A documentary on the dark and brutal side of the Samurai warrior clans featuring the life of peasant Masa who is pressganged into the ruthless world of the Samurai.
Practical Effects
Visceral reenactments of peasant Masa's brutal induction.
Writing
Historians weaponize primary sources against romanticized pop culture.
Director
John Wate
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film directly confronts the 'bushido code' myth popularized by 1899's Hagakure and later Hollywood—most samurai were illiterate mercenaries, not philosophers.
Masa's character is a composite drawn from multiple peasant conscription records; director John Wate spent three years negotiating access to the Kabaya family archives for authentic armor and weapons.
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