Rashomon: Relativism in Film

Robert Waxman
 2

Abstract

In the film Rashomon (Kurosawa, 1951), the director utilizes subjective narrative to support the

notion that truth is relative. Several witnesses observe a crime from different vantage points

however, no two stories are alike. Consequently, the audience does not know who to believe.

Purposefully, Kurosawa does not establish an objective reality. He makes the point that

observers will interpret, manipulate, or remember details differently. Sometimes, witnesses add

or delete information to protect their reputations. Others want to sway opinions to exonerate

themselves. Some have an agenda and falsify their accounts of an incident. Most witnesses

consciously, or subconsciously, do not offer truthful versions of events. The film brings to life

the phenomenon of relativism.

 3

Introduction

Relativism - the view that truth and falsity, right and wrong, standards of reasoning, and
procedures of justification are products of differing conventions and frameworks of assessment
and that their authority is confined to the context giving rise to them –– (Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy, 2015)

In the film Rashomon, Kurosawa uses a form of narrative that is subjective and non-linear.

The audience watches several versions of a rape and murder from the perspectives of a priest, a

thief, a samurai (through a medium), his wife, and a woodcutter (who offers a false version; then,

an “accurate” one). After watching the film, the viewer does not know if any of the five versions

are true. This type of uncertainty presents a problem for those who rely on objective truth to

understand a story. According to Updike (2010):

A narrative is like a room on whose walls a number of false doors have been painted;
while within the narrative, we have many apparent choices of exit, but when the author
leads us to one particular door, we know it is the right one because it opens.

Updike contends that an audience relies on the author (or director) to learn the truth.

However, in Rashomon, Kurosawa does not provide the truth or reliable clues that lead to the

truth. Therefore, Kurosawa’s use of subjective narrative does not support Updike’s claim that the

author directs the audience to the right conclusion. Accordingly, an audience may become

frustrated without an objective reality on which to base their assumptions. So, why does

Kurosawa offer five different versions of the same story? To make the point that truth is relative

and not absolute. According to Heikkinen and Huttunen (2000):

What kinds of uses for the concept of truth could we discover in the context of narrative
research? If the answer to this question is, that we are unable to find any uses for truth,
then, we would indeed find ourselves deep in the morass of relativism.

Kurosawa’s use of relativism is an intriguing narrative technique. It allows the audience to

observe the characters and determine their credibility. The witnesses espouse relative truths
 4

according to their ethical, moral, cultural, and societal backgrounds. The utilization of relativism

or subjective narrative offer insights into the moral integrity of each witness’s character.

According to Polkinghorne (1988):

Narrative meaning is one type of meaning that is produced by the mental realm. It
principally works to draw together human actions, and the events that effect human
beings, and not relationships among inanimate objects. Narrative creates its meaning by
noting the contributions that actions and events make a particular outcome and then
configures these parts into a whole episode.

Polkinghorne’s theory corresponds to Kurosawa’s use of cinematic narrative. Kurosawa

creates meaning by emphasizing that human experience contains ambiguity. He challenges the

audience to watch each version of the event and compare the different narratives. Kurosawa

wants the audience to think about each character and their motivations. He is not asking the

audience to guess who is telling the truth. The point is: there is no absolute truth.

The audience does not know if any of the five narratives are accurate. However, despite the

ambiguities, Kurosawa weaves the stories together to create a unique experience for the viewer.

He wants the audience to consider the value of experiencing the film’s uncertainty. Thus,

viewers need to abandon their attachment to objective narrative and find meaning in the

experiential nature of human observation.

Kurosawa sheds light on human perception and the problem of communicating the truth to

others. While watching the film, the viewer may feel a responsibility to figure out which version

is accurate. For instance, when the Woodcutter narrates his second version of events, it seems

probable that the truth is about to unfold. However, why should the Woodcutter’s second version

be any more credible than the first? He lied the first time, so his credibility is suspect.

In the final scene, Kurosawa implies that the audience should not trust anyone. The director

has been planting seeds of mistrust as the film is progressing. To support this claim, “the

Commoner” speaks about humankind’s tendency to embellish a story:

 5

Well, men are only men. That’s why they lie. They can’t tell the truth, not even to
themselves…Everyone wants to forget unpleasant things. So, they make up stories. It’s
easier that way . . . It isn’t as though men were reasonable. (Van Es, 2002)

Other comments by the Commoner, the Priest, and the Woodcutter condemn humankind’s

ability to tell the truth. Their dialogue indicates that people are deceptive and not to be trusted:

It's human to lie. We can't even be honest with ourselves (Commoner).

