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116-465: Zatoichi Challenged ( 座頭市血煙り街道 , Zatōichi chikemurikaidō ) is a 1967 Japanese chambara film directed by Kenji Misumi and starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi . The film was originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company (later acquired by Kadokawa Pictures ). Zatoichi Challenged is the seventeenth entry in the 26-part film series dedicated to

232-571: A Western and a science fiction context film, The Magnificent Seven and Battle Beyond the Stars . Other samurai influenced western movies include Charles Bronson and Toshirō Mifune in Red Sun (1971), David Mamet's Ronin (with Jean Reno and Robert De Niro ), Six-String Samurai (1998) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). Seven Samurai was highly influential, often seen as one of

348-609: A 'samurai'". In the Tokugawa period, the terms were roughly interchangeable, as the military class was legally limited to the retainers of the Shogun or Daimyo. However, strictly speaking samurai referred to higher ranking retainers, although the cut off between samurai and other military retainers varied from domain to domain. Also usage varied by class, with commoners referring to all sword carrying men as samurai, regardless of rank. The definition of "samurai" varies from period to period. From

464-415: A famed historical warrior and swordsman, most notably a three-movie series (1954-1956) starring Toshiro Mifune and a six-movie series (1961-1965 and 1971) starring Kinnosuke Nakamura , both based on the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa . Lone Wolf and Cub , the tale of a samurai traveling Japan with his son in a wooden pram (which is armed and on occasion used in combat) was made most notably into

580-422: A military government. The Kamakura period (1185–1333) saw the rise of the samurai under shogun rule as they were "entrusted with the security of the estates" and were symbols of the ideal warrior and citizen. Originally, the emperor and non-warrior nobility employed these warrior nobles. In time they amassed enough manpower, resources and political backing, in the form of alliances with one another, to establish

696-449: A month and was regarded as the rightful successor of Nobunaga by avenging the treachery of Mitsuhide. These two were able to use Nobunaga's previous achievements on which build a unified Japan and there was a saying: "The reunification is a rice cake; Oda made it. Hashiba shaped it. In the end, only Ieyasu tastes it." (Hashiba is the family name that Toyotomi Hideyoshi used while he was a follower of Nobunaga.) Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who became

812-453: A personal favorite director of mine, behind the camera, not every film in such a long film cycle can be perfect. Unfortunately, this is one of the weaker films. Misumi's direction is still quite good and his signature perfect framing is as fantastic as it ever was, particularly in the great finale which features one of Ichi's longest duels . Katsu is also, as he always was, great. The man could act with any part of his body and he displays some of

928-480: A place in society. Others are period historical tales of true characters. Others show tales of clan loyalty. Initially early samurai films were influenced by the still growing Western film genre before and during World War II . Since then both genres have had a healthy impact on one another. Two forefathers of the genre, Akira Kurosawa and Masaki Kobayashi , were influenced by American film directors such as John Ford . A number of western movies have re-told

1044-475: A result, yari , yumi (bow), and tanegashima became the primary weapons on the battlefield. The naginata , which was difficult to maneuver in close formation, and the long, heavy tachi fell into disuse and were replaced by the nagamaki , which could be held short, and the short, light katana , which appeared in the Nanboku-cho period and gradually became more common. The tachi

1160-404: A six-film series (1972-1974) starring Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Itto, a live action television series (1973-1976) starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya (formerly Kinnosuke Nakamura) as Ogami Ittō, a 1993 film with Masakazu Tamura as Ogami Ittō and a 2002-2004 television series starring Kin'ya Kitaōji as Ogami Ittō. Sanjuro, played by Toshiro Mifune, is the wandering ronin character who acts as

1276-407: A skilled samurai. Akazuka, torn between his duty and his friendship with Zatoichi, is ordered to kill Ryota's father to silence him. In a poignant and emotionally charged duel, Zatoichi wounds Akazuka but sacrifices his own sword to save Ryota's father from an approaching servant sent to execute him. Unarmed and vulnerable, Zatoichi's friend, mortally wounded, admits defeat and leaves, trailing blood in

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1392-686: A strong defensive point against the Mongols. The Mongols attempted to settle matters in a diplomatic way from 1275 to 1279, but every envoy sent to Japan was executed. Leading up to the second Mongolian invasion, Kublai Khan continued to send emissaries to Japan, with five diplomats sent in September 1275 to Kyūshū. Hōjō Tokimune , the shikken of the Kamakura shogun, responded by having the Mongolian diplomats brought to Kamakura and then beheading them. The graves of

1508-584: A well-known figure who rose from a peasant background to become a samurai, sengoku daimyo , and kampaku (Imperial Regent). From this time on, infantrymen called ashigaru , who were mobilized from the peasantry, were mobilized in even greater numbers than before, and the importance of the infantry, which had begun in the Nanboku-chō period, increased even more. When matchlocks were introduced from Portugal in 1543, Japanese swordsmiths immediately began to improve and mass-produce them. The Japanese matchlock

1624-468: A yojimbo (bodyguard) in two of Kurosawa's films, Yojimbo and Sanjuro . In both films, 三十郎 Sanjuro (a proper given name but which can also be interpreted as meaning "thirty-years-old") makes up a different surname (桑畑 Kuwabatake which means "mulberry field", and 椿 Tsubaki which means "camellia"), thus leading some to label the character as a "ronin with no name", in reference to the Man with No Name character who

1740-575: A young bushi in the Muromachi period and a rank below kachi ( 徒士 ) and above ashigaru in the Edo period. In the early Edo period , even some daimyō ( 大名 , feudal lords) with territories of 10,000 koku or more called themselves samurai. At the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate , there was no clear distinction between hatamoto ( 旗本 ) and gokenin , which referred to direct vassals of

