Ishii's Mad Vision: Blind Woman's Curse (1970)

The undisputed emperor of Japanese cult and flat-out bizarro cinema is the immortal Ishii Teruo. Over a nearly 50-year career, Ishii carved out a niche sub-genre that was entirely his own. Jarring jump cuts, strange colors, nightmarish imagery, bloody violence, and a sense of palpable eroticism define everything he touched in particular his late 1960s to mid 1970s films. He was an auteur in a strict studio system that only briefly gave him the opportunity to go full blown Ishii. Following up his Rampo adaptation, Horrors of the Malformed Men, he teamed with a still relatively unknown Kaji Meiko (born Ohta Masako) with…

 

Blind Woman’s Curse: Tachibana Akemi (Kaji Meiko) leads her gang in a fight versus the Goda gang. The rival boss is in range. Akemi's blade cuts through the air but Goda’s innocent sister jumps in the way. She’s blinded and Akemi gets 3 years. Her cellmates demand she tells them why she’s there. They join her gang. Akemi is freed but there’s a new gang in the midst. The Dobashi are moving in. This sets off a long chain of insanity and violence. All the while, a mysterious blind woman (Tokuda Hoki) with an aggressive black cat comes along with her hutchback sidekick (Hijikata Tatsumi) and stir shit up.

The Aozora Boss, he doesn't bathe and does not wear pants.

To give this the traditional plot overview is a fool’s endeavor. Ishii like his contemporary Suzuki Seijun (not to be confused with Suzuki Norifumi), was not interested in traditional or normal plots. Everyone else is making conventional fare, why not have fun the format of film and play. The spirit of mischievous anarchy is so strong it jumps off the screen like a black cat with possible mystical powers. From the first scene, it’s very clear that isn’t a typical yakuza. There is no buildup to a climatic clash of clans. We are thrown in head first whilst the opening credits play over top. In a brilliant move to setup conflict and get the credits over with, Ishii condenses what could have been a generic opener into something strange. With each new credit segment, there’s a freeze frame in between slow motion fights. The woman vs multiple men is repeated in the equally phenomenal Sex and Fury (by the aforementioned Suzuki Norifumi) with the phenomenal Ike Reiko (to arguably better results). A woman slashing away at a gang of men in the rain while commanding men at the same time is something to behold. That is an image that wasn’t common with the yakuza-eiga films. Killing and maiming corrupt men is fine. However, once an innocent woman is in the fray and injured things are not okay. Akemi is a ruthless killer but with a code of honor. If someone is a fellow criminal it’s fair game but if not, it's wrong. Once the blade blinds an innocent, Akemi immediately regrets it. This is not how it’s supposed to go. She plays within the unspoken rules. Even at the end, she never betrays her personal code of honor and respect.

Goda's Sister vs Akemi

This was a milestone film for Kaji. Up until this point she only played supporting roles to varying degrees. Her only really notable roles previous were in 1968’s Monument to the Girls’ Corps and Retaliation, 1969’s  Mini-Skirt Lynchers, and 1970’s Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (not to be confused with the Girl Boss series or Delinquent Girl Boss series). Her reputation on set was that of a difficult woman, a quality that only men are allowed to have. There was a point in her career when her studio Nikkatsu was unsure of what to do. She went from playing innocent young women into strong defiant women. Luckily, Ishii was fresh off of his stylish explosion of absurdity, Horrors of the Malformed Men. Next up, he tackled the yakuza genre but with his own twist. A strong-willed defiant woman was exactly what Ishii needed. Few could play Akemi with that level of quiet dignity and undeterred disciple. Nami the Scorpion is the next logical step both the character and Kaji. This was the turning point for Kaji. Her most recent film was a strong supporting role in the first Stray Cat Rock film. That was the first in what would become an iconic series eventually led by Kaji. Three months after  Delinquint Girl Boss, Blind Woman’s Curse kicked Kaji into high gear. It was her first starring role. Kaji’s presence can a lift mediocre movie into a top tier film. The only constant element presented within the convoluted plot is Kaji. She keeps everything grounded and really holds it together.

Akemi in prison, telling her story.

This is 150% nonsensical and ridiculous story lines and characters layered throughout a bloody yakuza war. However, this approach was common at this time. Crime-centric films with too many moving parts and too many characters were the style for a bit into the 1980s (prime examples, Battles Without Honor and Humanity series and Bandits Vs Samurai Squadron). The plot keeps adding more and more to it - the Dobashi gang, the Aozora gang, the constantly farting/stinky Aozora boss, Boss Goda’s sister, prison, the Tachibana gang, who controls the marketplace, the hunchback, the restaurant, the Dobashi compound with crazy death traps/torture chamber/hidden cages, and the mysterious drifter Tani. I didn’t include much of this because it’d read as a Wikipedia plot description. As overwhelming as it appears and feels in the moment, it is always interesting and increasingly bizarre. The organic shorthand demonstrated in the opening fight is on display throughout. Ishii’s already decade plus of experience is evident. The ease and comfort of unveiling the batshit insanity is a skill that few filmmakers have. These are choices that only make sense in a film. His playful experimental glee is infectious. Every story thread evolves and consistently surprises. The fever dream tone freely shifts between bloody violence to erotic to low brow comedy to yakuza story to revenge story to whatever it feels like doing. This could easily turn off some but in the vein of Suzuki Seijun and girls, Ishii just wants to have fun.

Akemi with her gang and a pervy loser.

Akemi's tattoo after the final dual.

One of the best touches with the story and in particular the way it was written, is how subtly gender is utilized and commented on. Without bringing too much attention to it, women are silently in control and defying their societal roles. Akemi is a natural leader and never questioned or belittled by the men under her command. Seeing a woman leading a yakuza gang is a powerful sight. It never feels pandering or cheap. We get that shorthand again fully showing where she stands within her gang. The Tachibana’s trademark, a grotesque dragon, is tattooed on everyone in her gang. Akemi is the head, the rest are the middle and a pervy loser is the tail. There’s no motherly quality to her, she’s a bad-ass and at every turn proves it. 

Goda’s blind sister carries her weight and rivals Akemi. They are equals on every level but on the opposite end of the spectrum. Her gang is only a single hunch-back with some serial killer tendencies. He’s endlessly devoted to her and like her has some vaguely supernatural powers (played by the choreographer Hijikata Tatsumi, who had just appeared in Horrors of the Malformed Men). The film opened with the her maiming but in the final showdown gets her revenge. Blinding the dragon on Akemi's back is enough. The revenge is complete and she leaves. Unfortunately, the actress Tokuda Hoki has only appeared in 3 films and this was her finale.

Goda's sister proving her worth to Dobashi.

Kaji and Ishii only reunited once more after this in Yakuza of the Present aka Modern Chivalry. It did not make the same impact that Blind Woman’s Curse had but Ishii was the first to give her a real shot as a lead. From the first frame, she exudes silent strength and endless charisma. This is not only a great entry point for Ishii and Kaji but also it’s an early indication of how incredibly talented they are. This will not be the only appearance of Ishii or Kaji in these parts.

This is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Streaming in various places.