Japan's Top 10 Samurai Movies
Looking for the best samurai movies from Japan? You have come to the right place! In Japanese cinema there are many films that tell part of the history of the country, focusing on the most important medieval battles in Japan.
Whether you are a lover of Japanese culture, or if you want to know more about these warriors who are experts in the handling of the katana, Japanese samurai movies will reveal a fascinating world to you. In fact, the samurai cinema is one of the oldest in the Japanese country.
Some of the first films made in this country tell of the exploits of the most famous warriors in the history of Japan, with authentic black and white works of art full of realism and details of the empires of past centuries.
Through this old samurai movie compilation, we wanted to make a mix of the classics of Japanese cinema that every movie buff should know, as well as other more modern ones that mix incredible action scenes.
Many of them are cataloged within the ranking of the best Japanese films. Although, as is often the case, Japanese cinema is still a mystery in western culture, which is not always given the value it really deserves.
In this article you will find ...
Samurai warriors in Japan
The samurai warriors were the lords who led the armies of the great battles between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries throughout the Japanese territory.
Great swordsmen, experts in horse fighting, archery, the handling of different medieval weapons, and excellent military strategists, they are also the protagonists of some of the best Japanese movies.
Samurai are the equivalent of medieval warriors of Western culture, although their combat techniques have nothing to do with what was experienced in the struggle of the empires of all Europe.
In a good samurai movie, the honor of these fighters stands out above all, demonstrating on the battlefield that they were not afraid of death.
As a very important part of the country's history, the figure of the samurai has been depicted in countless Japanese films, books, as well as anime and manga series very famous around the world such as Samurai Champloo.
Throughout Japan there are also museums, Theme restaurants, amusement parks and other areas set in ancient Japan.
All these areas show a bit about samurai culture so that Japanese and tourists from around the world have more in mind this part of history.
Do you want to know what are the most famous samurai in the history of Japan? Don't miss this post on the Alternative Japan blog in which we explain more about these warriors: Click here.
Best Japanese samurai movies
The seven samurai
We start with one of the oldest samurai movies in Japan. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, this 1954 classic is one of the essentials of Japanese cinema.
Not only because of the theme it deals with, if not by the narrative and the details rendered in each scene of the film.
Unlike other films set in Japan in the 16th century, during the golden age of samurai warriors, this film makes you immerse yourself in history.
It focuses mainly on the honor of the samurai, who decide help a peasant village that is attacked by outlaws.
When being invaded, some villagers turn to a group of samurai to ask for help. They have nothing to offer them except food or shelter, but they are really desperate and begging for a helping hand.
Little by little, the noble warriors have compassion for them and join an increasingly nurtured team. Finally they go to the village to offer their protection, offering incredible action moments.
Very few Japanese directors they have managed to capture the history of the samurai and the sense of honor that has characterized these men through the screen.
A black and white film that is well worth it from start to finish, and you will also be lucky enough to find it in Spanish, although we always recommend seeing the original version with subtitles.
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Harakiri - Seppuru
Another of the essential films about Japan to learn more about its history is this classic from 1962.
The director Masaki Kobayashi work it focuses mainly on the impeccable characterization of the period characters, as well as scenes full of details both in the buildings and on the battlefield itself.
In history, a samurai warrior asks permission to practice Harakiri, a ceremony also known as Seppuru in Japan, through which he pierces his stomach with a sword to commit suicide.
The presentation of the ritual is full of moments of realism, with an inordinate passion by the protagonists.
During more than 2 hours of film, viewers will learn about the history of the samurai, and why he made such a decision.
It is not just about the presentation of a bloody act, but rather the knowledge of the internal anguish that the fighters lived, at a time when they gave their lives for their country and their superiors.
It is a movie full of passion and of moments of great tension, with scenes that really hypnotize.
A social critique that can be brought to the current situation of the 21st century, even if it focuses on the history of a traditional Japan centuries ago.
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Yojimbo
Just a year before the premiere of Kobayashi, Akira Kurosawa returned to repeat with one of the samurai movies that would go down in history.
On the big screen in 1961, it became a huge success across the country, known today around the world as one of the jewels of Japanese cinema which is in the TOP.