1856-420: Is a loose modernization of Zatoichi Challenged. This adaptation transplants the story to a contemporary setting while retaining the core themes and character dynamics of the original film. The Zatoichi series has had a lasting impact on both Japanese and global cinema. Shintaro Katsu's portrayal of the blind swordsman has become iconic, influencing numerous films, television shows, and even video games. The series

1972-627: Is a skilled swordsman who fights using only his hearing. While less known in the West, he is arguably the most famous chanbara character in Japan. Four movies about another blind character, Oichi a.k.a. "the Crimson Bat", a female sword fighter, was made in response to the huge success of Zatoichi. Nemuri Kyoshirō, the master of the Engetsu ("Full Moon Cut") sword style, was a wandering "lone wolf" warrior plagued by

2088-433: Is being held captive by a local yakuza boss, Boss Gonzo (Asao Koike). Gonzo has forced the artist to create counterfeit currency plates, exploiting his talents for illegal profit. Determined to free Ryota's father, Zatoichi confronts the yakuza, leading to several intense and action-packed encounters. The climax of the film takes place during a dramatic snowfall, where Zatoichi must face his old friend Akazuka (Jushiro Konoe),

2204-417: Is no longer of use to his emperor and sentenced to self-disembowelment. He goes against his duty to follow through with his sentence and flees to fight his final rebellion against the central government's army. Ninjo and giri conflict is dynamic to the character of the samurai. The samurai warrior is often synonymous with his or her own sword. Although swordsmanship is an important aspect of warfare, idealizing

2320-1044: Is praised for its complex characters, intricate fight choreography, and the way it addresses social issues such as justice, disability, and honor. ''' Zatoichi Challenged ( 座頭市血煙り街道 , Zatōichi chikemurikaidō ) stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of the Zatoichi character and the chambara genre, offering a blend of action, emotion, and philosophical depth that continues to resonate with audiences Chambara While earlier samurai period pieces were more dramatic rather than action-based, samurai films produced after World War II have become more action-based , with darker and more violent characters. Post-war samurai epics tended to portray psychologically or physically scarred warriors. Akira Kurosawa stylized and exaggerated death and violence in samurai epics. His samurai, and many others portrayed in film, were solitary figures, more often concerned with concealing their martial abilities, rather than showing them off. Historically,

2436-451: Is the obligation of the samurai to his lord and clan. The conflict originated from overwhelming control of the Tokugawa bakufu government over the samurai's behavior. Often samurai would question the morality of their actions and are torn between duty and conscience. This conflict transcends eras in samurai films and can create the perception of the protagonist as being the moral underdog or steadfast warrior. In The Last Samurai , Katsumoto

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2552-512: Is the protagonist of the Rurouni Kenshin manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki . Kenshin is a former legendary assassin known as " Hitokiri Battōsai " . Kenshin wanders the countryside of Japan offering protection and aid to those in need, as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin. In Tokyo , he meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru , who invites him to live in her dojo despite learning about Kenshin's past. Throughout

2668-653: The Ashikaga Shogunate with Emperor Kōgon . As a result, the southern court, descended from Emperor Godaigo, and the northern court, descended from Emperor Kogon, were established side by side. This period of coexistence of the two dynasties is called the Nanboku-chō period , which corresponds to the beginning of the Muromachi period . The Northern Court, supported by the Ashikaga Shogunate, had six emperors, and in 1392

2784-465: The Azuchi–Momoyama period (late Sengoku period), "samurai" often referred to wakatō ( 若党 ) , the lowest-ranking bushi , as exemplified by the provisions of the temporary law Separation Edict enacted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1591. This law regulated the transfer of status classes:samurai ( wakatō ), chūgen ( 中間 ) , komono ( 小者 ) , and arashiko ( 荒子 ) . These four classes and

2900-541: The Heian period to the Edo period , bushi were people who fought with weapons for a living. In the Heian period, on the other hand, the definition of samurai referred to officials who served the emperor, the imperial family, and the nobles of the imperial court, the upper echelons of society. They were responsible for assisting the nobles in their daily duties, guarding the nobles, guarding

3016-583: The Heiji rebellion and became the first samurai-born aristocratic class, eventually becoming Daijō-daijin , the highest position of the aristocratic class, and the Taira clan monopolized important positions at the Imperial Court and wielded power. The victor, Taira no Kiyomori, became an imperial advisor and was the first warrior to attain such a position. He eventually seized control of the central government, establishing

3132-473: The Hitachi province , fled to Masakado. He was wanted for tyranny by Fujiwara no Korechika , an Kokushi ( 国司 , imperial court official) who oversaw the province of Hitachi, and Fujiwara no Korechika demanded that Masakado hand over Fujiwara no Haruaki. Masakado refused, and war broke out between Masakado and Fujiwara no Korechika, with Masakado becoming an enemy of the imperial court. Masakado proclaimed that

3248-543: The Minamoto and Taira . Taira no Masakado , who rose to prominence in the early 10th century, was the first of the local warrior class to revolt against the imperial court. He had served Fujiwara no Tadahira as a young man, but eventually won a power struggle within the Taira clan and became a powerful figure in the Kanto region . In 939, Fujiwara no Haruaki , a powerful figure in

3364-534: The Sengoku period (1478–1603) saw Japan torn by civil war as daimyō warlords fought for control of land. In the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), peace from civil war meant there were no wars for the samurai to fight and some samurai became ronin, masterless warriors left to struggle to survive. In the Meiji period (1868–1912), we see a decline of the hereditary existence of the samurai and the rise of westernization. In this period

3480-592: The Sengoku period , the traditional master-servant relationship in Japanese society collapsed, and the traditional definition of samurai changed dramatically. Samurai no longer referred to those serving the shogun or emperor, and anyone who distinguished themselves in war could become samurai regardless of their social status. Jizamurai ( 地侍 ) came from the powerful myōshu ( 名主 ) , who owned farmland and held leadership positions in their villages, and became vassals of sengoku daimyō ( 戦国大名 ) . Their status

3596-596: The Taihō Code of 702, and the later Yōrō Code , the population was required to report regularly for the census, a precursor for national conscription. With an understanding of how the population was distributed, Emperor Monmu introduced a law whereby 1 in 3–4 adult males were drafted into the state military. These soldiers were required to supply their own weapons, and in return were exempted from duties and taxes. The Taihō Code classified most Imperial bureaucrats into 12 ranks, each divided into two sub-ranks, 1st rank being

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3712-502: The ashigaru were chōnin ( 町人 , townspeople) and peasants employed by the bushi and fell under the category of buke hōkōnin ( 武家奉公人 , servants of the buke ) . In times of war, samurai ( wakatō ) and ashigaru were fighters, while the rest were porters. Generally, samurai ( wakatō ) could take family names, while some ashigaru could, and only samurai ( wakatō ) were considered samurai class. Wakatō , like samurai, had different definitions in different periods, meaning

3828-557: The 14th century. Invasions of neighboring samurai territories became common to avoid infighting, and bickering among samurai was a constant problem for the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates. The outbreak of the Onin War , which began in 1467 and lasted about 10 years, devastated Kyoto and brought down the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate. This plunged the country into the warring states period , in which daimyo (feudal lords) from different regions fought each other. This period corresponds to

3944-471: The 1983 TV movie The Secret of Cruel Valley (as 素浪人 Surōnin = "Lowly ronin"). "Bored Hatamoto" Saotome Mondonosuke (also known in English as "The Idle Vassal" and "The Crescent-Scarred Samurai"), was a hatamoto or direct vassal of Shogun Tsunayoshi , whose 'crescent-scar' on his forehead signifies his right to kill in the name of the shogun and rid Japan of corruption and evil. Saotome craves action to fight

4060-502: The Edo period, the shogun. A vassal or samurai could expect monetary benefits, including land or money, from lords in exchange for their military services. The Azuchi-Momoyama period refers to the period when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were in power. The name "Azuchi-Momoyama" comes from the fact that Nobunaga's castle, Azuchi Castle , was located in Azuchi, Shiga , and Fushimi Castle , where Hideyoshi lived after his retirement,

4176-506: The Emperor. Early wu xia weapon martial arts films from Hong Kong action cinema were inspired by Japanese samurai films from the 1940s onwards. By the early 1970s, these wu xia films had evolved into hand-to-hand kung fu films , popularized by Bruce Lee . In turn, kung fu films from Hong Kong became popular and influential in Japan from the 1970s onwards. Samurai Samurai ( 侍 ) or bushi (武士, [bɯ.ɕi]) were members of

4292-573: The Imperial Court was reunited by absorbing the Southern Court, although the modern Imperial Household Agency considers the Southern Court to be the legitimate emperor. The de facto rule of Japan by the Ashikaga Shogunate lasted until the Onin War , which broke out in 1467. From 1346 to 1358 during the Nanboku-cho period, the Ashikaga shogunate gradually expanded the authority of the Shugo ( 守護 ) ,

4408-588: The Imperial family, the Kuge and Temples and Shrines received grants of tax-free land. In the 9th Century, the farmers began to give their land over to the nobility in order to avoid taxes. They would then administer and work the land for a payment of rice. This also reduced the wealth of the Emperor, as he had no private land and was dependent on tax income. Many of the farmers armed themselves and formed warrior groups called rōdō. These warriors then followed powerful families like

4524-468: The Kamakura period, the definition of samurai referred to high-ranking bushi in the service of the shogun. Bushi serving shugo daimyo ( 守護大名 , feudal lords) were not considered samurai. Those who did not serve a particular lord, such as the rōnin ( 浪人 ) , who were vagabonds, the nobushi ( 野武士 ) , who were armed peasants, and the ashigaru ( 足軽 ) , who were temporarily hired foot soldiers, were not considered samurai. During

4640-547: The Kanto region under his rule was independent of the Imperial Court and called himself the Shinnō ( 新皇 , New Emperor) . In response, the imperial court sent a large army led by Taira no Sadamori to kill Masakado. As a result, Masakado was killed in battle in February 940. He is still revered as one of the three great onryō ( 怨霊 , vengeful spirits) of Japan. The Heian period saw

4756-783: The Minamoto defeated the Taira in 1185 , Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate , a parallel government that did not surplant the imperial court. The warriors who served the Shogunate were called gokenin, landholding warriors whose retainers were called samurai. Gokenin were regulated by the Samurai-dokoro . During the Sengoku Period , the term was vague and some samurai owned land, others were retainers or mercenaries. Many served as retainers to lords (including daimyo ). There

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4872-461: The Mongol invaders despite being vastly outnumbered. These winds became known as kami-no-Kaze , which literally translates as "wind of the gods". This is often given a simplified translation as "divine wind". The kami-no-Kaze lent credence to the Japanese belief that their lands were indeed divine and under supernatural protection. In 1336, Ashikaga Takauji , who opposed Emperor Godaigo , established

