Research Paper Samurai

Research Paper Samurai
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Research Paper Samurai
Samurai is a critical concept that permeates Japanese societies. It unravels a long trail of socio-economic and political history that dates back to primordial times. The samurai means 'bushi', which were warriors in premodern Japan. They assumed the roles of the ruling, military class forming the apex of social caste between 1600 and 1800S. Samurai used a variety of weapons such as swords, bows and arrows, spears, and guns. Samurai were aligned to ethical principles and values associated with bushido, which implied 'the ways of the warrior'. Bushido was strongly Confucian in nature because it emphasis virtues like loyalty to one's master, a great sense of self-discipline, and respectful, ethical behavior. Samurai film constitutes a Japanese primary cinema scene that has stood the test of time. It is one of the most enduring and entertaining genres and acts as a source of inspiration in Japanese culture and amongst international audiences and filmmakers.
Japanese cinema's most enduring genre continues to entertain and inspire audiences and filmmakers internationally. They are often identified as chanbara due to their meaning of action-oriented sword-fight films that highlight the mythological samurai warriors in primordial Japanese societies. Like American and western films, the samurai cinema celebrates narrations comprising loyalty, revenge, discipline, romance, fighting prowess, and the receding traditional approach of life marked by increasing external influence, aestheticism, and Western influence. The substance presence of the Japanese film industry has caused ripples across Hollywood. Hollywood experienced a significant infusion of Japanese films in the early 21st century. A broad spectrum of Japan-oriented films emerges, such as Lost in Translation Kill Bill Vol. 2, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Letters from Iwo Jima (Chun, 2013).
Samurai is more reflected in Japanese films and cinemas. Chanbara embodies the genre of Japanese sword fighting film revolving around samurai or bushido worriers. There are diverse works, including the ones of famous directors like Akira Kurosawa. Chanbara is a reflection of samurai, which is not a pure artistic breed of Japanese culture and heritage because of its fusions with other genres of films, including western cinemas, gangsters, and martial films, among others.
The earliest Japanese film periods were marked by narrations based on local historical incidents, but the concept of modernism with foreign influence seems to have influenced the recent development in samurai films. The post-war samurai films illustrate contrasting themes to origin samurai between the 1600s and about 1800s (Thorne, 2010). The earliest samurai genre was initiated in the Tokugawa period, which its core themes focus on the end of life. The onslaught of influence from western and other films has diluted the real chanbara, which were considered crude and less straightforward recordings. The earliest films of the chanbara genre were done via dynamic editing approaches and dramatic lighting to highlight the relevance of characters' psychology, which magnify the drama through processes such as flash done under the moonlight. These innovations featuring in earliest chanbara films led to a remarkable change in mobility towards highly dynamic modernism, with increased exposure to foreign films. After the World War, the Allied occupation restricted cinemas that were friendly to feudal values, which led to the increased prominence of kibosh as one of the Japanese action genres. However, with the departure of occupiers d in 1952, there was clear space for samurai films to grow exponentially (Thorne, 2010). The films based on legendary persons like Musashi Mitamoto presented films that brought clearer modernism interpretations during the post-war phase.
The samurai periods were more of dramatic films rather than action-based cinemas. However, the post-war phase films are marked by features that show overarching action-based films, accompanied by darker and more violent characters. The Post-war samurai films show psychologically or physically inflicted or bruised warriors. Akira Kurosawa films are marked by styles that hyperboles death and violence, which reflects the overarching theme of samurai films' post-war stage. Akira Kurosawa's samurai films depict solitary figures, with remarkable concealment of their martial or bushido abilities, instead of being confident enough to show them off. The Samurai films made post-war periods were marked by increased overexposure to television, aging legendary figures of the samurai films, and increasing decline film industry regarding affecting the Japanese film industry.
Samurai films feature warriors armed with swords, engaging in a fight in contextualized historical settings. Samurai or bushido films contrasts with other heroic and warrior films by code of honor accorded to samurai's leader. Bushido is expected to be highly sk...