We will posting updates and other insights on American Mishima projects and other doings of the author there as well as give our audience an additional level of interaction with us.
Japanese Archery evokes imagery of large Samurai armies of the Warring States Period and earlier. Today, it exists as Kyudo and has schools both in Japan and the United States where one can learn in the way of the Samurai. But living outside of Japan there are few opportunities to see Kyudo performed in the manner in which the Samurai specifically speaking in regards to mounted archery or "Yabusame" which grew from Takeda-ryu and Ogasawara-ryu. One of the best places to see such archery is at the Kasagake Matsuri held each year at the Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. Thanks to Kyoto Fan on Facebook, we are able to share this video with you. Enjoy!
Earlier this week, American Mishima featured the story of Frank Tanabe, A World War II Veteran of the MIS who cast his final vote in the 2012 Presidential Election. Though not famous, in his final days of life achieved world wide admiration as his photo of him in his hospital bed was circulated around the world making him an internet sensation to which he was "thrilled." Well, sadly the end has come just days after casting that final vote. In the dark days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Frank Tanabe and his family was forced to relocate to Tule Lake and Minidoka camp in Idaho. It was there that he volunteered for the Military Intelligence Service of the US Army. Mr. Tanabe was quoted in a documentary as saying: "I wanted to do my part to prove that I was not an enemy alien, or that
none of us were – that we were true Americans. And if we ever got the
chance, we would do our best to serve our country. And we did." Mr. Tanabe died this morning of October 25th 2012 of inoperable liver cancer at the age of 93. We at American Mishima salute Mr. Tanabe for his service and thank the Tanabe Family for sharing their story with the world. Rest in Peace.
Earlier this month, we introduced you to a new feature inspired by the Military Channel we like to call "A Real Officer and a Movie" where we feature films depicting the heroic true stories of men who served the Empire of Japan during the Second World War. Earlier we introduced you to the story of Captain Oba Sakaein the 2010 Toho Studios War Epic 太平洋の奇跡−フォックスと呼ばれた男− (Translated The Miracle of the Pacific, The Man Called Fox)aka "Oba, The Last Samurai." Thanks again to our man Eddie over at Japanese Samurai DVD we would like to introduce you to another true story of one of Japan's Greatest Fighter Aces, a man who would later become enshrined at the Yasakuni Shrine as a God of War, the true story of Major General Katō Tateo in the newly digitally remastered 1969 Daiei Motion Picture Company film Rikugun Hayabusa Sentotaihe - aka "The Falcon Fighters."
But before we give you our take on the film let us introduce you to the man that in October 26, 1942 Time Magazine would call "Japan's Hero." Originally from Hokkaido, this son of an Army Sergeant who was killed in the Japan-Russo War would grow up to graduate in the 37th Class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1925 and would achieve the honorable duty of flag bearer for his Infantry Regiment. Within two years he would transfer to the Army's fledgling Air Corps and enroll at Tokorozawa Flying School. With great skill and natural aptitude for flying, he quickly rose through the ranks and became a flight instructor. By 1932 he had become the head flight instructor for the Akeno Flying School. This man would instruct a generation of new fighter pilots that would later see action over the skies of Manchuria and later in the War of the Pacific. During his time as commander of the 2nd Daitai, he claimed nine kills in China but would later disavow personal victories in favor of the collective achievements of his squadron earning both him and his men many unit citations.
Katō is one of those few Japanese Officers during the Second Sino-Japanese War to leave the area of combat to visit Germany to inspect the German Luftwaffe's technical achievements in advanced fighter design. This combined with the attachments he had with his men to which he took personal responsibility as depicted in the film for him to push for the development of the new Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) fighter which would play a crucial in the War in the Pacific. It is believed during the course of his career he had made over 60 fighter kills which can not be accurately confirmed. However, his actions helped his unit's over all score of 260 kills over combined Allied Aircraft which quickly saw Katō promoted to Lieutenant Colonel by 1942. But as with Japan, Katō's successes would come to a fiery end on May 22nd 1942. While on an attack on a British Bristol Bomber of Squadron 60, a turret gunner named Flight Sergeant 'Jock' McLuckie raked the exposed belly of Katō's Peregrine Falcon with a burst of machine gun fire as Katō had come in for a pass sending him to a fiery crash into the sea. Katō would be posthumously awarded the rank of Major General and enshrinement at the Yakasuni Shrine as a God of War. His life would be the subject of a 1944 Propaganda film made during the War titled Katō Hayabusa Sento-Tai seen in the restored trailer below:
Two decades later in the post war era, Katō's story would be featured again in the 1969 full feature film titled "Rikugun Hayabusa Sentotaihe" - aka "The Falcon Fighters."
