Bryce Hinderlider2/27/14HIST 396Film Report

More than a Man in Shiny Armor

Japan hasn’t always been as united as it may seem in the modern ages. Not since

the recent years have there been towering skyscrapers and huge LED screens. Contact

with other cultures wasn’t a common happening either. This culture had to rise from

within and out of civil turmoil. This shaping of Japan through internal turmoil is a tough

understanding to grasp. A more tangible way to grasp this is the way in which the film

“Seven Samurai” presents this conflict. Often the film focuses on three key aspects of

samurai warriors: their diversity, their humanity and their wisdom in the face of battle.

Samurai are often viewed as armored warriors fighting sometime on horseback

but often in armies. The picture of masses fighting each other in chaotic battles of an epic

scale is a common depiction of the life of a samurai warrior. “Seven Samurai” takes a

look at the alternate role of some samurai warriors. This film highlights the notion of a

samurai as not what is expected. In “Seven Samurai” the warriors are unarmored with

only a sword and their honor to their name. Roving the countryside these warriors are

depicted as independent men united by a cause to save a town. This gives an example of

how samurai warriors don’t always fit the mold of the common idea of a samurai. These

men are ronin.

Ronin are described as nomadic warriors who fight for no man except themselves

and sometimes some coin to put in their purse. In the film “Seven Samurai” all of the

warriors are ronin and this plays into a key concept of these samurai. With each of their

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own accord, feudal samurai would not always get along. Often these warriors would be

an A-typical personality with the tendency to be leaders. One thing the film does well is

to show the contradictions between the samurai. This natural collision of leadership styles

is shown throughout the film is ways that include clashing of moral views, orders and

planning. One example from the film is when Katsushir, a ronin, has an affair with a

villager. This leads to an uproar due to the cultural belief that samurai are above the

everyday villager. In feudal japan this notion was a common belief. Though not as strict

as the Hindu caste system, the Japanese feudal beliefs share a number of similarities as

far as class and treatment. Samurai may not have been as high as the regional shogun and

the nobility, but they were, in the eyes of many, above all of the peasants living in the

towns and villages.

The village in “Seven Samurai” is under threat from bandits; this is why they

brought in samurai to protect them. As shown in the film, fortifying the village will prove

a key advantage. Fortifications in feudal Japan started out looking like the fortifications

in the film. Contrary to modern belief, the towering castles with their specific architecture

were the main fortification of feudal Japan. In a time where skirmishes were between

local powers and often led to small groups of bandits seeking their own reward. By

sacking and pillaging small villages, bandits could survive and even prosper in a time of

war.

With villages almost on their own, the ronin would serve as a last ditch effort. Not

only would this give the village protection but also invaluable knowledge. The film

shows this quite clearly in the form of the samurai instructing the villagers to build

fortifications of their own. The fortification that was built resembled the early

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fortifications built for castles in feudal Japan. Wooden fortifications often consisted of

wooden barriers and the use natural terrain as a natural barrier against attackers. The

natural terrain included mountains, rivers, canals and rocky outcrops. Although these

fortifications weren’t the glamorous stone and plaster built castles seen in many movies,

the wooden fortifications would help stave of bandits from sacking and raiding a local

village.

Fortifications may hold the bandits out for a little while, but eventually they may

fall or just circumvented. The only sure way to defeat a bandit or a rival army is with

pure wit and smart tactics. As a practice, tactical warfare and very well thought out

maneuvers would place the enemies right where they wanted. Hopefully this would bring

about a decisive victory for the master strategist. In the field of battle armies would take

little known routes to flank enemies and take them from behind. Samurai tacticians would

often use the natural terrain to force an enemy into a chokepoint so that even a smaller

band of warriors could gain a decisive victory. Along with these skills, successful

prediction of the enemy’s moves would prove vital to finding victory. In “Seven

Samurai” this ability proves invaluable.

Kambei Shimada is the master tactician in the film “Seven Samurai.” He leads

mainly through planning and directing the other samurai. As was previously discussed,

these orders weren’t always taken since some of the samurai disagree with his path.

However, with tactics such as funneling and forcing the enemy into a specific spot was a

point of focus in the film. Kambei even mapped out the village and noted the number of

bandits remaining after each battle. This is just like what a master tactician might do in

the face of battle. Every single battle wasn’t just a battle it was a life size game of chess.

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Every move is carefully thought out and planned to inflict the maximum amount of

damage with the least amount of casualties. The masterful tactic in “Seven Samurai” is to

create a small opening and let in only one warrior to the village to be ambushed by a

small group of warriors, while the main group of the warriors stops the rest of the

invading bandits. What better way to dwindle down the enemy’s numbers than picking

them off one by one? This is a real life example of a trained maneuver that feudal

samurai would often employ.

“Seven Samurai” serves as an effective representation of what life in feudal Japan

may have been like for roaming ronin and villagers. This film shows that samurai weren’t

always the glorified warriors with their flashy suits of armor. It shows the true grit that a

warrior might face. Anther insight made clear in the film is that there are multiple paths

for a samurai. There are those who wander from village to village and town to town,

serving a noble duty if they are asked. At the same time the film shows that not all follow

the path of righteousness and thus points out the natural humanity of each samurai. As a

whole this film shows that samurai weren’t always what the silver screen focuses on.

Samurai warriors are complex. They are varied; some are leaders, some are just warriors.

Yet, all samurai share the fact that they are human; they are neither infallible nor

immortal warriors, instead they are opinionated and wrestle with their own struggles. To

be a samurai they have to be smart; not just a physically fit warrior, but sharp in mind and

wit, able to think tactically in the thick of things. The words of Sun Tzu echo the samurai

warrior way, “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is

the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

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