4988-436: The Nanboku-chō period to the Muromachi period, large groups of infantrymen became more active in battle, close combat became more important, and the naginata and tachi , which had been used since the Heian period, were used more. The yari (spear) was not yet a major weapon in this period. During the Nanboku-chō period, many lower-class foot soldiers called ashigaru began to participate in battles, and

5104-558: The Onin War; in other words, it marked the end of the Muromachi period. Oda Nobunaga was the well-known lord of the Nagoya area (once called Owari Province ) and an exceptional example of a samurai of the Sengoku period. He came within a few years of, and laid down the path for his successors to follow, the reunification of Japan under a new bakufu (shogunate). Oda Nobunaga made innovations in

5220-643: The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and borrowed scenes in George Miller 's Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The Zatoichi character was re-made as Blind Fury in the United States, starring Rutger Hauer as a blind swordsman living in the modern US. Most recently, The Last Samurai (2003), the story being loosely based on the true historical French officer Jules Brunet assisting Japanese samurai in rebellion against

5336-491: The United States as westerns , or as action films set in other contexts. His film Seven Samurai is one of the most important touchstones of the genre and the most well known outside Japan. It also illustrates some of the conventions of samurai film in that the main characters are ronin, masterless unemployed samurai , free to act as their conscience dictates. Importantly, these men tend to deal with their problems with their swords and are very skilled at doing so. It also shows

5452-499: The West. Gosha's films often portrayed the struggle between traditional and modernist thought and were decidedly anti-feudal. He largely stopped making chambara, switching to the Yakuza genre, in the 1970s. Some of his most noted movies are Goyokin , Hitokiri , Sanbiki no Samurai and Kedamono no Ken ("Sword of the Beast"). Kenji Misumi was active making samurai films from the 1950s to

5568-551: The Wilderness and Yojimbo of the Wilderness (as 峠九十郎 Tōge Kujūrō = "Mountain pass" Kujuro), the 1975 TV series The Sword, the Wind, and the Lullaby (as 砦十三郎 Toride Jūzaburō = "Fortress" Juzaburo), the 1976 TV series Ronin in a Lawless Town (as ミスターの旦那 Misutā no Danna = "Mister customer"), the 1981 TV movie series The Lowly Ronin (as 春夏秋冬 Shunka Shūtō = "Spring-Summer Autumn-Winter"), and

5684-403: The abdomen. In the late Kamakura period, a new type of armor called haramaki appeared, in which the two ends of the haraate were extended to the back to provide greater protection. Various samurai clans struggled for power during the Kamakura shogunate . Zen Buddhism spread among the samurai in the 13th century and helped shape their standards of conduct, particularly in overcoming

5800-422: The appearance of distinctive Japanese armor and weapons. Typical examples are the tachi (long sword) and naginata (halberd) used in close combat, and the ō-yoroi and dō-maru styles of armor. High-ranking samurai equipped with yumi (bows) who fought on horseback wore ō-yoroi , while lower-ranking samurai equipped with naginata who fought on foot wore dō-maru . During

5916-413: The average conscript soldier. The Meiji Restoration formally abolished the status, and most former samurai became Shizoku . This allowed them to move into professional and entrepreneurial roles. The proper term for Japanese warriors is bushi ( 武士 , [bɯ.ɕi] ) , meaning 'warrior' , but also could be interchangeable with buke ( 武家 ) , meaning 'military family', and later could refer to

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6032-425: The big stars of the genre, and the continued decline of the mainstream Japanese film industry put a halt to most of the production of this genre. Chanbara also refers to a martial arts sport similar to fencing . Daisuke Itō and Masahiro Makino were central to the development of samurai films in the silent and prewar eras. Akira Kurosawa is the best known to western audiences, and similarly has directed

6148-465: The boredom he feels when not pitting his sword skill against those who would corrupt Japan. The character was famously played by Utaemon Ichikawa on film 30 times from 1930 to 1963 and in a 25 episode TV series from 1973 to 1974, by Takeo Nakamura in a TV series from 1959 to 1960, by Hideki Takahashi in a TV series from 1970 to 1971, by Mikijiro Hira in a 1983 TV movie, and by Kin'ya Kitaōji (Ichikawa's son, who also appeared with his father in some of

6264-411: The bravery of their armies. These changes in the aspect of the battlefield during the Sengoku period led to the emergence of the tosei-gusoku style of armor, which improved the productivity and durability of armor. In the history of Japanese armor, this was the most significant change since the introduction of the ō-yoroi and dō-mal in the Heian period. In this style, the number of parts

6380-450: The character of Zatoichi. The series, known for its blend of action, drama, and social commentary, has become iconic in Japanese cinema and has garnered a significant following worldwide. Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu), the blind swordsman and masseur, checks into an inn where he shares a room with an ill woman and her young son, Ryota. Before the woman dies, she entrusts Zatoichi with the task of taking her son to his father, an artist living in

6496-413: The code of honor, followed to honor the samurai's leader. A samurai must be skilled in warfare and martial arts and ready to defend his honor, even to his death. If not able to defend his honor, a samurai may choose to commit self-disembowelment ( seppuku ), in order to save reputation or "face". Instead, a samurai may exact vengeance in a case of the loss of someone the samurai cared about, such as occurs in

6612-661: The country and over $ 60 million worldwide as of November 2012. It was released on home media on December 26, 2012. The film has been licensed for distribution in over 60 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The movie premiered in North America as an opening selection for the 2012 LA EigaFest on December 14, 2012. Two sequels titled Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen were released in 2014. A blind burly masseur and yakuza with short hair, he

