is a 1958 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Kon Ichikawa. It is based on the Yukio Mishima novel ''

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a novel by the Japanese author Yukio Mishima. It was published in 1956 and translated into English by Ivan Morris in 1959. The novel is loosely based on the burning of the Reliquary (or Golden Pavilion) of Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto by a young Bud ...

''. Ichikawa named ''Conflagration'' as the favourite among his own films.

Plot

Goichi, a young

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

acolyte, is interrogated after burning down the Shukaku Pavilion in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. He remains silent throughout the questioning. A flashback occurs with Goichi arriving at the Soen Temple, with a letter of introduction from his deceased father, a monk at the

Kan'ei-ji (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1625 during the Kan'ei era by Tenkai, in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center Enryaku-ji, in Kyoto. The main object of worship is .Nihon Re ...

Temple and trusted friend of the high priest, Tayama Dosen. His father had expressed a sentiment that the Golden Pavilion is the most beautiful thing in the world. While preparing rice, Goichi remembers a past incident in which he is mocked for his stuttering. He also recalls witnessing his mother's adultery as a child. During a visit, Goichi's mother states the wish that he might one day become the head priest at the temple. He doubts her ambitions as he feels he might be drafted into the war. One weekend, during a tourist attraction, Goichi sees a pregnant woman with a visiting American soldier. The woman tries to enter the pavilion, but he pushes the woman down the stairs causing her to

miscarry Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is fetal viability, able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE a ...

. He confesses the deed to Tayama, who was already aware of it and has paid off the woman. Another flashback occurs with Togari, who has a crippled leg, discussing Goichi's academic decline at the Kotani University and his love for ancient temples. Togari follows Goichi into the monachism and has Ranko, a geisha, treat his leg. On another night, Goichi spies on Tayama Dosen, who is accompanied with a woman. During a scripture reading, the ''

kōan A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen. Etymology The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...

'' of Nanquan and the cat is discussed, in which monks from the east and west halls fight over custody of a stray kitten. Nanquan resolves the conflict by beheading the cat. After the reading, Goichi discovers a

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

photo of a geisha inside Tayama's study book. He confronts the priest, who rescinds his consideration to have Goichi succeed him. Goichi responds that his stutter disqualifies him from being a monk, but Tayama instead accuses him of being twisted. After Goichi purchases a knife and sedatives, Togari loans Goichi ¥3,000, but Goichi fails to repay it in time. Tayama partially repays the loan. Meanwhile, Goichi remembers his father's funeral and cremation. At the pavilion, a police officer suspects Goichi of his suicidal intentions; later that night, his mother reprimands him for it. Back in his room, Togari scolds Goichi and tells him that Tayama sells access to the pavilion for money, much to Goichi's disagreement. Togari's ikebana teacher listens on the conversation, and after learning of his previous relationship with Ranko, she smashes a vase of flowers on his floor. Feeling misunderstood, and disillusioned by the monks' secular behavior, Goichi sets fire to the pavilion. Back to the present, the detectives return Goichi to the destroyed remains of the temple. During a transfer to prison, Goichi throws himself from a train.

Cast

Ichikawa Raizō VIII was a Japanese film and kabuki actor. His birth name was ,While the stage names of all kabuki actors have retained traditional order (Surname-Givenname) on Wikipedia, birth names of those born after the Meiji Restoration are in Western order (Give ...

as Goichi Mizoguchi *

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

as Togari *

Nakamura Ganjirō II was a Japanese kabuki and film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1941 and 1980, directed by notable filmmakers such as Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse. Filmography Film Television Honors * 1 ...

as Tayama Dosen * Michiyo Aratama *

Tamao Nakamura (born July 12, 1939 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese actress. Her father is kabuki actor Nakamura Ganjirō II. She was scouted by director Teruo Ogiyama and made her film debut with ''Kageko to Yukie'' when she was a junior high school student. A ...

Jun Hamamura was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1938 and 1995. Selected filmography * ''Wolf'' (1955) * '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) * '' The Hole'' (1957) * ''The Temptress and the Monk'' (1958) * ''Enjō'' (1958) * ''Odd Obs ...

* Ryosuke Kagawa as Priest Zenkai *

Tanie Kitabayashi was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Born Reiko Ando in Tokyo, she began as a stage actress. Kitabayashi was a founding member of the famed Mingei Theatre Company, founded in 1950. Early in her career, she became well known for portraying o ...

as Aki, Goichi's mother * Kinzō Shin

Production

Yoshinobu Nishioka served as the film's art director.

Legacy

''Conflagration'' was screened at the

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA, formerly abbreviated as BAM/PFA) are a combined art museum, repertory movie theater, and archive associated with the University of California, Berkeley. Lawrence Rinder was Director from ...

in 1981, at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015, and at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in 2018.

References

External links