Inaccuracies In The Samurai

Further inaccuracies were found in the housing and living quarters of the Samurai warriors as Source 15 states that during the Edo period, the Samurai were required to reside in large castle-towns that were surrounded by more castles. The Imperial Emperor did insist that the Samurai rid themselves of their swords and armour but had not yet repossessed the homes of the Samurai (Source 17). However, the film depicts the Samurai’s living quarters as temporary and fragile as if the Samurai had been accustomed to a humble way of life (Source 2). This was completely misconstrued on behalf of the director and set designers of the film because in actuality, the Samurai class had been a class of vast wealth and were committed to the Daimyo as secret

The Samurai, at the time “would not have been wearing this old armour,” (Source 5) and in fact would have discarded their traditional garments as a way to progress in the modern world (Source 8). By the 1800s, the Samurai had replaced their traditional clothing and armour for modern garments (Source 3). However the filmmakers had decided to use the traditional Samurai armour as it had looked more impressive (Source 9). This negligent use of traditional armour thereby misled the viewers of the film to believe that the Samurai were incapable of evolving. In spite of the motivation for the decision to use the old armour, the filmmakers failed to emphasise the symbolism that each part or section of the armour represented to the Samurai (Source 10). The Last Samurai essentially made no reference to the importance of each aspect of the traditional armour (Source 9) thereby discrediting the Samurai ideals and the Bushido code. Historically, the ancient armour was designed to frighten the enemy before attacking (Source 10). However, the film did not focus on the use of the terrifying qualities of the traditional war-gear (Source 5). This incorrect use of armour is not only seen in the lack of description of the symbolic qualities that it represented, but also in the incorrect time period that this impressive armour was used in. As stated previously, the Samurai had exchanged their armour for

While swords, bow and arrows and spears were used as weapons, the Samurai did not completely depend on their traditional weaponry (Source 3). The Samurai were aware that they would inevitably be conquered if they did not upgrade their weaponry, and so the notion that the Samurai refused to operate guns was absurd (Source