If you like good movies about warriors, this one will surprise you. It is about a 19th century samurai, in which the country still lived in feudal times before its opening to the West.
Upon his arrival in a town, he encounters a battle between two bands of mercenaries who dispute a territory.
This warrior, famous for being the best fighter in the country, will be seen in the middle of the dispute, since both groups want to have him as an ally.
However, he is not just another mercenary, Yojimbo is a true samurai, and as such, honor and glory is what prevails in their way of fulfilling their duty.
Few contemporary samurai movies focus on one earliest stage in history of these warriors.
While Japanese samurai movies are set between the 12th and Middle Ages, there are also japanese action movies very good that show the other side of this culture that was reluctant to lose itself completely.
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Throne of blood
An example of more traditional movies about samurai, also directed by Kurosawa, is this 1957 film.
It has been one of the best samurai movies for decades, and a classic not to be missed if you want to know more about the black history of Japan in the centuries of fights between feudal lords.
In 16th century Japan, two generalsFriends and fighters of the same clan, Taketori Washizu and Yoshaki Miki, meet an old woman on his way back home after victory on the battlefield.
This, without knowing them, tells them that she can see the future, and prophesies that Washizu will be the lord of the North Castle, ruling much of the country.
When he gets home, he tells his wife about the experience, who insists that he has to fight to get his place.
To do this, he will have to continue battling, even reaching stand up to your own allies and friends.
Is adaptation of Shakespeare's novel 'Macbeth' It has similar details to the Japanese one, but it is totally different from the way we have in the West of seeing the struggle between the lords for power.
A fictional story full of truth and historical milestones, in a divided Japan in which power was above any other truth.
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Sanjuro
Although it has a remake of the year 2007 directed by Yoshimitsu Morita, the Kurosawa original film from 1962 it has nothing like it in the world of cinema.
Once again, this great director proves that he is the best at capturing unique stories on the screen, with a very careful aesthetic and full of symbolism that gives greater value to his works.
In the middle of the Tokugawa era, in a Japan divided between different clans, and even within the families themselves, a group of samurai wants to end corruption eliminating the leaders of the bloodiest gangs.
With the support of a policemanThey carry out their plan, which costs them more than they imagined.
From the shadows appears another warrior, with impressive power, and an unparalleled fighting strategy, take control and bring order amid the chaos.
This is Sanjuro, who suddenly becomes the man most admired and at the same time the most feared for his handling with the katana.
Although it is a film that shows a face of the samurai world very faithful to the reality of the time, it has been Qualified as a satire within Kurosawa's cinema.
Have some fun touches, and nothing solemn like in other films of the director, which makes it a film easier for the viewer to see.
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Ran
Leaving behind the classics of Kurosawa in black and white, we come to a somewhat more modern production that was released in 1985.
Very true to the style of 80s japanese cinema, offers a series of special effects that bring greater realism to battles led by samurai armies.
In the golden age of the samurai, a powerful lord decides to renounce his power and give them to his 3 children.
The youngest of the sons does not agree that his father make that decision, as it will only bring disputes at a time when the family was going through some problems, and his father gets angry, disinheriting him.
The domains then become the property of his two eldest sons, whose ambition leads them to fight each other to be the lord of all lands, as was his father.
In the midst of all the mess, his father and younger brother will take leading roles to mediate between them.
Is adaptation of Shakespeare's novel of 'King Lear' taken to the cinema by Kurosawa has been acclaimed in half the world.
A unique story, told from a different point of view, which is undoubtedly worthy of the Oscars and Golden Globes that he took at the time.
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Kagemusha, the warrior's shadow
Kagemusha is an unusual samurai story brought to the screen in 1980 by Kurosawa.
Although it is not one of his best-known works, it is worth dedicating the 180 minutes that the film lasts to viewing it, since there is no other like it.
In 16th century Japan, Prince Shingen Takeda dies in the struggles to get the power of kyoto, the imperial capital.
Due to the bravery of this man, and the fear that his enemies had of him, his brothers and children decide replace his figure with another man so that no one knows that he has died. To do this, they save from death a thief who bears a great physical resemblance to the prince.
