Ugetsu - Characters & Cast

Genjūrō's primary motivation is the pursuit of wealth and artistic recognition. He believes that by selling his pottery, he can provide a better life for his family and achieve a higher social standing, but this desire quickly morphs into self-serving greed.

Genjūrō begins as a humble potter, dedicated to his craft and family. However, the prospect of profiting from the war ignites his ambition and greed. He becomes obsessed with making money, neglecting his wife Miyagi's warnings and desires for a simple, happy life together. His journey takes him into a supernatural affair with the ghostly Lady Wakasa, where he experiences a life of luxury but loses his connection to reality. After being exorcised and discovering the tragic consequences of his actions, including Miyagi's death, he returns home a broken and repentant man, finding solace only in his work and the spiritual presence of his lost wife.

Miyagi's sole motivation is the well-being and unity of her family. She desires a peaceful, simple life with her husband and son, free from the dangers of war and ambition.

Miyagi represents the film's moral center. Her arc is one of selfless love and tragic sacrifice. She consistently prioritizes her family's safety and happiness over material wealth, pleading with Genjūrō to abandon his risky ambitions. Left behind, she endures hardship and violence while trying to protect her son. Ultimately, she is killed by marauding soldiers. Her arc concludes in the spiritual realm, as her ghost returns to welcome her husband home, offering forgiveness and enduring love from beyond the grave, symbolizing her unwavering devotion.

Lady Wakasa's motivation is to experience the love and companionship she was denied in life. She seduces Genjūrō to escape her lonely existence as a spirit and to fulfill her unrequited desires.

Lady Wakasa is a ghostly noblewoman who died before experiencing love. Her spirit remains in the world, seeking to fulfill her earthly desires. She becomes infatuated with Genjūrō and his pottery, luring him into her phantom mansion with promises of wealth, pleasure, and marriage. Her arc is one of eternal longing and tragic illusion. When Genjūrō is exorcised of her influence, her spectral world crumbles, and she is left to her lonely fate. She is both a temptress and a tragic figure, a victim of her past life whose desires manifest as a dangerous supernatural force.

Tōbei is motivated by a deep-seated desire for glory, status, and the respect he believes comes with being a samurai. He is tired of his lowly peasant life and yearns for adventure and recognition.

Tōbei starts as a foolish and somewhat comical peasant who dreams of the glory of being a samurai. Driven by envy and a desire for respect, he abandons his wife, Ohama, to pursue his military ambitions. Through dishonorable means—stealing the severed head of a general—he achieves his goal and is rewarded with armor, a horse, and men. However, his pride is shattered when he discovers Ohama working as a prostitute, a direct result of his abandonment. Humbled and filled with remorse, he renounces his samurai status and returns home with Ohama, having learned a bitter lesson about the true meaning of honor.

Initially, Ohama is motivated by a desire to keep her husband grounded and safe. After her assault, her motivation shifts to survival in a brutal and unforgiving world.

Ohama initially serves as a practical and somewhat cynical counterpart to her husband Tōbei's foolish dreams. After being abandoned by him, her arc takes a tragic turn. She is brutally raped by soldiers and forced into prostitution to survive. When Tōbei finds her, she confronts him with the horrifying consequences of his actions. Despite her suffering, she ultimately reconciles with her repentant husband, and they return to their village together, her arc highlighting the resilience and suffering of women in wartime.