Buddha

Japanese Films with Buddhist themes:
姿三四郎 Sugata Sanshiro (1943,1945,
1965, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1986, 2007)
大仏開眼 Daibutsu-kaigen
Dedication of the Great Buddha (1952, NHK 2010)
ビルマの竪琴 The Burmese Harp (1956, 1985)
釈迦 Shaka (aka Budda) (1961)
怪談 Kwaidan (1965)
*耳なし芳一 Mimi-nashi Hoichi Hoichi the Earless
乱 Ran (1985)
黒い雨 Black Rain (1989)
死者の書 The Book of the Dead (2005)
禅 Zen (2009)
Japanese Anime with Buddhist themes:
一休さん Ikkyū-san (1975-82 296x22min)
Roujin Z “Old Man Zetto" (1991 80min)
HAUNTED じゃんくしょん Haunted Junction
(1997 12x23min)
幻想魔伝 最遊記 Gensomaden Saiyuki (2000 50x23min)
あまえないでよっ!! Amaenaide Yo!! (2005 25x23min)
手塚治虫のブッダ－赤い砂漠よ！美しく
Tezuka Osamu no Buddha – Akai Sabaku yo! Utsukushiku
(The Red Desert! It's Beautiful)
(2011, 1st of 3. 111min)
www.buddha-movie.jp
BUDDHA 2 手塚治虫のブッダ－終わりなき旅－
Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Buddha: Owarinaki Tabi
(The Endless Journey)
(2014 85min)
http://www.buddha-anime.com/
http://www.toei.co.jp/en/movie/buddha.html
Japanese Anime with some Buddhist themes:
Studio Ghibli
火垂るの墓 Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
となりのトトロ My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
おもひでぽろぽろ Only Yesterday (1991)
平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ Heisei Tanuki Battles (1994 )
もののけ姫 Princess Mononoke (1997)
Documentaries on Japanese Buddhism:
Between Two Worlds: A Japanese Pilgrimage to the
88 Sacred Places of Shikoku (USA 1994)
The Zen Mind (USA 2006)
A Zen Life - D.T. Suzuki (USA 2008)
念仏物語 親鸞さま ねがい、そして ひかり
(Nenbutsu Story Shinran-sama Prayer & Light) (浄土真宗本願寺派
Jodoshinshu Honganji , 2008)
Other films with some content about Japanese religion:
3 Ninjas Kick Back (クロオビキッズ 日本参上!) (USA 1994)
シュート！Shoot! (aka Hit the Goal) (1994)
おくりびと Okuribito (Departures) (2008)
火天の城 Katen no Shiro (The Castle of the Fire Deity) (2009)
The
Zen
Mind
(2006)
USA
60min
A ZEN
LIFE D.T.
SUZUKI
(2008)
USA
77min
釈迦
Shaka
Buddha
(1961)
Japan
156 min.
DVD
no English
subtitles
手塚治虫の
ブッダ
(Tezuka
Osamu no
Buddha)
(2011,
2014)
DVD
no English
subtitles.
(fan sub)
BuddhaRajaon Ka Raja
(Buddha –
The King of
Kings)
(2013-14)
TV series
55 episodes
India
watch episodes
in Hindi:
http://www.zeetv.com
/shows/buddha/
大仏開眼 Daibutsu-kaigen Dedication of the Great Buddha
(2010) NHK no subtitles Nara, 752
火天の城 Katen no Shiro
The Castle of the Fire Deity
(2009) 140min. DVD no English subtitles
Azuchi Castle
built by Oda Nobunaga
completed 1579
burnt to the ground 3 years later
life-size replica of the top floors
of the castle are in the
Nobunaga no Yakata
museum near Azuchi station
top floor = Confucian sages 孔子の賢人
next floor down = Buddhist statues
空海 Kukai (1984) 179 minutes
Director: 佐藤純彌 Sato Junya
Mao Saeki, born 774 CE. Held promise
as a gifted scholar, but grew weary of
academia, turned to ascetic training
and eventually encountered Mikkyo
(Esoteric Buddhism). Changed his name
to Kukai, journeyed to T'ang China.
Ｂuilｔ the great temples of Koyasan.
With an exorbitant production budget
of 1.2 billion Yen, the film was shot on
location in China. Actual-sized envoy
ships to T'ang were recreated for the
cinematography
禅 Zen
(2009)
127min.
DVD
English
subtitles
Dōgen
1200-1253
死者の書
The Book
of the Dead
(2005)
70 min
DVD
English
subtitles
怪談
Kwaidan
(1965)
2h44min.
DVD
English
subtitles
Kwaidan 怪談
(1965)
Director: Kobayashi Masaki
4 tales of the supernatural 超自然 adapted 脚色 from Lafcadio Hearn
(a.k.a. Yakumo Koizumi, 1850-1904)'s adaptions of Japanese folktales.
Hoichi the Earless耳なし芳一
THE STORY OF MIMI-NASHI-HOICHI 60min.
MORE than seven hundred years ago, {1185} at Dan-no-ura, in the
Straits of Shimonoseki, was fought the last battle of the long contest
between the Heike, or Taira clan, and the Genji, or Minamoto clan.
There the Heike perished utterly, with their women and children, and
their infant emperor likewise--now remembered as Antoku Tenno.
And that sea and shore have been haunted for seven hundred years....
The Doctrine of the Emptiness of Forms
*Hannya-Shin-Kyo *Smaller Prajna-Paramita Sutra
* Heart Heart Sutra
"Form is emptiness (sunyata); and emptiness is form.
Emptiness is not different from form;
form is not different from emptiness.
What is form--that is emptiness. What is emptiness--that is form....
Perception, name, concept, and knowledge, are also emptiness.
There is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. ...
But when the envelopment of consciousness has been annihilated,
then the seeker becomes free from all fear,
and beyond the reach of change,
enjoying final Nirvana."
*sutra renders humans invisible to spirits and demons
乱
Ran
(1985)
2h
40min.
DVD
English
subtitles
Ran 乱 “Chaos”
(1985)
Director: Kurosawa Akira 黒澤 明 （his 27th film）
Music: Toru Takemitsu Costumes: Wada Emi
In the 16th century, Lord Hidetora Ichimonji, his 3 sons (Taro, Jiro, Saburo), and his
sometimes enemies Lord Fujimaki and Lord Ayabe meet for boar 牡豚 hunting.
