The document summarizes the film The Wind Rises, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It follows the story of Jiro Horikoshi, a Japanese aeronautical engineer in the 1920s who designs planes despite being nearsighted. He falls in love with Nahoko but struggles as his designs are used for war. The document discusses the biographical aspects of the film, cultural influences like Westernization and tuberculosis in Japan, and how the film depicts Jiro's character and love for aeronautics.

1. The Wind Rises
By: Brendan Dehelean, Emma
Spadaro,and Wilson Guo

2. The topic for our group was Technology, Power, and Protest and the film assigned to the topic was Hayao Miyazaki's
The Wind Rises(2013). The film tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, an aspiring aeronautical engineer in 1920’s Japan. He
first dreams of being a pilot, but decides to design them instead due to his nearsightedness. His dreams are then
consumed of building beautiful airplanes, and soon finds himself working as an engineer for the Mitsubishi Company.
The film follows the journey of Jiro pursuing his dream, falling in love with the beautiful but tragically ill Nahoko,
and dealing with the realization that his beautiful lifelong work of the AM6 Zero will be used as a war machine,
instead of for pure enjoyment. Throughout the film Jiro struggles within himself of resisting the technological
advancement happening in Japan due to the Western influence, but also being grateful for it due to it allowing his
dream to come true with the updated modernized materials.
The following people made this presentation:
Wilson Guo ~ Biographical Film and Technical Aspects of the Film slides, provided video clips, Discussion Questions
Emma Spadaro ~ Overview and Cultural Aspects slides, Discussion Questions
Brendan Dehelean ~ Theme and Storyline/Characterization slides, Discussion Questions
Overview

3. One main cultural aspect of The Wind Rises is the strong idea of tradition in Japan.This can be seen
in the beginning of the film with the presence of traditional clothing and lifestyle in the town Jiro
lives in. This changes in some ways as the film progresses, as seen with the the characters changing
the way they dress, as well modern technology coming to Japan and the strong Western influence.
However, there are signs of resistance to modernism in Japan in order to keep the traditional ways.
This can been seen with Jiro and his idea of creating planes for beauty, and not metal war
machines.
Cultural Aspects

4. Another cultural aspect is the Great Kanto Earthquake of
1923. This earthquake resulted in the rebuilding of Tokyo
and surrounding areas with a new modern network of
roads, trains, and multiple public parks, throwing Japan
further into the global modernization.
Cultural Aspects

5. The Tuberculosis epidemic in Japan is another cultural influence for the film. Additionally, director
Hayao Miyazaki based the character of Jiro’s fiancee, Nahoko, off of the 1937 story The Wind Has
Risen by Tatsuo Hori. The story is of Hori’s life experience with his fiancee who suffers from
tuberculosis and is in a sanitorium in Nagano, Japan. The overall epidemic began in the 1800’s with
the introduction of urban crowding due to the Industrial Revolution. The epidemic continued to
claim Japanese lives until after WW2 with the arrival of antibiotic therapy.
Cultural Aspects

6. The Mitsubishi AM6 Zero, which is overall what
the film is focused on is deemed as “one of
the few things Japan can be proud of” - Hayao
Miyazaki
Cultural Aspects

7. A biographical film dramatizes the life story of an individual. Distinct characteristic of
biographical films include:
1. It shows only certain parts of an individual's life (usually the most historically important
years)
2. Maybe exaggerated or inaccurate but tends to stay true to the overall main plot and
theme
3. Usually played by an actor of similar qualities
(besides animated versions)
Biographical Film

8. Biographical Film
The film starts by depicting Jiro Horikoshi as a child, the years in which his goals of
becoming a pilot was born. After realizing he cannot fly planes due to his nearsightedness,
he meets an italian airplane designer named Gianni Caproni in his dreams. He then goes to
Tokyo University to become an aeronautical engineer. The Wind Rises skips from him
deciding to become an aeronautical engineer in his childhood years to his early adulthood
years as a college student.

9. The film is fictional and so certain parts are exaggerated or fictional. For example, Mr. Caproni and
Jiro Horikoshi are both real historical figures, but their relationship was only developed in his dream
and not in his actual life. Jiro Horikoshi’s also did not have a younger sister but an older brother.
Moreover, his wife did not have tuberculosis in real life. These elements are incorporated into the
film in order to create a more interesting story for the viewers.
Biographical Film

10. In the case of The Wind
Rises, Jiro Horikoshi is played
by an animated character
that accurately resembles
features of the actual Jiro.
(Ex: His glasses)
Biographical Film

11. The Wind Rises is a very interesting story that starts off in 1918. A young boy
by the name of Jiro Horikoshi longs to become a pilot but realizes that he
couldn't fly do to his near sightedness. Even though Jiro couldn't fly planes,
he still had the drive to be around them. This causes Jiro to become an
excellent aircraft designer and ultimately allows him to produce a plane
called the A6M Zero that proved to be Japan’s greatest plane created for
World War II.The story put a great emphasis on the disaster and effects of
what the war did to Japan and the outcome of it.
Storyline and Characterization

12. Jiro’s personality unfolds throughout the story to reveal a man who is shy but also
very caring. An example of Jiro’s caring behavior can be seen when he saves
Naoko’s maid. He shows compassion and love towards the maid by carrying her to
Naoko’s home. Jiro’s caring behavior can also be seen in the way he acts around
people, he is respectful and he shows this through his courtesy in bowing when
greeting anyone. Jiro’s shyness can be seen when he meets face to face with
Naoko, she tells him who she was and he immediately develops this shyness. He
later conquerors this shyness and tells her how he feels.
Storyline and Characterization

13. Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Released: July 20th, 2013
Country of Origin: Japan
The Wind Rises is an animated film
that was created as a tribute to the
life of an aeronautical engineer
named Jiro Horikoshi
Technical Aspects of The Film

14. Jiro’s love for his craft can be seen by his
drive to produce an airplane that can fly and
perform extraordinarily. Jiro’s love for planes
is shown through the dreams he continues to
have throughout his life and using his dreams
he perfect his designs. His love for planes
causes him to be one of the best aircraft
designers in Japan.
How the Major Theme of Love
Unfolds

15. The love and support from Jiro’s wife(Naoko)
ultimately allowed him to complete his life’s
work of finishing the A6M Zero. Jiro’s wife
was his anchor and he ultimately needed her
to give him the strength he needed to finish
the plane. Her love for Jiro can be seen by
her actions to get well and ultimately in the
end to leave him, so Jiro wouldn't witness her
death.
How the Major Theme of Love
Unfolds

16. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TrwCwNlgu2eDR3aW
5fVFBYSTg/view?usp=sharing
Or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG-
GoaV6iQ8&feature=youtu.be
Video Clip