Jidaigeki (時代劇, lit. "era drama") is a genre of film,
television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning
"period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of
Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much
earlierâ€"Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian
periodâ€"and the early Meiji era is also a popular setting. Jidaigeki
show the lives of the samurai, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of
their time. Jidaigeki films are sometimes referred to as chambara
movies, a word meaning "sword fight", though chambara is more
accurately a subgenre of jidaigeki. Jidaigeki rely on an established
set of dramatic conventions including the use of makeup, language,
catchphrases, and plotlines.Many jidaigeki take place in Edo, the
military capital. Others show the adventures of people wandering from
place to place. The long-running television series Zenigata Heiji and
AbarenbÅ ShÅ gun typify the Edo jidaigeki. Mito KÅ mon, the
fictitious story of the travels of the historical daimyÅ Tokugawa
Mitsukuni, and the Zatoichi movies and television series, exemplify
the traveling style.Another way to categorize jidaigeki is according
to the social status of the principal characters. The title character
of AbarenbÅ ShÅ gun is Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa
shÅ gun. The head of the samurai class, Yoshimune assumes the disguise
of a low-ranking hatamoto, a samurai in the service of the shogun.
Similarly, Mito KÅ mon is the retired vice-shogun, masquerading as a
merchant. In contrast, the coin-throwing Heiji of Zenigata Heiji is a
commoner, working for the police, while Ichi (the title character of
Zatoichi), a blind masseur, is an outcast, as were many disabled
people in that era. In fact, masseurs, who typically were at the
bottom of the professional food chain, was one of the few vocational
positions available to the blind in that era. Gokenin ZankurÅ is a
samurai but, due to his low rank and income, he has to work extra jobs
that higher-ranking samurai were unaccustomed to doing.Whether the
lead role is samurai or commoner, jidaigeki usually reach a climax in
an immense sword fight just before the end. The title character of a
series always wins, whether using a sword or a jutte (the device
police used to trap, and sometimes to bend or break, an opponent's
sword).
television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning
"period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of
Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much
earlierâ€"Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian
periodâ€"and the early Meiji era is also a popular setting. Jidaigeki
show the lives of the samurai, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of
their time. Jidaigeki films are sometimes referred to as chambara
movies, a word meaning "sword fight", though chambara is more
accurately a subgenre of jidaigeki. Jidaigeki rely on an established
set of dramatic conventions including the use of makeup, language,
catchphrases, and plotlines.Many jidaigeki take place in Edo, the
military capital. Others show the adventures of people wandering from
place to place. The long-running television series Zenigata Heiji and
AbarenbÅ ShÅ gun typify the Edo jidaigeki. Mito KÅ mon, the
fictitious story of the travels of the historical daimyÅ Tokugawa
Mitsukuni, and the Zatoichi movies and television series, exemplify
the traveling style.Another way to categorize jidaigeki is according
to the social status of the principal characters. The title character
of AbarenbÅ ShÅ gun is Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa
shÅ gun. The head of the samurai class, Yoshimune assumes the disguise
of a low-ranking hatamoto, a samurai in the service of the shogun.
Similarly, Mito KÅ mon is the retired vice-shogun, masquerading as a
merchant. In contrast, the coin-throwing Heiji of Zenigata Heiji is a
commoner, working for the police, while Ichi (the title character of
Zatoichi), a blind masseur, is an outcast, as were many disabled
people in that era. In fact, masseurs, who typically were at the
bottom of the professional food chain, was one of the few vocational
positions available to the blind in that era. Gokenin ZankurÅ is a
samurai but, due to his low rank and income, he has to work extra jobs
that higher-ranking samurai were unaccustomed to doing.Whether the
lead role is samurai or commoner, jidaigeki usually reach a climax in
an immense sword fight just before the end. The title character of a
series always wins, whether using a sword or a jutte (the device
police used to trap, and sometimes to bend or break, an opponent's
sword).
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.