Hidetora’s kyogen 狂言 jester 道化- companion, Kyoami, sings and dances.
Hidetora decides to retire 退役 and give his castles to his sons.
He shows that one arrow 矢 can be easily broken, but not 3 together.
The youngest son, Saburo, says Hidetora must be senile 老衰した
to think that sons brought up in a world of warfare will live peacefully together.
Hidetora banishes 追放 Saburo. Fujimaki invites Saburo to marry his daughter.
Hidetora gives the First Castle to the oldest son, Taro, whose wife, Lady Kaede,
tells him to really act like he is the master.
They invite Hidetora to a meeting but make him sit lower than them.
Hidetora leaves Taro’s castle angrily.
Kaede recalls that she was born and raised in this castle, which belonged to her father.
After she married Taro, Hidetora attacked and killed her father and brothers,
and her mother took her own life. How she has longed for this day, she says.
Hidetora goes to his second son, Jiro’s, castle.
Scene 1: Hidetora opens the door of a prayer pagoda 御堂odou.
On the dias 須弥壇 shumidan there is a Buddhist scroll 掛け軸 of Amitaba Buddha
阿弥陀仏. Hidetora is looking for Jiro’s wife, Lady Sue, who was another daughter of another one
of his defeated enemies. Lady Sue is praying to the western sky, holding a rosary 数珠 juzu.
“Hail the Western Paradise, to the Amitabha in 36 trillion identical manifestations.”
She is about to prostrate平伏 heifuku herself before Hidetora, but Hidetora takes her hand.
“No ceremony. It has been a long time. Let me see your face. You always have a sad face.
Every time I see you it pains me.” Sue smiles.
“That is even more heartbreaking. It was I, Hidetora, who burned your castle with your father
and mother and your family in it. Why do you look at me like that?
Rather glare にらみつける at me with hatred 憎しみ.
It would make me feel easier. Circumstances 周囲の事情 forced me to burn that castle.
If your father had just opened the casle to me and had lowered his head to me,
I would not have burned it; your father and mother would not have died.
No, there is no use in talking about it now. Go on, hate me!”
Lady Sue says, “I do not hate you. Everything is destiny 宿縁 due to our previous lives 前世.
All things are the heart of the Buddha.”
Hidetora says, “The Buddha仏 Hotoke again? There are no Buddhas in today’s world.
This is a degraded age末世, when the Buddha’s guardians, Bonten 梵天and Taishaku帝釈,
have been routed 敗走 by the raging 荒れ狂う Asuras 阿修羅.
It is not a world where we can rely on に頼る the Buddha’s compassion 同情.
Jiro arrives; Hidetora says he wants to be Jiro’s guest at Jiro’s castle, but Jiro says he must obey
his brother now, and Hidetora’s 30 soldiers cannot enter the castle. Hidetora leaves the castle
angrily. He goes to the Third Castle, where Taro and Jiro attack him bloodily. Taro is shot dead.
The castle burns (not CG) and Hidetora leaves. He wanders deranged狂ったwith his two
companions, Kyoami and Tango until they come to a small hut山小屋.
Scene 2: They recognize by the family crest家紋on a kimono that the man living in the hut is
Tsurumaru, Lady Sue’s brother. When Tsurumaru was a child, Hidetora had Tsurumaru’s eyes
gouged out 目玉をくり抜く. Tsurumaru says, “I tried hard to follow my sister’s teachings, to pray to
the Buddha and rid myself of hatred. But not one day have I failed to remember, and not one
night have I been able to forget and to sleep peacefully.” He says he will welcome them by
playing on his flute. Jiro brings Taro’s hair to Kaede. Kaede almost stabs 刺すJiro. She says she
knows Jiro killed Taro, but she only cares about her own future. She kisses him; they make love.
She says she wants to be his wife and she wants Lady Sue to be killed. Kurogane brings back a
fox head statue instead of Lady Sue’s head, saying that Sue has turned herself into a fox or must
have been a fox. Kyoami makes a helmet/crown of grass for Hidetora. Saburo and Fujimaki and
Ayabe come to attack Jiro. Hidetora and Kyoami see Sue and Tsurumaru at the ruins 遺跡 of
their old castle which Hidetora destroyed long ago. Hidetora thinks he must be in Hell. Scene 4:
Sue is fleeing 避けるwith Tsurumaru, waiting for her servant to return with Tsurumaru’s flute.
She goes to find her, and gives Tsurumaru an image scroll 巻物 of Amida Buddha so he won’t be
all alone and to protect him. Saburo finds his father and they are reconciled. Hidetora sits
behind Saburo on his horse.
Scene 5: Saburo is killed by Jiro’s assassin暗殺者’s shot, and Hidetora also dies.
Kyoami wails. Tango says to Kyoami, “You must not call back his soul 魂.
You must not let him wander 彷徨うin this hellish 地獄のような world any longer.”
Kyoami cries, “Is there no 神 Kami, no Buddha? Damn you 畜生！
Kami and Buddha are just a bunch of naughty boys いたずら小僧.
Are you so bored up there that you have fun crushing people like insects?
Is it interesting to see men wail? 泣き叫ぶ”
Tango says, “Enough! Do not swear 罵る at Kami and Buddha.
It is they who weep 涙を流す. Even they have no way of salvation for the evil deeds 悪行, the
stupidity愚かさ, of humans, who can’t exist without killing each other, again and again
throughout all time…. Don’t cry! That is the way of this world人の世. Human beings pursue 追い
求める sorrow 悲しみmore than happiness 幸せ, suffering苦しみ more than peace 安らぎ. Look!
In the First Castle, people are scrambling 奪い合うfor sorrow and suffering, delighting 喜んでおる
in killing each other.”
Ayabe attacks the First Castle. A messenger gives Kurogane Sue’s head.
Kaede tells Kurogane she wanted to destroy the Ichimonji family to avenge 復讐
her family. Kurogane slices off her head. The castle burns (this time it is CG).
A procession 行進 carries Saburo and Hidetora’s bodies.
Scene 6: Tsurumaru stands on the edge of the tower 天守 donjon of the ruins 跡
of his old family castle, still waiting for his sister, Sue. In his hands is the scroll of Amida. He
stumbles つまずく; the scroll falls from his hands. The movie ends.
