映画『八犬伝』 A Movie, "Hakkenden"

映画『八犬伝』　　

 『八犬伝』を見た。役所広司が曲亭馬琴を演じた。映画は２場面の構成で、一つは馬琴が著述し、北斎がそれを絵にする場面。もう一つは、仁・義・礼・智・忠・信・孝・悌の玉を持つ八人の剣士と悪の化身・玉梓との一連の戦いの場面である。映画では、この二場面が入れ替わり繰り返される。「八犬伝」のシーンは正味１時間半である。

『南総里見八犬伝』は馬琴が２８年かけて書いた大作で、９８巻ある。これを、たったの１時間半に纏めるのは無理だ。しかし、玉を持つ若者が次々に紹介され、最後は里見家復興を成し遂げる。上手く纏めてあったが、上滑りなのは仕方がない。

『八犬伝』の挿絵は北斎ではない。また、鶴屋南北や渡辺崋山が登場するが、これもフィクションである。

感動した場面

①   馬琴が息子宗伯を亡くす場面。私は１８歳の兄を亡くしているが、私の両親の悲嘆は、如何ばかりであったかと察してほろりとした。

②   馬琴が盲目で著述できなくなった時、嫁のお路が口述筆記をする場面。馬琴は漢字が分からないお路に辛抱強く漢字を教え、お路は物語を完結する。

原文を読みたくなった。

A Movie, "Hakkenden"

I saw “Hakkenden” yesterday. Koji Yakusho performed the role of Kyokutei Bakin, an Edo era novelist (1764-1848).

The movie consists of two narratives. One depicts Bakin writing the story, with Katsushika Hokusai illustrating it. The other showcases eight young swordsmen, each possessing a bright, transparent ball representing virtues such as Humanity, Righteousness, Courtesy, Wisdom, Loyalty, Trust, Filial Piety, and Brotherly Love. They battle the evil spirit of Tamazusa. The movie alternates between these two narratives, resulting in about an hour and a half of fighting scenes.

Bakin spent 28 years writing the story which consisted of 98 volumes. The film condenses this long tale into just an hour and a half, which feels somewhat inadequate. 

Despite this, the film effectively introduces the eight swordsmen one by one. In the end, they defeat Tamazusa and restore the Satomi Clan. While it was well summarized, it inevitably felt superficial. This was perhaps unavoidable given the constraints.

Historical Inaccuracies:

The illustrator of "Hakkenden" is not Hokusai. The appearances of Turuya Nanboku and Watanabe Kazan in the movie are also fictional.

Moving Scenes:

①   Bakin’s son, Sohaku, dies young. This scene resonated with me as my elder brother also passed away at the age of 18. I believe my parents felt immense sorrow. Watching this part of the movie brought tears to my eyes.

②   In his later years, Bakin became blind and could no longer continue writing. Omichi, his daughter-in-law transcribed his words. Although she initially did not know how to write kanji characters, she learned with his patient guidance, eventually helping him complete his great work.

This film has sparked my interest in reading the original story.

 

鉄心の墓参り

目下、大垣藩の城代・小原鉄心の小説を書いている。

首尾よく執筆できるよう、１０月１０日、鉄心の墓のある全昌寺と、藩主戸田家の墓のある円通寺に参拝して来た。

運良く、全昌寺の住職が境内の墓を幾つか案内して下さった。全昌寺は１９４５年の大垣空襲で燃え、再建した寺である。寺には戊辰戦争で亡くなった大垣藩の藩士や九鬼水軍の子孫の墓などを見せていただいた。鉄心の墓では線香を焚き、蝋燭に火を点してお参りして来た。

大垣駅へ帰る途中、大垣郷土館と大垣城にも行って来た。執筆に役立つ資料が幾つかあった。

写真は上から大垣城模型、円通寺、全昌寺、小原鉄心の墓

Visiting Tesshin’s Grave

I am writing a novel about Ohara Tesshin, a chief retainer for the Ogaki-han Domain in the 1830s during the Edo era.

On October 10, I visited Tesshin’s grave at Zensho-ji Temple and the graves of the Toda clan, the lords of the domain, at Entsu-ji Temple to gather materials for my novel.  

Fortunately, the priest guided me around the graves. The temple was burned down in 1945 during WWII Ogaki air raids. He showed me the graves of Ogaki-han’s samurai warriors who were killed in the Boshin War (Japan's last civil war) as well as the grave of Kuki, a descendant of the naval force chief in the Seto Inland Sea. 

I paid my respects at Tesshin’s grave, lighting incense sticks and a candle.

On my way back to Ogaki Station, I visited Ogaki Historical Museum and Ogaki Castle. The materials I saw today will definitely help me write the novel.

Pictures are: from the top, Ogaki Castle model, Entsuji-Temple, Zensho-ji Temple, and Ohra Tesshin's grave.