For the newly digitally remastered feature "The Falcon Fighters" we wrote the following synopsis: Set in the prewar days leading up to the Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937, head flight instructor Lt. Katō Tateo of the Imperial Japanese Army-Air Corps trains new volunteers from the Amry's Infantry to become Japan's next generation of fighter pilots at the Tokorozawa Flying School. Flying Kawasaki Ko-4 biplane's, Lt. Katō will train both friend and future foe alike.
But as war in China breaks out, Katō (played by Makoto Satô) now in command of the 5th Rentai will take his untested men flying antiquated planes into aerial combat against the Chinese Air Force who is now headed by Lt. Cho (played by Jun Fujimaki) who Katō both earlier befriended and personally trained himself. While Katō's squadron ultimately achieves air superiority over the skies of Manchuria, it comes at a high price in men to which each loss carries a heavy burden that he alone must carry.
As the war widens into the Second World War, Captain Katō must battle an ever advancing array of deadlier new enemies flying ever more modern fighter planes. In a time when “To Serve was to Die,” ( a literal death sentence in some sense to Western eyes) a stark contrast of Military thinking by American Generals such as George S. Patton who said "No one ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor bastard die for his country." While such mindset or language may have not existed among the Japanese, the conflict instilled by the Bushido code and notion to die for the Emperor as an achievement versus the realities in losses of well trained men weighed heavily on Katō. Katō would rise through the ranks and defy the military logic of the day of an indifferent Army military brass to push for the development of the new Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa or "Peregrine Falcon” - (the Army's answer to the Navy's famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero) in an effort to arm Japan's pilots with modern fighter planes that would give his men a fighting chance of survival in the deadly aerial combat over the Pacific.
Originally titled “Rikugun Hayabusa Sentotai,” written by Katsuya Susaki and directed by Mitsuo Murayama 1969 Daiei Motion Picture Company. Made with the technology available in the late 1960's, this rare classic WWII film "The Falcon Fighters" is the real life true story of Katō Tateo one of Japan's most legendary fighter aces of all time. Unfortunately we could not find a trailer available to show you but in lieu of such we have uploaded the film's opening so you may get a feel for this film.
Please bear in mind, as "American-jin" we are not trying to glorify war or make any political statements or arguments about Japan's wartime past. It is often said there are both heroes and villains on both sides to any conflict. What we at American Mishima believe is in sharing the stories not so well known on this side of the Pacific and worthy of retelling. We hope that the story of Katō Tateo gets retold yet again in a modern motion picture with today's talent and technology. Such men are a rare breed not to be forgotten. Their shared sacrifices made possible the world we have today. Therefore, we offer a salute and shared admiration for Major General Katō Tateo and the men on all sides who fought bravely for their countries in what was the tragedy that was the Second World War.
As the World War Two or Greatest Generation leaves us in ever greater numbers, We at American Mishima from time to time like to feature these old Warriors who make the news. As previously posted on CNN, seen here in the above photo lies Frank Tanabe of Honolulu Hawaii who in 2010 was among a group of Japanese-Americans who were awarded the Congressional
Gold Medal as part of the Military Intelligence Service Unit during
World War II. (Better late than never no?) As seen in the photo, Mr. Tanabe 93, cast his final mail in vote as he is in the final stages of inoperable liver cancer. Mr. Tanabe grew up in the Niesei community of Seattle and attended University of Washington when he was forced to drop out and abandon everything they owned in compliance with Executive Order 9066 to be put on trains and forced into the Interment Camps that imprisoned Japanese Americans following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during one of America's darkest chapters of World War II.
