The "Star Wars" universe is deep with Japanese influences, from Kurosawa’s films to samurai, even the Japanese language.
1. The films of Akira Kurosawa
So much has been said about the connection between Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.
Kurosawa’s arguably most famous film, The Seven Samurai was the inspiration for The Mandalorian episode, “Sanctuary”.
Not coincidentally, this is also the premise for Zack Snyder’s upcoming Rebel Moon, which started life as a Star Wars project.
2. Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub was a manga series that ran from 1970 to 1976 that was made into numerous films and series. It’s the story of Ogami Itto, the former executioner for the shogun, who is forced to go on the run with his young son, Daigoro, after being framed for a crime he did not commit.
In The Book Of Boba Fett, Luke offers Grogu the choice between being a Jedi (choose lightsaber) and being with the Mandalorian (choose chainmail), is similar to the first Lone Wolf and Cub where Ogami Itto gives his son a choice to reunite with his late mother who was killed (choose ball) or join his father to avenge her and go down the path of a lonely warrior (choose katana).
3. Samurai and Bushido
They both follow a code aside from the outward appearance of kimono-like clothing, Darth Vader’s samurai-style helmet and swords.
The Jedi Code, which is, Buddhist-like, frowns on attachments and stresses compassion. It also forbids killing unarmed opponents as well as coming to terms with and finding peace in your death, as we see when Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifices himself in his duel with Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV.
On the other hand, not every samurai is a paragon of virtue such as the Sith who are considered the bad samurai who abuses their power and authority for their own greed and self-interest. Then there are the ronin, masterless samurai or mercenary like Boba Fett and Mandalorian, who trust no one but themselves.
4. Kendo
The weapon of choice for the Jedi is the lightsaber, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age, as Obi-Wan tells Luke. The lightsaber resembles a samurai’s sword, but there’s more influence here than just appearance. The actual fighting style is largely derived from kendo.
Although fencing also played a part in lightsaber choreography in the original three films, by the prequels, to speed it up, the stunt coordinator Nick Gillard relied heavily on kendo form. In the documentary Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel, he notes: “Kendo became my base ingredient.”
5. The Japanese Language
The word “Jedi” is not Japanese in and of itself, but many have said it was inspired by the word jidaigeki, or period play in Japanese. Being a film buff and a filmmaker, it’s likely Lucas would have been exposed to the word during his schooling at the University of Southern California (USC).
Another word that is Japanese-esque is the name of Luke’s master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi, of course, means sash or belt, while ken could mean sword. Wan means bay, but that may be stretching it. However, what is not a stretch is to say that Lucas was going for a Japanese feel in Star Wars, if not actual words.
In The Book Of Boba Fett, the word daimyo is used to describe a crime lord. Daimyo is, of course, the Japanese word for a warlord. While it is not a one-to-one match (oyabun would be more correct Japanese), it’s close enough to guess Japan influenced the writers.
When I left Avatar: the Last Airbender I gave every member of the crew this image of the main cast as Star Wars Characters. Working on Avatar was one of the greatest experiences of my career and I have never printed a copy of it since I gave it to the crew of Season 1. I drew the image on paper and then had it scanned in. The color was done by my then assistant director Justin Ridge, who later came up and worked with me on Clone Wars.
New unreleased photos of carrie fisher in Nice,France these were taken in September 1983 a month after they were married in August, after her marriage to paul simon they went to france for their honeymoon/his European tour!! Released via getty Images!! 🤩❤📸🍹👰♀️🌴👫 there are a few more but I'll post later!! 😁
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