It's part of the bushido code of conduct that the ancient samurai and the yakuza gangsters adhere to. During the days of the Japanese warlords and the samurai, a dishonorable act carried the punishment of severing one's own finger or part of. The idea was that a samurai that was missing part of a finger or multiple fingers wouldn't be able to wield his katana (samurai sword) as effectively. The Japanese word for the act is yubitsume.
On August 6th and 9th, 1945, during World War II, the United States dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. The first, on August 6th, was the western city of Hiroshima, which had been a major Japanese shipping port and industrial production site. The second bomb was dropped on another western city, Nagasaki, three days later when Emperor Hirohito refused to surrender. Following the devastation of those bombings, Hirohito ordered his country's surrender, ending the United States' war with Japan.
Sugai's involvement in this chain of events is that he lived in one of those cities -- which city is not revealed -- as a boy and was there when the bomb was dropped. As he states "I was 10 when the B-29 came. We were underground for three days. When we came up, the city was gone. Then the heat brought rain; black rain." What Sugai is suggesting is that the pollution from the atomic fallout had somehow turned the rain black. Sugai goes on to say that following the war American values were forced on to his people by the United States, who had agreed to aid in the rebuilding of Japanese society due to the destruction caused not only by the atomic bombings but also from the many other non-atomic bombings of other Japanese cities during the war in the Pacific. The United States became Japan's occupying force following the war and Japanese citizens like Sugai felt that their cultural and societal identity was slowly being stolen from them as a result of such policies. Sugai goes on to say that this policy of greed over honor created young gangsters like Sato, who were more violent, reckless and power- and money-hungry. The war between Sato and Sugai is one of territory: Sato wants his own territory to rule over and it involves seizing such territory from Sugai, who was also his boss.
Ultimately, Sugai's plan is to flood the American economy with counterfeit money and reap the benefits of such a crime.
Sugai's involvement in this chain of events is that he lived in one of those cities -- which city is not revealed -- as a boy and was there when the bomb was dropped. As he states "I was 10 when the B-29 came. We were underground for three days. When we came up, the city was gone. Then the heat brought rain; black rain." What Sugai is suggesting is that the pollution from the atomic fallout had somehow turned the rain black. Sugai goes on to say that following the war American values were forced on to his people by the United States, who had agreed to aid in the rebuilding of Japanese society due to the destruction caused not only by the atomic bombings but also from the many other non-atomic bombings of other Japanese cities during the war in the Pacific. The United States became Japan's occupying force following the war and Japanese citizens like Sugai felt that their cultural and societal identity was slowly being stolen from them as a result of such policies. Sugai goes on to say that this policy of greed over honor created young gangsters like Sato, who were more violent, reckless and power- and money-hungry. The war between Sato and Sugai is one of territory: Sato wants his own territory to rule over and it involves seizing such territory from Sugai, who was also his boss.
Ultimately, Sugai's plan is to flood the American economy with counterfeit money and reap the benefits of such a crime.
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- How long is Black Rain?2 hours and 5 minutes
- When was Black Rain released?September 22, 1989
- What is the IMDb rating of Black Rain?6.6 out of 10
- Who stars in Black Rain?
- Who wrote Black Rain?
- Who directed Black Rain?
- Who was the composer for Black Rain?
- Who was the producer of Black Rain?
- Who was the executive producer of Black Rain?
- Who was the cinematographer for Black Rain?
- Who was the editor of Black Rain?
- Who are the characters in Black Rain?Nick Conklin, Charlie Vincent, Masahiro, and Joyce
- What is the plot of Black Rain?Two NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan.
- What was the budget for Black Rain?$30 million
- How much did Black Rain earn at the worldwide box office?$134 million
- How much did Black Rain earn at the US box office?$46.2 million
- What is Black Rain rated?TV-14
- What genre is Black Rain?Action, Crime Drama, Crime, Drama, and Thriller
- How many awards has Black Rain won?1 award
- How many awards has Black Rain been nominated for?7 nominations
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