6728-546: The court, arresting bandits, and suppressing civil wars, much like secretaries, butlers, and police officers today. Samurai in this period referred to the Fifth ( go-i ) and Sixth Ranks ( roku-i ) of the court ranks . During the Kamakura period , the definition of samurai became synonymous with gokenin ( 御家人 ) , which refers to bushi who owned territory and served the shogun . However, some samurai of exceptional status, hi-gokenin ( 非御家人 ) , did not serve

6844-499: The emperor's entourage, and became the first of the Minamoto clan to assume the office of Sei-i Taishōgun (shogun) . In response, Minamoto no Yoritomo sent Minamoto no Noriyori and Minamoto no Yoshitsune to defeat Yoshinaka, who was killed within a year of becoming shogun. In 1185, the Taira clan was finally defeated in the Battle of Dan-no-ura , and the Minamoto clan came to power. The victorious Minamoto no Yoritomo established

6960-416: The emperor, who tried to control their actions. He died in 1582 when one of his generals, Akechi Mitsuhide , turned upon him with his army. Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu , who founded the Tokugawa shogunate, were loyal followers of Nobunaga. Hideyoshi began as a peasant and became one of Nobunaga's top generals, and Ieyasu had shared his childhood with Nobunaga. Hideyoshi defeated Mitsuhide within

7076-514: The fact that he was fathered in less than honorable circumstance by a "fallen" Portuguese priest who had turned to worshipping Satan and a Japanese noblewoman whom the "fallen" priest had seduced and raped as part of a Black Mass and who had committed suicide after Kyōshirō was born. As a result, Kyōshirō despised both Christianity (which he considered weak and hypocritical) and the shogunal government (which he considered corrupt). A substantial number of films have been made about Miyamoto Musashi,

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7192-556: The fear of death and killing. Among the general populace Pure Land Buddhism was favored however. In 1274, the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty in China sent a force of some 40,000 men and 900 ships to invade Japan in northern Kyūshū . Japan mustered a mere 10,000 samurai to meet this threat. The invading army was harassed by major thunderstorms throughout the invasion, which aided the defenders by inflicting heavy casualties. The Yuan army

7308-534: The fields of organization and war tactics, made heavy use of arquebuses, developed commerce and industry, and treasured innovation. Consecutive victories enabled him to end the Ashikaga Bakufu and disarm of the military powers of the Buddhist monks, which had inflamed futile struggles among the populace for centuries. Attacking from the "sanctuary" of Buddhist temples, they were constant headaches to any warlord and even

7424-424: The film Harakiri . In it, Hanshiro Tsugumo takes revenge on the house of Kageyu Saito for the loss of his adopted son-in-law, who was forced to commit suicide by the house of Kageyu Saito. The house of Kageyu Saito refused to give the son-in-law money. Because he had asked to commit suicide he was forced to perform self-disembowelment, with a remarkable twist not revealed in this discussion. Hanshiro knows an example

7540-460: The films) in 9 made-for-TV movies from 1988 to 1994 and in a 10 episode TV series in 2001. Tange Samanosuke, a Sōma clan samurai, is attacked and mutilated as a result of betrayal, losing his right eye and right arm, and becomes a nihilistic ronin, using the pseudonym "Sazen". He has been played in numerous films by Denjirō Ōkōchi , Tsumasaburō Bandō , Ryūtarō Ōtomo , Ryūnosuke Tsukigata , Kinnosuke Nakamura , and Tetsurō Tanba Himura Kenshin

7656-434: The finest ear and foot acting you're likely to see. But, while entertaining enough for Katsu and Misumi's inherent skill, the film suffers from a slapdash script and that damn annoying kid factor. The series' one major fault was its lack of development and reliance on formula. While usually that formula is a winner, here it just feels a tad tired." The 1989 American samurai-action film Blind Fury , starring Rutger Hauer ,

7772-401: The first samurai-dominated government and relegating the emperor to figurehead status. The clan had its women marry emperors and exercise control through the emperor. However, when Taira no Kiyomori used his power to have the child of his daughter Taira no Tokuko and Emperor Takakura installed as Emperor Antoku , there was widespread opposition. Prince Mochihito , no longer able to assume

7888-477: The first samurai-dominated government. As the power of these regional clans grew, their chief was typically a distant relative of the emperor and a lesser member of either the Fujiwara , Minamoto , or Taira clan. From the Kamakura period onwards, emphasis was put on training samurai from childhood in using "the bow and sword". In the late Kamakura period, even the most senior samurai began to wear dō-maru , as

8004-479: The five executed Mongol emissaries exist to this day in Kamakura at Tatsunokuchi. On 29 July 1279, five more emissaries were sent by the Mongol empire, and again beheaded, this time in Hakata . This continued defiance of the Mongol emperor set the stage for one of the most famous engagements in Japanese history. In 1281, a Yuan army of 140,000 men with 5,000 ships was mustered for another invasion of Japan. Northern Kyūshū

8120-399: The genre is usually set during the Tokugawa era (1600–1868). The samurai film hence often focuses on the end of an entire way of life for the samurai: many of the films deal with masterless rōnin , or samurai dealing with changes to their status resulting from a changing society. Samurai films were constantly made into the early 1970s, but by then, overexposure on television, the aging of

8236-399: The heavy and elegant ō-yoroi were no longer respected. Until then, the body was the only part of the dō-maru that was protected, but for higher-ranking samurai, the dō-maru also came with a kabuto (helmet) and shoulder guards. For lower-ranked samurai, the haraate was introduced, the simplest style of armor that protected only the front of the torso and the sides of

8352-401: The helplessness of the peasantry and the distinction between the two classes. Masaki Kobayashi directed the films Harakiri and Samurai Rebellion , both cynical films based on flawed loyalty to the clan. Kihachi Okamoto films focus on violence in a particular fashion. In particular in his films Samurai Assassin , Kill! and Sword of Doom . The latter is particularly violent,

