3 Outlaw Samurai

3 Outlaw Samurai: Kikyo (Mikijiro Hira), Shiba, (Tetsuro Tamba), Sakura (Isamu Nagato) 

(N.B. I have written the names in this blog English style (surnames last) as actors' and directors' names are most familiar in this format).

    Although it was directed by the famous Hideo Gosha (his first film, in fact) this film is one that had passed me by until quite recently. But having seen it, I strongly recommend it – it may be a bit less dense than many of the films in the genre, and it certainly rattles along at a fine pace, but these are features that make it very watchable. Filmed in 1964, you may have seen Tetsuro Tamba in You Only Live Twice as Tiger Tanaka of the Japanese Secret Service, and if you were a Water Margin fan in 70’s Britain, you will recognise Isamu Nagato as a similar character, Lu Ta, the flower priest. (Tamba also appeared in the same series, although not in a major role). 

    In fact, it was filmed as an origin story for the successful TV series of the same name that started the previous year and ran till 1969. Hideo Gosha was the director of the TV series, so this gave home the chance to go to town with his characters. It might be worth mentioning that Sanbiki uses the counter for animals, rather than people. (The Seven Samurai is Shichinin no Samurai, with nin being the counter for people). Of course, this emphasizes the lawlessness of the 3 protagonists. But on to the story.

    

Shots like this show Gosha's skill at framing action.

    It’s a classic story of the loner fighting on behalf of the oppressed against a corrupt system, although, as the title suggests, there are three loners rather than one, and the scenario is not explored in great detail - it is only a pretext for the action and a gradual revealing of the three protagonists’ individual characters. Perhaps it was this mix of characters that helped its popularity the small screen, where it ran as a series for a number of years (1964-69).

    It draws from what was becoming a popular genre, both on the large and small screen (and , indeed, in literature) – better known films in a similar key such as Yojimbo (1961) and Zatoichi (1962) preceded it, and it has something of the same feel, combining elements from both - compassion, sentimentality, justice, not to mention the cool calculation of heroes like Ichikawa Raizo’s Nemuri Kyoshiro in the series of the same name. Nevertheless, it stands on its own merits.

Another shot showing Gosha's skill at composition.

    In common with several,other films of this period, it both supports and subverts the image of the samurai as a heroic warrior. The three heroes each have their own code of ethics, but many of those around them, the system, so to speak. These men are outcasts, in part, because of their refusal to bend to a system that fails to recognise the importance of the softer virtues to temper the bald use of power. The growth of a new Japan, as well as memories of the war, obviously played into these kinds of attitudes, and though it champions the underdog, it also highlights the complicity of the ruled in their situation.

    However, rather than offer homilies, it invites the viewer to observe, then with a shrug of its shoulders, continues on its way, as indeed, do the heroes.

The heroes walk off, content to let fate lead them.

    If you enjoy early Kurosawa, or the Zatoichi series, you’ll love this, too.

    For context, here are the release dates of some other relevant films:

7 Samurai 1954

Yojimbo 1961

Zatoichi 1962

Sanbiki no Samurai 1964

Sanbiki no Samurai Tv series 1963-69

Nemuri Kyoshiro (film series starring Ichikawa Raizo) 1963-1969