Why Tora-san is the Most Popular Japanese Movie Series of All Time
The travails of the lovable vagabond have captivated Japan for generations
What is your favorite Japanese movie? Do you know “Tora-san”?
Kuruma Torajirō, nicknamed “Tora-san,” is the protagonist of Otoko wa Tsurai Yo (It’s Tough Being a Man), a Japanese movie series starring Atsumi Kiyoshi.
This movies were directed by Yamada Yōji, who also wrote all the screenplays. There are 50 episodes in the series, from the first one in 1969 during the Shōwa era to the last in 2019 during the Reiwa era.
Tora-san is a vagabond street hawker who always carries a small suitcase with him. He wanders from town to town peddling his wares. His hometown is Shibamata, Katsushika, Tokyo.
His family includes Sakura (half-sister), Hiroshi (Sakura’s husband), Mitsuo (Sakura and Hiroshi’s son), Tatsuzō (uncle), and Tsune (aunt). Tatsuzō and Tsune run a traditional sweets (dango) shop named “Toraya” in Shibamata.
In each episode, Tora-san unexpectedly returns home after a long separation. While his family is glad to see him, Tora-san often does something imprudent that causes some kind of ruckus, which usually leads to a violent family argument. He then storms off with his belongings and returns to wandering again.
Tora-san is such a charming talker and has such an amiable personality that he easily makes friends with people he meets while wandering. In each episode he falls in love with a “Madonna,” an attractive woman, but he always ends up heartbroken.
Tora-san: “I was born and raised in Shibamata, Katsushika, Tokyo. I took my first bath after birth in sacred water at Taishakuten Buddhist temple. My surname is Kuruma and my first name is Torajirō. People call me ‘Wandering Tora.’”
The following videos are unforgettable scenes from some of my favorite episodes.
Episode 17: Tora-san’s Sunrise and Sunset
While drinking at a yakitori restaurant in front of Ueno Station, Tora-san sees a drunken old man whom he assumes is poor and homeless get blamed by a shop assistant for eating without paying the bill. Tora-san feels pity for the old man and pays the bill for him.
After drinking together at another bar, Tora-san takes the old man home. The old man stays overnight at Toraya, mistaking it for an inn. When he wakes up, he begins ordering Tora-san’s family around in such an arrogant manner that they frown on his behavior.
Hearing his family complain about the old man, Tora-san admonishes him for his behavior. Then the old man draws a picture on a sheet of paper with a writing brush as a token of apology. He tells Tora-san to visit a secondhand bookstore in Jinbōchō, and show the picture to its owner; it could be exchanged for money.
Only half-believing the old man’s story, Tora-san visits the bookstore and shows the drawing to the owner. The owner says that he wants to buy it for 70,000 yen, astonishing Tora-san. It turns out that the old man is famous within painting circles of Japan.
Episode 20: Tora-san Plays Cupid
Tora-san’s kind family allows a young man named Ryōsuke to rent a room in Toraya while Tora-san is away wandering. His family likes Ryōsuke so much for being a pleasant young man that they nickname him “Watt-kun” after his electricity-related job.
When Tora-san returns home, he finds a signboard saying “NO SOLICITING” at the entrance of the shop — a signboard hung by Ryōsuke. Ryōsuke mistakes Tora-san for a salesman and tries to call the police, which makes Tora-san angry.
This causes Ryōsuke to leave Toraya. He goes to a pachinko parlor for temporary relief until he can contact a friend who can give him a place to stay. Tora-san appears and by coincidence, runs into Ryōsuke there.
Tora-san struggles with his poor performance at pachinko and Ryōsuke gives him some extra balls. This is how they hit it off. After drinking together, the pair returns to Toraya where Ryōsuke resumes living.
Episode 31: Tora-san’s Song of Love
Tora-san goes on a journey to Niigata and reaches Izumozaki. A fishing boatman says, “The island over there is Sado Island.” Tora-san asks the boatman to take him.
A woman who seems to have some secrets is watching. She asks Tora-san if she can go to the island, too. This woman turns out to be a popular enka singer who is escaping from her tight schedule to relieve herself from a broken heart. Tora-san, without realizing who she is, accepts her request.
The opening theme song of this movie is so unique and famous that there is nobody in Japan who doesn’t recognize it.
Please enjoy the following video of the theme song.
Many fans of the movie are attracted to Tora-san’s free and daring lifestyle. He is the embodiment of freedom. He is free from conventional wisdom. People wish they could live freely like him — a caring and warm-hearted drifter.
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