Photo/Illutration Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on March 27 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)

Enraged by a joke made about his wife's appearance by Oscar presenter Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, actor Will Smith slapped Rock onstage.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has taken Smith's violent act quite seriously and launched an investigation, and it is now making a "determination on appropriate action" against the actor. 

Has this incident reminded anyone of Japan's "Chushingura," the title of fictionalized accounts of a string of historical incidents, which occurred in Japan in the early 18th century?

It all began in the Matsu no Roka (Pinetree Corridor) of Edo Castle, where Asano-takumino-kami, the lord of Ako, assaulted Kira Kozukenosuke, the shogun's protocol official, with a dagger.

Kira was said to have tormented Asano habitually and mercilessly, to the point where Asano simply snapped.

Asano was ordered to commit "seppuku" (self-disembowelment), and his vassals, now masterless, swore revenge against Kira.

Many "Chushingura" tales portray these Ako Roshi (masterless samurai of Ako) in a heroic light. But this has never sat well with me because I just didn't see how these men could defend their lord's action.

Their main complaint was that Kira was never reprimanded. But that is irrelevant, as Kira put up no resistance to Asano's assault.

If Kira had been truly abusing Asano as claimed, then I wish Asano had handled the situation in some other manner, not by violence.

And this applies to Smith, too.

Americans critical of him say his action was of a nature that could have gotten him arrested on the spot.

What I find most regrettable is that the outrageousness of Rock's comment was eclipsed by Smith's violence.

Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was made fun of for her shaved head, has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss, which she has been struggling with and sharing publicly.

The U.S. film industry is currently in the process of purging itself of its long, sordid past. Sex criminals have been brought to justice, and the racially biased pattern in giving out awards, stacked heavily in favor of white people, is being rectified.

I sense something deeply rooted in the joke about the appearance of Pinkett Smith. But the slap robbed any chance of condemning it in an appropriate manner.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 31

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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