Sunday, April 24, 2011
Shinto and Sunshine through the rain
In the sunshine through the rain portion of Kurosawa's "Dreams" a young boy sees a secret fox ritual that he is not supposed to watch. He goes even though he knows he is not supposed to be there and has been warned to stay away. The foxes are angry with him and think he should commit hari kari as punishment for his intrusion on their sacred ceremony. This expressly shows the Shinto opinion of dishonor, to which death is is an encouraged alternative. The fox marriages only occur on sunny days with rain and can be found under rainbows on said days. This is an example of kami because sunshine through the rain is an impressive weather occurrence and rainbows seem almost magical. The Shinto emphasis on harmony with nature is portrayed in this clip through a focus on the surroundings of the foxes and of the young boy. At first you wouldn't expect to relate this excerpt to much of anything but after learning of the ideals and practices in Shinto, the video makes so much more sense. It makes me want to watch more of "Dreams" to see the other instances of Shinto influence in the film.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I watched The Peach Orchard but Sunshine Through The Rain was definitely my second option. Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I watched "The Weeping Demon", and commented on other posts about other clips from the movie, it is interesting how I've noticed that all of them revolve around nature and how a human has disturbed its natural balance, leading to upset Kami that seek revenge or the placement of dishonor.
ReplyDeleteSara,
ReplyDeleteI was very interested in your views of the harmony of nature as displayed with the mix of the young boy and the foxes wedding procession. I was also impressed by your analogy of the rare weather occurrence and paralleling that with the power of Kami in nature. I think, and I believe you may agree, that the power of Kami is further developed by showing the contrast between the vastness of nature and the young boy. I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis. Well done.
I agree with you - there is a clear focus on the importance of dishonor in this clip. The dishonor caused the boy to become impure, and the boy had to cleanse himself and become pure again by seeking the forgiveness of the foxes.
ReplyDelete