8468-413: The highest adviser to the emperor. Those of 6th rank and below were referred to as "samurai" and dealt with day-to-day affairs and were initially civilian public servants, in keeping with the original derivation of this word from saburau , a verb meaning 'to serve'. In 780, general conscription was abolished, and the government relied solely on units of capable warriors called kondei recruited from

8584-405: The ideal of the samurai and the code of bushido are popularized into the military warrior's belief. The time frame meant changes in the sorts of conflicts for the samurai to fight and film would capture their resistance against overwhelming odds. A recurring conflict the ideal samurai encounters is the ninjō and giri conflict. Ninjō is the human feeling that tells you what is right and giri

8700-460: The imperial throne, called upon the Minamoto clan to raise an army to defeat the Taira clan, and the Genpei War began. Minamoto no Yoshinaka expelled the Taira clan from Kyoto, and although he was initially welcomed by the hermit Emperor Go-Shirakawa, he became estranged and isolated due to the disorderly military discipline and lack of political power under his command. He staged a coup, overthrew

8816-413: The late Kamakura period allowed them to produce Japanese swords with tougher blades than before, and during the Nanboku-chō period, ōdachi (large/great sword) were at their peak as weapons for the samurai. Until the Mongol invasion in the late Kamakura period, the main battle was fought by small groups of warriors using yumi (bows) from horseback, and close combat was a secondary battle. From

8932-603: The late Muromachi period. There are about nine theories about the end of the Sengoku Period, the earliest being the year 1568, when Oda Nobunaga marched on Kyoto, and the latest being the suppression of the Shimabara Rebellion in 1638. Thus, the Sengoku Period overlaps with the Muromachi, Azuchi–Momoyama , and Edo periods , depending on the theory. In any case, the Sengoku period was a time of large-scale civil wars throughout Japan. Daimyo who became more powerful as

9048-584: The local military and police officials established by the Kamakura shogunate, giving the Shugo jurisdiction over land disputes between gokenin ( 御家人 ) and allowing the Shugo to receive half of all taxes from the areas they controlled. The Shugo shared their newfound wealth with the local samurai, creating a hierarchical relationship between the Shugo and the samurai, and the first early daimyo ( 大名 , feudal lords) , called shugo daimyo ( 守護大名 ) , appeared. The innovations of Sōshū swordsmiths in

9164-427: The main character engaging in combat for a lengthy 7 minutes of film at the end of the movie. His characters are often estranged from their environments, and their violence is a flawed reaction to this. Hideo Gosha , and many of his films helped create the archetype of the samurai outlaw . Gosha's films are as important as Kurosawa's in terms of their influence, visual style and content, yet are not as well known in

9280-647: The mid-1970s. He directed roughly 30 films in the genre, including some the Lone Wolf and Cub films, and a number in the Zatoichi and Sleepy Eyes of Death series. An excellent example of the kind of immediacy and action evident in the best genre is seen in Gosha's first film, the Three Outlaw Samurai , based on a television series. Three farmers kidnap the daughter of the local magistrate in order to call attention to

9396-646: The most "remade, reworked, referenced" films in cinema. It made the "assembling the team" trope popular in movies and other media; this has since become a common trope in many action movies and heist films . The visuals, plot and dialogue of Seven Samurai have inspired a wide range of filmmakers, ranging from George Lucas to Quentin Tarantino . Elements from Seven Samurai have been borrowed by many films, with examples including plot elements in films such as Three Amigos (1986) by John Landis , visual elements in large-scale battle scenes of films such as The Lord of

9512-412: The popularity of haramaki increased. During the Nanboku-chō and Muromachi periods, dō-maru and haramaki became the norm, and senior samurai also began to wear haramaki by adding kabuto (helmet), men-yoroi (face armor), and gauntlet. Issues of inheritance caused family strife as primogeniture became common, in contrast to the division of succession designated by law before

9628-415: The rank of sengoku daimyo during this period. Uesugi Kenshin was an example of a Shugodai who became sengoku daimyo by weakening and eliminating the power of the lord. This period was marked by the loosening of samurai culture, with people born into other social strata sometimes making a name for themselves as warriors and thus becoming de facto samurai. One such example is Toyotomi Hideyoshi ,

9744-599: The reigns of Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba , the Taira clan became Kokushi ( 国司 ) , or overseers of various regions, and accumulated wealth by taking samurai from various regions as their retainers. In the struggle for the succession of Emperor Toba, Emperor Sutoku and Emperor Go-Shirakawa , each with his samurai class on his side, fought the Hōgen rebellion , which was won by Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who had Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo on his side. Later, Taira no Kiyomori defeated Minamoto no Yoshitomo in

9860-410: The samurai and the sword as having a bond is an invented ideal, although it is popularized in many dramas. The Tokugawa period saw a change in the type of warfare, as combat shifted from the bow and arrow to close range combat with handheld weapons, and competitive sword competition. There are a number of themes that occur in samurai film plots. Many feature roaming masterless samurai, seeking work or

9976-457: The samurai class became the political ruling power in Japan. In 1190 he visited Kyoto and in 1192 became Sei'i Taishōgun , establishing the Kamakura shogunate, or Kamakura bakufu . Instead of ruling from Kyoto, he set up the shogunate in Kamakura , near his base of power. "Bakufu" means "tent government", taken from the encampments the soldiers lived in, in accordance with the Bakufu's status as

