Sakuran

Sakuran is a Japanese Edo-period drama film released in 2006 starring model-J-Rock artist-actress and all around badass Anna Tsuchiya. The film is based on a manga series by Moyoco Anno and was adapted to the screen by photographer turned director Mika Ninagawa. Given that this is Ninagawa’s directorial debut it is remarkable that she has managed to visualise another period of time and assemble it with such clarity, accuracy and creativity as she has done. Apparently in interviews she has commented on the fact that she went through a vast amount of Ukiyoe (woodblock) prints to get to grips with the visual style of Yoshiwara (a famous district for prostitution) and based a lot of her modern, colourfully illustrated designs and patterns on the classical art of Edo.

Sakuran utilises lush and juicy colours to express the elegance of the Tamagikuya (brothel) establishment as well as the courtesans it houses, who dressed in outfits of fluorescent oranges, reds, yellows, purples and blues; with thickly painted faces, appear doll-like more than anything else. Murials of dragons and flowers; and stained glass windows of the same hues enshroud these women who are knelt, smoking their pipes and gossiping, awaiting the attention of some Samurai or Taros. There is one woman who seems to gain more attention than any of the others, standing out because of the nonchalant way she drags on her pipe, her inviting eyes and indifferent smirk as she whispers “come in, come in” to a prospective lay. This is Kiyoha, the first of several names she is given denoting her position on the hierarchical ladder, played by Anna Tsuchiya. Though prior to this she has only had two other starring roles in Kamikaze Girls and Bashment, she has never looked as gorgeous or had as much sex appeal as she does in Sakuran, making a move from the cool but cutesy Ichigo to the voluptuous and composed (well most of the time) Kiyoha.

After the brief introduction of the seventeen year old Kiyoha, the film travels back in time to her as a child making her first steps on the road to becoming the courtesan she is today. As with all of them, she was sold off at an early age (around seven) by her parents to a brothel, this one in particular being the Tamagikuya household based in the Yoshiwara district, a famous ‘Akasen’ or red-light district in Edo now known as Tokyo. During the Edo period, the Yoshiwara district was the culmination of increasing rates of prostitution in cities such as Kyoto, Edo and Osaka, which the Tokugawa shogunate wanted to restrict. It was here that she would undergo training, almost as though she were going to a finishing school of sorts; entering as a scruffy, dirty faced, little runt who is told she is now the property of the brothel. She is to be an apprentice to the head oiran (the highest and most respected of all the courtesans) called Elder Sister Shohi (Miho Kanno), who after training her, becomes the jealous rival in that Kiyoha ends up surpassing her in terms of popularity with the customers.

Feeling disgust and vexation at the hell-bound heathens around her; and to save her from the same fate as them, the scowling young Kiyoha uses her strong will to make vain attempts at escape from the Tamagikuya quarters. As she gets older she keeps trying, which only results in her being reprimanded; tied around a rock, whilst slapped in the face and beaten in the stomach with a wooden paddle. Still undeterred she vows to leave the quarters when the cherry blossom tree that is in the garden flourishes. Unfortunately she is told that the tree is incapable of doing this Given the comparison between Kiyoha and the cherry blossom tree, with the frequent splicing of cherry blossoms in some shape falling in the film, it can be said that the tree is symbolic of Kiyoha’s freedom and maturity into becoming a woman. She holds the naive belief that she can be better than those around her and that she is a diamond in the rough. Tsuchiya’s character has already become a Kiyoha and does not want to descend (morally speaking) a step or maybe I should say leap further into becoming an oiran. At one point she asks why there is a lack of cherry blossoms falling in the quarter. There is no explanation for the tree’s stunted development but it seems to suggest the lack of innocence and purity of the household given the professions that its inhabitants hold. After all, in Japan the cherry blossoms are an anticipated and cherished aspect of the culture for the way they herald in a season and add beauty to the landscape. To have them bless a den of debauchery such as the Tamagikuya household would be a defamation of the tree’s purity and cleanliness. However they also symbolise the transience of life because of how short it is which does seem appropriate for women who are not only in a line of work that holds certain health risks, but which also makes them decay inside. The idea of mono no aware or “a pity toward things” of which the Sakura (cherry blossoms) are associated exemplifies this bittersweet sadness of women whose job it is to provide love for money; to develop a soul and exist as a refined, elegant woman of sorts given their training, only to use these talents for something as demeaning as selling their bodies and ultimately their hard earned souls. Mono no aware would certainly be an accurate way of describing the way I felt towards these courtesans who live the definitive contradiction. This is especially true when we see Tuschiya’s tough outer shell crack, giving way to her emotions when she has an intimate moment with a romantic interest named Sojiro (Hiroki Narimiya). He comes across as a compassionate and sensitive individual not like the dirty old men that are her usual bread and butter.