Upon hearing that there was a need for interpreters, Mr. Tanabe volunteered for the US. Army while his family remained imprisoned. As previously posted on CNN: According to his daughters, Frank has never missed a presidential
election, and wasn't about to let his illness deter him from voting this
time around. Since this photo was taken and uploaded to the internet, Mr. Tanabe's story has been reposted and seen around the world including here on American Mishima. His daughter Barbara said that she has been telling her dad about all of the internet "buzz" and is sure he is "thrilled about it." "He is very patriotic, very proud," she said, adding that her father instilled a similar sense of appreciation to his children. "He always told us it was very important to vote, because he saw his
comrades in arms fight and die for American rights," she said. Among those, she added, was the right to vote. As the Greatest Generation and in particular those MIS and Go For Broke
Japanese Americans leave us there will be fewer opportunities to
feature them, So here at American Mishima we would like to offer one final salute for his service and long standing patriotism. Thank you Mr. Tanabe!
ありがとうございます!
The Dragon of Echigo, Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578), Guardian of the North still stands at Kasugayama Castle in present day Niigata Prefecture. Along with his fiercest rival & greatest admirer Takeda Shingen of Kai, Uesugi Kenshin remains one of the most legendary warlords of the Sengoku Jidai - The Warring States Period of Japan.
こにちわ! We've been writing here for the last three years and are happy to know people from as far away as Japan, France, Brazil, Germany, Poland, and even Russia have been reading our posts. If you have a Blogspot account please follow us here. If you are on Facebook, Please Like our page American Mishima on Facebook so you will know when we update our pages. Thank you and please continue to visit American Mishima! どもありがとうございます!
In our last article commemorating the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima, we discussed the notion of Samurai Nobility. Such ideals written after the Sengoku Jidai or Warring States Period were not lost onto the peaceful Edo Period. Rather, the bar was somewhat raised in the matter best illustrated in the works such as the Hagakure and Yojokun and that of the actions of the 47 Ako Ronin. It is often said by those of us who lived during the Cold War of the 20th Century that it was easier because you knew who your enemies were unlike today. Much like the Edo Period of Japan, peaceful times are only an illusion if not a luxury of those unconcerned about the world around them for there are always plots and planners of chaos to be told. One could only imagine such logic be it or real or perceived could have both existed and played out in the cruelest of terms behind the partitions and sliding doors of the Edo Period. As such, Treachery, and Samurai Nobility have made for our feature film we have chosen to present you the 2010 Toei Studios Samurai Drama: The Sword of Desperation.
In the fictional fiefdom of the Unasaka Clan, the powerful Daimyo Tabu Ukyou ( played by Jun Murakami) lives an opulent lifestyle that one could say rivals that of the Shogun. Complete with an inner sanctum he is swayed into the manipulations of his consort Renko (played by Megumi Seki) whose capricious whims have driven the Unasaka Clan to near financial ruin. Having the Clan's best swordsman Obiya Hayatonosho (played by Kikkawa Koji ) failed mission to reason with the Daimyo, cruelty and oppression is levied against the farmers and those serving his lordship under the indignities and falsehoods of the evil Renko. As the last straw is drawn following the execution of farmers who threatened to report the Daimyo's excesses to Edo, it is up to the Captain of the Infantry Sanzaemon Kanemi (played by Toyokawa Etsushi) to take matters into his own hands and save his clan by assassinating Renko.
In a tale of treachery and great self sacrifice, Director of the Oba The Last Samurai Hirayama Hideyuki brings us Hisshiken Torisashi aka The Sword of Desperation. In the great tradition of Samurai films such as The Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade, The Sword of Desperation reveals the idealized Samurai nobility that emphasizes the nature of what it was to be of the Samurai Warrior Caste in the mid Edo Period of Japan which was to serve to one's Clan and to one's Lord. Such loyalty as seen in this film is not the sole domain to one's lordship but to that other Samurai virtue of being Just with Absolute Sincerity. As revealed, the story does not end with the assassination of the evil Renko but continues on to reveal the nature of Captain Sanzaemon Kanemi who had previously lost his wife Mutsue to illness and sought to look out for the future of Mutsue's niece Satoo (played by Ikewaki Chizuru) who has come to care for him during his period of house arrest.
As such the device in recent Samurai classics, Sanzaemon is the holder of a secret invincible technique known as “Bird Spearing or the Sword of Desperation.” Without giving away the entire movie here we will just say that the treachery and manipulations do not end with Renko's death for situations and plots come to a crescendo complete with realistic sword fighting where the true manipulators are revealed whose betrayal is put to the test. As anyone who loves Bushido in action, we guarantee, you will not be disappointed.
