This is only the tip of his hideous behavior as he keeps his family captive through a way of life that doesn’t keep up with the era they actually live in. It seems like he keeps them hidden in the ‘dark’. They don’t use electricity, TV’s or phones, but as we learn, they are allowed to use a computer. Probably because Takanao had a wine trade which he set up through the internet, which, expectantly, fell apart like everything and everyone else in his life.

These 3 characters have something very important in common. It’s through their secret that Harada’s mixes a bit of Oedipus Rex mythology with the inugami curse. Both these traits run within the Bonomiya circle for a long time and as it seems, they make their presence ‘visible’ once again.

Oedipus Rex

In case you’re not aware what Oedipus Rex is about allow me to make a brief  introduction. We’re  talking about a Greek ancient tragedy written by the great Sophocles. Oedipus is abandoned by his father, Laios the king of Thebes. Oedipus is found and raised by Polybus, the king of Corinth, an area in the northern part of Peloponnese. Oedipus receives a prophecy where he’s destined to kill his father and marry his mother, in order to become a king. Thinking that he might kill Polybus, his stepfather, he leaves Corinth and as he wanders he accidentally kills Laios, his biological father. He steps in Thebes, which has become an abandoned kingdom. Thebes is left at the mercy of the Sphinx, a mythological monster. He solves the riddle of Sphinx as required and becomes the King of Thebes. He’s marrying the king’s widow, Jocasta, who’s also his biological mother. Years later when Jocasta learns she’s married to her son and as it appears, her husband’s killer as well, she commits suicide by hanging herself. When Oedipus realizes what he’s really done he blinds himself by sticking two of Jocasta’s pins into his eyes.  Freud borrowed Oedipus act of incest to come up his theory about the Oedipus complex.

Harada’s using the Oedipus complex and mixes it with Japanese tradition and folkloric horror in order to create a multidimensional story. I can’t say he succeeds fully, as it seems that he wants to say a lot of things in almost less than two hours. The film is very well made, though. I also got the impression that people were expecting a J-horror kind of film, but this is not actually the case. The mystery and the creepiness is present in a scale. But this is mainly a tragedy and as the story proceeds, it becomes clear that we are involved into a psychological drama with supernatural character. This is the reason why I don’t want to spend a lot of words regarding the plot unfolding. The very final scene is kind of opposing to the original Oedipus Rex tragic ending. It seems  more cathartic than just driving us to a tragic conclusion. There is a possibility that this is happening in order to ease all these crushingly dramatic interactions we watch taking place before our eyes a bit. Probably Harada wants a more ‘romantic’ ending as he wants us to finally feel for these two souls, no matter what we may think about their interaction. I have also the sense that Harada leaves it a bit ‘open’ for us to wander, just like the two main characters do.

Atsuro Watabe as Akira Nutahara, the newcomer in Omine

Again we receive a lot of information. Of course not as much as we do in Ichikawa’s film. The editing seems hasty, austere and I don’t know if this is Harada’s intention, in order to give it a bit of boost regarding the Western audiences. Note that the film was introduced in Berlin Film Festival. I believe it would be much better if the film would be half an hour longer. This should allow Harada to develop a few characters a bit better. Nevertheless, Harada is a great cinematographer. He manages to bring harmony and a sense of spirituality with his camerawork, through open spaces and beautiful colors. The overtones are gloomy but they are nicely infused with the vivid landscape. He achieves this by taking us for a walk through the beautiful Omine forests or by focusing towards the clear sky. His naturalistic way of shooting is effectively poetic and moody at the same time. So are his skills as an auteur in general. I believe his ‘Kamikaze Taxi’ is one of the best films shot in the 90’s. His ‘Bounce Ko Gals’ is also an amazing masterpiece, among many other of his titles. If you haven’t watched those excellent, truly modern masterpieces of contemporary Japanese filmmaking you definitely need to, as soon as possible.

The final sequence where the Bonimiya clan is heading for a ritual (except the fact it isn’t exactly such an innocent one but I won’t reveal anything) in order to ‘cleanse’ the family’s name in 9 centuries is beautifully shot. Furthermore, we take a look inside the community members, who look upon these women as some kind of witches. This is quite a revealing point of view regarding the modern Japanese province. Harada shoots this certain sequence in black and white removing any hint of color, only to bring it back after the conclusion of this ‘ritual’. This kind of ritual ends up in something totally different, inhuman. In a way he indicates that through this ritual certain modern human values, even life itself, are cancelled by ‘superstitions’. They are presented in such way in order to distort the nobility of the term ‘tradition’. It’s the human spirit and the perception of what’s right or wrong that pushes people towards these paths. When such perceptions exist there will always be someone present to take advantage of them.

I truly loved Yuki Amami's performance as Miki. She’s everything that needs to be as the troubled woman, whohas physically transformed as she falls in love with the young man. She knows she probably does the wrong thing, she’s been there again in the past, practically stigmatizing her life, but she learns how to live with this mark on her ‘skin’. At the same time, she wants to escape, to transform into something new, unknown to her. She sees visions of her mother who explains what’s happening to her regarding the inugami myth, but we don’t know what’s real or not.  She becomes serene, sensual, angry, decisive, even afraid when she exactly needs to be. She delivers her character  perfectly, so the viewer is able to feel through her. She managed to make me care about this woman who’s found in the eye of the storm, once again in her life. It’s quite obvious that Mrs. Amami is a skilled actress as she was also a member of the Takarazuka Revue, a theatrical collective and school which consists strictly of women who perform all parts, male either female, in theatrical plays. The male performances are also meticulously delivered as well, but the female leading role shines, practically stealing the show.

The Bonomiya ritual

Publisher: Best Medicine
Release date: February 2005
Running time: 106 minutes
This UK DVD is region code 2. The edition includes one disc. The film is in Japanese and has English subtitles.
Picture format is 1.78:1 widescreen PAL and the sound DTS Surround Japanese, subtitles are available in English


Conclusion


On the whole, I think that these two films prove how versatile Japanese cinema is. You can be versatile if you are clever enough to take hints from your close environment to create something on your own. Of course the birth of a concept is not something which falls from the sky, the creator is destined to go back to the main sources, constantly . But think this is the real power behind Japanese filmmakers and their creativity, despite their time of being. Symbolism (among many others) as a cultural trait is definitely one of Japan’s main creative weapons. This is excluded from the medium  it is applied, a film or a building, a painting or a camera angle. As a man living in Greece, a nation where symbolism used to be an artistic basis, I can easily relate in such a way of storytelling. I can perceive what is caused through this transaction, for at least most of the times I get to have such an experience. Mythology, superstitions, the closed family circle and hidden secrets, patriarchs and the connection with an ancient spirit, practically unknown (what we know about our true historic past is nothing compared to what we really don’t) past. Ichikawa and Harada are undoubtedly versatile filmmakers, it’s clear through their filmography. They are clever and capable enough to draw a myth from the past. Each one of them manages to adjust this folkloric trait according to his needs. It seems easy work from the audience's point of view, but it isn’t, as the trap of ending up in endless clichés is there.

In this case, we get two absolutely different films but with a few and very minor common characteristics. In the end, they both show two oppressive circles of patriarchy and the victims, younger people guided by other victims, mothers and siblings. This is also a form of tragedy. A tragedy just like the one Sophocles gave us almost two thousand and a half years ago.