The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi

The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi (西住戦車長伝, Nishizumi Senshachō Den), more known under the title The Story of Tank Commander

Nishizumi, is a 1940 Japanese "humanist" war film directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura.

Film

The movie shows the common Japanese soldier as an individual and as a family man, and even enemy Chinese soldiers are presented as individuals, sometimes fighting bravely. It is based on a true story of the Sino-Japanese war involving Japanese war hero Kojirō Nishizumi, a lieutenant and future commander in the First Tank Regiment who was well-liked and highly respected by both his subordinates and superiors. To make the film, Yoshimura toured the actual battlefields in China.[1]

Propaganda

Following his death during the Battle of Xuzhou in 1938, Nishizumi was declared Japan’s first “gunshin”, or War God. His career became the subject of legend and widespread praise throughout Japan, spawning numerous biographies, songs, and novels in his honor. The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi was promoted by the Japanese Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of Education upon its release in 1940. Nishizumi’s story was likely chosen due to the fact that he was an outstanding example of the ideal Empire soldier, and served as an inspiring and guiding piece of media for the masses considering that the film’s release coincided with both the Second World War and the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Reception

Cinema theorist Kate Taylor-Jones suggests that along with films like Mud and Soldiers and Chocolate and Soldiers, The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi provided "a vision of the noble, obedient and honourable Japanese army fighting to defend the emperor and Japan."[2]

References

High, Peter B. (January 2003). The Imperial Screen: Japanese Film Culture in the Fifteen Years' War, 1931-1945. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 211–217. ISBN 978-0-299-18134-5.
Taylor-Jones, Kate (16 July 2013). Rising Sun, Divided Land: Japanese and South Korean Filmmakers. Wallflower Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-231-16586-0.

Themes and Analysis

Japanese War films during World War II were notorious for encouraging self-sacrifice by Japanese civilians and soldiers, urging prioritizing Imperial goals rather than personal interests, and glorifying serving the Emperor by any means necessary.[1] The war is illustrated to the Japanese audience as a culture conflict between the Western powers and East Asia. These films aim to convince the Japanese people that they are freeing Asia from the heavily stereotyped exploitative Western Imperialist powers. These Propaganda films during the war were heavily censored and were meant to illustrate a vivid emotional connection with the military, and to glorify the war for Japanese audiences.[2]

Yoshimura’s film reflects these defining attributes heavily throughout its runtime by utilizing several key themes. Self-sacrifice (death) is seen multiple times when Nishizumi risks his own life rather than his crew men's lives or helps wounded infantrymen out of danger while he himself is wounded . Patriotism and glorifying the war is evident through Nishizumi’s portrayal as the ideal model Japanese leader; courageous, fearless, respected, and caring for his men. Furthermore, this key theme is evident when the film shows that Nishizumi is lionized for his efforts to serve Imperial Japan and help Chinese civilians during the siege of Shanghai and conquest of Nanking. Lastly, the theme of generations of Japanese soldiers serving the Emperor is depicted when we learn that Nishizumi is a young man embracing and living out his childhood ambition to follow his father's service in the Imperial army during the Russo-Japanese War; implying that the fighting spirit and obedience for the Emperor will be transferred from generation to generation within the Empire.

Desser, David (1995). "From the Opium War to the Pacific War: Japanese Propaganda Films of World War II". Film History. 7 (1): 32–48. ISSN 0892-2160.
"World War II in Asia and the Pacific and the War's Aftermath, with General Themes: A Handbook of Literature and Research". The SHAFR Guide Online. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[High2003-1] High, Peter B. (January 2003). The Imperial Screen: Japanese Film Culture in the Fifteen Years' War, 1931-1945. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 211–217. ISBN 978-0-299-18134-5.

[Taylor-Jones2013-2] Taylor-Jones, Kate (16 July 2013). Rising Sun, Divided Land: Japanese and South Korean Filmmakers. Wallflower Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-231-16586-0.

[3] Desser, David (1995). "From the Opium War to the Pacific War: Japanese Propaganda Films of World War II". Film History. 7 (1): 32–48. ISSN 0892-2160.

[4] "World War II in Asia and the Pacific and the War's Aftermath, with General Themes: A Handbook of Literature and Research". The SHAFR Guide Online. Retrieved 18 April 2022.