*mix of Greek mythology, Christian, Buddhist ideas?
*does Buddha weep to see suffering? kamis and Buddha don’t weep
*how does one deal with evil, unhappiness?
revenge = Lady Kaede, solace in religion = Lady Sue, no solace in religion =
Tsurumaru
。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
*Asura. Asuras populate one of the six lower realms of samsara.
Asuras are typically depicted as titans or warrior demons.
The six realms are (in ascending order of good karmic conditions):
1) Hell (demons), 2) Hungry ghosts, 3) Asuras, 4) Animal, 5) Human, 6)
Heaven (gods). Sentient beings are said to continuously cycle through these
realms according to their karma until they achieve Nirvana.
Rashomon [1950]
Akira Kurosawa
(Director)
Toshirô Mifune (Actor)
the facts surrounding a
rape and murder are
told from four different
and contradictory
points of view,
suggesting the nature
of truth is something
less than absolute.
黒い雨
Black
Rain
(1989)
2h.
DVD
English
subtitles
Black Rain 黒い雨
Kuroi Ame (1989)
Director 今村昌平 Imamura Shohei
The black rain is the radioactive fallout 放射性降下物
that fell one or two hours after the atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima.
The film shows how one family is affected psychologically心理学的にand physically.
Class Scenes: two funeral rites.
Near the end, “the beauty of life shows itself ever so fleetingly束の間のwhen
Yasuko goes to the pond and sees a sight she has been longing for all her life,
the king carp 鯉 jumping in the water,
playfully as if to say that beyond despair 絶望there is still joy.
We hear on the radio statements by politicians
about perhaps using the bomb once again in the Korean War.
"Human beings learn nothing", says Shigematsu. "They strangle 窒息 themselves.
Unjust不正なpeace is better than a war of justice. Why can't they see?"”
ビルマの竪琴 The Burmese Harp
1956 (Eng subt), 1985 (no subtitles)
Harp of Burma (Biruma no Tategoto) by Takeyama Michio
(from John Dower, Embracing Defeat (1999), pp 502-3
Takeyama attempted … to convey the meaning of the war – the themes of suffering, guilt,
and atonement in particular, by way of Buddhism. The book’s protagonist, a former solider
named Mizushima Yasuhiko, became the great fictive consoler of the souls of the country’s
war dead. His response to the horrors he witnessed in the final, hopeless stages of the war
in Burma was to refuse repatriation and become a priest, wandering the jungles to search
out and bury the remains of soldiers who had starved to death or been annihilated in
combat.
Tormented by the question, so central to Buddhism, of why there is so much suffering and
misery in the world, Mizushima concludes that humans will never understand perfectly.
"Our country waged war, was defeated, and now suffers. That is because our desires got
out of hand. It is because we were conceited and forgot what is most important in being
human. Because the civilization we held up was extremely shallow in some respects."
These are human problems, not just Japan's alone, Mizushima observes. For himself, he
intends to devote his life to studying and thinking carefully about such matters, to serving
others, and trying to act as one who can bring salvation.
シュート！
Shoot
(Hit the
Goal)
(1994)
Hong Kong
DVD
English
subtitles
シュート！Shoot aka Hit the Goal (1994)
1h45m
Hong Kong Region 3 ｄｖｄ
English (not too grammatically correct) & Chinese subtitles
SMAP and Kinki Kids
Shingo Katori, Takuya Kimura
Ramos Rui - Verdi Kawasaki
A teenager (Nakai Masahiro) uses a pay telephone at a train platform.
Across the platform he sees the ghost of his soccer sempai who died.
Flashback: their story. Sempai (Kimura Takuya) dies from a pre-existing
heart condition. 10 second funeral 葬式 scene; shrouded 埋葬布 photograph
and priest at altar 祭壇, mourners 哀悼者 sitting facing, shot of church
exterior with cross 受難 on top. Nothing else religious in the movie. The
team goes on to win the All Japan tournament, the spirit of Sempai is
apparently pleased that they did their best.
*why a
pseudoChristian
funeral, not
Buddhist?
-cool, chic,
for young
people.
-doesn’t
have the
solemn
associations
of a
Buddhist
funeral.
3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994) USA 93min.
クロオビキッズ 日本参上!
During a championship baseball match in the U.S.,
the three brothers Rocky, Colt, and Tum-Tum
hear that their grandfather Mori in Japan
is in trouble, and head out to help him.
When they arrive, they must use all their ninja powers
to defend him against his ancient enemy.
3 Ninjas (1992)
3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995)
3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998)
西遊記
Monkey!
aka
Monkey
Magic!
(197880)
NTV
52
episodes
(UK
dubbed
dvds)
西遊記 Saiyūki
*Journey to the West(1986 + 2000 China)
*The Lost Empire (2001 USA)
幻想魔伝
最遊記
Gensomaden
Saiyuki
(2000)
fan
sub
幻想魔伝 最遊記 Gensomaden Saiyuki
(2000) 26min x 50 , also 2 sequels
TV Tokyo
Rogue monk Sanjo Genjo
is dispatched to India prevent the resurrection of the demon-lord Gyumoah.
His 3 companions: chain-smoking womanizer half-demon Sha Gojyo;
level headed man-turned-demon Cho Hakkai,
and eternally hungry monkey king Son Goku.
Saiyūki is the Japanese name for Journey to the West,
or Xīyóujì (西遊記 "Record of the Journey to the West") in Chinese.
Kazuya Minekura writes the title as "最遊記", or "Journey to the Extreme".
This is her pun, as both are pronounced saiyūki.
Episode 3:
Sanzo and company gain permission to stay one night in a temple deep in the mountains. In this
temple where everyone has pure lineage and is very pious, they live a lifestyle that emphasizes
learning and purification and forbids liquor and tobacco, as such things are vanity.
Such being the case, the priests at the temple are shocked at the behavior of Sanzo and company, as
someone is always smoking or drinking. During this time, an assassin youkai appears, ready to attack
Sanzo Ikkou. But in this temple, which has never suffered attack from youkai or other villains, and
which teaches that taking life is wrong, there is nothing even resembling a weapon. The priests are
attacked without being able to fight back.……
As Sanzo expected, that night the head monks implore him to stay and discourse on the teachings for
them. He bluntly refuses, saying it's for the same reason his master would not preach to them on his
visit--they're lazy and selfish, and won't do anything practical to defend themselves, placing all their
trust in scriptures.
