The Role of Princesses in Japanese Cinema and History

Princess is a common archetype in cinema. Connoting both femininity and power, it is a symbol of archaic gender stereotype and progressive feminist ideal.

Hence, Disney’s dedication to make their princesses the symbol of contemporary feminism is not unexpected. Over the years, the multinational corporation had made countless attempts to commercialize real-world social movements, efforts that we suspect will become an abundant well for media analysts for years to come.

Drawing mostly from European fairytales, Disney princesses represent social and cultural ideals surrounding gender. As of recent, the corporation seem to be testing the boundaries of gender representation more adventurously, reflected in their departure of depicting princesses as damsels in distress. However, if we’re being honest, Disney princesses as of today still act as mirrors into society rather than being revolutionary molds of female representation. They reflect the prevailing gender norms rather than challenge them. The focus on first-world feminist themes is also not something worth praising Disney over as it is one of the easier social issue to commercialize. For instance, instead of tackling racism or post-colonialism in films such as Princess and the Frog or Moana, Disney focused on gender norms. One might say that all Disney is doing here riding the woke-culture wave, commodifying a social issue that happens to be trendy during this time.

Instead of diving into a critique of capitalism, commodification, and woke-culture, today we look beyond representations and symbolisms of “princess” in the US and Hollywood. We look at a country with a deeply complex identity resulting from a painful colonial past. Today, we look at the representation of princesses in Japanese cinema.

Japanese cinema grew out of the shadow of a mushroom cloud. Ironically, Japan’s reconstruction was aided by the very nation that is responsible for its destruction- the US. Suffice to say, Japan and the US’ relationship has and will always be complicated. This complex relationship is also reflected in the ambiguity of Japanese cinema. Despite clear Hollywood influences, the industry retains pride in Japan’s historical past.

(Image credit: BBC)

This ambiguity is best visualised by the role princesses have in Japanese movies. As staples of Japanese folklores with common features in Heian literature, princesses are reminders of the social hierarchy that still exist in Japan today. Princess is also associated with the Japanese monarchy, which, following the aftermaths of WW2, is perceived by the population as the eternal soul of Japan. The femininity of the princess connotes a sense of purity which seems to be rooted in traditional Japanese culture, one which emerged from the Heian era.

However, it is also influenced by the influx of American films in the post-war period. Post-war filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa were making movies in a world already dominated by western cinema.

This is something we can also observe from French filmmaker Jean Luc Goddard’s Breathless. While Goddard rebels against the American cultural dominance with his French New Wave style, Kurosawa localizes American filmmaking by using it to tell Japanese stories. His films do incorporate styles that are characteristics of Kabuki theatres, but his use of pans, zooms and cuts are clearly influenced by the work of John Ford.

Jean-Luc Goddard's Breathless (1960)

(Image credit: SBS)

It is no surprise then that after penetrating the western cinematic world with Seven Samurai, Kurosawa would return with another swashbuckling adventure in The Hidden Fortress. This movie features brave samurais, lowly peasants, and noble villains – all staples of Kurosawa’s other Jidaigeki films, namely Sanjuro Sugata and Seven Samurai. But in Hidden Fortress, Kurosawa added the figure of a princess. Princess Yuki is the new head of the recently ravaged Agizuki clan, who now must work Toshiro Mufine’s samurai and two comedic peasants to gain the land she lost to the Yamana clan. If this reminds you of Star Wars, guess what, you should be. George Lucas was directly inspired by this movie. Yep, Princess Leia, in many ways, is an American interpretation of Princess Yuki.

Now, Princess Yuki is an important character.

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

(Image credit: Slash Film)

While the film is widely known as The Hidden Fortress, it also goes by the second name of The Last Princess. Moreover, in numerous moments, the film portrays the whole story as a personal journey for her. The samurai explicitly states that it is her job to revive Agizuki clan. However, most people who are doing the work are the peasants and the samurai. Yuki, for the most part is just this boyish princess who defies the norm of princess-hood.

So, this begs the question: what exactly is her relevance in the film?

Well, the key here is to understand the story of the Agizuki clan as almost an allegory of Japan’s defeat in the Second World War. Whether or not this was explicit, the story of a defeated clan having to rebuild itself after devastating attacks would have resonated very well with the Japanese audience in 1958.

Now, if the Agizuki clan in Japan, then Yuki – as the sole monarch – is the soul of Japan.

The fact that her character defies gender norms while retaining the position of the princess most certainly represents the transition Japanese society was going through. Kurosawa deliberately confuses Yuki’s portrayal to show that the soul of Japan is changing. However, Yuki’s true role is not just to represent this transition. Later in the story, Yuki saves a young girl from being subjected to prostitution despite the significant risks to her safety that came with this rescue. She also then compels a villain to turn to the good side by singing a folk song.