In this way, Kagemusha becomes the most powerful man in the country, earning the esteem of his clan members and even the affection of the deceased prince's grandchildren.
When the soldiers they realize the deception some time later, they want to eliminate him, unleashing an internal war in which the thief proves his worth as a knight, in the same way that Shingen Takeda himself would have done.
This color film is an enjoyment for all five senses. We consider it one of the great unknown jewels of this japanese director, and without a doubt, one of the best films about Japan.
They will help you to know a little more about the stratagems of their empires along the history.
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Twilight of the samurai
We already talked about this movie previously on the blog between the best japanese drama movies.
Its premiere in 2002, under the direction of Yoji Yamada, brought a different point of view to the acclaimed figure of the Japanese samurai in his lowest moments of glory.
By mid-century XIX, the few Japanese warriors who were active in the country suffered many hardships.
Seibei Iguchi was a low-ranking samurai that he dedicated his whole life to fighting, when he finds himself in a very precarious situation. A widower, taking care of his two daughters and a sick mother, he does everything possible to support them.
In this situation in which his life seems to be meaningless, he discovers that his youthful love, with whom he was always in love, she just got divorced from her husband.
However, the code of honor of a samurai does not allow some practices, which will be a great martyrdom to get your life back on track and be happy.
Nominated for an Oscar in 2003, this film won the statuette for the best foreign language film.
A story full of awards and prizes that faces the last stage of the Japanese warriors before disappearing completely. Being one of the most modern samurai movies, you can find complete in spanish.
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Zatoichi
If instead of black and white cinema you are looking for samurai films of more modern productions, this Takeshi Kitano title You'll love it.
It was released in 2003, but remastered years later for the enjoyment of the viewer with sharper images that allow you to see every last detail of the battles of the samurai warriors that appear in it.
This film focuses on the story of a blind samurai in the nineteenth century. Master of swordsmanship, he lives like a homeless man giving massages and gambling money.
No one knows that this man was one of the most important warriors in the country, which continues to star in the most incredible legends of the area.
Together with a friend, he arrives in a town governed by a very cruel feudal lord. To protect the citizens, Zatoichi decides to put himself at the service of the weakest.
This leads him to face a warrior of similar strength to his own, not to mention that his fighter retains something that the old samurai no longer has: your sight.
In order not to miss important details of this movie, you will have to be very attentive from start to finish.
This work by Kitano hides a great symbology related to the figure of ancient samurai, taken to a somewhat more modern environment to make it somewhat easier for the viewer.
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Hara-kiri: death of a samurai
Not to be confused with Kobayashi's work from 1962. This 2011 film directed by Takashi Miike It is much more modern, cataloged within the action genre, and one of the best modern samurai movies that you can find today.
Hanshiro is a resourceless samurai who lives a meaningless life, and wants to end it. through the honorable ritual of Hara-kiri.
To do this, he turns to the head of his clan, Kageyu, who does not he wants to see one of the best warriors die before his eyes who has fought by his side.
His leader tries to make him change his mind, and tells him the story of Motome, a samurai without a master who came to him to ask the same.
However, this does not make you give up your idea, and also ask to do the ritual. When the time comes, everything is against him to do so, at the same time that the code of samurai knights begins to falter throughout the clan.
Although it is a Kobayashi's movie remakeunder Miike's direction it's a very different story.
With a much greater wealth of details, it is one of the best Dramatic samurai movies that have been done in recent years in the Japanese country. You'll love it!
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What is the best Japanese samurai movie?
Experts in telling their country's own story, Japanese directors have made true works of art in the cinema to show the figure of the ancient warriors.
There's a lot samurai movies that are well worth watching, including those of Kurosawa, an expert in this film genre, with an incredible production quality.
In addition to all the movies on our list, we also recommend 13 assassins and Kenshin, the samurai warrior.
If you like Japanese cinema, do not miss this other selection of the best movies of other genres:
Always support the culture by buying the original tapes at DVD or Blu Ray, and avoid illegal downloads through the internet by direct download, Torrent ...
Discover many other recommendations in our Alternative Japan blog to learn more about Japanese cinema and culture. And share your recommendations with the rest of the users!
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