Historical Perspectives on Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013) - Not Even Past (2023)

By Kazushi Minami

Historical Perspectives on Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013) - Not Even Past (1)Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli produced many internationally celebrated and beloved animated films, including the award-winingSpirited Away. His farewell masterpiece,The Wind Rises, however, received mixed reactions from international audiences. Viewers who expected to see a fast-paced fantasy like other Miyazaki movies may have been disappointed, becauseThe Wind Risesis a slow-paced historical film. It traces the life of Horikoshi Jiro, an aircraft engineer who invented the famous Zero fighter, which was used by the Japanese navy during WWII. And it chronicles the life of Jiro’s wife, Nahoko, a fictional character from Hori Tatsuo’s acclaimed novel, on which the film is loosely based. Miyazaki describes the tragic fate of the young couple in the maelstrom of prewar Japan.

The Wind Risesvividly depicts Taisho and Showa Japan from the economic hardships in the 1920s through the rise of militarism in the 1930s. Jiro encounters the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 on a locomotive to Tokyo. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook the entire metropolitan area, destroying 111,000 buildings. Moreover, since Japanese houses were mostly built of wood, fire spread rapidly, burning down 212,000 residences. As a result, 105,000 people perished, and Japan lost 47% of GNP. Despite Tokyo’s quick recovery, which surprised Jiro’s younger sister Kayo, the earthquake ushered in recurring economic crises. When Jiro arrives in Nagoya to work for an aviation company, he witnesses a run on a local bank, a common phenomenon during the Financial Crisis of 1927, when widespread hysteria precipitated the collapses of 37 banks throughout Japan. While we watch Jiro striving to produce a high-quality fighter aircraft for the army, the Showa Depression hits Japan in 1929. The worst depression in prewar Japan caused severe deflation, financial meltdown, and countless bankruptcies, leaving 2.5 million people unemployed. Meanwhile, thorugh Jiro’s eyes Miyazaki shows us the contradictions in Japan’s ambition to catch up with the West in modern military technology while its people were suffering from the excruciating poverty. “The fact is this poor country pays us [engineers] a lot of money,” Jiro’s colleague Honjo sneers at him, “Embrace the irony.”

(Video) Deeper Hayao Miyazaki interview about The wind rises [eng sub]

Historical Perspectives on Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013) - Not Even Past (2)

Bank run during the Showa Financial Crisis

(Video) THE WIND RISES Trailer | Festival 2013

Following the so-called Taisho Democracy in the 1920s, symbolized by universal male suffrage, active labor movements, and cooperative diplomacy, militarism engulfed the Japanese society in the 1930s. During this period, Jiro’s romance with Nahoko takes place in the quiet mountains of the Karuizawa resort., A German traveler, Castorp, whose name derives from Thomas Mann’sThe Magic Mountain, describes the quiet mountains as a shelter from the gloomy atmosphere in Japan caused by the invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the withdrawal from the League of Nations in 1933, and the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. After his engagement with Nahoko, Jiro becomes extremely busy creating a new fighter aircraft under surveillance of the secret police, as Japan prepares for war with the United States. As tuberculosis, then an almost incurable disease, makes Nahoko increasingly feeble, the young couple decides to get married so that they can spend what little time they have left together. Although Jiro becomes ever more engrossed in the project, Japan’s war machine trumps his dream to craft “a beautiful airplane,” when he develops its ideal blueprint. “The weight becomes the big problem,” Jiro explains to his colleagues, “One solution would be… we could leave out the guns. [The colleagues burst into laughter.] So I decided to put this design back on the shelf.” These lines reflect Miyazaki’s caustic sense of humor.

Historical Perspectives on Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013) - Not Even Past (3)

(Video) Hayao Miyazaki - SHUNA'S JOURNEY - Analysis with Alexis Deacon

A Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” fighter (tail code A1-108) takes off from the aircraft carrier Akagi, on its way to attack Pearl Harbor during the morning of 7 December 1941.

While most Japanese films about WWII either glorify or demonize prewar Japan,The Wind Risesmovingly depicts the era through a personal tragedy of loss and dashed dreams. Not only did Jiro’s beloved wife pass away in solitude, but the war also destroyed his Zero fighter. In early Showa Japan, Jiro’s beautiful airplane was indeed “a cursed dream,” as Italian aircraft designer Geovanni Caproni tells him in the imaginary world they shared. In the final analysis, however, Miyazaki emphasized not only the tragic history but tells a story about how Japan’s youth tried to live in this time, as indicated by his reference to Paul Valery’s poem:Le vent se lève! Il faut tenter de vivre!The wind is rising! We must try to live!

