A katana sword is a long sword worn by a samurai warrior. The samurai were the only people in Japan who carried two swords, a short one between twelve and twenty-four inches in length called a wakizashi and a long one, the katana. A katana is the sword that we imagine when we think of […]
There is much to be said about the work of Akira Kurosawa and yet there is rarely a forum for his work to be compared to the great films of history. Fortunately, IMDb users have most appropriately rated his most watched and most influential film, Shichinin no Samurai as the number nine film of all […]
Takashi Miike, Japanese director of several cult and horror films such as “Ichi the Killer,” has taken an old samurai film, “Harakiri” by Masaki Kobayashi, and remade it in 3D. The film was already a cult classic. The popularity of samurai cinema has waned over the years, so this remake might help bring back the […]
The Samurai. A group of powerful warriors that existed in Japan until the late 1800’s. In The Last Samurai, we learn about the positive characteristics of a Samurai. Respect for all of those you meet, even those who have wronged you. Compassion is an emotion which the Samurai humbly express. Finally, perhaps the most important […]
The Meiji restoration had a deep impact on Japan. The restoration, besides restoring power to the Meiji emperor (which, in reality, it just transferred power from the Tokugawa shogun to the new oligarchy of the daimyo that defeated him) changed Japanese society. “The salient characteristic of Japan’s mid-nineteenth century transitional period is the demise of […]
We are rarely ever presented with situations that offer us a clear-cut or simple solution. Rather, in order to determine the truth behind any event, we must seek out all of the information and different versions of a story, which exist, putting together the “truth” based on our own opinions and the various versions, which […]
The movie Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise and directed by Edward Zwick is a truly great movie, a classic, and a must see for any movie go-er. The occasion took place in ancient Japan, when samurai warriors conquered the country. However, the new Japanese leaders were busy and rather to introduce new customs and customs […]