Yuki, as the princess, is not only the soul, but the moral soul of Japan.

Princess Yuki from The Hidden Fortress (1958)

(Image credit: The Criterion Collection)

As the peasants are consumed by greed and the samurais restrained by nobility and honour, Yuki retains a pure, even abrasive, humanism that eventually saves everyone.

This nostalgia for a kind of moral soul, embodied in the form of the princess or at least a kind of female sovereign is found in Hayao Miyazaki’s films as well. While Nausicaa (1984) is fascinating as an extremely active character fighting to defend her homeland, it is the placement of the wolf princess in Princess Mononoke (2001) that is truly fascinating. Those who have seen this film may have been struck by the fact that the princess who headlines the film is not the main character. Instead, the film’s plot centers around a prince named Ashitaka.

Prince Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke (2001)

(Image credit: Counteract)

Hence, the movie is also sometimes known as The Legend of Ashitaka, but this name is noticeably less popular than Princess Mononoke. Here, we see another film which features a princess who despite clear symbolic importance in the story, is not the engine which drives the plot along.

Princess Mononoke also represents a change in gender norm. She needs no man to fight for her. And neither did Princess Yuki. Both girls are fighters.

In Princess Mononoke’s case, she undoubtedly symbolizes nature. The film’s premise is one of human vs. nature. Miyazaki’s placement of the princess as the representation of nature is telling, especially since the opposing side also stands a female leader who embodies the necessity of industrialism. If you want a deeper dive into how Miyazaki tackles this dilemma, check out this article.

Princess Mononoke (2001)

It is important to recognize that to this day the title of a princess – and the monarchy – still invokes an identification with the soul of Japan. Princess Mononoke represents both nature and Japan. Therefore, it serves as the connective link.

When this movie was released in 1997, Japan has already become a modern nation. Cities have sprung up and cosmopolitan lives have replaced the more traditional livelihood of the past. Miyazaki was one of the many artists who perpetuated images of nostalgia towards nature and pure past. Unlike Kurosawa who seems nostalgic for the samurai and Tokugawa-era Japan, Miyazaki was nostalgic for natural Japan.

Through the character of Mononoke, Miyazaki hopes to remind this increasingly industrialized nation of its natural landscapes and roots. He advocated Japanese to withdraw from the allures of consumerism, for it could bring disaster. The 1997 Asian Economic Crisis hit the Pacific in the same month this film was released. Miyazaki’s message is not likely to be lost on 1990s audiences.

There are certainly other portrayals of princesses that don’t seem to be as representative of the journey of Japan as much.

The animation Laputa – also directed by Miyazaki – is an example of the western princess portrayed in Japanese cinema. Princess Peach is yet another example of this. Even the many princesses that appear in cartoons like Doraemon follow the western archetype.

And yet, there is one movie from the Detective Conan Case Closed series that imbues the figure of the princess with questions of political intrigues and duties to the nation. In that movie, there is a plot point where a popular movement seeks to deny the princess her birthright. However, the story ends with the princess learning a lesson and becoming the good queen either way.

The fact that the Japanese monarch, unlike others in Thailand or Yemen, remains aloof to the political world, is a big factor behind their continued popularity. For Japan, the figure of the princess may have become less symbolic of the nation as external ideas seep in, diluting the symbolism of the past.

Nowadays, when Japan talks about nationalism, it is the history of the Second World War that is really the focal point. This makes the role of the princess increasingly ambiguous- representative of a lost aesthetic rather than a significant symbol.

Still, whenever a princess features in Japanese films, we are still reminded of Japan’s past. Now whether it is a reminder tainted by disdain or nostalgia, that is subjective.

The latest Japanese film that featured a princess and left an imprint in our minds is The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014).

(Image credit: BFI)

Isao Takahata, the director has previously explored the experience of the Japanese nation through films like Grave of the Fireflies (1988). So, it is interesting that in his last film, he explored the concept of the princess, a rather pertinent symbol of Japanese nationhood, with a kind of unresolved ambivalence.

The film follows the story of Kaguya, a young girl who has been forced into the role of the princess by the people around her. The ending emphasizes an overwhelming wave of regret these people collectively feel as Kaguya eventually leaves them. In her departure to become one with the divine world, Kaguya loses both her memory and identity.

It’s a remarkably sad ending. Also open to many interpretations.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014)

(Image credit: Polygon)

Was Takahata trying to say that the people’s efforts to honour and preserve the soul of Japan ended up contributing to its eventual loss?

We don’t know.

But that image of a Kimono-donning Kaguya floating into the sky, leaving her worldly attachments behind is fatalistic yet calming.

Even in its ambivalence, we think the figure of the princess still leaves a strong impact on the psyche of the Japanese public.