Meanwhile Kougaiji's next assassin has arrived and is making chutney out of the monks, who try
chanting against it in vain. The SI make short work of the youkai, but are confronted by little Yo, who
demands to know how they can kill so easily when it goes against all Buddha's teachings. Sanzo
bluntly asks how Yo can say that
when he sees how many of his fellow monks are dead, and tells him that
the easiest way to get close to Buddha is to die, as they did.
Too bad for us, adds Gojyo with his slow grin; we're still alive.
HAUNTED じゃんく
しょん
Haunted Junction
(1997)
English subtitles
HAUNTED じゃんくしょん Haunted Junction
（1997 ） 23min x 12 episodes テレビ東京 TVTokyo
character design: NakajimaAtsuko中嶋敦子who also did Ranma 1/2らんま1/2
Saitoh High School is haunted by 7 spirits:
School Chairman. An old man who explains what is going on.
Nino. A living Ninomiya Nintoku statue.
Schools in the pre-war period often displayed statues of the studious勉強家のlad若者
Ninomiya Kinjiro 二宮金次郎(or Sontoku), reading a book while carrying firewood薪
on his back. Apparently most were melted down in the war for their metal and never
replaced.
Hanako (aka Toilet Hanako). A seductive魅惑的なgirl who lives in the boy’s
washroom.
Red Mantle. A bishounen (beautiful young man) in a red cape and mask,
who makes girls swoon気絶.
Haruo and Bones. An anatomy 解剖 model and a skeletonがいこつin the science room.
Mirror Girl. A little girl living in a mirror.
Gym Giant. So big you can only see his legs.
Holy Student Council members:
President: Houjo Haruto, the son of a Christian minister 牧師.
His great wish is to have a normal school and a normal life without any occult 神秘の
business around. He summons 呼び出す the school spirits with his seven spirit badges
烙印, shouting “Welcome!”
He exclaims, “Oh my God!” at the end of each episode挿話.
Asahina Mutsuki, the daughter of a Shinto priest. She is good at doing exorcism 悪魔払
い. She has a shouta complex, i.e., she likes boys about age 11, so she is crazy about
Nino, and Red Mantle has no effect on her.
Ryudo Kazumi, the son of a Buddhist monk. He is easily possessed キツネがつく by
various spirits and is girl-crazy 夢中, especially for Hanako.
Episode 2:
The school Chairman explains the reason the school is in the center of a triangle of
power between the Buddhist temple, the Shinto shrine, and the Christian church.
あまえないでよっ!!
Amaenaide Yo!! (2005) fan sub
あまえないでよっ!! Amaenaide Yo (2005)
13x24min episodes x 2seasons
TV Tokyo's anime satellite channel, AT-X. Based on the manga of the same name by Sogabe
Toshinori (宗我部 としのり). It is a comedy/ecchi genre of anime that is similar in nature to the
show Tenchi Muyo. The protagonist of the series is a 16 year old boy 里中逸剛, Satonaka
Ikkou, a first year trainee at the Saienji Buddhist Temple. He was sent there by his parents
to be trained by his grandmother, the Saienji Priestess. At the temple he finds himself
surrounded by beautiful female priestesses-in-training. who transforms in to a super-monk
(being able to perform mass exorcisms) by his lust (Note: In the anime, he transforms from
seeing a naked girl). He lives in the Saien Temple as a Buddhist priest in training with six
other nuns: Haruka Amanogawa, Sumi Ikuina, Hinata and Sakura Sugai, Chitose Nambu
and Yuuko Atouda, each of whom represents one of the bosatsu of the six lower realms of the
traditional Buddhist cosmology. Chitose is the other main character and has a strange
relationship with Ikkou; he seems to be in all the wrong places at all the wrong times, but
they really care for each other. A side effect of Ikkou using his ultimate power is that
immediately afterwards he turns into an even bigger pervert that he normally is. The series
is about Ikkou's self-destructive power and his attempts to control his own super-sensual
sphere/powers.
Amaenai de Yo!! 02 - Don‘t Play At Night
Roujin Z
(Old Man
Zetto)
(1991)
English
subtitles
一休さん
Ikkyū-san
(1975-82)
no English
subtitles
スタジオジブリ
Studio
Ghibli
平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ Pom Poko: The Great Raccoon War
Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko (Heisei Era Tanuki Battles, Bam-Bam!)
aka "Defenders Of The Forest"(1994) 1h59m Studio Ghibli
*Tanuki are secretive 秘密主義的, nocturnal夜行性 members of the dog family
Canis viverriuns native to northeast Asia, not to be confused with the badgerア
ナグマanaguma, or the raccoonアライグマaraiguma. Pot-bellied下腹が出た
ceramic陶器tanuki, characteristically with large testicles睾丸, stand in front of
some shops, especially restaurants and bars, beckoning 招く customers to enter.
They are regarded as carousing 飲めや歌えの大騒ぎをする, fun-loving and
mischievous いたずらな; on occasion, destructive害する. In folk tales昔話,
tanuki have the ability to transform変身
into other animals, including humans, especially monks 僧,
and objects like roly-polyずんぐりむっくりtea kettles茶釜.
They can cast powerful illusions魔法をかける,
turning leaves into fake money to buy sake with, or horse excrement 糞
into a delicious- looking dinner. In a well-known story, a tanuki kills a man’s
wife; the tanuki later is tricked into a mud 泥 boat, which sinks and drowns
him. Foxes 狐 and old cats also have magical powers.
Scene 1: Tanuki fight a land development project that will destroy their habitat 生息地near
Tokyo. The tanuki transform themselves to try to scare away the humans. Three humans die
in their attacks; the tanuki offer a moment of silent prayer in memory of the humans’ noble
sacrifice but soon continue celebrating their victory. The tanuki don’t plan to kill all the
humans because they supply lots of tasty treats ごちそう.
Tanuki emotions ran from high to low as they continued to listen to the news. However, the
thing that gave the tanuki a boost上昇of courage 度胸 was hearing interviews
with the locals地元の住民, who were fearful of curses.
“Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to tear down the Suwa Temple.”
“What do you mean?” “It must be the curse. The temple god was punishing 罰する them. If I
remember, many jizo 地蔵(Buddha of great compassion同情, protector of children, pregnant
women 妊娠 and travelers) and local deity神 statues were removed.”
“Well, we made offerings 捧げ物 and had a priest 聖職者 give blessings お祈り before asking
the statues if we could move them.” “And what do you say to this, Mizuki-sensei?”
“Those gods and Buddha are the deities of this area. When you move their statues, they
return and find their shelters 避難 missing. It is not surprising that they are angry. Wouldn’t
YOU expect more curses and punishments?
Maybe they won’t dig up Hikage Mountain.”
Shoukichi and the others commenced 開始 the next operation. The absentee landlord 不在地
主of Hikage Mountain, who returned with the lumber 材木contractors 請負業者 muttered 呟く,
“Did we have this many o-jizo statues on my mountain?” and shook his head. And then he
said, “Maybe I should wait and postpone 繰り下げるsigning the contract.” Kumataro, the
tanuki who stayed in the temple in Umanose Mountain, disguised himself as a white fox from
a well-known local legend during one of the ritual神式prayers to move the statues. The voice
of the white fox, which resembled 似る a scream, overwhelmed 圧倒される the hired 雇用 priest
and the ceremony式was canceled. The parishioner小教区民petitioned求める the authorities関
係当局to reconsider考え直すmoving the statues and the road project.
Scene 2: The Tokyo tanuki ask for help from the tanuki of Shikoku, where humans still
respect them. In fact, shrine priests there are tanuki. They drink sake, play cards, and try to
repair a fortune-telling machine. You can see torii 鳥居, gateways or markers of Shinto
shrines.
Scene 3: The Shikoku tanuki arrive in Tokyo. “In Shikoku, if they anger the tanuki, the
humans know the price they will pay.” “Tis a pretty moon, no? And I am fond of its sight. Let
us all pray to the moon for the success of our insurrection反乱.” “The tanuki learned to utilize
利用not only their own ki 気energy (spiritual energy, Chinese ch’i or Star Wars’ the Force) ,
but also to draw 引くand amplify 増幅energy from fire, electricity, levitation 浮揚, flight and
other sources of energy in nature. And then they learned how to store it and use it when
needed.”
In the poltergeist小鬼parade, look for;
On the head of the dragon rides a tanuki priest dressed in Shinto white
and waving the white streamers.
2 of the 12 guardians of Buddha十二神将 jyuunijinshou,
the twins Raijin 雷神, the thunder god, and Fujin風神, the storm god.
Fukusuke 福助 the smiling bald-headed big-eared chubby man who kneels welcoming
customers. Here he changes into the maneki-neko welcoming cat. Also look for
Fukusuke on the cover of The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
3 red and white armless, legless, Daruma dolls, good luck talismansお守り, based on
the story of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, who sat in zazen so long his
arms and legs withered枯れる. Here, they suddenly grow arms and legs.
The Shichi Fukujin, the seven Edo-era Gods of Good Fortune, toss coins from a roof.
Other ghosts and scary apparitions from ukiyoe, manga, folktales, etc.
Two men drinking sake wonder if there really are magical animals or if it’s all in the
imagination. Parents with their children after the parade wonder if it was just a
dream, and say, “There really are mysteries out there” 不思議なことってあるのね
and go back to their routines.
Inugami Gyobu tanuki calls out, 阿卑羅吽欠 abiraunken “All Pervading One”
*From the Shingon mantra invoking Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana
Tathagata) ｿﾜｶsowaka *The last word in the Heart Sutra. Has been
interpreted as an exclamation of joy, or “right now” or “Awakening Fulfilled.”
Could also mean “Hail” or the last word of an incantation or magic spell 呪文.
Next he calls out, 色即是空 shikisokuzekuu "Form is Emptiness"
*From the Heart Sutra (Prajna Paramita Sutra).
He overexerts努力し過ぎる himself and dies.
Amidhaba Buddha comes down on a cloud and picks up his soul.
The tanuki hold a memorial service for him.
“Namuamidabu Namuamidabu Tanuki-san of Botamochi Mountain!
Drank lots of sake and transformed! Operation Poltergeist いたずら好きの妖精
is a big success! Big success!”
* they are Shinto tanuki-priests-gods, but Buddha comes for Gyobu’s soul and
they have a Buddhist funeral.
Scene 4: The president of Wonderland Theme Park claims credit for the ghost parade.
A fox who lives disguised as a human and works for the Theme Park convinces the
tanuki that they should do as the foxes did when their habitat was destroyed, and live
as humans. But some tanuki can’t transform, and find comfort in religion.
もうろくしたかに見えたはげだぬきは変化できない狸たちを集めて何時の間にか躍り念仏の教祖に
おさまっていたMouroku shita ka ni mieta HageTanuki wa henka dekinai tanuki wo
atsumete itsuno ma ni ka odori nenbutsu no kyouso ni osamatte ita. Hage-Tanuki,
looking rather befuddled, gathered the non- transforming tanuki, and all at once
became the founder of a dancing, chanting Amidist religion.
この世は闇じゃ、泥舟じゃ。念仏唱えて、ただ踊れや。南無阿弥陀仏、 御陀仏じゃ。蓮の台。。。。
Kono yo wa yami jya, dorobune jya, nenbutsu tonaete, tada odore ya Namu Amidabutsu,
Odabutsu jya. Hachisu no utena….
This is the world of darkness, the Ship of Mud. Just chant and dance. Namu Amitaba;
there’s no hope for us now. The lotus leaf pedestal….
“Having a hale and heartyかくしゃくとしたElder reduced to thatがあぁなるとはな...
Tokyo really is a frightening place. If we did that in Shikoku, people would know we
tanuki were responsible. In our Daimyojin feudatory, donations 献金would double-- No,
it would go up ten times!”
Scene 5: A TV reporter wants to interview the tanuki. A tanuki appears as a Shigaraki
tanuki *town in Shiga famous for making storefront ceramic tanuki.
Many tanuki die in guerrillaゲリラ兵 attacks led by Okubi tanuki.