10092-418: The samurai class by being adopted into gokenin families or by serving in daikan offices, and low-ranking samurai could be transferred to lower social classes, such as chōnin , by changing jobs. In the 1870s, samurai families comprised 5% of the population. As modern militaries emerged in the 19th century, the samurai were rendered increasingly obsolete and very expensive to maintain compared to

10208-554: The samurai films best known in the West. He directed Seven Samurai , Rashomon , Throne of Blood , Yojimbo and many others. He had a long association with Toshirō Mifune , arguably Japan's most famous actor. Mifune himself had a production company that produced samurai epics, often with him starring. Two of Kurosawa's samurai movies were based on the works of William Shakespeare , Throne of Blood ( Macbeth ) and Ran ( King Lear ). A number of his films were remade in Italy and

10324-467: The samurai movie in a Western context, particularly Spaghetti Westerns . Italian director Sergio Leone 's A Fistful of Dollars and Walter Hill's Last Man Standing are both remakes of Yojimbo. Clint Eastwood 's Man with No Name character was modeled to some degree on Mifune's wandering ronin character that appeared in so many of his films. The Hidden Fortress influenced George Lucas when he made Star Wars . Seven Samurai has been remade as

10440-553: The series, Kenshin begins to establish lifelong relationships with many people, including ex-enemies, while dealing with his fair share of enemies, new and old. The character is portrayed by actor Takeru Satoh in five live-action films adapting the story, such as Rurouni Kenshin , Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen directed by Keishi Ōtomo. A samurai film must include samurai warriors, sword fighting and historical setting. Samurai warriors, in film, are differentiated from other warriors by

10556-440: The shogun and the daimyo of each domains, and as the distinction between bushi and chōnin or peasants became stricter, the boundaries between the definitions of samurai and bushi became blurred. Since then, the term "samurai" has been used to refer to " bushi ". Officially, however, the high-ranking bushi were called samurai and the low-ranking bushi were called kachi ( 徒士 ) . Samurai and kachi were represented by

10672-447: The shogun, but from the second half of the 17th century a distinction was made between hatamoto , direct vassals with territories of 10,000 koku or less who were entitled to an audience with the shogun, and gokenin , those without such rights. Samurai referred to hatamoto in the Tokugawa shogunate and to chūkoshō ( 中小姓 ) or higher status bushi in each han ( 藩 , domains) . During this period, most bushi came to serve

10788-406: The shogun. Subordinate bushi in the service of the samurai were called rōtō, rōdō ( 郎党 ) or rōjū ( 郎従 ) . Some of the rōtō were given a territory and a family name, and as samuraihon or saburaibon ( 侍品 ) , they acquired a status equivalent to that of a samurai. In other words, a high-ranking person among the bushi was called a samurai. During the Muromachi period , as in

10904-403: The shogunate's control weakened were called sengoku daimyo ( 戦国大名 ) , and they often came from shugo daimyo , Shugodai ( 守護代 , deputy Shugo) , and kokujin or kunibito ( 国人 , local masters) . In other words, sengoku daimyo differed from shugo daimyo in that a sengoku daimyo was able to rule the region on his own, without being appointed by the shogun. During this period,

11020-446: The snow. Despite the odds, Zatoichi successfully reunites Ryota with his father, fulfilling the promise he made to the boy's dying mother. The film ends with Zatoichi continuing his solitary journey, having once again acted as a protector and avenger for those in need. J. Doyle Wallis, in a review for DVD Talk , commented on the film's strengths and weaknesses: "While it had the great Kenji Misumi , one of samurai cinema 's greats and

11136-466: The sons of wealthy peasants and provincial officials. Another principle of the Ritsuryō system had already begun to be abandoned. All the land belonged to the state, and had been distributed on a per capita basis to farmers. However, in 743, farmers were allowed to cultivate reclaimed land in perpetuity. This allowed clan leaders, especially those with lots of slaves, to acquire large amounts of land. Members of

11252-417: The starvation of local peasants, a ronin appears and decides to help them. In the process, two other ronin with shifting allegiances join the drama, the conflict widens, eventually leading to betrayal, assassination and battles between armies of mercenary ronin . Recently another director, Keishi Ōtomo , has directed a live-action adaption of Nobuhiro Watsuki 's manga series Rurouni Kenshin , which tells

11368-495: The status of kachi , were financially impoverished and supported themselves by making bamboo handicrafts and umbrellas and selling plants. The shibun status of samurai and kachi was clearly distinguished from the keihai ( 軽輩 ) status of the ashigaru and chūgen who served them, but it was more difficult to rise from kachi to samurai than from ashigaru to kachi , and the status gap between samurai, who were high-ranking bushi , and kachi , who were low-ranking bushi ,

11484-554: The story of a former Ishin Shishi named Himura Kenshin (formerly known as "Hitokiri Battōsai" (人斬り抜刀斎). After the end of the Bakumatsu , he becomes a ronin wandering Japan's countryside, offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin. The film was a huge critical and commercial success. Rurouni Kenshin was theatrically released on August 25, 2012, in Japan, grossing over $ 36 million in

11600-439: The superiority of the samurai over the aristocracy. In 1185, Yoritomo obtained the right to appoint shugo and jitō , and was allowed to organize soldiers and police, and to collect a certain amount of tax. Initially, their responsibility was restricted to arresting rebels and collecting needed army provisions and they were forbidden from interfering with kokushi officials, but their responsibility gradually expanded. Thus,

11716-511: The town of Maebara. Moved by her dying wish, Zatoichi agrees to help the boy, embarking on a journey that tests his skill and compassion. As Zatoichi and Ryota travel together, they encounter various obstacles and adversaries. They hitch a ride with a traveling performance troupe, which provides temporary refuge but also brings new dangers. Along the way, Zatoichi's path crosses with corrupt officials and criminal gangs who threaten their mission. In Maebara , Zatoichi discovers that Ryota's father

