A Behind the Scenes look at the IJN Fleet of Tora Tora Tora

Every now and then we come across some gems on the internet that give us a look how such great films are made. For this edition we have a small collection of photos of the full scale mockups of the Imperial Japanese Navy that were constructed for the 1970 film TORA TORA TORA. As history recalls, the film was a joint American-Japanese production with famed master film maker Akira Kurosawa initially leading the Japanese side of the production. But just after two weeks of filming Kurosawa backed (or more accurately fired by 20th Century Fox) out of the film citing it just wasn't his style of film he was used to making with American producers making him accountable for his every move. While Kurosawa worked the first two years of pre-production and oversaw the filming of the dramatic "picture shots"m of the Japanese fleet, his mark on the film's opening scenes are unmistakable with his use of the natural elements such as big sky shots and the genius to build his full scale mockups of the Flagship Nagato and the Aircraft Carrier Akagi on a beach facing the ocean. Considering there was no CGI back then, this was a brilliant move on the part of the master director. That being said, here's are some of the photos of the set under construction. As with the later 2005 production of Otoko no Tachi no Yamato (Men of the Yamato) attention to detail was done with great precision to ensure the believability of the film. 

They made the Nagato look so real, this wooden mockup looks like she could take to the seas!

 Carrier Akagi mockup under construction.

Seen here is the Carrier Akagi brought back to life!

Here's a rare photo taken at some distance of the set where the full scale mockup of the Nagato and Akagi sit at the waters edge for filming. It's a shame we couldn't find a clearer photo in color. 

On the American Side, Director Richard Fleischer built only one mockup of the USS Arizona for principal photography. The rest was done using model miniatures. 

Seen here are the Nagato and Akagi miniatures in the water for the later Japanese scenes.

 Here's the same model out of the water.

Considering the technology of 1970, it's fair to say they did an amazing job for their day. If you haven't seen this war classic, it's worth it. But don't take our word for it, see it yourself!

 Enjoy!

To learn more of Director Kurosawa's role please watch the second video detailing the behind the scenes controversy surrounding the Japanese side of the production.

American Mishima Looks at The Eternal Zero

In an era where many new big budget war films have been produced in Japan, none other has hit home so personally than Japan's latest entry えいえん の ゼロ - THE ETERNAL ZERO. Over the last ten years we have seen and reviewed such notable films as Otoko Tachi no Yamato, Ore Kimi, Oba - The Last Samurai, and the Isoroku Yamamoto movie The Admiral. Critics have long claimed these films are revisionist and lack responsibility for Japan's wartime atrocities. I could not disagree more. Japan's war while marred with notable war crimes such as the Rape of Nanking, Bataan Death March and so forth often overshadows the stories of bravery and unheard stories of survival against the overwhelming might of the United States. As often said, there are heroes and villains found on every side in every war. Japan's fighting men of that era were no exception and we will make no apologies for people we can not speak for. Thus we leave this to director Takashi Yamazaki to offer us a glimpse into the life Japan's Naval aviators in his new big budget film THE ETERNAL ZERO.

 

As many of our readers may or may not know, this author's father had passed away from the effects of Agent Orange he was exposed to during his tour in Vietnam. Paralleling our own personal experience of seeking out the truth as to what happened during the war, we find our young protagonist Kentaro Saeki (played by Haruma  Miura) embarking on a journey for the truth. This all comes about after the funeral of his grandmother Matsuno (played by Mao Inoue - from Oba-The Last Samurai) when it is revealed that his grieving grandfather Kenichiro (played by Isao Natsuyagi) was not his real grandfather this whole time. To Kentaro's shock, he and his sister Keiko Saeki (played by Kazue Fukishi) discover their Oba-chan Matsuno was married before to another man named Kyuzo Miyabe (played by Junichi Okada) who volunteered to join the Kamikaze. Knowing nothing of their real grandfather, the two Saeki siblings seek out across the countryside to interview former Zero pilots to learn what kind of man their grandfather Miyabe was and why he joined the Kamikaze.

