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In Yasujirō Ozu’s 1953 masterpiece Tokyo Story, the watch is a small but profoundly significant prop that carries the emotional and thematic weight of the film’s conclusion. It is given by the patriarch, Shukichi, to his daughter-in-law, Noriko, following the funeral of his wife, Tomi.
The significance of the watch can be broken down into the following specific details:
The central conflict of Tokyo Story is the generational gap and the disappointment the elderly parents feel toward their biological children. In Tokyo, their eldest son and daughter are too busy and self-absorbed to care for them. In contrast, Noriko—the widow of their middle son, Shoji, who died in the war—is the only one who treats them with genuine kindness, patience, and sacrifice.
By giving Tomi’s watch to Noriko, Shukichi is formally acknowledging that she, despite having no blood relation, was more of a "child" to them than their own offspring. It is a physical manifestation of his gratitude and an admission that she is the true keeper of the family’s heart.
Time is a major theme in all of Ozu’s work (often associated with the Japanese concept of mono no aware, or the pathos of things). The watch is a literal timekeeper. By passing the watch from the deceased mother to the younger widow, Ozu underscores the inevitable passage of time and the cycle of life. Tomi’s time has ended; Shukichi’s time is fading; and Noriko is being urged to move forward with her own time.
When Shukichi hands the watch to Noriko, he accompanies the gift with a plea: he tells her that she must not remain a widow forever. He acknowledges that she is still young and encourages her to remarry and find happiness, even if it means leaving the memory of his son behind.
The watch, therefore, acts as a "parting gift" that releases her from her perceived obligations to the dead. It is a bittersweet irony—he gives her a memento of the past (the watch) while simultaneously telling her to stop living in the past.
The significance is heightened by the behavior of the biological children earlier in the film. Almost immediately after Tomi’s death, the eldest daughter, Shige, asks for specific clothes and mementos of her mother to take back to Tokyo. Her interest is transactional and hurried.
Shukichi’s decision to give the watch—perhaps the most personal and valuable item—to Noriko in a quiet, private moment serves as a silent rebuke to the greed and haste of his other children. He chooses who is "worthy" of the legacy.
The scene where Noriko receives the watch is one of the few moments where she breaks her polite, smiling composure. As she holds the watch, she weeps, finally acknowledging the loneliness she has felt and the weight of the kindness she has received. The watch serves as the "key" that unlocks the suppressed emotions of the most stoic character in the film.
In summary, the watch in Tokyo Story represents the recognition of virtue over blood, the acceptance of life’s transience, and a father’s blessing for a daughter-in-law to find a future beyond grief.
(Note: This summary was generated by Gemini 3.0 Flash)
Shukichi notes the watch is old-fashioned and that Tomi had it since she was Noriko's age, adding a layer of generational connection.
Identifying the specific items (sash/kimono) emphasizes the transactional nature of Shige's grief compared to the symbolic watch.
The visual of Noriko on the train looking at the watch is a key cinematic moment that reinforces the theme of moving forward.
In Yasujirō Ozu’s Tokyo Story (1953), the watch is a memento of the deceased mother, Tomi, given by the father, Shukichi, to his daughter-in-law, Noriko. It is a profoundly significant prop that symbolizes the recognition of Noriko's 'true' filial piety; despite having no blood relation, she is the only one who treated the parents with genuine kindness. Shukichi gives her the watch—which Tomi had owned since she was Noriko's age—while urging her to remarry and find happiness, effectively releasing her from her obligations to the family and the memory of her late husband, Shoji. This act contrasts sharply with the biological daughter Shige, who greedily asks for her mother's clothes (a sash and kimono) immediately after the death. Thematically, the watch embodies mono no aware (the transience of things) and serves as the catalyst for Noriko's rare emotional breakdown, where she confesses her loneliness and 'selfishness' before departing for Tokyo.