Shintos believe that in the afterlife, the human spirit lives on forever. This particular dead soldier has a conversation with the man, who turns out to be his commander. The soldier doesn't believe that he is dead, and the commander explains to the soldier that he died in his arms. The soldier is very depressed, and goes on to talk about his family, and how they are at home, waiting for him to come back.
The soldier leaves momentarily, and soon a whole platoon arrives, all of whom are dead. They are loyally "reporting" to their commander, and assuring him that they have returned from war safely (they obviously did not, but they don't know they're dead). This is where it gets interesting, because we find out that the commander actually sent them out knowing they would be killed. He says he takes responsibility for his "misconduct," and it's clear he's ashamed about it. He should be, because his actions were one of the worst, according to Shinto beliefs. He says he was captured and tortured, and while he was being tortured he felt like dying would be easier. Seeing all of the soldiers that he sent out to die makes him feel so much pain, that he wishes he could have died with them.
He asks them to leave and rest in peace, and tells them that they are accomplishing nothing by being there. They do as they are instructed, and march away back into the tunnel.
At the very end, the angry dog comes running back out of the tunnel, and it barks ferociously at the commander. It's not really clear how he reacts, but I think that he almost wants the dog to bite him this time. He isn't as cautious as before, and in the last few seconds of the video it looks as if he might collapse to the ground at any point and allow the dog to tear him up. I think I get this feeling because it's so clear that he feels he has dishonored his troop, and Shintos believe that dishonor is worse than death and suicide should follow. If he was really a Shinto he would perform a ritualistic suicide, so feeding himself to the dog probably wouldn't be the best way to go out, but he's clearly suffering so much pain and wants to die soon.
Hey! I certainly see the parallels between your video and the one I chose, Blizzard. Shintoism highly values loyalty and leadership, and it's clear in your descriptions that it's present in the clips you watched as well. It seems like there's a strong disdain for dishonor in the clip from what you wrote, which is another overlying and important factor in Shintoism. And, man, is that a creepy little kid.
ReplyDeleteI did the same scene and I agree with you that the commander feel he has dishonored his troops and that he really feels that he deserves to die because of it. In relation to Shinto I feel as if it relates to the creation myth and the Shinto ethics in that they believe loyalty to one country is very important and the aspect that heaven and earth is compatible with one another.
ReplyDeleteI agree to that the commander wishes that he would have died instead of being tortured. Shinto ethics are very clear, being dishonorable is the worst offense. By knowingly sending those soldiers into a war in which he knew that they were going to die he was unloyal to them and even potentially his country.
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