The Story of Tank Commander Nishizumi explained

The Story of Tank Commander Nishizumi
Director:Kōzaburō Yoshimura
Starring:Shin Saburi
Ken Uehara
Michiko Kuwano
Country:Japan
Language:Japanese

, The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi, is a 1940 Japanese war film directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura.[1] It is based on a true story of the Sino-Japanese war involving Japanese war hero Kojirō Nishizumi, commander in the First Tank Regiment. To make the film, Yoshimura toured the actual battlefields in China.[2]

Cast

Historical background

Following his death during the Battle of Xuzhou in 1938, Nishizumi was declared Japan’s first "gunshin", or War God. His career became the subject of legend and widespread praise throughout Japan, spawning numerous biographies, songs, and novels in his honor. The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi was promoted by the Japanese Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of Education upon its release in 1940.

Legacy

Cinema theorist Kate Taylor-Jones suggests that along with films like Mud and Soldiers and Chocolate and Soldiers, The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi offered "a vision of the noble, obedient and honourable Japanese army fighting to defend the Emperor and Japan."[3]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 西住戦車長伝 . www.kinenote.com . ja . 31 October 2022.
  2. Book: High, Peter B. . The Imperial Screen: Japanese Film Culture in the Fifteen Years' War, 1931-1945 . January 2003. . 978-0-299-18134-5 . 211–217.
  3. Book: Taylor-Jones, Kate . Rising Sun, Divided Land: Japanese and South Korean Filmmakers . 16 July 2013 . . 978-0-231-16586-0 . 14.