In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Rashomon, we delve into the significance of the film’s title.
Cast
- Takashi Shimura – Kikori, The Woodcutter
- Minoru Chiaki – Tabi Hōshi, The Priest
- Kichijiro Ueda – The Commoner
- Toshiro Mifune – Tajōmaru, The Bandit
- Machiko Kyō – The Wife
- Masayuki Mori – The Samurai
- Noriko Honma – Miko, The Medium
- Daisuke Katō – Houben, The Policeman
- Shinobu Hashimoto – Writer
- Akira Kurosawa – Writer and director
Why is the movie called Rashomon?
The title of the film, Rashomon, presents a thematic undercurrent that greatly enriches its exploration of truth and human nature. The name itself derives from the gate under which most of the story unfolds: the Rashomon gate of Kyoto, a then dilapidated, city entrance overrun by thieves and beggars. This detail may seem trivial at first glance, but upon closer examination, it forms a crucial part of the film’s symbolic language.
Rashomon uses the gate as a symbol for the moral decay that pervades the world of the film. It once stood grand and majestic, an emblem of order and civilization, but has now crumbled and become a haven for society’s outcasts. Much like the gate, the characters in the film have their own moral decay, their truth corrupted and disintegrating, just as the gate has fallen into ruin. The gate, in all its dilapidated grandeur, is the physical manifestation of the moral ambiguity and the subjective nature of truth explored within the narrative.
In a broader context, the Rashomon gate is also a liminal space, a threshold that exists between two different realities. In traditional Japanese architecture, gates often serve as transitional areas that connect the profane to the sacred. Thus, it can be seen as a passageway between the earthly, mundane world and the higher realms of truth. In the film, the characters’ testimonies transition from the worldly reality at the courtyard to the spiritual reality under the gate. It’s here that they grapple with their own perceptions and truths. It’s also here where the viewers, just like the characters, oscillate between different versions of truth, drawn into the ambiguity that makes Rashomon so captivating.
Rashomon subtly employs the gate as a metaphor for the viewers’ own experience. As the film progresses, we, as the audience, pass through the Rashomon gate alongside the characters. We are taken on a journey of multifaceted truths, each one refracted through the lens of personal perspective and self-interest. Just as the gate is the boundary between outside and inside, so too is the title, Rashomon, our entry point into this world of subjective reality. The film asks us to enter this world, and by doing so, it compels us to question our own perception of truth.
The title of the film is more than a reference to a place. It also becomes an emblem for the movie’s entire philosophy. Much like the characters’ stories which warp the truth to align with their interests, the Rashomon gate is an object transformed, its physical decay reflecting the moral decay of the individuals who seek refuge underneath. It echoes the film’s overarching message: truth is not absolute but subjective, mutable, and deeply personal. Thus, the title Rashomon is not merely a label but a symbol that encapsulates the central themes and questions posed by the movie.
Share Your Opinions
Do you have additional insights regarding the title that you believe should be incorporated into the Colossus Movie Guide for Rashomon? Leave your comments below, and we may include your suggestions in our comprehensive guide.
