They call him "the bum from Shibamata." He was Tora-san, star of the
longest-running movie series in the world, certified by the Guinness Book of Records. Otoko
wa Tsuraiyo (It' Tough Being a Man) ran for twenty-seven years and took in an
estimated eighty million viewers. There are forty-eight Tora-san movies, the first one
released in 1969. The death of the central actor, Kiyoshi Atsumi, in August 1996, brought
the series to a sad and much-missed ending.
Why was the series such a hit? One reason was Tora-san's loveable character, and Atsumi's
portrayal of him. He is an itinerant peddler, traveling across Japan, attempting a variety
of bizarre get-rich-quick scams. The beautifully-photographed scenery is another reason
for the series' popularity, and makes it a kind of extended travelogue. In Tora-san's
character there are also traces of what the Japanese call naniwabushi: the kind of
middle-aged guy you find propping up the counter at karaoke bars, trying to impress the
hostesses with his knowledge of enka. He'll swagger over to you and display an
unwanted measure of Japanese hospitality, plying you with drinks and food, and then try to
sucker you into a crackpot scheme to become an instant millionaire.
Yet another reason for Tora-san's success is the same thing that gives samurai dramas
their appeal - everybody knows the story before they see the film. Every Tora-san movie
was written and directed by Yoji Yamada, and had virtually the same plot. Tora-san arrives
in some remote Japanese town, fixing to charm the locals out of their cash. Tora-san meets
a local maiden and falls in love. Tora-san finds himself on the brink of marriage and gets
cold feet. Tora-san abandons his scheme and heads back to his sister's house in Shibamata,
Tokyo, and ponders the errors of his ways while getting pickled in sake.
Shibamata, in the series, is almost as much the star as Tora-san. It was a part of
downtown Tokyo recreated with loving care, creating a glowing nostalgic feeling for a
Japan that never really existed. It's ironic that when the series began in 1969, the area
was in reality a seething hotbed of student radicals and Chinese racketeers.
Shochiku studios opened a Tora-san museum in November 1997, located in the heart of
Shibamata, Katsushima Ward. Inside, the atmosphere of a cozy neighborhood Japan is
maintained by recreating the set from the movies. There are original props, furnishings
from the series' time period, and examples of the kind of merchandise that Tora-san tried
to sell. There is also the constant feeling that at any moment, Tora-san himself might
come shuffling in through the sliding doors, in his characteristic hat, sports jacks, and zori,
flashing you his vulnerable smile: the eternal vagabond with a heart of gold.
BIG IN JAPAN: