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Samurai – a military-feudal class of petty nobles and princes in feudal Japan. Very often they were compared with the knights of medieval Europe, but this is not entirely true. In fact, the samurai is a warrior who is in the service. They could be not only soldiers, but also the bodyguards of their master, while the samurai could perform other tasks. Stories about samurai and their film adaptations are very popular not only in their homeland – in the “Land of the Rising Sun”, but also far beyond its borders. We present the top 10 best films about samurai.
10 The Painters (1950)
The film opens with the woodcutter Kikori and the priest sitting under the rashemon city gate to stay dry in the pouring rain. A commoner joins them and tells him that they have witnessed a disturbing story, which they then begin to retell to him. The lumberjack claims to have found the body of a slain samurai three days earlier while looking for firewood in the forest. As he testifies, first he found a woman’s hat, then a samurai hat, then a cut rope, then an amulet, and finally he came across a body.
Upon discovering the body, he said, he fled in a panic to report it to the authorities. The priest says that he saw a samurai and his wife traveling on the same day that the murder took place. Both men are then called to testify in court where they meet with the captured bandit Tajomaru who claims to have followed the couple after lusting after the woman when he saw her in the forest…
9. 13 killers (2010)
In the year 1844 of the Edo period, when the Tokugawa Shogunate is in decline, the sadistic ruler Matsudaira Naritsugu of Akashi rapes, tortures, maims, and kills nobles and commoners at will. He is protected because the Shogun is his half-brother. Sir Doi Toshitsura, the shogun’s Minister of Justice, realizes that when Naritsugu enters the Shogunate Council, a civil war will break out between the shogun and the many feudal lords whom naritsugu has offended.
The feudal ruler of the Mamiya clan publicly commits ritual suicide by hara-kiri in protest at the shogun’s refusal to punish Mr. Naritsugu, who personally killed the entire family of the feudal lord. With the Shogun still pressing for Naritsugu’s promotion, Sir Doi seeks out a trusted senior samurai, Shimada Shinzaemon, who served under the former Shogun, and secretly hires him to kill Naritsugu. However, Naritsugu’s loyal servants, led by Hanbei, an old contemporary of Shinzaemon, learn of the plot…
8. Zatoichi (2003)
The action of the picture takes place in Japan, XIX century. Blind wanderer Zatoichi earns his living by playing dice and giving massages. However, in reality – this is a wonderful warrior. One day he comes to the town, which is held by the Ginzo gang. Here the main character meets geisha sisters who want to get even for the death of their parents at all costs. And soon the dastardly Ginzo counterfeiters start hunting for Zatoichi…
7.
Feudal Japan is a rather mysterious period in the history of this country, full of dangers and intrigues. Jubei is a professional ninja who travels alone, living off his services to those who can pay him well… or offer interesting jobs. His super powers serve him well, but a treacherous plot to overthrow the legitimate government puts Jubei in mortal danger.
When a small village is threatened by a deadly epidemic, a group of ninjas are sent there to find out what is really going on there. Soon, the sent warriors are ambushed, and they all die at the hands of a terrible human monster with incredible strength. Only one girl remained alive – Kagero. This is a charming female ninja whose touch can kill any creature. Jubei saves her from a fate far worse than death, and against his will becomes involved in a dangerous conspiracy….
6. The Last Samurai (2003)
Former US Army Captain Nathan Algren is an alcoholic traumatized by the atrocities he committed during the American Indian Wars. He enlists his former commander, Colonel Bagley, to train the newly established Imperial Japanese Army for the forward-thinking Japanese businessman Omura, who intends to use the army to put down a samurai rebellion against Japan’s new emperor. Despite his hatred of Bagley for his role in the Indian Wars, the impoverished Algren accepts the job…
5. Love and Honor (2006)
Shinnojo, a low-level samurai, lives with his beautiful and devoted wife, Kayo. Tired of his position as a food taster for a feudal lord, he talks about creating a kendo school open to boys of all castes. But, before he can begin to fulfill his dream, he becomes ill because of the clam sashimi he ate. The investigation reveals that the poisoning was not a human conspiracy, but poor food choices out of season. Three days later, the hero wakes up, only to find that the toxin has blinded him…
4. Twilight Samurai (2002)
The protagonist of the picture – Iguchi Seibei became a widower after his wife died of tuberculosis. He gave her a luxurious funeral, despite the fact that he himself was poor. Seibei works in a grain warehouse. His fellow samurai mock him and call him Tasogare (twilight) behind his back: as evening approaches, Seibei hurries home to look after his elderly mother, who has dementia, and two young daughters, Kayano and Ito, instead of to have fun in the company of geishas with his boss and other samurai colleagues.
Despite being a samurai, Seibei neglects his appearance, does not bathe or shave his head, and is also poorly dressed. The welfare of his young daughters and medicine for his mother take precedence over new clothes or monthly bath fees…
3. Rebel (1967)
The head of the clan gives his concubine to a young samurai as his wife. But, soon circumstances change, and the clan demands her return. Then the samurai, together with his father, decide to confront them and refuse to obey …
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
The bandits plan to raid the mountain village, but their leader decides to wait until after the harvest. This conversation is accidentally overheard by a farmer, after which the villagers ask for advice from the gisaku – the elder of the village and the Miller. He claims to have once seen a village that hired samurai and was left untouched by raiders, and states that they should also hire samurai to protect themselves. Since they have no money, Gisaku advises them to find hungry samurai…
1. Princess Mononoke (1997)
In Japan, in Muromachi, the village of Emishi was attacked by a demon. The last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, kills him before he reaches the village, but a corruption curse injures his right hand. The curse gives him superhuman strength, but it will eventually spread through his body and kill him. The villagers learn that the demon was the boar god Nago, a corrupted iron ball stuck in his body. The wise woman of the village tells Ashitaka that he can find a cure in the western lands where Nago came from, but he will not be able to return to his homeland. Before Ashitaka leaves, his sister Kaya gives him her crystal dagger so he won’t forget her….