To Kentaro's shock, he is either turned away or met with utter contempt for Miyabe who was accused of being a coward who would fly away from every battle. This was not what Kentaro expected to hear and it troubles him even more to understand that if Miyabe was such a coward, how could he have volunteered for a suicide mission? The answers would come when he meets former Zero Pilot Isaki who speaks from his hospital bed as he battles terminal cancer. Isaki (played by Isao Hashizume) dismisses the notion of cowardice and reveals Miyabe's true character noting an incident at Rabaul that earned Isaki's respect.

 

Well after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the disaster at Midway, Miyabe was assigned to be the flight leader at Rabaul. When tasked to go on a revenge mission over Guadalcanal,Miyabe concludes that the distance is too far and would leave them only less than ten minutes flying time over the target. For this reason, Miyabe objects to the mission and is punched out by his superior officer in front of all the men. Having no choice, Miyabe leads his squadron on the futile mission. 

Upon the return from Guadalcanal, one of Miyabe's pilots is critically wounded and low on fuel. With Rabaul within sight, the wounded pilot's engine sputters out forcing him to ditch in the sea. Miyabe could do nothing but circle around before he too was out of fuel and forced to land. The Air Sea Rescue planes could not find the downed pilot. They report to Miyabe a scene of sharks circling a pool of blood in the pilots last known position. To the squadron's shock, the downed pilot was declared a disgrace and a coward by the commanding officer. Miyabe verbally defends his pilot's courage and reputation leading to Miyabe being beaten to a pulp in front of his own squadron by his commander for defending his pilot's legacy. For Isaki, Miyabe was no coward. He had learned of Miyabe's wife and newborn child that was his inspiration to live. This of course countermanded the mindset of the Japanese Military of the time where their mandate was to die for the Emperor with no hope of ever returning home. As anyone today knows, this is no way to fight a war but this is what Miyabe was faced with. Isaki decides from that moment that he would do everything in his power to protect Miyabe. Weeks later, he would get his chance. 

In an air battle over the Solomon Islands, Miyabe's squadron is jumped by American fighter planes. Miyabe finds himself in trouble with a deadly P-51 Mustang on his tail firing 50 caliber rounds at him. Miyabe's piloting skills keeps him in the air but as the P-51 lines up for the kill, young Isaki dived in a rams the American plane sparing Miyabe's life. This act of insanity nearly kills Isaki. But it also demonstrates an act of loyalty not lost on Miyabe. As Isaki is sent home to recover from his injuries, Miyabe never forgets his sacrifice.

As the war becomes more desperate for Japan, the Kamikaze are formed. Miyabe is sent home to train the next batch of pilots. Unbeknownst to most of them, they will be ordered to go on suicide missions. This news sends Miyabe in complete anguish over his young pilots who in his best efforts tries to protect by issuing failing grades to his best students who are eager to join the fight to save Japan from defeat. Many of his students do not understand what Miyabe's intentions are and accuse him of cowardice. 

Isaki who is then reunited with his former squadron leader finds Miyabe a broken man who mourns for his young pilots. It is here that Miyabe meets another young pilot to whom he will entrust his will to live on for Japan's future. As more of Miyabe's pilots are sent to their deaths on Kamikaze missions, Miyabe himself is ordered to lead the protective fighters who are assigned to provide fighter cover so the Kamikaze can reach the American Carriers. At the last minute, Miyabe asks to trade planes with a young Kamikaze pilot named Kenichiro. Shortly after the planes take off, Kenichiro's plane develops engine trouble with oil spattering the canopy thus preventing the young pilot from carrying out his mission. He quickly realizes that Miyabe had done this on purpose to spare his young students life. 

In the climax of the film, Miyabe does the unthinkable and flies through a hail of lead to attack an American Aircraft Carrier. Out of his many planes, Miyabe is the only plane that day who will tragically get through. Meanwhile back at base, Kenichiro discovers a note left behind along with a photo of his wife and child reading "That if you survive the war please take care of my wife and child." It is through this process that Kentaro discovers the truth. The man who was told was his grandfather was the same Kenichiro whom Miyabe sacrificed his life to protect so he could fulfill a promise to his wife Matsuno to return to her in any form even if he is reincarnated to care for her and their child. I could tell you more but the film just gets emotionally heavier. 

