Amazing shamisen backed and filled by more modern instruments and influences. The Yoshida Bros. make the shamisen very accessible to the western/modern ear (so much to the point that most of the time the backup isn’t even really needed, but it is fun).

If you are looking for just one of their albums to try this is probably the one.

Play it in your car, play it as background to your party, or just listen with your audio-phile headphones. All of it is ear yummy.

A very bad interpretation of Clavell’s ‘Shogun’ that is shallow and vapid at best.

I’m pretty tolerant. I’m especially tolerant of movies dealing with a subject I like. I picked this DVD up on a whim for cheap/used. While it will remain in my collection of samurai movies I have found nothing that even comes close to being as bad. This may forever hold firmly a place as ‘worst samurai movie ever’.

One Star – it played on my DVD player and is a movie
Second Star – managed to get Toshiro Mifune in the cast somehow

Avoid. It really isn’t worth the time to watch it or the disc it is burned on.

Arguably one of the best historical fiction books of all time. I have found no book its equal at making me feel like I am in ancient feudal Japan. Epic in scope. I could actually almost feel the years and changes occur in the land and people. Sword fights, naval skirmishes, political intrigue, romance – what more do you need.

I happened across this on an obscure TV station one afternoon while I was reading James Clavell’s Shogun. Fate. I watched feverishly, loved it, and was left not knowing the title of the movie. I managed to track it down via the web. This is by far one of the greatest samurai movies out there. Beautifully shot, stunning black and white, amazingly slow build to some really intense/short sword fighting. This movies says a lot about the beautifully flawed feudal system of ancient Japan.