We shall continue our series on Samurai Nobility and other topics on American Mishima that are featured in other films from Japan. We highly recommend The Sword of Desperation and feel it will compliment any Samurai Film Library. If you are unable to find this film for rent, you can acquire an inexpensive copy of The Sword of Desperation complete with English Subtitles and other great Samurai films through our friends over at Japanese Samurai DVD. Until then, please watch this trailer and enjoy!
In the history of great rivalries, none compare to that of Takeda Shingen of Kai and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo during the Sengoku Jidai - The Warring States Period. During the year 1561, the Takeda and Uesugi Clans massed their armies and battled on the Kawanakajima plain in Shinano near present day Nagano. To date, there have been many films and Taiga Drama (television) that depicted this pivotal battle which is still studied by military colleges around the world to this day. From the folding screen photo one can see Uesugi Kenshin (left) attacking Takeda Shingen (center). The Uesugi Clan lost over 3000 men and the Takeda 4000 men with no clear winner. For all their battles, much of their wars ended in a draw. But in the end the two rivals had deep admiration and respect for each other. During one such famous moment, The Takeda of Kai had been the subject of a salt boycott which at that time was the only means of preserving food. Uesugi Kenshin ordered his men to send a secret caravan of horses carrying a stabilizing supply of the preservative to save his arch rival. Uesugi Kenshin was quoted "Wars are to be won with swords and spears, not with rice and salt." In that instance, Uesugi Kenshin exemplified the standard for Samurai Nobility. It is difficult to imagine the scope and scale of these 100,000 man armies of the Warring States Period. As Takeda fans, we at American Mishima often promote films from of the Takeda. But one of the better films we can recommend of these two great rivals which in particularly depicts a somewhat romanticized vision of the Uesugi Clan and the violence of the Battles at Kawanakajima can be seen in the following clip from the 1990 Cinematic Masterpiece Ten to Chi to - or as they call it here: HEAVEN & EARTH
It is truly a majestic film capturing The Warring States Period in all it's scope and grandeur. But don't take our word for it. See it for yourself and become immersed in the great historical dramas of the Sengoku Jidai! Enjoy!
Seen here are the paired bronze statues of the famous duel between Takeda Shingen of Kai and Uesugi Kenshin.of Echigo at Hachimanbara Historical Park in Nagano depicting the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima that took place in 1561. In that battle, the Uesugi forces reached the Takeda command post where Uesugi Kenshin himself stormed in on horseback, attacking the seated Takeda Shingen who being caught off guard held Kensin off with only his signalling fan. Amazing but true! Takeda held out long enough for his
retainer Hara Osumi-no-Kami to spear Kenshin's horse and drive him
off. You just can't make stuff like this up! The two rivals would continue to fight on but in the end had great admiration for each other. It is said that when Takeda died, Kenshin wept and declared that there will never be another warlord like him. For this and many other reasons, these two will always be our favorite two warlords of the Sengoku Jidai - The Warring States Period.
Oh Merde! Here we go again! Last year on American Mishima we made a post about a small group of unruly fans in South Korea using the Tohoku Disaster of 3/11 as a way to get at visiting Japanese Soccer teams.For those not familiar with what goes on in Football-aka Soccer, Heckling from Soccer Supporters be it the good, the bad, and the utterly tasteless is just part Football Culture. But sometimes people go too far and a line gets crossed. Well this week in France after Japan's National Team the Samurai Blue defeated the French National Team 1-0, France 2 host Laurent Ruquier stirred that pot of controversy once again with this Photoshopped picture of Goal Keeper Eiji Kawashima calling it the "Fukushima Effect." Naturally this drew protest from both the Japanese Government and Japan's Football Federation. The France 2 host in his defense explained he was merely offering Kawashima praise. Praise or racism? We can't tell what Ruquier's real motivations were. While we don't speak anything beyond a few basic greetings learned in high school French class, chances are this didn't get many laughs over there. While no country likes to lose on their home turf, comparing a 1-0 WC Qualifier or a International "It's Not Friendly" to a tragedy on the scale of the Tohoku Disaster which killed over 20,000 people is just not cool. While this is just one man's opinion criticizing another, in fairness we will note that the French Media and that in Belgium have regarded Ruquier's actions as purely bad taste. ばか!
