SWORD AND HONOR

Japan will not be complete without its warriors, the Samurai. Many people make a mistake of assuming a Samurai as a Japanese sword. Samurai is actually the warrior himself. The sword is called katana. Katana is a long and slim sword that is usually used by a samurai in battles. Ninjas use smaller and shorter katanas as they have to be silent and quick in combat.

Being face to face with a samurai in combat is surely a frightening thought. A samurai usually wears thick body armor made of special fabrics that can absorb and withstand heavy damages. The weak points are only around the neck, elbow, and waist. They have excellent natural reflexes and can kill with only one move. A skilled samurai doesn’t need more than 3 moves to defeat a regular opponent. Their precision with the sword is outstanding. Even without their katana / sword, they are still very deadly (Read My Journals – The Voice of Aikido).

Samurai train with great discipline. They’re also known for their loyalty in fulfilling their duties and tasks. A failure to accomplish a major task usually means death. They will commit suicide known as Harakiri rather than returning with shames of failures. They have their own cultures, codes, and communication manners that really differentiate them from other warriors. It is said that a samurai can identify another samurai if they happen to meet each other, although they actually haven’t met before.

The Last Samurai tells an epic story that happened in the year of 1870. Directed by Edward Zwick, the Last Samurai describes the two different worlds of Japan. The movie brought us to see the modern point of view that was led by an Emperor who wanted to apply Western policies and technologies, and the world of ancient Japan who was led by a loyal samurai leader who still highly value and respect their cultures and traditions.

Politics and conflicts of interests inevitably brought Japan to a war between the modern Japan who was already influenced by the Western, against the traditional and ancient Japan who still devoted themselves to the pure Bushido tradition. Captain Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise) was trapped in the middle of this war as he was hired by the Americans who wanted to sign a contract with the Japan Emperor. Nathan was a veteran of the American Civil War and assigned to train an army using modern firearms in order to fight the traditional rebels who still used swords and arrows.

Captain Nathan had no idea what kind of enemies he would face and knew that his armies were not prepared for the battles ahead. When the war finally started, Nathan’s army was defeated and he was badly wounded. He found himself surrounded by the ancient samurai. But instead of surrendering, he courageously fought and unexpectedly managed to kill few samurai. The Samurai leader, Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe) saw this brave act and spare Nathan’s life and held him captive. Nathan never imagined that the war would drive him deeper into the conflicts between the two worlds of tradition both physically and emotionally. As he dived deeper to the world of honor and devotion of the Samurai way, his life would be changed forever.

The Last Samurai taught every country an important lesson that every country needs to develop and prosper. But in the end, we should never forget about where do we come from, and who we truly are. Too much blood and sacrifices from our brave warriors in order to make us finally realize this truly important lesson.

Ivan the Freelancer