I don't mind a lie. Not if it's interesting. (Commoner).
Women lead you on with their tears. They even fool themselves (Commoner).

Everyone wants to forget unpleasant things, so they make up stories (Commoner).

Goodness is make-believe... forget the bad stuff (Commoner).
The Demon fled in fear of the ferocity of man (Priest).
If men don't trust each other, this world is hell (Priest).
In the end you cannot understand the things men do (Commoner).
If you are not selfish, you can't survive (Commoner).

All men are selfish and dishonest. They all have excuses (Woodcutter).
You can't afford not to be suspicious of people these days (Woodcutter)
(Rashomon, 1951)

Conclusion

World War II had a profound effect on Kurosawa. The film was completed six years after the

war, and Kurosawa opens the film with the Rashomon Gate. It is a symbol of desolation,

destruction, and despair in post-war Japan. He lived in Japan during and after the war and

experienced the aftermath of atomic fall-out (“Kurosawa, Akira,” 2010). He experienced the

devastation of a lost war with pain and suffering all around him.

Kurosawa resented the lies of Japanese leaders during the war. Navarro (2010) speaks about

the Japanese government’s use of propaganda, which effected Kurosawa’s view on the nature of

truth:
 6

Throughout the war and the years leading up to it, Japan maintained that its campaign
through Asia was virtuous and that their Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere would, in the long
run, do good for all of Asia under their guidance. Seeing what Western countries were
doing to Asia—the French presence in Southeast Asia, the British in Hong Kong and
Singapore, and the United States in the Philippines — Japan sought to “liberate East Asia
from white invasion and oppression.”

In 1942, the Japanese government published a booklet entitled The Greater East Asia War

and Ourselves. It describes the future relationship of Asian countries as a “branch family”

(Navarro, 2010). Japanese leaders promised economic prosperity once they were free from

Western influence. Outline of Economic Policies for the Southern Areas describes plans “to

assist the economic expansion of the Japanese people in the southern areas on the bases of

overall national planning, and to advance economic changes within the Co-Prosperity Sphere”

(2010).

After the war, Japanese citizens were disgusted with their former leaders. They had been

deceived, misinformed, and manipulated. Almost two million Japanese died because “[men]

can’t tell the truth, not even to themselves” (Van Es, 2002). During the time Kurosawa was

filming Rashomon, the Japanese government was still refusing to tell the truth about their role in

the war. According to Navarro (2010):

The government failed to recognize any wrongdoings it may have committed to other
countries. It maintained adamantly that Japan’s motives were, without question, for good
and only good, and that any action taken against other Asian countries, such as China
were brought about on account of self-defense.

Kurosawa was a victim of this mass deception. Thus, his film posits that leaders in

government are incapable of telling the truth. The deceptive nature of conveying false

information comes through clearly. Kurosawa’s intention was to create a film that encapsulated

his personal experience. He watched the power of lies destroy his country and leave devastation

in its wake.

In Rashomon, Kurosawa condemns the human tendency to falsify information for devious
 7

purposes. He believes that leaders who spread propaganda will experience grave consequences.

At the end of the film, Kurosawa offers hope for the future at the Rashomon Gate. Suddenly, an

abandoned baby appears, and the Woodcutter agrees to adopt the child. This unselfish act of

compassion shows that human goodness can survive in the worst of times. Despite the atrocities

that Japan brought upon itself during WWII, the process of learning harsh lessons was

transformational as a new story began for the next generation.

 8

References

A critical comparison between Japanese and American propaganda during World War II. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/~navarro6/srop.html
Heikkinen, H.L.T., Huttunen, R. & L. Kakkori. (2000, September). “And this story is true..." On
the problem of narrative truth. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational
Research, University of Edinburgh.
John Updike: A life in quotes. (2010). Retrieved from Telegraph.co.uk website:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/4364544/John-Updike-a-life-in-quotes.html
Kurosawa, Akira (2010). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica
Online http://www.britannica.com/shakespeare/article-9046485
Polkinghorne, D. (1988). Narrative knowing and the human sciences. Albany, NY: State
University of New York Press.
Relativism. (2003). In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/relativism/

Rashomon (n.d.). Retrieved from http://oook.info/anth230/rasho3.html

Van Es, R. (2002). Persistent Ambiguity and Moral Responsibility in Rashomon. In K. L.

Stoeher (Ed.), Film and knowledge: essays on the integration of images and ideas. Jefferson, NC:
McFarland & Company.
World War 2 Casualties (2010). Retrieved from World War 2 website: http://www.world-war-
2.info/casualties/