Hage plays the biwa琵琶, and sings a sad song. The proud 999 year-old tanuki, Hage,
claimed to have seen the Battle of Genpei 源平 Yashima with his own eyes.
(*at Suma Beach (Kobe) where the Heike/Taira were defeated by the Genji/Minamoto in
1184) He despaired 絶望over this world’s future. So he said, “This is the end. I shall leave.”
They stretched his privates 陰部to the limit, and, with a great heave-ho力一杯引っ張る,
turned it into the legendary treasure- ship. 宝船 Caption: “Amitaba Buddha.” “It was loaded
to the hilt 完璧に with exotic treasure, lacquered handrails, ornamented golden posts bound
for Heaven and Hell. With voices ringing and cheerful demeanor 様子, the ordinary tanuki,
dreaming of their heavenly destination, boarded as though beginning a regular voyage. It
was such a sorrowful sight. Under the shadow of the moon, the treasure ship rocked and
floated gently down Tama River. They were carried along by the current 流れ, as if being
pulled along a set of tracks. With the sail raised and stretched taut ピンと張った by the wind,
they boarded the ship at (caption mistakenly says “for”) Nigitatsu (=port in Shikoku) and
waited for the moon. There was much merriment 歓楽 onboard the ship, as it was propelled
along by the tide潮. Under the shadow of the moon, the sounds of their beating belly-drums,
bells, shamisen, flutes, taiko, and tanuki merriment, continued throughout that fantastic
night.
The ship of ordinary tanuki, loaded with gold, silver and coral サンゴ,
slowly departed from the shore. Although it was not the Mud Ship, the tanuki left behind
could do nothing but weep. The shimmering 揺らぎ field of silver grass seemed like a dream
on a spring night. They looked up at the Moon Bunnyウサギas Amitabha beckoned 招く them
to paradise楽園. However, the more they strove努めるtowards paradise,
the closer they came to death.
With a doom doom, they sailed to their deaths. The ordinary tanuki sailed to their deaths.
It was a trip from which they would never return.
“Oh, man. We’re no match for the humans にはとても歯がたたない.”
Tamasaburu says it isn’t humans who are doing such awful things, but tanuki, for these
humans once were tanuki. In a final display, the tanuki transform the landscape.
“Let us use our remaining strength to restore this land to its original form.”
In one scene, people bow their heads and pray at a roadside shrine ほこら。
“Careful observation of humans is the basic foundation of transformation…. The basics of
transformation require rigorous training of mind, body, and soul. Foxes have a natural
knack for it. But tanuki are by nature lazy, so some would fail to master this craft.”
*”Of all the possible transformations, maintaining human form required the most
concentration and energy. The strain and physical exhaustion manifested itself as
distinctive dark spots under the eyes.”
* “Shoukichi wasn’t the only one skeptical of the effectiveness of scaring the humans with disguises. As
you all know, the Edo period was the golden era of the tanuki. Transformation was commonly
performed and artists and writers competed for the privilege of telling about it. But the tanuki became
too prominent. And provoked the humans’ ire. After the Edo period, humans have captured tanuki in
great numbers and turned them into fur coats, toothbrushes, and calligraphy pens. And so they
satisfied their lust for revenge. All of you, we learned from this painful experience. And since we kept
our transformations discreet, the past few decades have been the most peaceful years in our history.
Do not forget this lesson! The art of transformation is a double-edged sword. Do not bring the human’s
wrath upon us by using transformation lightly.”
*Treasure Ship: “It’s based on the beliefs of Fudaraku, one of the old Buddhist cults. The Fudaraku cult
believed that the island of Fudaraku exists on the Western sea, and by boarding a ship, you can leave
your pain and suffering behind, and get to Nirvana. Throughout history, there have been some
incidents where a believer was put into a ship-shaped coffin alive, and was thrown into the sea. The
ship itself was modeled after Takarabune (Treasure Ship). It’s a ship on which the Seven Lucky Gods
rode, with many treasures. It is supposed to be a lucky charm.”
The fox is a messenger of the Shinto god-goddess of “riceness” or the life force of rice, = abundance,
Inari. Cunning fox = leads to prosperity = shrine of merchants. also friendship.
“instead of regarding Inari in the image of a Goddess it is perhaps best to think of her as the Inari
temple itself”
“Tanuki are synonymous with modern-day Shigaraki (Shiga Prefecture).
Shigaraki-style pottery, which traces its origins back to the 12th century,
is one of Japan’s most beloved ceramic styles. But the Shigaraki staple most
folks are familiar with today is not Shigaraki tsubo (large jars), but rather the
pudgy ceramic Tanuki that stands in front of drinking establishments
throughout Japan.
It holds a sake flask in one hand and in the other, a promissory note for the
booze; it never pays, though. If you’ve ever been to Shigaraki, you cannot miss
the numbing variety of garish tanuki that stand in front of many tourist
shops.”
おもひでぽろぽろ Only Yesterday Omohide Poro Poro (1991)
(Memories Trickle Down) Studio Ghibli
Omohide = the old spelling of omoide (memories).
Poroporo =the way teardrops trickle down or beans fall off one by one.
Taeko, a single office worker, visits the family of her sister-in-law 義理の姉
in rural Yamagata. Taeko sees this as a chance to adopt 採用 a “hometown.”
As Toshio drives her from the train station, he tells her that he used to be a businessman;
now he is an organic 有機農業 farmer, working with “the life force of living things.” She is
surprised and impressed that he really enjoys his new life―working in the business world
of Tokyo, she has never met anyone who could honestly say they enjoy their work. She is
interested in the traditional harvesting 収穫of safflower 紅花 benibana (= “red flower”) to
make lipstick and rouge 頬紅. They pray, seeing the rising sun. Music = Hungarian folk
song. *Later, Toshio says that many urbanites 都市居住者 come to the countryside to
“return to nature,” but really the countryside, the fields and woods, are the result of the
work of generations of farmers; they also built the irrigation 潅漑 river. Taeko feels a
familiarity with the countryside, as if she belongs here. Toshio says that humans often
forget that they have a symbiotic 共生 relationship with nature.*what is the meaning of the
prayer? respect, thanks, make wish?
自然崇拝 shizen suuhai = nature worship, animism. *would Christians do this?
