I'm not a big fan of Tom Cruise but I sure seen a lot of his antiques in real life and had a few good laughs. I'm sure Oprah did too. The Last Samurai (2003) movie starring Mr. Cruise, tells the story of an American soldier Nathan Algren who initially fought against the samurai led by Lord Katsumoto, but in the end joined forces and fought alongside them during the Meiji Restoration era in 1876 and 1877. The movie is not a true story but it does contain historical elements from the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigo Takamori and the story of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in a previous Boshin War.
Historically, the only recorded significant event of foreigners assuming active role in Japanese civil war is that of French military advisors under Jules Brunet and this was during the Boshin War, not the Satsuma Rebellion featured in the film. They joined forces favourable to the Shogun under Enomoto Takeaki. The Last Samurai also replaced the key French figures with American characters.
In the real Satsuma Rebellion, no Westerners were ever recorded to have fought on either side of the rebellion. The battle was also more one-sided than what was described in The Last Samurai. The event happened in 1877,10 years after the Boshin War, and 10 years after the Imperial Japanese Army was formed. The Imperial Army sent a massive force of 300,000 soldiers under Kawamura Sumiyoshi to the island of Kyushu to crush Saigo Takamori and his 40,000 strong troops. The Imperial soldiers were equipped with modern weaponries including howitzers and surveillance balloons. In reality all sides of the conflict in both Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion, used modern equipment to some degree.
Although the character of Lord Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe) is based on Saigo Takamori, the last battle in the movie is not taken from his final stand against the Imperial Army. The scene was actually based on a different battle where a group of disgruntled retainers attacked the new Imperial Army without any firearms or western weapons and that event took place somewhere around the same time.
In the ending chapters of The Last Samurai, Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) received a Japanese katana from the samurai. That katana has been reproduced by Musashi into an exact functional sword replica. The Musashi Handmade Full-Tang Last Samurai Movie Sword Replica from 247Swords
Inscribed on the Last Samurai Sword's blade is the Kanji "I belong to the warrior in whom the old ways have joined the new". The blade features a kissake (blade point), hamon (temper pattern) and comes with a sharpened edge. A full-tang construction is built into the movie sword. The habaki (blade collar) is a one piece brass construction with two copper seppa (washer/spacer). The actual tsuba (guard) is blackened iron with a pin-wheel design. Black cotton cord wraps the tsuka (handle) over a white ray skin and secures the kashira (pommel) made of oxidized copper. The tangs of the Last Samurai Movie Sword are secured by two bamboo mekugi (sword peg) while the menuki (hilt ornaments) are copper dragons on each sides of the handle. The saya (scabbard) is made of hard wood with a high-gloss black finish. The koiguchi (scabbard mouth) is bull horn while the sageo (cord) is a black cotton cord wrapped over the kurikata (loop for cord). This Last Samurai Movie Sword replica also comes with a free wooden display stand and a beautiful gift box decorated with yellow silk inlay.
If you prefer a decorative sword, the Stainless Steel Last Samurai Movie Sword Replica from TrueSwords
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It would surely be nice to have a personal collection of replica swords (although of course it would be a whole lot better to have the original but that would be like a far-fetched idea!).
Japanese swords nowadays have been a collector's item, not so much used for self-defense but as a decorative item to hang on your wall. They sure look beautiful, not at all harmful but amazing work of art.
with this, let us commend all sword-makers (or whatever they are technically called) as they are an artist in their own rights. Surely, they have put not only physical efforts in making these beautiful swords but there must be some amount of passion to be able to produce such masterpiece!
Come visit: http://www.samurai-sword-shop.com/blog/
It would surely be nice to have a personal collection of replica swords (although of course it would be a whole lot better to have the original but that would be like a far-fetched idea!).
Japanese swords nowadays have been a collector's item, not so much used for self-defense but as a decorative item to hang on your wall. They sure look beautiful, not at all harmful but amazing work of art.
with this, let us commend all sword-makers (or whatever they are technically called) as they are an artist in their own rights. Surely, they have put not only physical efforts in making these beautiful swords but there must be some amount of passion to be able to produce such masterpiece!
Come visit: http://www.samurai-sword-shop.com/blog/
I have The Last Samurai sword replica, the solid black one. It was my first Samurai sword I ever bought, and I love. I have it hanging on my wall, on its stand, above my other blades that I've collected over the years.