Historical Perspectives on Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013) - Not Even Past (4)

(Video) The Wind Rises Movie Reaction (Studio Ghibli)

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Images via Wikimedia Commons

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FAQs

Why was The Wind Rises controversial? ›

And it's the most controversial animated movie in recent memory. That's because The Wind Rises is a sympathetic biography of a man whose work contributed to Japan's brutal campaign of imperialist aggression during World War II.

What is the message of The Wind Rises? ›

In The Wind Rises, Airplanes Are Beautiful Dreams

In other words: is it really worth fulfilling your dreams when doing so might cause so much pain? 'Airplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality,' he also once says, to which Jiro eventually replies, 'Airplanes are cursed dreams.

What themes or messages does Miyazaki often use in his films? ›

Hayao Miyazaki is a master story teller. The recurring themes in the movies he has directed are environmentalism, friendship, love, family, culture, Japanese history, war and all sorts of human emotions.

Is The Wind Rises accurate? ›

The Wind Rises is a fictionalised biographical film of Jiro Horikoshi (1903–1982), designer of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter aircraft and its successor, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, used by the Empire of Japan during World War II.

How is gone with the Wind historically inaccurate? ›

Ideally, a restored version of Gone With the Wind will include a conversation that discusses why so many aspects of the movie are racist and historically inaccurate, from the depiction of enslaved people seeming happy about being forced into labor to the implication that white women living on plantations weren't ...

What was The Wind Rises inspired by? ›

Inspired by the true life of warplane designer Jiro Horikoski during the Second World War, and the writings of Tatsuo Hori (who wrote The Wind Has Risen), the Studio Ghibli animated classic The Wind Rises breathes life into Japan's historic past and illuminates the country's descent into war.

What does the wind symbolize in The Wind Rises? ›

The wind in Miyazaki's movie symbolizes not just Jiro's desire to fly but all human aspiration to transcend our condition. This fundamental aspiration is beautiful, irresistible and ultimately the source of misery.

What happened to Naoko at the end of The Wind Rises? ›

On the day of the test flight, Naoko feels well enough to take a walk and this is witnessed by Jiro's sister as a sign that Naoko wishes to spare Jiro from her death. Jiro feels a burst of wind and realizes that the burst of wind means that Naoko has died.

Why did Hayao Miyazaki make The Wind Rises? ›

In 2011, Miyazaki told Japan's Cut magazine that he was inspired to make “The Wind Rises” by a quote he read of Horikoshi's: “All I wanted to do was to make something beautiful.” The controversy over the film hasn't hurt its box office prospects in Japan.

What can we learn from Hayao Miyazaki? ›

10 Important Lessons We Learned From Ghibli Films
  • 4 Care For Your Loved Ones.
  • 5 Never Let Your Creativity Die. ...
  • 6 Show Kindness To Strangers And Creatures Alike. ...
  • 7 Respect And Care For The Environment. ...
  • 8 Embrace The Unknown And Leave Your Comfort Zone. ...
  • 9 Love Knows No Boundaries. ...
  • 10 Be Kind And Believe In Yourself. ...
May 26, 2021

How did Hayao Miyazaki change the world? ›

Through his work, Miyazaki has changed the way animated movies are produced in Japan and captivated audiences the world over by transporting them to both immersive fantasy worlds and into the lives (and problems) of everyday heroes.

What does Studio Ghibli teach us? ›

For example, Studio Ghibli, a renowned Japanese film studio co-founded by animator Hayao Miyazaki, creates complex visual stories about human-nature relationships that transcend barriers of culture or age. A key message of Miyazaki's work is that we must respect nature – or face our own destruction.

What happened to Jiro Horikoshi in The Wind Rises? ›

He loses friends and family, only for his art to be weaponized. The film ends with Horikoshi achieving his dream, but because of his choice, that success came at profound cost.

What caused the fire in The Wind Rises? ›

One of the early scenes of the film shows Jiro on his way to university in Tokyo, when the 1923 Kanto earthquake struck. One of the deadliest in history, the quake sparked fires around the capital, burning it almost entirely to the ground, killing roughly 140,000 and leaving nearly two million homeless.

Who does Jiro marry in The Wind Rises? ›

Naoko Satomi is the deuteragonist of The Wind Rises. She was the wife of Jiro Horikoshi.

What is the most famous line from Gone with the Wind? ›

The most famous line from Gone with the Wind is “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn” said by Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara in the last chapter of the novel.

What was the last sentence in the movie Gone with the Wind? ›

The last line of the novel Gone with the Wind is 'After all, tomorrow is another day. ' The line is spoken by main character Scarlett O'Hara as she is thinking about ways to get Rhett Butler back into her life. The... See full answer below.

