Tom Cruise’s 2003 Samurai Epic Graded By World’s Last Real Ninja (& He Adds One Gnarly Weapon Detail)

Jinichi Kawakami, widely considered the world’s last ninja grandmaster, rates and reviews Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai and shares a surprising weapon detail. Released in 2003, The Last Samurai is directed by Edward Zwick and stars Cruise as an American military advisor and Civil War veteran Nathan Algren, who is tasked with traveling to Japan to help eliminate the last remaining Samurai. After being captured in battle, he eventually embraces the Samurai culture and joins them in their fight, with one standout sequence involving Algren and Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) fending off attacking ninjas.
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In new video from Insider, Kawakami, a Kōka-ryū ninjutsu practitioner, analyzes The Last Samurai’s ninja attack scene, rating it a five out of ten for accuracy. He identifies the specific stealth tactic being used as “kamari,” which is essentially a surprise ninja ambush. While ninjas’ use of bows and arrows is accurate, he explains, the use of star-shaped shurikens is less so. He also points out a gnarly detail regarding ninja swords. Check out his comment or watch the video below (relevant section starts at 1:59):
“Ninja move in the dark or in tight spaces. That is why it was more convenient for them to use a short sword. [The blade] is rusty on purpose so that it can injure the enemy and suppurate the wounds or mutilate the enemy as much as possible.”
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How Accurate Is The Last Samurai?
Like most historical Hollywood movies, The Last Samurai is an interesting blend of fact and fiction. The Japanese rebellion shown in the film is based on real events in the mid-to-late 19th century. While neither Cruise’s character nor Watanabe’s were actually real people, both are based historical individuals. Cruise’s Nathan Algran, for example, who drew white savior criticisms against The Last Samurai, is inspired by a French soldier named Jules Brunet who did indeed fight in the Boshin War for the Tokugawa shogunate.
Watanabe’s Katsumoto is based on samurai warrior Saigō Takamori, who led a group of rebel forces against Japan’s new imperial government in what is known as the Satsumo Rebellion. Saigō was ultimately killed during tin 1877 during the Battle of Tabaruzaka, which is used as inspiration for the final battle depicted in The Last Samurai. The film explores a period of radical change during what is known as the Meiji Restoration, which is essentially the return of imperial rule to Japan and the elimination of the Tokugawa shogunate and the samurai.
While specific characters and certain plot points are entirely fictionalized, the larger presentation of political and social change in The Last Samurai is generally considered to be accurate. The costumes and set design, as well, have been widely praised for their historical accuracy. Cruise may now be known for his work in the wildly successful Mission: Impossible franchise, but The Last Samurai remains an interesting addition to his resume, despite its bending of real history.
Source: Insider