となりのトトロ My Neighbor Totoro (1988) 1h28m
Studio Ghibli. Director: Isao Takahata
10-year-old Satsuki, 4-year-old Mei, and their professor father move into an old house which
is haunted 幽霊がよく出る by dust bunnies ほこりの塊.
They laugh away the spirits when they are all taking a bath together.
Mei meets a cuddly 抱きしめたいような furry 柔毛質の giant Totoro sleeping in a big camphor
tree クスノキ. She thinks her sister and father don’t believe her when she tells them about
Totoro.
Scene 1: Father says she must have met the Lord of the Forest 森の主mori no nushi. They
come to the tree, which has a rope around it to mark that it is sacred 神聖な. Father says,
“Long ago, man and trees were the best of friends.” They thank the tree for taking care of Mei.
*note differences in Japanese and English:
onegai shimasu (=future oriented) translated as thank you
Scene 2: Satsuki and Mei take shelter 避難 in a roadside shrine.
Satsuki prays to the roadside jizo, お地蔵さま雨やどりさせて下さい
*note differences in Japanese and English:
Mei falls, Satsuki in English says, “Oh, my God” but in Japanese doesn’t say anything.
In the shrine, Mei says, メイ泣かない エライ
“I’m not crying, that’s good, isn’t it,” which isn’t translated in English.
cute, non-threatening
脅迫しないような
modern characters,
compared with older fox spirit.
Mei sees a scary怖い,
abandoned見捨てられた
fox shrine稲荷神社
(harvest etc spirit)
もののけ姫 Princess Mononoke (1997) 2h13m
Mononoke Hime (Princess Avenging恨みを晴らすSpirit)
Studio Ghibli
Title Caption: むかし、この国は深い森に覆うわれ、そこには太古からの神々が住んでいた。Mukashi,
kono kuni wa fukai mori ni ooware, soko ni wa taiko kara no kamigami ga sunde ita. Long
ago, this country was blanketed with deep forests; there lived the gods of yore.
San is a human raised育ったby the Wolf-Dog God 犬神 inu-gami Moro.
She hates the humans who invade 侵入and destroy the forest, especially Lady Eboshi, who
has built an iron foundry 鋳物工場 where she makes guns, though necessarily cutting down
the trees. But she gives work to lepers ハンセン病患者and women who formerly were sold to
brothels売春宿. We find out later that it was she who shot the Boar 猪 God that turned into
the Tatari-gami 祟り神(Curse God). The Mikado 帝(=Emperor)’‘s samurai are trying to take
over 接収 her town. The Emishi people (probably later to become known as Ainu) had been
defeated by the Yamato大和 in the 8th Century and now are living in hiding in the Northern
Land. Scenes: A Tatari-gami that once was a Boar God attacks an Emishi village.
Ashitaka tries to calm it down, but it keeps advancing. Ashitaka shoots his arrows and it
falls to the ground. The shaman巫女 - oracle神託 Hii addresses the Tatari-gami:
いずこよりいまし、荒ぶる神とは存ぜぬも、かしこみ、かしこみ申す。
Izuko yori imashi, araburu kami to wa zonzenu mo, kashikomi, kashikomi mousu. Though I
know not whence thou came, raging god, I respectfully and in awe (trembling)おそれspeak to
thee. この地に塚を築き、あなたの御霊をお祭りします。
Kono chi ni tsuka wo kizuki, anata no mitama wo omatsuri shimasu.
We will erect a burial mound on this earth, and offer prayers for thy spirit.
恨みを忘れ、鎮まりたまえ Urami o wasure, shizumari tamae
Forget thine anger against us, and be placated.
*why honor the Tatari-gami? maybe fear of curse of the dead => build shrine, appease鎮め,
placate 静めるるsoul 魂; keep soul in one place so that it doesn’t wanderさまようand make more
trouble. *You can see a tall pole 棒 with white streamers 御幣 gohei = Shinto 神道 offerings さ
さげもの to the gods (maybe representing earlier offerings of cloth 織物).
Hii divines 易断 the future with leaves, branches, stones, a triangle. She says the scar 傷跡
on Ashitaka’s right arm is a curse from the Tatari-gami; it will slowly kill him. She says that
the pain and the poison from the stone (it is a bullet) in the Tatari-gami drove a Boar God
insane 狂気 and turned it into a Tatari-gami. It came from the West; something terrible
must be happening there. * I think “West” doesn’t necessarily imply America, Europe or
even China. It probably just refers to Western Japan, the Nara-Kyoto area of the Yamato.
If Ashitaka goes to the West and sees things with clear eyes, he might be able find a way to lift
the curse呪いを解く. 誰にも運命は変えられない。だが、ただ待つか、自ら赴くかは決められる
Dare ni mo sadame wa kaerarenai. Daga, tada matsu ka, mizukara omomuku ka wa
kimerareru. No one can change destiny. However, one can decide whether to just wait for it, or
to proceed for himself. Ashitaka cuts his hair, lays it on an altar 祭壇 (part of the stone cliff崖),
and leaves the village riding on Yakul. No one is allowed to see him off.
*Cutting one’s hair = the person is dead or doesn’t belong to this world any more.
Ashitaka meets Jiko-Bou, apparently a monk 僧, and they share dinner. The Wolves and San
attack Eboshi’s party. Ashitaka saves two men. They take a shortcut through the forest where
Ashitaka gets a glimpse 一瞥of an animal that makes his wound throb 脈拍 wildly. Ashitaka
enters the ironworkers’ village. Eboshi laughs at Ashitaka’s quest 追求. San and the Wolves
attack the town. Ashitaka breaks up the fight between San and Eboshi. He says his wound
came from hate and says everyone should stop all the hate. Ashitaka takes San out of the town,
but is shot in the chest 胸. The tree-planting ape-god-creatures, Shoujou 猩猩 want to eat him
to get human’s power so they can fight them. San brings the unconscious 意識がない Ashitaka
to the Deer God Shishi-gamiシシ神’s pond.
As it walks, grass and flowers sprout芽が出る and die under its hooves ひづめ.
Kodama tree spirits inhabit the forest.
San cuts a sapling若木(maybe of sakaki 榊, the sacred Shinto tree, Cleyera ochnacea);
she uses it to attract the god(?),
offering ささげもの to the god (?) or marking a sacred spot (?).