What is the last line in the movie Gone with the Wind? ›

The ending of the 1939 film Gone with the Wind is one of the most iconic in movie history. Just read the words, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," and you can't help but picture Clark Gable's character Rhett Butler uttering them.

What era is The Wind Rises set in? ›

All of this takes place in the 1920s and 1930s, as the world arms up for war. "The Wind Rises" is a mild anti-war film (in an early scene, when Jiro beats up a school bully, his mother scolds him saying, "Fighting is never justified."), perhaps too mild, considering its topic.

What is the plot of The Wind Rises? ›

What happened to Tokyo in The Wind Rises? ›

Jiro encounters the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 on a locomotive to Tokyo. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook the entire metropolitan area, destroying 111,000 buildings. Moreover, since Japanese houses were mostly built of wood, fire spread rapidly, burning down 212,000 residences.

What does the wind symbolize? ›

It is the messenger of divine intervention, and it is the vital breath of the universe (Cooper, 192). Wind often represents the fleeting and transient, the elusive and the intangible. In the Bible, God's ruah (wind, spirit, breath) moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).

What does the metaphor blowing in the wind mean? ›

to be thought about and discussed, but not decided upon or resolved.

What does the wind symbolize here answer? ›

Answer: The wind symbolises the uncontrollable and raw power of nature. The wind god symbolises strength and steadfastness.

What did Naoko suffer from? ›

Ever since the sudden death of Kizuki, Naoko has been struggling to cope with the loss until she decides to end her own life three years later. The long time span and the tragic end to her story are indication that she suffers from prolonged grief disorder.

Does Naoko get her face back? ›

It's soon revealed that Naoko's body was fully healed and lives in a mansion with a doctor. The doctor found Naoko barley alive and nursed her back to health and returned her face to what it once was, but she suffered from amnesia.

Why did Naoko get bullied? ›

Naoko was bullied in her middle school for being "weird", mainly by Naruto Kuroki, Asumi, Saki and Arata. The bullying ranged from having her hair or clothes forcefully cut to them just beating her up.

Why is Hayao Miyazaki an important influence? ›

Hayao Miyazaki's career in animation has made him famous as not only the greatest director of animated features in Japan, the man behind classics as My Neighbour Totoro (1988) and Spirited Away (2001), but also as one of the most influential animators in the world, providing inspiration for animators in Disney, Pixar, ...

Why is Hayao Miyazaki anti war? ›

If based on the relationship between man and nature thinking form the hayao miyazaki's ecological view of anthropocentrism. So influenced by Japan's political, economic, cultural, witnessed the war to the state and the destruction of human civilization, has contributed to his anti-war thought the reason.

What was Hayao Miyazaki influenced by? ›

Hayao Miyazaki

What is Miyazaki's masterpiece? ›

With an overall presentation that truly elevates it beyond a film and into an experience, Spirited Away earns its status as Hayao Miyazaki 's magnum opus.

Why didn't Miyazaki accept his Oscar? ›

The director's film, Spirited Away — a smash hit both in Japan and abroad — had been nominated for an Academy Award, but Miyazaki refused to attend the Oscars ceremony in a quiet protest of the Iraq War.

Was Hayao Miyazaki a feminist? ›

The protagonists in his films are often women of all ages and from all social backgrounds, and are generally strong and independent. This aligns with the remarks from Toshio Suzuki, renowned producer of Studio Ghibli films, who describes Hayao Miyazaki as being quite simply a feminist.

Will there be another Ghibli movie? ›

Well, here's an early Christmas present: Studio Ghibli has just popped a new movie under our cinematic trees. The film, with the working title How Do You Live?, is due to be released next summer, according to the official Ghibli Twitter feed. It'll be in cinemas in Japan on July 14, 2023 and out worldwide after that.

Are Studio Ghibli characters LGBT? ›

Between the 21 Studio Ghibli films released from 1986 to 2014, not one of them featured an openly LGBT+ character. Of course, that isn't a critique on the quality of these films, since they rarely focused on any kind of romantic relationships.

Why is Studio Ghibli so impactful? ›

Through masterful animation and attention to detail, Studio Ghibli consistently crafts immersive, unique films that strike a difficult balance between fantasy and reality. Worldbuilding is a daunting task for animators because every visual element must be created from scratch. There's nothing there until it's drawn.

What is the most popular Studio Ghibli? ›

There's a reason why Spirited Away held on as the highest-grossing anime film for nearly two decades after its release, and why this was the first Ghibli movie to win an Academy Award.

Who is Jiro in love with? ›

Jiro's Crush Shiori Proves She Is Indeed Akari's Competition

This is a dream come true for Jiro, who at first expects Akari to be the one caring for him to score some points. With his gentle crush at his bedside instead, Jiro is over the moon. Shiori shows that she is a great childhood friend.

