Kore'eda's new film title is an oblique reference to Chushingura

[Michael McCaskey]

"Hana yori mo naho" is a historico-literary allusion. Naho is "historical spelling," in contrast to the modern colloquial "nao," though both are pronounced the same way.

It means something like maybe "even/still more than the cherry blossoms," and is supposed to be a fragment of the suicide poem of Lord Asano of Ako, Asano Naganori, in the spring of 1701. Asano died as the result of dirty deeds by Lord Kira (1641-1702), one of the Shogun's corrupt cronies. Asano's loyal Ako retainers saw a sort of oblique message to them in Asano's final message and poem.

The death of Asano led to an elaborately plotted revenge against Kira by Asano's loyal Ako samurai, who broke into the semi-fortified Edo estate where Kira was, in the snow, at the end of 1702. They cut off Kira's head and carried it to Lord Asano's grave monument as a vindication of Lord Asano. They all were subsequently forced to commit suicicide by order of the Shogun.

This was what is known in the West as the "47 Ronins' Revenge." It has been made into a number of Kabuki and puppet plays over the past several centuries, and also subsequently into a large number of movies, ever since the Japanese began making movies, often under the title "Chushingura".

Kore'eda's film is his first venture into making "samurai-style" films, and it is a sort of "spin-off" of the Chushingura plot. Kore'eda also wrote it up as an original novel, with the same name, ISBN 4-04-873702-3. It is derived from the original Chushingura story, but mostly indirectly, and is really a totally new creation.

I've seen the approx 1-hr. preview publicity DVD for Hana yori mo naho, but have not yet obtained the actual film DVD, so I'm not able to provide really clear information about the full fim plot as yet.

Probably some people on this list have already seen the film in a theater in Japan, and can provide lots more detail.

Best Wishes,

Michael McCaskey
Georgetown Univ.
Wash. DC  

 

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael E Kerpan <kerpan at attglobal.net>
Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 11:02 pm
Subject: Kore'eda's new film

> I haven't been able to figure out what "naho" means in Kore'eda's 
> new "Hana 
> yori mo naho". (And I can't help but think of "Boys Over Flowers" -
> - since 
> the title starts out the same way as Kamio YOKO's  manga/series),
> 
> MEK
>