The Last Samurai Movie - What is true?
One of the most popular films about the Samurai is undoubtedly “ The Last Samurai ” starring Tom Cruise. Apart from the fact that it is a great film to watch, it might also be interesting to investigate how much of this film is true.
Tom Cruise has a leading role in this film and plays war veteran Nathan Algren with PTSD. Nathan suffered these traumas during the American Civil War. He has a major alcohol problem and clearly has problems with his past. In Japan he was hired to provide military advice to the Imperial Army. He is in the transition period between the old shogunate in Edo and the Meij period.
During that period, Japan emerged from its centuries-long isolation and a time of great change had begun. The Tokuga shogunate was deposed by a revolution of the lower nobility with the support of the emperor. The old Japanese traditions against Western input were accompanied by great tensions.
The Samurai class wanted to maintain their own traditions and independence and in a sense their status. There was also a threat to the country of Japan from the US and Great Britain, which also created a need for a modern army. The Samurai class would not be able to withstand an invasion with modern weapons. These developments caused the Samurai to revolt against the Emperor's army.
The film is set during the Satsuma rebellion in 1877. In it, Nathan Algren ultimately fights alongside the Samurai against Western influences. With this he comes to terms with himself, because he was first paid to train their opponents.
But what is true about the Last Samurai?
Nathan Algren is a fictional character, not based on truth. There are stories about soldier Jules Brunet. But Jules Brunet was a French military officer who served during the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. Jules Brunet was an artillery instructor to modernize the army and refused to leave Japan after the shogun was defeated. He played a role in the struggle against the Meiji Restoration. So there are similarities between the fictional Nathan Algren and real historical persons.
Is the timeline in the Last Samurai correct?
These can be called correct and plausible. The American Civil War took place around 1876 and the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. It is therefore possible that Nathan Algren first participated in the American Civil War and later ended up in Japan as an instructor.
Are the equipment correct?
These yoroi or armor of the samurai class are historically accurate. The costumes of the Japanese Imperial Army also represent the correct era.
What is incorrect in the movie The Last Samurai?
The uprising of the samurai was of course also the result that the position that these warriors had in society was about to be lost. Apart from traditional values such as the bushido code of honor.
In addition to a Katana, the Samurai eventually also fought with firearms. These were captured during many plunderings. The armor or o- yoroi were less suitable against firearms and not all samurai warriors still fought with these Japanese warrior armors.
Saigo Takamori , or the film character Katsumoto, still wore his yoroi into battle because of the old traditions.
Conclusion
The film is not entirely historically accurate, but many parts of the Last Samurai film are based on real events. The storylines are largely fictional, but the film does a good job of portraying the times and the struggles that took place during this important period in Japanese history. Many people who watch the film feel touched by the old traditions that people had in ancient Japan and that are now largely missing in our modern times.
