Akira Ishihama

In Harakiri (1962), Akira Ishihama's Motome Chijiiwa is in pain, and the people around him have rules to observe. We were horrified by his suffering and by their willingness to treat it as a matter of correct procedure. Tatsuya Nakadai holds our attention through the film's patient storytelling, but Ishihama makes its cruelty difficult to discuss at a comfortable distance. He gives us a young man to worry about whenever samurai honour threatens to become a subject for solemn debate.

He began as the lead in Keisuke Kinoshita's Shōnenki (Boyhood) (1951), then took leading and supporting parts in Shochiku dramas through the 1950s and early 1960s. He was frequently cast as a young man in period dramas and literary adaptations. Before Harakiri, he had played Chin in Masaki Kobayashi's The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959). In Harakiri, that youth matters: the people defending their code cannot make the suffering in front of them look reasonable.

Kobayashi gives him firm support without softening the film. Hisashi Sagara's editing places ceremonial order alongside flashbacks of suffering, keeping Ishihama's predicament central to our judgement of those enforcing the rules. Tōru Takemitsu's music adds unease without making the pain feel grand. We would not call the result an easy watch: the storytelling is sometimes demanding, and Kobayashi's severity leaves little room for relief. Ishihama's vulnerability is essential to keeping that severity from becoming merely exhausting.

Later came television supporting roles, including Doctor Tokimura in Choushinsei Flashman (1986) and appearances in Mobile Cop Jiban (1989). Occasional film and television work continued into the 2010s. That longer career deserves attention, though this one performance cannot tell us how well every other part suited him. Start with Harakiri, and choose an evening when comfort is not the requirement.