Shogi
is to chess what cricket is to baseball. The common kinship is obvious, but to
uninitiated Yanks, the rules look impenetrably random. Satoshi Murayama got it
right away. The sickly prodigy always knew his time was limited, so he was in a
rush to conquer the shogi world. For reasons well beyond their national passion
for the game, Murayama’s underdog run for glory is a distinctly Japanese story
that unfolds in Yoshitaka Mori’s Satoshi:
A Move for Tomorrow
(trailer here),
which screens during the 2017 Japan Cuts Festival of New Japanese Film in New
York.
Murayama’s
kidney condition would be serious even if he took care of himself, but he
doesn’t. Frankly, he is essentially incapable of looking after himself, but
fortunately the Shogi Association takes responsibility for him when he moves to
Tokyo in 1994. He was the dreaded terror of the Osaka Shogi Institute, but in
Tokyo Yoshiharu Habu is the top dog (and still considered by many to be the
best player ever).
Habu
is also more sociable than Murayama, but that’s not saying very much.
Initially, their fellow members are quite put off by his rude manners and
generally weirdness. Yet, as they marvel at (and get crushed by) Murayama’s
brilliant play, they come to accept his oddball persona. This is truer for Habu
than anyone, but he is still the only player who can regularly beat Murayama.
This
is the shogi movie you never knew you needed. The basic elements are
superficially similar, including a big climatic match, but Satoshi is nothing like a Hollywood sports movie. You can see the
themes Ivan Morris identified in his seminal study of classical Japanese
heroes, such as Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Sugawara no Michizane. (If that’s
spoilery, then consider yourself learned and well-read.)
It
would be easy to make the gruff, awkward Murayama into a caricature of either
an anti-social freak or a sensitive nerd, but the film and lead actor Kenichi
Matsuyama never take any easy outs. Matsuyama offers no concessions in his
prickly performance, but he also clearly and forcefully conveys all the
insecurities that tormented Murayama. Likewise, Masahiro Higashide brings
subtle dimensions to his great rival, Habu. Lily Franky radiates warmth and
dignity as Murayama’s master, Nobou Mori, but it is Keiko Takeshita who really
brings down the emotional hammer as Murayama’s long-suffering mother.
