The Last Samurai
Two hundred years ago a fearless leader named Takamori Saigo drew his sword and hurled a final challenge to Japans Imperial army, outnumbered and outmatched the samurai were inevitably obliterated and Takomori Saigo became a hero symbolizing devotion and principle. The samurai were a group of elite warriors in Japan that died out soon after the Mejia era. A movie came out depicting the samurais final stand .When The Last Samurai hit theaters in 2001 it was fairly well received by movie critics earning a seven out of ten by Internet Movie Data Base. On the other hand Historians had mixed feelings about the film. The reason for this was that it was not very consistent with what had actually happened in history. The Last Samurai was a movie that depicted the samurai’s last stand during the spread of western civilization in Japan. Although the movie did portray some things that might be historically accurate it was mostly a romanticized movie that distorted reality as many Hollywood movies do. This movie was far from historically accurate because of its characters, settings, and plot. While the movie is titled The Last Samurai it does not mainly revolve around the character Katsumoto that depicts Takamori Saigo the leader of the samurai during the Satsuma rebellion ironically it revolves around Tom Cruises character Algren a US Army Captain which is completely fictional. Because The Last Samurai’s plot had many inconsistencies with what had happened during the Satsuma Rebellion it is not historically accurate.
In the late 1860’s and early1870’s Japan underwent a change when Emperor Mutushito came to power under the title Meji “enlightened peace”. This change came to be known as the Meji Era which called for westerni...
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... When the time draws near Taka Katsamos sister dresses Algren in her deceased husband’s armor the two say goodbye and kiss. On the day of the battle the samurai rebellion bring the imperial army near an area where they will be able to battle close combat giving them the upper hand. The battle ends up turning in the imperial armies favor and so the remaining samurai have to retreat. Knowing their inevitable fate the Samurai charge by horseback where they are massacred with a Gatling gun. In order to give Katusumo an honorable death Algren helps Katsumo by helping him commit Seppuku thus ending the rebellion. After that Algren gives Katsumos sword to the emperor a former student of Samurais leader. Then at the end the emperor realizes that though japan needs to modernize they must never forget their heritage and ancestors thus leaving the movie with a message for all.
War played a central part in the history of Japan. Warring clans controlled much of the country. A chief headed each clan; made up of related families. The chiefs were the ancestors of Japan's imperial family. The wars were usually about land useful for the production of rice. In fact, only 20% of the land was fit for farming. The struggle for control of that land eventually ga...
The Last Samurai is a film that is often used to teach history in classes. The last Samurai represents the end of an era. The film does a good job of teaching many parts of Japanese History. This movie teaches us about the way of the Samurai, and their beliefs and traditions. The movie also expresses what life was like during the Meiji Restoration. You can see in the movie that technology started to advance, gradually decreasing the amount of Samurais. The Satsuma Rebellion, which lasted for 6 months, was shown in the movie as a battle between tradition and modernisation. Even though this film is not entirely accurate, it has some key historical events which are good for learning about this historic period.
Fallows, James. "After Centuries of Japanese Isoation, a Fateful Meeting of East and West." {Smithsonian} July 1994: 20-33.
Akira Kurosaw’s Seven Samurai is a film that encompasses various ideologies in order to allow the audience to understand the lives of Japanese people during the 1600’s. The film delves deep in social issues of the roles of the people within the society, the expectations as well as the obligations within the respected castes and elements within groups of ; suffering, working together, protecting family and working for the better good of the community.
In conclusion, Katsu’s tale allows one to delve deep into the day to day life of an unemployed samurai during the end of the Tokugawa era. His life can be observed to see the immense privilege the samurai status held. Not only that, he displays the values of a samurai warrior and although he does not act like an honorable samurai, he is an honorable warrior. Katsu displays the tenacity of both samurai privileges and values during the late Tokugawa shogunate. Although his life may not exemplify the ideal samurai, it does in fact allow one to observe the life of an ordinary samurai.
Riichi, Yokomitsu. Shanghai. Michigan: The Center for Japanese Studies, The University of Michigan , 2001.
The Discourse acts as a forum for the exploration of the political pathways that Japan could follow following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. At a time when Japan had just begun to consolidate herself, Chomin’s Discourse was aimed at discussing Japan’s long-term trajectory through three imaginary mouthpieces, ‘The Gentleman of Western Learning’, his opposition ‘The Champion of the East’, whose debate is being observed and arbitrated by a ‘Master Nankai’.
Ogawa, D. (1993) The Japanese of Los Angeles. Journal of Asian and African Studies, v19, pp.142-3.
This film had spectacular performances from the actors, especially Takashi Shimura, who plays Kanbei. Kanbei is a seasoned samurai and he was first chosen by the elders of the village. Toshiro Mifune’s plays Kikuchiyo who is an abrasive samurai who bridges the gap between the warriors and the people who live in the village.
It was evident that they had been wrong about how Japan would be better off isolated from Western technology, because it was help from that Western technology that the Imperial army was able to defeat the Satsuma rebels and set the path toward a modernized country. Modern Japan had been passed with its people, and although Saigo’s plan to keep things as they were had ultimately failed and completely did away with the samurai class, his strength and principles were broadcasted through Japan through this battle. Word reached all over the country and made an impression that lasted. A statue was built in his honour in Ueno and the title “traitor” was taken out of his name.
The Japanese Empire became an empire in the year 1868. They quickly spread their empire out and became rulers over 7,400,000 square kilometers of land. “They quickly became known for war crimes against their ow...
Tsuzuki, Chushichi. The Pursuit of Power in Modern Japan, 1825-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questia. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...