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Lisa Matsumoto

December 16, 2016

HONORS 210

Final Term Paper

Behind the Plum Tree

Through years of schooling and education, students are trained to uncover great depth

and meaning to literary works. Their minds are trained to reveal the significance behind every

metaphor and to keep an eye out for any hint of foreshadowing. When it comes to

cinematography, however, this could provide some challenges to someone with an untrained eye.

The smallest details could very easily escape the average viewer if one is not prompted to search

for them. In Harakiri, director Masaki Kobayashi subtly brings attention to a plum tree at

different points in the film. Based on its multiple appearances, the plum tree seems to hold some

significance beyond the ordinary. This paper serves to explore the possible purpose of the plum

tree as a time marker or as a symbol of joyous moments.

Harakiri is a story of two samurai, Chijiiwa Motome and Tsugumo Hanshiro. Motomes

father, Jinnai, is also a samurai, but after their domain is abolished, he commits seppuku along

with their former lord. Tsugumo then takes Motome under his wing and raises him as his own.

Tsugumo, however, is a ronin, a samurai without a lord to serve and therefore without a means to

financially support his family. To make a living, he has to undertake menial tasks such as

umbrella making while Motome teaches Chinese classics to younger children, and his daughter,
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Miho, makes and sells Japanese fans. Motome and Miho eventually wed and have a child that all

three of them love and adore. When Miho falls sick, however, finances grow tighter. When their

child, Kingo, gets sick, the situation worsens. Motome goes as far as to sell his own blades, and

worse, requests to commit seppuku himself as a desperate last chance to land some money.

Kingo soon loses the battle against his sickness. Miho is devastated, and quickly follows. How

Motomes seppuku is committed, however, is far from honorable with his blades sold for

money, he is forced to commit this deed with blades made from bamboo. Tsugumo, upon hearing

of the unjust death of Motome, sets out to avenge his family and meet the samurai who coerced

his son-in-law to such a disgraceful death.

Where the plum tree comes into play can be quite obscure. Due to its dark-colored bark

and round-shaped petals, however, the average Japanese viewer is able to discern the plum tree

from others and identify the plum tree within several scenes. Based on the scenes where the plum

appears, it could serve two different purposes. For one, the plum tree could serve as a time

marker. Plum blossoms are known to be the first flowers to bloom in the spring, indicating that

winter is coming to an end. When Kingo gets sick, Tsugumo notes that this is when the blossoms

just begin to blossom, suggesting that spring has come (01:17:40). In another scene, the flowers

are already in bloom during a flashback where Tsugumo, Jinnai, Motome, and Miho are living

happily and peacefully (00:40:10). Something worth noting is that all of these scenes where the

plum tree is present are flashbacks. With these visual and verbal cues, Kobayashi may be

indicating to his audience a certain time point and tethering the plot into a coherent timeline due

to the films possibly confusing flashbacks.

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It seems, however, that the plum tree makes its appearance at momentous scenes

throughout film. Another plausible explanation for its appearances is that the plum blossoms

could be more than just a time marker and instead, may serve as a symbol. A blossoming flower

tends to give the image of a certain beauty, ephemeral happiness, and contentment. Based on the

moments where they appear, the plum blossoms portrayed in the film could represent this image

and symbolize the joyful moments in the protagonists lives. The flashback mentioned earlier

with Tsugumo, Jinnai, Motome, and Miho is an example of this. In this scene, Motome and Miho

are enjoying each others company while writing poetry. Jinnai and Motome are carefree as they

laugh together during target practice with bows and arrows. The plum flowers are in full bloom,

giving the scene a sense of serenity and peacefulness. As the focus is brought back to the present,

Tsugumo comments, Had life gone on like that, all would have been well (00:43:01). Tsugumo

looks back on this time as a fond memory; just as spring brings beauty and happiness after a

dreary winter, the presence of the plum blossoms in this scene serve as a symbol for such

peaceful, momentous, and happy times.

Another example portraying the symbolism behind the plum tree is in the previously

mentioned flashback wherein Kingo gets sick. In this scene, Tsugumo notes that this is when the

plum trees are blossoming (01:17:40). Despite the dreadful news regarding Kingo, Tsugumo

mentions a moment prior that this time was one of his happier memories. Recalling this moment,

Tsugumo notes, Kingo was the center of our universe, and the three of us lived happily with the

constant sound of warm laughter raising peaceful ripples around us. It truly was a time of greater

happiness than Id ever known in the domain (01:13:58). Tsugumo remembers this as a moment

of pure happiness surrounded by loved ones. It is almost uncanny that the plum blossoms would
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bloom at this moment, plausibly serving as an apt symbol for the utter joy in Tsugumos and his

familys lives. This scene and the example mentioned earlier further testify that the plum flowers

could serve a greater purpose a symbol of happiness, joy, and the beauty they find in their

lives.

The final scene where the plum tree makes its appearance is in the beginning of

Motomes visit to the samurais palace to request the use of their courtyard for committing

seppuku. The counselor and other highly ranked samurai congregate for a meeting regarding

Motomes request. They doubt his integrity, and immediately assume he has come for money

under the guise of honorably requesting to commit seppuku. They vehemently refuse to simply

give Motome money and turn him away, as it would set a precedent for others to come and do

the same. At this point, it seems that Motomes bleak fate is decided. As they convene, the music

turns almost eerie, and the camera cuts and shifts its focus onto a plum tree. The camera stays on

the tree for several seconds as it slowly starts panning out to the rest of the room where Motome

sits (00:13:04). How this plum tree is different from others mentioned earlier is that this plum

trees flowers have all fallen. Something also worth noting is that this scene takes place not long

after Kingo has just fallen sick, and not long after the flowers have just started to bloom. As

mentioned earlier, blossoms tend to hold an image of a certain beauty and happiness, and based

on the previous examples, the plum blossoms seem to serve as a symbol for these sentiments.

Utilizing this symbolism, the barren tree indicates that the previous moments of joy, beauty, and

contentment are gone. There is a saying in Japanese regarding blossoming flowers: Saku hana

wa yagate chiru, meaning, a blossomed flower will fall. And just as the flowers have fallen,

their good times have come to an end. This is most evident when Motome commits a painful
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seppuku in the courtyard with his bamboo blades, also sealing the unfortunate fates of Kingo and

Miho. The absence of the plum blossoms symbolizes this low point for the Tsugumo family, as

during these circumstances of suffering and now loss of a loved one, they are now without

happiness and without joy.

In the film, Harakiri, director Masaki Kobayashi strategically places the plum tree in

several scenes throughout the film. Based on where it appears, Kobayashi seems to have

intended on having the plum tree serve a larger purpose. There is the possibility that it serves

simply as a time marker, but further analysis suggests it symbolizes beauty and joy. The first

blossoms of spring are always a beautiful sight to behold, and Kobayashi uses this image to his

advantage throughout the film. Though seemingly insignificant, the plum blossoms appearances

in pleasant memories of laughter and peace, as well as their absence in moments of horror and

grief show that the plum blossoms are indications of happiness and contentment in the lives of

the films protagonists. Sometimes the choices directors make may appear arbitrary to the

viewer, but they could represent so much more than what the naked eye can see.