The other significant use of symbolism in the film is goldfish swimming around in their bowl, protected yet constrained from the harsh realities outside of it. Like the shots of Sakuras which are interposed into the film at various intervals, so are shots of goldfish which seem to be happy enough living their simple, unthreatened existence. The courtesans are these goldfish and the Tamagikuya household is their water filled bowl, without which they would not be able to survive. During the Edo period most of the courtesans were in heavy debt and so were effectively prisoners of the brothel. The only realistic way they could escape would be if they were bought by some wealthy man who would keep the woman as his personal concubine. In Sakuran Tsuchiya gets this opportunity when a Samurai takes an interest in her and insists on taking her out of there; though he makes it clear that she would not become his concubine but more of a companion. This Samurai called Lord Matsumoto is also another source of jealous conflict between Elder Sister Shohi and Kiyoha as the former had been in love with Matsumoto for a while and had once been his favourite lover.

After the current oiran (Shohi) dies in a freak accident, Kiyoha is asked to take her place as the new oiran as she is the most beautiful and popular of all the courtesans. She is reluctant to do so, though not because of her earlier attempts at wanting to escape this lifestyle. She says, with a hint of sarcasm, that she is worried that by becoming an oiran she will be deprived of her bitching privileges, and ascending the ranks would probably give her the riches she would not be able to complain about. Kiyoha eventually accepts the proposal and moves up the sex chain, being introduced on her promenade like a debutante making her first appearance as a woman amongst her elitist society. It is a heavyish rock ballad that ushers Tsuchiya in as the new oiran, now named Higurashi, signifying a new era in its movement away from the traditional Shamisen styled music used for her predecessor.
Everything in the brothel is done with the utmost respect and civility, making prostitution out to be just another custom. Things ranging from tea-ceremonies to sensual massages are all executed with style and grace, unlike a back-alley bang which is the more common form of the game in areas such as Kabuki-cho or Shinjuku as described in novels like Grotesque or In the Mizo Soup. Nevertheless it is prostitution all the same and still has the same consequences for the women involved. The veneer of finesse that seems to make it innocuous and acceptable has the effect of putting a tuxedo on a bear. On the other hand, the functional use of colour in Sakuran almost removes the depravity and licentiousness from the sex act and replaces it with a heart full of warmth. These women don’t sell themselves on street corners and their agents are not pimps, like in Kiss of the Dragon, who exploit them. There is discipline and etiquette to the way they sell themselves and whilst some may say prostitution is prostitution no matter how you dress it up, Sakuran surely reflects a different side to the business, albeit a possibly over-glamorised one. If any of you have seen the Firefly episode “Heart of Gold” then you will probably understand what I mean.

The fashion of Yoshiwara was also a key element to this lifestyle, and traditionally they were meant to wear simple blue robes, however, as can be seen in Sakuran this is clearly not what happened. The established women would want to wear the most popular fashions of the time, which would consist of colourful silk kimonos, obi and ornate hair decorations. In the film, almost as a rite of passage a hair pin is given to Tsuchiya by her orian, which she then passes down to a young apprentice of hers at the end of the film. The hair pin was special in its nature as none of the other girls had one like it, and it seemed to symbolise the fact that Tsuchiya would always be the most fashionable courtesan who the customers preferred and of whom would receive the most gifts and attention, making her a figure of contempt in the eyes of her peers.

One other character to look out for is Seiji (Masanobu Ando) who has been in the service of the Tamagikuya household his entire life, as his mother was once a courtesan there. He occupies the role of Kiyoha’s guardian/big brother as he is always not far away, ready to offer friendship and emotional support should things get too much for her to handle. Even though he appears as a guardian it is obvious from his behaviour and the way he longingly stares at her that his affections run deeper; though his feelings are never requited mainly because he never makes them known to Kiyoha but instead remains stolid and proud.

The soundtrack was an eclectic mixture of jazz, pop, rock and diegetic use of a classical Shamisen (three stringed instrument) which successfully blended old and new vibes in much the same way as Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette did. Both directors are re-imagining the past in the present world, and the music which instigates both rebellion (which is played out by Kirsten Dunst and Anna Tsuchiya respectively) and adherence to cultural customs, acts almost as a canvas in which the two heroines try to paint their freedom. Ironically the Shamisen was an instrument used a lot in the Edo period, especially to accompany Kabuki and Bunraku. The fact that the women actually look like dolls too, suggests that the director is hinting at a Bunraku performance not least because of the courtesans’ similar languid movements and lack of autonomy.

If you enjoy being visually satisfied by films and feel like learning a bit about Edo culture then I recommend this film. The acting is pretty solid and there are no superfluous characters or plots; if anything I thought the various relationships Kiyoha had with those around her could have been fleshed out a bit more as her development as a courtesan did seem a bit hasty. There is some insightful symbolism in Sakuran and the dialogue is never dull or mundane. I believe you can buy this off yesasia.com but it is a bit pricey so maybe you might want to consider other avenues of seeing it.