Today at
1:40PM ET, Expedition 33 of the International Space Station, Crew Member Aki Hoshide of Japan and Commander Sunita
Williams of the United States opened Space X Dragon Cargoship’s hatch, successfully delivering a half ton of supplies one day ahead of schedule.
We've always been a fan of George Takei and have appreciated his continued activism. In case you do not know, Star Trek Alumni George Takei is a well known for being a public advocate for Gay Rights. What surprisingly many people living in the United States and elsewhere still do not know is that as an American Born Nisei (1st generation person born in America of Japanese decent), he has provided countless accounts of his childhood experience of having soldiers arrive at his family's home to force his parents to surrender their home. business, and all their worldly possessions that could not fit into a single suitcase that they would be allowed to carry aboard trains at the point of a gun to some unknown concentration camp where they would be forced to live behind barbed wire and machine guns manned by soldiers pointed at them. Sounds like a WWII movie? Sadly this really happened.
The problem with this story is that it did not happen in Nazi-Occupied Europe at the hands of the Hitler's SS. Instead, it happened here in the City of Los Angeles by our own American Soldiers wearing the patch bearing our beloved stars and stripes right here in the good ole' US of A in what could be best described as one of the darkest and shameful chapters of American History since the Trail of Tears that is rarely discussed or even mentioned in most American textbooks. For this reason Takei-sama he speaks directly to Asian-Americans urging them with his reasons why not blow off this 2012 Presidential Election and Get Involved. His emotional plea illustrates what sacrifices and accomplishments Asian-Americans of all cultures matter. It does not matter that you are on a side that we at American Mishima agrees with. What does matters is that you do not blow off this important election. But don't take our endorsement for it. Let the man who gave you Hikuru Sulu tell you why as an Asian-American or an American of any persuasion tell you himself. Please watch kudasai.
Earlier last November of 2011, we wrote you a brief introduction to the latest Toho Studios War Epic 太平洋の奇跡−フォックスと呼ばれた男− (Translated The Miracle of the Pacific, The Man Called Fox)aka Oba The Last Samurai (See Oba Preview). Thanks to our man Eddie over at Samurai DVD we can now present you with a detailed description of the film and of the remarkable real life story behind the film.
The man the US Marines would call "Fox," Captain Oba Sakae was a school teacher who taught geography before becoming an officer in the Japanese Imperial Army. Assigned to the 18th Infantry, he was deployed at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in Manchugo (Manchuria) in 1937. He had left for war with a wife named Mineko and an unborn son he would possibly never see. As the Japanese Empire began to collapse, the 18th Infantry was re-deployed from Manchugo to the Pacific when the ship he was aboard the Sakito-maru was torpedoed by the American Submarine USS. Trout. The ship sank with over half of the 18th Regiment. Captain Oba was among those lucky enough to have survived and reach the shores of Saipan. Having lost half his regiment, Captain Oba was placed in charge of a combat medical unit when 70,000 US Marines landed at Saipan battering the 30,000 Japanese defenders. Once again, Oba had managed to survive but his troubles were not over yet. As the situation on Saipan had deteriorated, the Japanese commanders were informed that the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy was destroyed and Saipan was to be abandoned. With no rescue in sight, their officers committed suicide and left the remaining junior officers to make one last Banzai charge insuring complete destruction of their forces. Over 4300 Japanese Soldiers died killing 2000 US Marines yet somehow Oba survived again. In July 9th, 1944. The USMC commander declared Saipan pacified. The only problem was someone forgot to tell Captain Oba.
Having survived the sinking of the Sakito-maru, the US Marine invasion, and final Banzai charge, Oba had found it was his responsibility to live and continue the fight. With 46 surviving men, he gathered the remaining 200+ Japanese Civilians still left on the island and moved deep into the jungles evading capture. This of course frustrated the American Commander who was bent on capturing the "Fox" who had been fighting a guerrilla styled hit and run campaign of resistance. In the end, Captain Oba held out for over 512 days after the last Banzai charge. He had refused to surrender until December of 1945 and only on the sole condition that he be ordered by the Imperial High Command to do so. Frustrated, the Americans had to fly in former Saipan commander Major General Umahachi Amō to deliver the orders to surrender. Having recieved his final orders, Captain Oba complied and marched in regimental order with full military honors to present his sword & colors to Lt. Colonel Howard Kurgis.