11832-424: The traditional master-servant relationship between the lord and his vassals broke down, with the vassals eliminating the lord, internal clan and vassal conflicts over leadership of the lord's family, and frequent rebellion and puppetry by branch families against the lord's family. These events sometimes led to the rise of samurai to the rank of sengoku daimyo . For example, Hōjō Sōun was the first samurai to rise to

11948-522: The warrior class in Japan . They were originally provincial warriors who served the Kuge and imperial court in the late 12th century, and eventually came to play a major political role until their abolition in the late 1870s during the Meiji era . In the Heian period , powerful regional clans were relied on to put down rebellions. After power struggles, the Taira clan defeated the Minamoto clan in 1160 . After

12064-445: The whole class of professional warriors . Especially in the west, samurai is used synonymous with bushi, but they can have different meanings depending on context. Samurai originally meant servant, and did not have military connotations, although bushi in the Heian period who served courtiers were called samurai . According to Michael Wert, "a warrior of elite stature in pre-seventeenth-century Japan would have been insulted to be called

12180-435: The word shibun ( 士分 ) , a status that can be translated as warrior class, bushi class, or samurai class. Samurai were entitled to an audience with their lord, were allowed to ride horses, and received rice from the land and peasants under their control, while kachi were not entitled to an audience with their lord, guarded their lord on foot, and received rice from the stores of the shogunate and each domain. Gokenin ,

12296-420: Was a great increase in the number of men who styled themselves samurai by virtue of bearing arms. During the Edo period , 1603 to 1868, they were mainly the stewards and chamberlains of the daimyo estates, roles they had also filled in the past. During the Edo period, they came to represent a hereditary class. On the other hand, from the mid-Edo period, chōnin (townsman) and farmers could be promoted to

12412-468: Was defended by a Japanese army of 40,000 men. The Mongol army was still on its ships preparing for the landing operation when a typhoon hit north Kyūshū island. The casualties and damage inflicted by the typhoon, followed by the Japanese defense of the Hakata Bay barrier, resulted in the Mongols again being defeated. The thunderstorms of 1274 and the typhoon of 1281 helped the samurai defenders of Japan repel

12528-509: Was directly inspired by Yojimbo and portrayed by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone 's " Dollars Trilogy " of Spaghetti Western films. Mifune later played analogous roles in two films released in 1970, the Zatoichi film Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (as 佐々大作 Sasa Daisaku), and Incident at Blood Pass (as 鎬刀三郎 Shinogi Tōzaburō = "ridges on a sword" Tozaburo), the two 1972-1974 TV series Ronin of

12644-411: Was eventually recalled, and the invasion was called off. The Mongol invaders used small bombs, which was likely the first appearance of bombs and gunpowder in Japan. The Japanese defenders recognized the possibility of a renewed invasion and began construction of a great stone barrier around Hakata Bay in 1276. Completed in 1277, this wall stretched for 20 kilometers around the bay. It later served as

12760-439: Was half farmer, half bushi (samurai). On the other hand, it also referred to local bushi who did not serve the shogun or daimyo . According to Stephen Morillo, during this period the term refers to "a retainer of a lord - usually ... the retainer of a daimyo" and that the term samurai "marks social function and not class", and "all sorts of soldiers, including pikemen, bowmen, musketeers and horsemen were samurai". During

12876-603: Was located in Momoyama. There are several theories as to when the Azuchi–Momoyama period began: 1568, when Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto in support of Ashikaga Yoshiaki; 1573, when Oda Nobunaga expelled Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto; and 1576, when the construction of Azuchi Castle began. In any case, the beginning of the Azuchii–Momoyama period marked the complete end of the rule of the Ashikaga shogunate, which had been disrupted by

12992-465: Was named tanegashima after the Tanegashima island , which is believed to be the place where it was first introduced to Japan. By the end of the Sengoku Period, there were hundreds of thousands of arquebuses in Japan and a large army of nearly 100,000 men clashing with each other. On the battlefield, ashigaru began to fight in close formation, using yari (spear) and tanegashima . As

13108-416: Was often cut off from the hilt and shortened to make a katana . The tachi , which had become inconvenient for use on the battlefield, was transformed into a symbol of authority carried by high-ranking samurai. Although the ōdachi had become even more obsolete, some sengoku daimyo dared to organize assault and kinsmen units composed entirely of large men equipped with ōdachi to demonstrate

13224-504: Was quite wide. During the Edo Period, samurai represented a hereditary social class defined by the right to bear arms and to hold public office, as well as high social status. From the mid-Edo period, chōnin and farmers could be promoted to the samurai class by being adopted into gokenin families, or by serving in daikan offices, and kachi could be transferred to lower social classes, such as chōnin , by changing jobs. As part of

13340-486: Was reduced, and instead armor with eccentric designs became popular. By the end of the Sengoku period, allegiances between warrior vassals, also known as military retainers, and lords were solidified. Vassals would serve lords in exchange for material and intangible advantages, in keeping with Confucian ideas imported from China between the seventh and ninth centuries. These independent vassals who held land were subordinate to their superiors, who may be local lords or, in

13456-418: Was unrightfully made of his son-in-law in order to discourage the asking by impoverished samurai for donations from the house of Kageyu. In film, motivation may vary but the samurai's behavior is to maintain honor even in death and is perpetuated by the code of bushido. Also, looking at the historical setting of the film the audience can take cultural context of the samurai in that certain period. For instance,

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