Gohatto (1999)
Ryuhei Matsuda and Tadanobu Asano star in Nagisa Ōshima’s 1999 film GOHATTO (Taboo), a film that observes homosexuality amongst the Samurai.
GOHATTO (Taboo)
1999 | Japan
Director: Nagisa Ōshima
Screenplay: Nagisa Ōshima
Based on: “Shinsengumi Keppūroku” by Ryōtarō Shiba
Starring: Ryuhei Matsuda, Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Tadanobu Asano, Yoichi Sai and Koji Matoba
Gohatto (1999), or Taboo, is a film by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Ōshima that explores homosexuality among the Shinsengumi swordsmen in the 1860s. This wasn’t Ōshima’s first time tackling queer themes in his work; Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1982) also observed homosexuality in the Japanese Army and featured homoerotic tension between Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Bowie’s characters.
Gohatto follows Kanō Sōzaburō (Ryuhei Matsuda), the young son of a wealthy merchant who proves his sword skills upon joining the Shinsengumi. His androgynous beauty draws the lustful attention of several men—both low- and high-ranking—in the group, leading to jealousy and murder.
Homosexuality is said to have been quite common among samurai, and the film is set in the 1860s, during the Tokugawa period—a time before the implementation of anti-sodomy laws in Japan (those came in the 1870s due to Westernization but were repealed shortly afterward). Gohatto is a unique entry in the samurai film genre because, unlike many of its predecessors, it explores queer relationships and sexual attraction among samurai men more deeply.
You can find Gohatto streaming with English subtitles on the Internet Archive – LINKED BELOW! It’s also available on DVD.
SOURCES:
Bronski, M., Heyam, K., Traub, V., & Astbury, J. (2023). The LGBTQ+ History Book. DK Publishing.
Daniel, L., & Jackson, C. (2003). The Bent Lens: A world guide to gay & lesbian film. Allen & Unwin.
Ferguson, Joshua M. (2010). Queer Japanese Cinema: A Rich and Diverse Cultural History’s Challenge to Hegemonic Ideologies of Gender and Sexuality. University of British Columbia, Master’s Thesis.