Having learned the truth from their adoptive grandfather, Kentaro returns to interview the Zero pilots to discover their true feelings about Miyabe they unwilling to earlier reveal with many of them acknowledging that they owe their lives to Miyabe. What he learns will change his perception of the war and that of his family. By films end, Kentaro is transformed when he comes face to face with his real grandfather as he makes one final flyby in his A6M Zero on his way to his final mission. All we can say is that we were emotionally blown away by this scene. 

As we stated in the beginning of this review. we draw personal parallels to Kentaro's story as we have sought to understand our own family story that took place in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is through the recollections of those veterans who survived these wars that the human element so often removed from history books is found. This film contains many spectacular flying sequences and CGI effects so well done, you almost would think such scenes were done with real carriers and warplanes. Much like The Admiral, we are shown the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway from a different perspective. The two films compliment each other as they both tell the stories of Imperial Japan's Naval Aviators. Where we go from here is to the stories of the Kamikaze. Where Ore Kimi captured the mental anguish of the veteran pilots assigned to such suicide missions, The ETERNAL ZERO takes this one step further and confronts the horribly incorrect modern day notion that Kamikaze and modern day suicide bombers are the same. They are not. If you read Dan King's book The Last Zero Fighter, you will discover such comparisons by both Americans and today's Japanese youth are complete ばか (bullshit)! They were Japan's best and brightest tasked to do a horrible thing that many knew could stop Japan's defeat. It's an impossible thing to imagine, but the men of that generation endured it. A trip to the Chiran Kamikaze Museum will make you about it.

We at American Mishima hope that you see this film and walk away with the understand of what Japanese pilots faced and what hardship bestowed upon them in the days and months following Japan's catastrophic defeat in their ill fated war against America in the Pacific. We don't see this as "Revisionist" nor do we see this as a film absent of Japan's fault for starting the war. Miyabe openly considers Pearl Harbor a failure for Japan that will guarantee their defeat. Perhaps, there were men like Miyabe who thought on modern terms that were unpopular and seen as criminally defeatist at the time. It is entirely possible. While panned back in Japan as a "Pack of Lies," this fictional work depicts the war as a tragedy. It does not by any means glorify war. Of course, there will be those who don't get it and some who do most notably current Japan PM Shinzo Abe and Yoko Ono who both expressed how they were emotionally moved. We say to you, see it for yourself and be at peace.

American Mishima Looks at The Sun

As we have been working on publishing an illustrated a book and a epic Samurai Novel, we haven't had the time to review any films lately and we do apologize for that. So in doing so we thought this film review was worthy of mention. Earlier this year we reviewed the 2012 film “Emperor” which depicted the American Occupiers post war investigation as to the Showa Emperor's role in the war. In our research we discovered an earlier Russian film which also depicted the late Showa Emperor in the same period of the closing days of WWII in the 2005 film titled “The Sun” directed by Aleksandr Sokurov'. While Sokurov' contends he is not interested in Politics, the stark difference between Emperor and The Sun become quite clear.

 

The Sun features Ogata Issei in the starring role as the Showa Emperor Hirohito. In this film we see a very different Showa Emperor cloistered in the isolation and claustrophobia of his underground wartime bunker. While conditions inside the Imperial Bunker are not so much like the Führerbunker in Berlin, the mood is equally grim.

Here we see a rather frail looking Showa Emperor meeting with his wartime Ministers in Military uniform for the last time. As depicted in other films, ministers representing the rival Army and Navy bicker over who has lost the war. The Emperor seems powerless to control the ensuing debacle and escapes his air raid shelter to study marine biology as a mental health distraction while Tokyo is under constant bombardment. Unlike Hitler, the Showa Emperor is portrayed as being somewhat childlike and lost consuming himself in Tanka poems of his grandfather the Late Meiji Emperor and other philosophical pursuits. While he does accept personal blame, he does acknowledge his own limited power to stop his ministers from going to war and the arrogance that in turn lost the war.

While it is anyone's guess here in the West as to how he the late Hirohito felt about his divinity, The Sun depicts his divine status as a burden which he is happy to be rid of. History recalls this was an imposed condition of Japan's Capitulation. As the film continues on, we have no visible time line between the closing days of the war and the post war Occupation. In fact, you can never tell when this film is going to become dramatic or going to end. One moment, air raid sirens scream in the background while we are given an artsy depiction of angry fish replacing enemy bombers incinerating the capitol. 

The next thing you know there are American soldiers on the Imperial Palace Grounds treating the IHA staff and the Emperor himself with a total lack of respect. Save for one Nisei Warrant Officer (played by Georgi Pitskhelauri ) who serves as MacArthur's translator who bows and addresses the Emperor with dignity, the rest of the troops mock the Japanese. While it is likely possible that such disrespect may have taken place during the American Occupation, it's hard to imagine seeing the Showa Emperor being taunted by common American foot soldiers from Alabama during a photo session being called Charlie Chan. 

Straying further from history, there is no mention of General Bonner Fellers who in Emperor leads the investigation into the Emperor's Wartime Role. In “The Sun” we have General MacArthur (played by Robert Dawson) leading the investigation himself in a series of personal meetings where he grills the Emperor in an antagonistic manner in English and somewhat with contempt. We of course had a problem with this. Whatever MacArthur's private notions might have been, he is recorded as treating the late Showa Emperor with dignity and respect not found in this film. Sorry Robert Dawson, but Tommy Lee Jones played the role with more character.

History recalls that MacArthur did meet with him eleven times and did so as respect as he saw him as a living unifying symbol of Japan. In contrast, the film depicts the Showa Emperor as a frail, nervous, and somewhat lost in his own sense of dimension. Clearly, if there was some truth to it the Imperial Household Agency would have objected to letting the public see this private side that robbed the late Emperor of his dignity. An actor can only work with the script given to him. And while we can not blame Ogata for the role we can question the writing of this picture. For our money, we recommend you pass on this film and see Emperor. 

If you would like to see The Sun for yourself, it is available on Netflix for rental. 

ばか! When Hollywood Gets It Wrong

Don't you love it when Hollywood gets it wrong? Sometimes we do, but other times there's just no excuse. We've covered a lot of movies here about World War II. Mostly from Japan where most are good, some not so good and always with a limited budget. But when Hollywood gets a film, their budgets run circles around Japanese film makers. So what am I bitching about? This photo seen here! In 2001's Pearl Harbor, Michael Bay had a budget of $140 Million Dollars. While some will argue whether the film was good or not and other will point out minor errors, yet no one has complained about the shot of the Imperial Japanese Fleet UNTIL NOW. With all the great CGI effects in this film you would think they would spend the money to get this one important shot right. Right? Oh who the fuck cares! This is America! No red blooded American still bitter about the Bombing of Pearl Harbor is going to care about the Japanese right? ちょっとちょっとまってください! To tell the truth, YES! Actually, you do not have to be a Japanophile or Nisei to appreciate accurate depictions of historical events in films depicting the Japanese.

If I were ordering shots like I would a hamburger, I'd have to say extra accuracy, hold the bitterness. You can't talk about Pearl Harbor in this country without someone throwing ancient rancor at you. As we have stated many times, we're not here to refight WWII. We're here to call things as we see them. As you can see from this actual photo of the IJN Carrier Kaga (that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor) you can see from it's profile a small island tower and smoke stacks pointing downward. Now Compare to the top photo where you see a composite of a modern day US Navy Nimitz Class Carriers and Aegis Class Frigates. You think no one would notice? We sure did. While Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor has numerous historical goofs such as the painting of Zeros green which they did not do until 1943, this carelessness or lack of credit given to an informed audience just gets under my skin. You would think after all those great CGI shots of the Oklahoma and Arizona they could have taken the time out to get the Imperial Japanese Fleet right? Or did they just thought we wouldn't care? With their budget there was just no excuse. And while we'd like to debate Mako's portrayal Admiral Yamamoto, we'll leave that one for the real historians. While we found the movie somewhat entertaining, however these errors in depicting the Japanese fleet sink this film for us.

