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Films featuring Japanese swords


Kolekt-To

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Hey guys, I was wondering what movies could be recommended where Japanese swords (Gunto or Nihonto) are featured. "Kill Bill" immediately comes to mind. Lol. I'm aware of some war movies with scenes featuring swords, but what about Samurai movies and other types of movies? The series "Shogun" was recently recommended to me - I read the novel as a kid, but never watched the series. Recommendations? 

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Thanks! I watched "47 Ronin" a couple of months ago. Will have to watch "Last Samurai" - missed that one. Regarding Gunto scenes in movies, I've seen some in WW2-themed movies, but it's usually just glimpses of the sword. For example, in the Japanese movie "Yamato" (2005) you catch glimpses of dirks, one scene featuring what is portrayed as a "Yamamato Dagger", and another scene where an officer self-deletes by falling in his Type 97 on the deck of the sinking ship in one of the final scenes. In the Japanese film "Oba, The Last Samurai", I believe the Banzai attack scene at the beginning of the film shows an officer charging while holding his Gunto. And, there are various combat scenes in movies such as "Wind Talkers", "Hacksaw Ridge", etc. where Japanese officers are featured attacking with their Guntos drawn. Also, in the series "The Pacific" (I forget which episode) there is a scene where a soldier comes at Sledge with a raised Gunto and Sledge uses his M1 Garand to dispatch the attacker. In the movie "To End All Wars" (2001), Guntos are seen being carried by officers in many scenes throughout the movie. However, in regard to Guntos on film, in my experience, they are usually only featured in fleeting images in rare scenes. I think what's been stated here regarding Japanese movies, especially within the Samurai genre, is where the viewer will be treated to Nihonto featured prominently and more frequently.

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3 hours ago, kkeeps said:

Netflix just recently released Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, features tons of swords and fighting, albeit in a very "anime" styling, which makes sense, giving the movie's roots.

Just watched that one last night. Great movie and good storyline.

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Movie with Gunto
1.Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence 1983
2.Letters from Iwo Jima 硫磺島からの手紙 2006
3.太平洋の奇跡(Oba:The Last Samurai)2011
4.日輪の遺産 (The Legacy Of The Sun)2011
5.The Wolverine(2013)
6.The Emperor in August (日本のいちばん長い日) 2015

 

 

日輪の遺産 (The Legacy Of The Sun).jpg

The Wolverine.jpg

The Wolverine 1.jpg

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.jpg

Letters from Iwo Jima 硫磺島からの手紙 2006.jpg

Oba The Last Samurai.jpg

Oba The Last Samurai 1.jpg

The Emperor in August (日本のいちばん長い日).jpg

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On 8/5/2021 at 1:06 PM, sbf said:

"Hell To Eternity"

Just watched it Steve, thanks for the recommendation!  The Pied Piper of Saipan really pulled off something special.  He claimed that he talked in 1,500 troops and civilians.  A critic claimed it was half that much  ..... Ha!  so 750?  Don't know any other guys who could claim that!  The movie made him look much older than his 18 years of age.

 

One scene with a circle of officers around a general. One of the guys had a leather-covered saya ... I think it was @16k's Mantetsu!!!! ;)

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8 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

Just watched it Steve, thanks for the recommendation!  The Pied Piper of Saipan really pulled off something special.  He claimed that he talked in 1,500 troops and civilians.  A critic claimed it was half that much  ..... Ha!  so 750?  Don't know any other guys who could claim that!  The movie made him look much older than his 18 years of age.

 

One scene with a circle of officers around a general. One of the guys had a leather-covered saya ... I think it was @16k's Mantetsu!!!! ;)

 

Glad you enjoyed it. It was filmed on Okinawa in 1960, all the extras were Marines and Japanese or Okinawans, and it appears most of the Japanese weapons and equipment were real. A few glitches with the Japanese using US small arms, but for my money the portrayal of the appearance and behavior of the Japanese Army was right on. The sword scene has haunted me since I saw the movie as a kid in the sixties, and in some ways spurred my interest in swords. Who were these people who still fought with swords in the 20th Century, who made suicidal charges, and deliberately crashed airplanes into ships? 

 

    Steve

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