Is The Wind Rises anti war? ›

The Wind Rises was sharply criticized in Japan by both nationalists, for being anti-Japanese, and pacifists, for glorifying a weapons designer and downplaying Japanese war crimes. It provoked strong reactions internationally as well.

Who is the German man in The Wind Rises? ›

Hans Castorp, the German man at the hotel, has the same name as the main character from The Magic Mountain. In this book, Hans has tuberculosis, similar to a character in the film.

How old is Naoko when she met Jiro? ›

Naoko Satomi

Arrietty, according to the movie, is nearly 14 and is preparing for her first year of borrowing. She is very adventurous and likes exploring the garden and collecting different plants for decorating her room.

Who is Jiro's dad? ›

Kyotoku Jiro ( 耳 じ 郎 ろう 響 きょう 徳 とく , Jirō Kyōtoku?) is Kyoka Jiro's father and the husband of Mika Jiro.

What disease does Naoko have in wind rises? ›

As Jiro plans to marry Naoko, he soon learns that Naoko has tuberculosis and she doesn't want to marry Jiro until she recovers. Therefore, she decides to go to a sanatorium to recover, but, cannot bear to be apart from Jiro and returns to marry him.

How old was Naoko when she met Jiro? ›

Naoko Satomi

Arrietty, according to the movie, is nearly 14 and is preparing for her first year of borrowing. She is very adventurous and likes exploring the garden and collecting different plants for decorating her room.

What happened to Naoko Satomi? ›

On the day of the test flight, Naoko feels well enough to take a walk and this is witnessed by Jiro's sister as a sign that Naoko wishes to spare Jiro from her death. Jiro feels a burst of wind and realizes that the burst of wind means that Naoko has died.

What is Naoko illness? ›

The paper discusses how Durkheim's egoistic suicidal drive is associated with Naoko's psychological trauma or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) that drives her towards committing suicide who is an impeccable embodiment of psycho-social dystopia in Japanese youth.

What does Naoko do after realizing she Cannot control her depression? ›

Realizing that she cannot control herself or her depression, Naoko seeks help at a mental institution. Toru, still madly in love with her, visits Naoko during her stay. Toru meets Naoko's roommate, a musician named Reiko, and the three quickly become very close.

Who does Jiro have a crush on? ›

Jiro's Crush Shiori Proves She Is Indeed Akari's Competition

This is a dream come true for Jiro, who at first expects Akari to be the one caring for him to score some points. With his gentle crush at his bedside instead, Jiro is over the moon. Shiori shows that she is a great childhood friend.

Who married Jiro? ›

Akari Watanabe is one of the main characters in the anime and manga series More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers. She is the love interest of Jirō Yakuin as during their train, she is also actually during in held over way to the school training to became a assigned then she later having a marriage wife.

Is Jiro a girl or a boy MHA? ›

Kyoka Jiro (耳郎 響香), also known as the Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack (ヒアヒーロー イヤホン=ジャック, Hia Hīrō Iyahon Jakku), is a major protagonist in the My Hero Academia manga and anime series. She serves as the deuteragonist of the U.A. School Festival story arc. Kyoka is a student at the prestigious U.A.

What happens at the end of The Wind Rises? ›

Bittersweet Ending: Jiro finally fulfilled his dream of designing the perfect aircraft in his mind, and he is married to the woman he loves, Naoko. However, his designs are also used as war machines that brought death and destruction, first to the enemy and then to Japan itself.

What happens to the girl in The Wind Rises? ›

After choosing to focus on designing his plane, Horikoshi learns one of his acquaintances from the hotel, a German expat, has likely been captured by Japan's secret police. Satomi's illness worsens, forcing her to retreat to a sanatorium in the mountains, where she ultimately dies.

Who does Jiro end up with in The Wind Rises? ›

One day, Jiro takes a walk by a river, and runs into Naoko again after seeing him catch her umbrella. Naoko explains that she always felt like they would meet again because the wind had brought them together. They begin to fall in love and begin a happy, good natured and loving relationship.

Videos

1. Hayao Miyazaki Is Right: War Makes Us Monsters
(Foundation for Economic Education)
2. [Joe Hisaishi in Budokan] Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert [HD 1080p]
(Green Ways)
3. Hayao Miyazaki | The Mind of a Master
(Any-Mation)
4. The Fragile Beauty of The Wind Rises | A Studio Ghibli Video Essay
(A. L. Walser)
5. The Wind Rises- Creating Planes Clip
(StudiocanalUK)
6. Miyazaki's Marxism - The Politics of Anime's Legendary Director
(Zeria)

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