If you'd like to see a better depiction of the Japanese fleet on film either see Tora Tora Tora with Mifune Toshiro who looks more like Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto than Pearl Harbor's late  Mako (great actor - wrong role) or the recent Isoroku Yamamoto movie The Admiral. http://lasamurai.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-real-officer-and-movie-part-iv-admiral.html. Please enjoy!

Submarine Warfare Japanese Style

33 years ago back in 1980 when this author was a young teenage boy, I once asked a former US Submariner of World War II why did he choose the Submarine Force? US Navy Veteran Fred Moore replied, “Because you don't see too many one armed, one legged, or one eyed Submariners. Well for Captain Kuramoto of the fictional I-77 it was “Freedom” in 2009's Submarine War Film Manatsu no Orion or Last Mission Under the Orion.

Based on Tsukusa Ikegami's novel “Raigeki Shindo Juukyuu-ten-go,” Manatsu no Orion takes place in the final two weeks of War II August 1945, the young crew of the I-77 under Captain Kuramoto Takayuki (Tamaki Hiroshi of  Isoroku Yamamoto and The Amazing Deer Man) fight on. But where the film starts is in the present with the grand daughter of Captian Kuramoto who knows nothing about the war. Her grandfather died before she was born and only has few memories of her grandmother now conjured by a letter sent to her by an American.

Because of this, school teacher Kuramoto Izumi (Kitagawa Keiko) meets one of the last surviving crew members of the I-77 Suzuki Katsumi in an effort to understand how an American who is the grandson of the American Captain Mike Stewart came to possess a piece of sheet music with a personal note from Izumi's grandmother who also was a school teacher caring for orphans Arisawa Shiduko (also played by Kitagawa Keiko).

It was Suzuki who studied music who could read sheet music and once played a harmonica aboard the I-77 who could recall this tale of the last two weeks of the war. While this might sound like you've seen this before in Otoko Tachi no Yamato, Manatsu no Orion takes on a far different tone.

Enter the Charismatic Captain Kuramoto is tasked along with his friend, future brother in law, and captain of the I-81 Arisawa Yoshihiko (played by Dochin Yoshikuni) to stage a defensive picket line to both to attack allied shipping and protect Okinawa in a desperate attempt to save Japan. 

Captain Kuramoto is unlike any Submarine captain you've seen before nor is his crew. While the doomed war effort scenario is not new, this depiction of Japan's all but defeated Imperial Navy is. In this film you'll see little known tactics used by Japanese Sub Captains as well torpedo firing solutions reminiscent of The Hunt for Red October as well as harrowing scenes of doomed men that will recall memories of such submarine dramas as Grey Lady Down and Das Boot.

But what really carries the premise of this film is the meaning contained on the piece of sheet music 'Oh' Orion' to which Captain Kuramoto's love interest Arisawa Shiduko has given him to carry off to war as an “Omori” - a good luck charm.

As seen in a scene while surfaced, Captain Kuramoto is well familiar with the Midsummer's appearance of the constellation Orion in the Southern Oceans and considers it a good omen. Along with a personal message the music piece reads “So that my love may find his way home.” And home is something Captain Kuramoto has very much in mind. In some ways, you could say he is somewhat of a romantic.

But war is anything but romantic. Much like seen in Otoko Tachi no Yamato, the Crew of the I-77 represents what little was left to fight with at the final stage of the war. What's left of Japan's Naval Forces are largely comprised of mostly teenagers and only a small handful of veteran sailors over 30. 

With a compliment of fourteen remaining torpedoes, the I-77 is complimented with four Kaiten torpedo boats – Japan's underwater Kamikaze whose suicide mission is a one way ride commanded by a determined and somewhat indignant Toyama Hajime (played by Kikawada Masaya) to whom is in opposition to Captain Kuramoto's view that such suicide weapons are a waste of human life.

Notable characters include Ships Doctor Tsubota Makoto (played by Hiraoka Yuta), Ship's Engineer Kuwata Shinsaku (played by Yoshida Eisaku), young Suzuki (played by Taiga), Torpedo Officer Tamura Toshio (played by Masuoka Toru), Navigating Officer Nakatsu Hiroshi (played by Fukikoshi Mitsuru), and the Ships cook Akiyama Goro (played by Suzuki Taku). 