Captain Oba would return home to Japan to see his son for the first time. His son was nine years old before he would meet his father. When you hear of present day war deployment stresses on families, one can not begin to imagine what these Japanese Soldiers and their families went through not seeing each other for years at a time. Captain Oba would go on to have a long successful career as a company spokesman for a department store and city council member before his passing in 1992. What is remarkable about this little known story is how this story came about. A former US Marine by the name of Don Jones who was once ambushed by Oba's men became fascinated with his story and tracked him down in post war Japan. With Oba's cooperation, Jones would go on to write his story and the two became life long friends. Even more remarkable was that Jones would later track down former Lt. Colonel Howard Kurgis and convinced him to give back the sword Oba had surrendered. The sword is now an Oba family heirloom. We are thankful to Don Jones for not only writing this remarkable true story but also Oba's second son Hisamitsu who discovered over 1200 pages, letters, and postcards of correspondence. He was so moved by his fathers letters who sought out a publisher and produced the novel Miracle of the Pacific the Man called Fox to which made it possible for a full length feature film to come out of it in 2010.
While the sinking of the Sakito-Maru is not mentioned in the film Oba The Last Samurai, we join the film recreating the real life events on Saipan just before the final Banzai charge. Played by Yukata Takenouchi, we revisit the desperate days following the annihilation of the Japanese garrison at Saipan. This film also stars Mao Inoue in the prominent civilian role of camp medic. She is tasked with tending to both the sick & wounded on an island with no natural water source. Other Japanese actors recreate the hardships of the many civilians that his out with Oba's men and those sequestered in the American camps. Daniel Baldwin plays Saipan's first enigmatic gung-ho Marine commander who sought to hunt and destroy the remaining Japanese on Saipan. Veteran actor Treat Williams would later play Kurgis the more mild mannered commander who replaces Baldwin.
Williams portrayal of Kurgis is done with a level of reason mostly due to the efforts of the Captain Lewis played by Sean McGowan. US Marine Captain Lewis is a man who spent two years in Japan prior to the war and is well versed if not sympathetic to Japanese Culture. He speaks fluent Japanese and is the only one who understands the Bushido mindset the Japanese operate under.
As a writer and aspiring novelist I enjoyed the addition of the Captain Lewis character. He provides insights into Japanese culture not only to his commanders but to the movie going audiences as well. His character also plays the good side of our US Servicemen. In war they say there is good and bad on both sides to any conflict. The Captain Lewis character does just that and in doing so he helps bridge the cultural divide between himself and Captain Oba whose motivations both baffle and frustrate the Marines. There are many human scenes that Yukata Takenouchi would play out. His portrayal of Captain Oba is most outstanding in it's realism and human dignity Takenouchi brings to the character. It is throughout the film in small gestures and selfless sacrifice that Oba comes through as a modern man free of the feudalistic thought that left no room for the living. Takenouchi brings this to life as one could imagine the real Oba Sakae did during thier 512 day campaign of resistance and survival. As Japan comes to terms with it's war time past in the form of recent big budget movies, this is one film of not only one remarkable man but of two who saved lives in a time when the philosophy of war guaranteed no survival or consideration of those left living. It is one thing to take responsibility for failure by commuting hari-kiri but a larger and even greater task to show greater leadership in the face of certain defeat and continue living.
We at American Mishima admire Captain Oba and the efforts of those both real and fictional who helped bring this story to the world.
We hope that in time, Oba and his 46 men will be remembered with such honor as another 47 Ronin are celebrated today. Think about it. 47 Japanese Soldiers outwitting over 47,000 US Marines for 512 days!
But don't take my word for it. Please see this movie and enjoy.
“American Mishima” is the work of Louis Rosas, the son of Mexican Immigrants, whose father served in Vietnam for the US Army and who grew up on glamorized war films and military aviation in the sleepy seaside plains of Oxnard, Calif. With an early fascination of the Second World War embedded in his young mind during the post-Vietnam era, it was his exposure to Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic Ran (Toho, 1985) that changed his views of war while creating a lasting impression of Japanese culture and history. Further inspired by the works of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, Rosas would go on to study Japanese language and swordsmanship, which led him to the practice of Shingon Buddhism and Shinto. Rosas is also a former student of Shinkendo, the ideal and practice of the samurai code of Bushido in the modern world, which helped shape the creative force that is “American Mishima.”
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