長州五傑 Chosyu Five (movie)
Hurray for free movie screenings at uni!
Today I watched "Chosyu Five" (長州ファイブ) with Anne-chan at the 大学会館 uni hall。Very interesting. It's about these 5 Japanese young men (from 長州) who go to 留学 overseas study in London for 5 years. This happens just before the Meiji restoration, so they have to go in secret because it's still closed country.
- Where is Chosyu 長州? (Google map)
- Choshu Five pictures from Hagi city (Japanese)
The Chosyu Five came from Yamaguchi prefecture, Hagi city(?) 山口県萩市. Also the movie gave thanks to Shimonoseki city and Nagasaki city 下関市, 長崎市.
- movie summary in English
- http://www.chosyufive-movie.com/ (Japanese text)
- 長州五傑 wiki page (Japanese text)
**"We Are Choushuu Fivu!"**
Inoue Kaoru 井上 馨 - The first Minister of Foreign Affairs - 28 yrs, lower left in photo
Endo Kinsuke 遠藤 勤助 - Pioneered the minting of coins - 27, upper left
Inoue Masaru 井上 勝 - Dedicated himself to the creation of Japan's railway network - 20 center
Yamao Yozo 山尾 庸三 - A leading figure in industrialisation - 26, lower right
Ito Hirobumi 伊藤 博文 - The first Prime Minister - 22, upper right
It was hard to distinguish who was who, so I ended up giving them nicknames in my head, like "Coughing man", "Ugly man", "Kendo man", "技術 man". I think Kendo man was Yamao Yozo, because in the last section of the movie, Yozo was studying practical engineering in London, and when his sign-language ladyfriend Emily was in danger, he picked up a pole and used his swish kendo skills to defend himself from the men. (Anne was pretty happy at that bit, "I can do that too! (^o^)//" <-- kendo smilie)
The movie shows the Japanese men getting culture shock when they first arrive in England. For example, when the professor goes to greet them, he sees 5 pairs of shoes lined up in front of the door (and I didn't even sense anything odd in that at first!), and he opens the door to find them all sitting on the floor, in 正座（seiza）samurai style. Also, they all washed together in a big bathtub (ofuro お風呂！) prepared in the middle of the room. It was like a reverse "Lost in Translation" movie.
It was interesting that the movie didn't just focus on the positives of industrialisation. When one of the Choshu Five tells a lady in the slums that he has come to study the "civilised country" 明文国, she tells him about poor people having nothing to eat, and drunkards everywhere, and that it's not a civilised country. Later, Emily has to move because a railway is going to be built through where she lives. "There is a gap between the haves and the have nots". One of the Choshu Five asks the professor, "Why do people live?", and he answers, "It's not why people live, but how they live, which is important". (Sorry I forgot what the Japanese subtitles said. It was a pretty hard-to-read font though. Especially the た.)
Anyway.
After the movie, there was someone from the uni making a speech about how they hope that students from Yamaguchi university will go study abroad, like the Choshu Five. At least, I think that's what they were saying. Also, it was interesting that there is a Yamao decendent, Yamao Mariko 山尾 真理子 or something!! I think one of the papers distributed was asking for donations for the Yamao society or whatever it was. Still, it gave a sense of 現実 reality to the movie. Like, "woah, this really happened, here!".
***
Apparently that famous Choshu Five photo has an engraving right in the uni! I have to go look for it.
- this engraving!
- Hey! It's a whole bunch of photos of around the uni! haha it looks so clean and pretty.
Today I watched "Chosyu Five" (長州ファイブ) with Anne-chan at the 大学会館 uni hall。Very interesting. It's about these 5 Japanese young men (from 長州) who go to 留学 overseas study in London for 5 years. This happens just before the Meiji restoration, so they have to go in secret because it's still closed country.
- Where is Chosyu 長州? (Google map)
- Choshu Five pictures from Hagi city (Japanese)
The Chosyu Five came from Yamaguchi prefecture, Hagi city(?) 山口県萩市. Also the movie gave thanks to Shimonoseki city and Nagasaki city 下関市, 長崎市.
- movie summary in English
- http://www.chosyufive-movie.com/ (Japanese text)
- 長州五傑 wiki page (Japanese text)
**"We Are Choushuu Fivu!"**
Inoue Kaoru 井上 馨 - The first Minister of Foreign Affairs - 28 yrs, lower left in photo
Endo Kinsuke 遠藤 勤助 - Pioneered the minting of coins - 27, upper left
Inoue Masaru 井上 勝 - Dedicated himself to the creation of Japan's railway network - 20 center
Yamao Yozo 山尾 庸三 - A leading figure in industrialisation - 26, lower right
Ito Hirobumi 伊藤 博文 - The first Prime Minister - 22, upper right
It was hard to distinguish who was who, so I ended up giving them nicknames in my head, like "Coughing man", "Ugly man", "Kendo man", "技術 man". I think Kendo man was Yamao Yozo, because in the last section of the movie, Yozo was studying practical engineering in London, and when his sign-language ladyfriend Emily was in danger, he picked up a pole and used his swish kendo skills to defend himself from the men. (Anne was pretty happy at that bit, "I can do that too! (^o^)//" <-- kendo smilie)
The movie shows the Japanese men getting culture shock when they first arrive in England. For example, when the professor goes to greet them, he sees 5 pairs of shoes lined up in front of the door (and I didn't even sense anything odd in that at first!), and he opens the door to find them all sitting on the floor, in 正座（seiza）samurai style. Also, they all washed together in a big bathtub (ofuro お風呂！) prepared in the middle of the room. It was like a reverse "Lost in Translation" movie.
It was interesting that the movie didn't just focus on the positives of industrialisation. When one of the Choshu Five tells a lady in the slums that he has come to study the "civilised country" 明文国, she tells him about poor people having nothing to eat, and drunkards everywhere, and that it's not a civilised country. Later, Emily has to move because a railway is going to be built through where she lives. "There is a gap between the haves and the have nots". One of the Choshu Five asks the professor, "Why do people live?", and he answers, "It's not why people live, but how they live, which is important". (Sorry I forgot what the Japanese subtitles said. It was a pretty hard-to-read font though. Especially the た.)
Anyway.
After the movie, there was someone from the uni making a speech about how they hope that students from Yamaguchi university will go study abroad, like the Choshu Five. At least, I think that's what they were saying. Also, it was interesting that there is a Yamao decendent, Yamao Mariko 山尾 真理子 or something!! I think one of the papers distributed was asking for donations for the Yamao society or whatever it was. Still, it gave a sense of 現実 reality to the movie. Like, "woah, this really happened, here!".
***
Apparently that famous Choshu Five photo has an engraving right in the uni! I have to go look for it.
- this engraving!
- Hey! It's a whole bunch of photos of around the uni! haha it looks so clean and pretty.