So getting back to the war.... The I-77 (who many of the crew is on their first and final mission)and her sister I-81 are pursued by the US Destroyer USS Percival commanded by Captain Mike Stewart (played by David Winning) who has one of the highest kill record in the fleet. He is a determined Captain out to carry out his mission to hunt and sink the remaining Japanese Submarine threat. 

Now what sets his character apart, is he seems to know something about Bushido. Now whether such a man could have existed as a destroyer captain or clearly the invention of the Japanese Writer Ikegami Tsukasa, it lends to the films pace. He knows his enemy and anticipates Kuramoto's moves in a battle of strategy and nerves in a cat and mouse game of death reminiscent of the WWII Classic The Enemy Below. 

Captain Stewart makes for a ruthless pursuer who knows his enemy will not surrender. But what US Navy Captain Stewart doesn't know is that unlike many of his vanquished foes resting at the bottom of the Pacific, Captain Kuramoto has no intention of dying. Rather, he has everything to live for and much like the I-77's vitamin dispensing Doctor Tsubota, he cares very much for the safety and well being of his crew for he under no illusion that the war is already lost. 

For Captian Kuramoto, he see's his teenage crew as men who will be needed for Japan's uncertain future. men on both sides who in another world would perhaps be friends if it had not been for war. 

While Captain Stewart initially comes off like some heartless prick, he is a man doing his job that is the grim business that is war. As the film goes deeper into Stewart's psyche, he reveals himself to be much greater a character than the film gives him credit for. We'll give you a little hint: Stick around for the credits for a revealing added footage.

In the end, it is his care for Arisawa's sheet music that reveals Captain Stewart's overall humanity. He seems to respect his foe and their duty to fight to the death. But unlike many of his contemporaries and his frustrated Kaiten pilots. Kuramoto is fighting not to die, but to live.

Comparisons to other Submarine war dramas are inevitable. Unlike the sense of claustrophobia of the U-96 crew of Das Boot, the Japanese crew of I-77 seem very acclimated to their boat without complaint or want. Imagine that! Working with a crew without any vocal complainers! Ok, so we have one grim engineer but none of the usual angst seen in other submarine movies. Manatsu no Orion may not have the intensity or excitement of Das Boot, but in fairness to this big screen quality Toho Studios TV Asashi Movie, it's overall story and production value is far better and far more believable than Hollywood's Big Budget Submarine stinker U-571. And unlike fantasy movies like Lorelei – Witch of the Pacific or the cartoon parody of Japanese Submarine crews in Steven Spielberg's 1941, Manatsu no Orion depicts the unwavering professionalism of the Japanese Navy under fire.

It is such professionalism we may add that dismisses the myth that Japanese Submariners were unsuccessful or incapable in their undersea war against the US Navy. It is a little known fact that the Imperial Japanese Navy's Submarine force actually sunk a significant number of US and Allied Ships during the War. Sadly, their record is both obscured by the disastrous record of Japan's combined surface fleet and lingering prejudice here in America which we find strange considering today's Japan's current Navy is the second largest in the world and our number one allies in the Pacific. 

While we can't give away the whole film or how Captain Stewart acquires the Sheet music, we can say we at American Mishima liked this film. It is a tribute to the sincere dedication and pure professionalism of Japan's Submarine Crews. While the film does not pull heavy on the heart strings like Otoko Tachi no Yamato, it does play on a very human element that one can not ignore. While predictable in places, we can say you will not be disappointed with it's story line, character development, use of model miniatures, detailed realistic CGI effects, and the use of an actual former US Navy Destroyers including one currently owned by Mexico. 

But most importantly, it's likeable characters aboard the I-81 and I-77 that find you rooting for their survival. You want to survive. But of course war is ugly business. In any war film, there is always tragedy. But what sets this film apart and narrowly joining the cut above the rest of great submarine films (or war films for that matter) is when they touch upon humanity and our favorite Japanese theme: The Fragility of Life. We at American Mishima will grant The Last Mission Under the Orion just praise. 

 

To find this film and other Japanese Films with English Subtitles,

Visit our man Eddie over at Japanese Samurai DVD