Samurai took banners into battle much the same way European knights did. It announced who they served, let their generals determine who stood where, and hopefully filled the enemy with the kind of...

When we first meet Kambei, he's getting his head shaved, in preparation for a daring rescue that, had it happened in Hollywood, would probably involve swinging through a window and uttering a vague...

Oh my. That's a big one. Do you think he's compensating for something?Watching the movie, you might notice the sheer size of the weapon Kikuchiyo is carrying around. It's a colossal two-handed swor...

The characters never talk about the code of bushido here, but it's a vital part of the story, both in how it shows up and in how it's broken. It's similar to the code of chivalry, dictating the beh...

If you notice, the final battle takes place in what appears to be a monsoon: torrents of rain coming down in the middle the fight, adding mud to the equation and generally making life difficult for...

The movie ends with a shot of the cemetery in the peasant village: farmers' graves down below and the four graves of the samurai above them. The social standing is obvious; the samurai's graves are...