She lays Ashitaka on the grass with his lower body in the water. San plants the sapling
at Ashitaka’s head. Jiko-Bou appears as the ringleader 張本人of a group who plan to kill
the Shishi-gami. He says to his hunters, この天長さまの書きつけをなんと心得る。Kono
Tenchou-sama no kakitsuke o nanto kokoroeru. What do you take this note from the
Emperor for? 天長さまがシシ神退治を認めとるんだ、はやくしろ！Tenchou-sama ga Shishigami taiji o mitometorun da! Hayaku shiro! The Emperor has authorized getting rid of
the Shishi-gami! Let’s get to it!
*天長tenchou =Head of Heaven.天長節tenchousetsu =the Emperor’s Birthday 天朝
tenchou =Sun (Morning) Emperor. 朝廷 choutei = Imperial Court *samurai, emperor,
shogun = bad guys in this movie?
⇒ too dangerous to say 天子tenshi =Son of Heaven = the Emperor or天皇tennou for
fear of extremist 過激派 right-wing 右派の nationalists 国家主義者 attacks (?).
They plan to kill the Shishi-gami as it transforms from its “Night Walker” Didarabotchi
form to its daytime Shishi-gami form.
*why does Shishi-gami have two forms? =nature god => like nature, always
changing, e.g. day-night, seasons (?)=transformations common in Japanese
folklore 民話, like tanuki and foxes.
Eboshi joins them. The Boar Gods attack the town suicidally 自殺したくなるほど.
The wounded boar god turns into a tatari-gami and San is trapped inside him.
The Shishigami approaches the boar and seems to take the boar’s life while its
tatari-gami features dissolves 溶解. Jiko-Bou says he didn’t know the
Shishigami also takes life. There is ecological 生態学の chaos 混乱状態 and
destruction when Eboshi shoots off the Shishigami’s head. San and Ashitaka
return the head to Shishigami.
The Shishigami falls into the lake, but Nature is restored. Ashitaka decides
he will live in the village and visit San in the forest sometimes.
火垂るの墓 Grave of the Fireflies Hotaru no Haka (1988) 1h33m
aka Tombstone for Fireflies Director: Isao Takahata
Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Nosaka Akiyuki
September 9, 1945. A teenage boy dies in a train station.
When street cleaners remove his body, they find a rusted can and throw it into the grass. As
fireflies fly away, the spirit of Seita's little sister Setsuko stands up.
Seita's spirit appears beside her and puts his hand on her shoulder.
They smile at each other.
Seita picks up the can, which contained lemon drop candy.
He hands the can to Setsuko, who smiles.
She takes him by the hand and they walk off-screen as the opening credits begin.
Flashback: Seita tries to take care of Setsuko.
Kobe 神戸 burns in bombings, their mother dies, their father is away in the navy 海軍, their
relatives 親類 complain that Seita doesn't work,
they go to live in a shelter in the woods,
Setsuko dies of dysentery 赤痢, Seita cremates 火葬 her.
He puts some of her ashes into the candy tin.
The modern Kobe nightline is in the background.
念仏物語
親鸞さま ね
がい、そし
て ひかり
Nenbutsu
Story
Shinransama
Prayer &
Light
(2008)
1h48min
English
subtitles
Asian Buddhist Films & Documentaries:
The Legend Of Buddha (India 2005 animated Oscar Nominee)
Buddha (India 1994 28x15min Reddy)
Trishagni (Sand Strom) (India 1998)
*Buddha-Rajaon Ka Raja (India 2013-14) TV series 52 episodes
Amongst White Clouds (China 2005 86min)
*Zen Speaks Shouts of Nothingness (China 2004 animated 2h42)
Peace Is Every Step-Meditation In Action:
The Life and Work of Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnam 2005 2h22min)
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (Korea 1989 2h25min)
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall... and Spring (Korea 2004 1h42min)
Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self (Korea 2007 65min)
Buda As Sharm Foru Rikht (Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame)
(Iran 2007 Hana Makhmalbaf 81min)
Journey Into Buddhism Trilogy (2006 4h15min)
*(1)Vajra Sky Over Tibet, (2)Dharma River (Laos, Thailand and Burma),
(3)Prajna Earth (Cambodia, Bali, and Java (Sharon Stone))
Documentaries on Himalayan Buddhism:
Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy (1979 2h14min)
The Lion's Roar (1985 50min James Coburn)
Robert Thurman: On Tibet/ On Buddhism (1999 7h40min)
God And Buddha: A Dialogue (1999 90min
Deepak Chopra, Robert Thurman)
The Dalai Lama - Four Noble Truths (2001 6h)
Life of Buddha (2001 90min BBC)
Yogis of Tibet - A Film For Posterity (2003 77min)
Wheel of Time (2003 80min Werner Herzog)
*Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche: Turning the Mind into an Ally
(2003 75min lecture +21min meditation instruction)
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (A Way of Life / The Great Liberation)
(2004 90min Leonard Cohen)
Discovering Buddhism (2004 5h43min R. Gere; K. Reeves; Dalai Lama)
10 Questions For The Dalai Lama (2007 85min)
A Year in Tibet (2008 4x60min BBC4)
Milarepa (2008 3h) & Teachings on Milarepa (2008 3h)
Western Movies with Buddhist Themes:
Siddhartha シッダールタ (1972 Conrad Rooks)
Little Buddha リトル・ブッダ (1993 Keanu Reeves)
What's Love Got to Do with It ＴＩＮＡ ティナ
(1993 Tina Turner bio)
Groundhog Day 恋はデジャ・ブ (1993 Bill Murray)
Kundun クンドゥン (1997 Martin Scorsese)
Seven Years in Tibet セブン・イヤーズ・イン・チベット
(1997 Brad Pitt)
*Zen Noir (2004 Rosenbush)
kung-fu flics
Master of Zen (HK 1994)
The Shaolin Temple (HK 1982 Jet Li)
Zen Speaks Shouts of Nothingness (China 2004) one hundred Zen tales
Zen Noir (2004)
71 min. USA
A detective investigates
a mysterious death
in a Buddhist temple,
but his logical,
left-brained crime-solving skills
are useless in the intuitive,
non-linear world of Zen.
Zen Noir (2004)