Kitakyushu Cinema Travelogue [Kokura Edition] The Life of Matsu the Untamed Revives Across Time and Space - The Movie "The Rickshaw Man"

A masterpiece movie set in Kokura

Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the northernmost city in Kyushu.
Kokura is where the city hall is located.
The representative movie set in that Kokura would be "The Rickshaw Man" (Muhomatsu no Issho).

Set in Kokura from the Meiji to Taisho eras, the story follows Matsugoro Tomishima, a rowdy rickshaw man known as "Matsu the Untamed," who secretly harbors feelings for a woman who lost her husband (Captain Yoshioka) while watching over the growth of her son.

The movie has been remade many times, but the most famous version is the one first directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.

There are two versions of Inagaki's "The Rickshaw Man."
One was released in 1943 during wartime.
The other is a remake released in 1958 after the war.
Both are highly acclaimed works.

The 1943 version was scripted by Mansaku Itami (father of the multi-talented film director Juzo Itami). Matsu the Untamed was played by Tsumasaburo Bando (father of actor Masakazu Tamura and others).

The 1943 version cut by censorship

The 1943 version is also known for having several scenes cut by the Ministry of Home Affairs censorship.
The reason was apparently that "it is outrageous for a rickshaw man to have feelings for a military officer's widow."

After the war, scenes such as a student brawl were cut by order of GHQ (General Headquarters of the Allied Powers).
It was said that violence was considered bad for democracy.

In other words, the 1943 version was a film torn to pieces for the convenience of the authorities.
One can only imagine the frustration of Director Inagaki.

Nevertheless, why is it called a masterpiece?
It is best to watch it once to understand.

I felt it in the way Matsu's painful feelings are conveyed even though the scenes showing his feelings for Mrs. Yoshioka were completely cut (seen in the "woman's poster" briefly visible on the wall of Matsu's room toward the end).

The 1958 version that won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival

On the other hand, the 1958 remake won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival (Italy). This version starred the great post-war star Toshiro Mifune as Matsu the Untamed.

It is said that Director Inagaki, moved by the award, sent a telegram to Japan saying, "I won. I cried."

(Click here for an interview article with Juichi Tanaka, a former Toho employee who worked on the set of the 1958 version of "The Rickshaw Man")

The original work is the novel "The Tale of Matsugoro Tomishima" by Kokura-born author Shunsaku Iwashita

The original author of "The Rickshaw Man" is Shunsaku Iwashita (1906-1980), a writer from Kokura.

Iwashita was a person who continued his creative activities while working at the Yawata Steel Works.
"The Rickshaw Man" is based on Iwashita's novel "The Tale of Matsugoro Tomishima."
This novel was a candidate for the Naoki Prize, and after being published in "All Yomimono" in 1940, it was adapted for the stage and then made into a film.

Due to the success of the film, Matsu the Untamed became so famous that Iwashita said he could only be seen as the author of Matsu, and he even came to hate looking at pine trees ("Literature of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu City Literature Museum 10th Anniversary Magazine").

Today, "The Tale of Matsugoro Tomishima" can be read at the Kitakyushu City Literature Museum library and other places.
In Kogodai Park in Yawata, near the steel works, there is a literary monument to Iwashita shaped like a drum.

The Rickshaw Man revives across time and space

'The Rickshaw Man' is an old film, but the 1943 version was recently digitally restored to 4K and brought back to life.

Not only that, but the Rickshaw Man still pops up even now through other films.

Labyrinth of Cinema

For example, the 2020 film 'Labyrinth of Cinema,' which was director Nobuhiko Obayashi's final work.

This film features an episode where the traveling theater troupe 'Sakura-tai' heads to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945—the day the atomic bomb was dropped—to perform 'The Tale of Matsugoro the Rickshaw Man' for the troops (modern-day youths who have 'entered' the movie try to stop this).

Sakura-tai was a real theater troupe that actually fell victim to the atomic bombing, and actress Keiko Sonoi, who was a member, died at the young age of 32.
Sonoi played the role of Captain Yoshioka's wife in the 1943 version of 'The Rickshaw Man'.

You Are Not Alone

The Rickshaw Man appears more directly in the 2019 film 'You Are Not Alone' (directed by Junichi Mimura, a native of Kokura).
This work pays homage to 'The Rickshaw Man' head-on.

'You Are Not Alone' features Mika Mifune, the eldest daughter of Toshiro Mifune, who played the Rickshaw Man in the 1958 version.

Mika Mifune plays the owner of the 'Kokura Showakan,' a real movie theater in Kokura.
The setting was that this Showakan was screening the Mifune version of 'The Rickshaw Man'.

In this way, even now, the Rickshaw Man suddenly appears before us.
This is also a testament to the impact 'The Rickshaw Man' has had on filmmakers.

The Rickshaw Man is quick to fight, yet shy and devoted to the woman he loves.
He is a man who stoically sacrifices himself for love.
That lovable character has not faded even today.

A 'Monument to the Rickshaw Man' stands in the city of Kokura.

The merits and demerits of the movie 'The Rickshaw Man'

In closing, let's look at the 'merits and demerits' of the film regarding the Kokura Gion Daiko drumming that the Rickshaw Man performs, which also serves as a highlight of the movie.

Kokura Gion Daiko is a traditional festival representing Kokura, held every July. It has a 400-year history and was designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2019.

The movie made the Kokura Gion Daiko famous, but it wasn't all good.
It is said that the movie used a different drumming style than the original, leading viewers to mistake that for the 'real thing' ('400th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine: Kokura Gion Daiko').

So, what exactly is the authentic Kokura Gion Daiko?
Rather than describing it here, it is faster for you to see and feel it for yourself.
If you have not seen it, please come to Kokura in July and experience the "real thing."
In the summer of Kokura, you might just meet the Rickshaw Man.

(The connection between "The Rickshaw Man" and Ken Takakura is introduced in this article.)