How would America be different if these things occurred

[Marchegiano]

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Most accurate Samurai movies buds?

I like Assassins and Bodyguards, 13 Assassins, and Sacrifice but I doubt they're very accurate.

[billeau2]

Most accurate Samurai movies buds?

I like Assassins and Bodyguards, 13 Assassins, and Sacrifice but I doubt they're very accurate.

Generally speaking most movies get the basics down for Samurai ways... The 7 Samurai is a very realistic and great movie about the Samurai. It is the "go to" for me when asked about how the Samurai relationship was to the rest of the gentry and to each other. The relationship is nuanced. I will say this about it. Some warrior cultures, generally speaking, will not kill if they do not have to do so. The Scotts and the Samurai are two cultures that abide by this. As a matter of fact, the wooden swords (Bokken) were developed to fight and determine a winner without drawing blood, for the Samurai.

[_Rexy_]

Most accurate Samurai movies buds?

I like Assassins and Bodyguards, 13 Assassins, and Sacrifice but I doubt they're very accurate.

My absolute favorite would be the film "Ran" which was the last movie by Japanese director Akira Kurasawa. Brilliant film that I can't reccomend more. That being said, because it was a loose adaptation of King Lear set in Feudal Japan, there are some details that are innacurate (mainly the court jester character, not many inaccuracies outside of that tbh) but it's probably one of my top 5 favorite all time films, not just Samurai films. I watched it a couple months ago with my wife, who isn't nearly the movie person I am, and she was so blown away by it that we've been basically watching all of Kurasawa's other films.

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Fun fact, "Fistfull of Dollars" was a direct ripoff of Kurasawa's film "Yojimbo" Kurasawa won some money from the lawsuit and I think that's what opened him up to Western Audiences.

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EDIT - Imbedding doesn't seem to work anymore? Here are the links


Ran Trailer -

Yojimbo trailer -

[_Rexy_]

its all in the curve of the blade. Up until that time all swords were straight, modelled after Tang dynasty blades from China. In India and the Middle East swords were curved for specific attaks and uses, to attack vital points at the seams of armor, which could not be protected. In South East Asia you also see tribes with sophistiated blades used to do thngs like puncture an artery without needing to break the skin hard, etc. But there was no blade that just had a curve for general design purposes.

This curve does some interesting things. It actually compresses the length so one has a greater cutting surface. it also allows angles to be used where the blade tip can get there very fast and while the rest of the sword is held comfortably. It also makes the blade stronger... apparently the physics of a slight curviture gives more tensil strenght.

In my opinion another real genius invention was the tip design of the Wakazashi, Kodashi and (my favorite) the Tanto. This blade gives one an extra cutting surface. When learning to use the Tanto, if one pays attention to this extra surface area, there are all kinds of cuts one can make.

The Mongol invasions definitely taught the Japanese a lot about their technologies! I have not heard if this changed their blade mechanics but it sounds right to me. Straight swords, especially the Chinese swords of that time were primarily for dueling. I don't think the Japanese even had the Odachi yet, which is a large sword, for horseback and distance. The Mongol battles were very interesting! I mean before I looked into them I did not know how much they squirmished! During the second battle the Mongols had taken some areas, I believe in the North.

Many people say the Japanese were lucky because of the so called divine winds (Kamakize) but I do not buy this. There is a reason why the Mongols did not come back after the second battle, when they had made some headway... The Mongols had a limited technology that they mastered... The Japanese had a more varied technology had more circumstances to deal with. Of course the Mongols had more varied enemies... But the horses and bows with the blitz was so far ahead of the rest of the people they conquered back then!

Mongolia, for all of there strengths also had a very subpar Navy. A really interesting fact that always stuck with me, the Kamikaze as well as them fending off every other country that had ever invaded them had Japan think that they were unable to lose a war until the A Bomb was dropped on them in WW2. Basically 1000 years of recorded history being undefeated.

[_Rexy_]

Most accurate Samurai movies buds?

I like Assassins and Bodyguards, 13 Assassins, and Sacrifice but I doubt they're very accurate.

All goes out the window once you realize that "Bushido" was something made up long after the fact, and wasn't created until many years later. I've even read it argued that the term wasn't invented until the early twentieth century as a way to convince young japanese soldiers to sacrifice their lives in WW2

[_Rexy_]

I wish America had said "no" to slavery from inception. We wouldn't be having all the issues that we're having now had it not been for slavery.

From what I've read, that was in the original constitution, but was removed for South Carolina. Take it with a grain of salt though.

[billeau2]

Mongolia, for all of there strengths also had a very subpar Navy. A really interesting fact that always stuck with me, the Kamikaze as well as them fending off every other country that had ever invaded them had Japan think that they were unable to lose a war until the A Bomb was dropped on them in WW2. Basically 1000 years of recorded history being undefeated.

Great point about the Navy... Being a Navy commander in the Mongolian forces was probably like being the proverbial Maytag repair man lol. The Samurai were smart enough during the first attack to rush the ships. The Japanese mentality scared the s ht out of Allied forces.

[_Rexy_]

Great point about the Navy... Being a Navy commander in the Mongolian forces was probably like being the proverbial Maytag repair man lol. The Samurai were smart enough during the first attack to rush the ships. The Japanese mentality scared the s ht out of Allied forces.

Bit of a subject change, but did you ever see the ships that the Norse went on their explorations in? I couldn't understand how they lost so many men every trip until I got a good look at one.



Imagine god knows how many idiots sailing from Norway to Greenland to Iceland in this thing. Zero protection from ANY elements.

[billeau2]

All goes out the window once you realize that "Bushido" was something made up long after the fact, and wasn't created until many years later. I've even read it argued that the term wasn't invented until the early twentieth century as a way to convince young japanese soldiers to sacrifice their lives in WW2

It may be one of those things where the term was created to offset the concept of "Budo." Budo was an epoche of martial arts "Do" arts concerned with form, etiquette, sportsmanship and aesthetics. From Ju Jutsu karate and Kejutsu came Judo, Shotokan (Karate Do) Iado and Kendo.

When you research the Samurai you find different texts with somewhat fragmented ideals, many such as Confucian concepts of civility, texts concerned with etiquette, many mystical Shinto/ Buddhist prescriptions, poems, and of course the actual instruction in various Koryu.... The popular text that was all encompassing the Hagakure, was in fact written by a retainer who was waxing nostalgic for a lost age he was not a part of.

The great thing is the Samurai was a literate class of warrior. Japan was special and singular in how detailed records were kept of martial methods. China has some of this as well, but many of the systems were part of a general system for health and well being. While many of us martial arts afficianodos salvate at the mouth for a real authentic text detailing methods in any of the great warrior societies, they simply do not exist. How could an Aztec warrior take up struggling prisoners on a battlefield? Things like that perplex!

[billeau2]

Bit of a subject change, but did you ever see the ships that the Norse went on their explorations in? I couldn't understand how they lost so many men every trip until I got a good look at one.



Imagine god knows how many idiots sailing from Norway to Greenland to Iceland in this thing. Zero protection from ANY elements.

I never studied much Norse stuff but have noticed how cavalier human kind seemed regarding the perils of the ocean! To this day in places like Okinawa, fishermen drown because they cannot swim. Protection from the elements, and on many ships used for combat, you had things like giant holes where the oar locks were... Imagine fighting a battle and stepping into one of those with one leg, while in armor