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Tell us how you got involved in movies and sword fighting.

When I was in the 5th grade

my grandfather took me to Otsu

to the famous Seta no Karahashi Bridge

and right there on the bridge

a movie crew was filming a scene.

The actors were sword fighting... slashing and falling to the ground

and someone was choreographing the action.

I thought, 'That's what I want to do.'

The word 'chanbara'

comes from the sound of clashing swords

'chan, chan, bara, bara'.

Put them together and it's 'Chanbara'.

The stories come from

the 14th to 19th century,

Japan's feudal period.

The era of the samurai.

In these films, the leading man must be strong

and respectful.

But a strong and respectful hero can't win the girl.

It's a tradition from the old days.

Romance is awkward

in a traditional Japanese setting.

But the audience wants romance.

So it's a quandary.

There are many different themes.

There's samurai versus samurai.

The revenge drama.

And there's...

samurai versus the townspeople.

There's the family feud films

about power struggles between clans.

But they all have one thing in common

sword fighting.

During the Edo period

there were many ronin... poor, unemployed.

They were samurai.

But they weren't connected to a clan.

They were wandering, homeless ronin.

Life was hard in feudal times with the rigid class system.

Young moviegoers related to these stories.

The old stories

about poor, outcast ronin

struck a chord.

The samurai represents

the refinement of the self, a way of living.

How the samurai lives and the way he dies is a beautiful thing.

Sacrificing oneself to help others

over all else.

Of course

the enemy has the power

and the numbers.

But when someone stands up to that.

Whether it's Chanbara or a Western,

you have to root for that.

The ronin acts out his frustration and rage

knowing that in the end

it's hopeless.

He knows that death is inevitable.

He fights for his own sense of justice.

I feel

that's what heroism is.

At the time, I was starting middle school.

Everything was about indoctrinating us towards militarism.

The Emperor was considered a god.

We were called 'Shoukokumin'.

Little Citizens.

The Children of the Emperor.

And we must be ready to die for him.

That's what we were taught.

My father was born and raised in China

in a place called Qingdao,

and grew up in a city called Dalian.

He reminisced about those days

always adding that we'd never understand.

He was beaten by his superiors.

They struck him again and again with the soles of their leather shoes.

All he could do was clench his teeth.

My father always had that forceful voice

and his superiors didn't like it.

They thought he was too cocky

for a young, inexperienced soldier.

Japan didn't have much left.

Towards the end of the war

boys who hadn't even reached puberty

were drafted into the military.

And with minimal training

they were sent into combat.

It was my father's job to train them.

The night before the boys were sent off

on their suicide missions

my father would treat them to sukiyaki for the last time.

The next day, they'd say, 'Sergeant Mifune, off I go!'

My father told them,

'All right, off you go!

'But you don't have to say, "Banzai!" for the Emperor.

'Instead,

'just say goodbye to your mother.

'That's all you need to do.'

It was his compassion that made him rebellious.

I have no experience with war.

But listening to his stories.

I knew he went through a lot

when I saw him crying.

War never brings any good to the people,

especially in Japan.

The people were oppressed.

We were hungry.

There was no food.

Money had no value.

So we used clothing.

We sold whatever clothes we had.

Men sold their suits.

Women sold their fancy kimonos

and exchanged them for food.

It was a miserable time.

We lost the war.

And we were left with emptiness.

When the war ended

he received one and a half yen and a blanket.

He cut up the blanket with scissors

and sewed it with thread.

And, by himself, he made this coat.

He also made these trousers.

Everyday was a struggle to survive, but...

How do I put this?

Still, there was a vitality.

People were ready for something.

We had freedom of speech.

We were ready to get back to living.

Unlike now, there weren't many kinds of entertainment.

The movies were one of the few things we had.

We were uplifted by the movies.

They inspired us to think about how to live.

They had a huge impact on us.

He wasn't interested in becoming an actor.

I never imagined

that I could act

in front of people.

He applied for a job as a camera assistant.

I saw the ad for the 'New Face' competition in the newspaper.

Somehow his resume was sent over there.

I challenged myself to see if I could do it.

Suddenly he was on the path to becoming an actor.

Though I was sure I wouldn't be selected.

I was fortunate to get into the movie industry.

But there was no one like Mifune.

How do I say this?

He had a big presence, didn't he?

Rashomon was filmed in 1950,

the same year I was born.

Honestly, when I saw Rashomon I thought,

'What?'

He was so different from what we expected in a period film.

So gruff.

He's not an actor

who blends into the background.

You feel him

energizing everything around him.

I think

he studied his part thoroughly.

But in front of the camera

when they yelled 'Action!'

he forgot everything

and just went for it.

During the war

Kurosawa made films supporting the war

and he regretted it.

Japanese people tend to follow their leaders

and obey orders.

Kurosawa vowed that he would never again

be the kind of person who bows to authority.

He wanted to create characters

who spoke their minds

who rebelled.

So when he found Toshiro Mifune

he found an actor who could pull it off.

I know you're going to have my neck.

I have nothing to hide.

When Kurosawa saw Mifune

he instinctively knew.

Mifune had something unique,

something that other movie actors

just didn't have.

And that unique quality was

the ability

to express anger or joy

physically.

Seven Samurai was my movie debut.

Toho called me in

to see Mr. Kurosawa.

Mr. Kurosawa, unlike his image,

was smiling.

I expected him to be scary

but he was smiling like a monk.

He told me,

'In the months before we shoot

'Takashi Shimura and

'Toshiro Mifune,

'the three of you

'must hang out together.

'Go to the movies together, eat together.'

Those were his orders.

So Shimura became my uncle

and Mifune became my brother.

And he still is.

The Kurosawa people were looking for actors.

Especially those who could do fight scenes.

Kurosawa came over

and he went down the line.

He said, 'Can you guys fight?'

We said, 'Yes, we can fight.'

A typical actor's response.

Say anything to get the part.

I said, 'I m ready to fight, anytime.'

They did a test of us getting killed.

Kurosawa said to me,

'What are you doing?'

I made it look flashy, the same way I did in other films.

He said, 'Nakajima, come here!'

'This is not just another samurai film.

'It has to feel real.'

'Okay.'

Kurosawa was tough to work for.

One thing was sure.

If you didn't do what he said, you were out.

If you did exactly as he asked

you were okay.

Bastards.

Kurosawa never gave acting instructions to Mifune.

When it was time to shoot,

Mifune had thoroughly researched

how a farmer-turned-samurai

might behave in that situation.

People have no idea how hard he worked.

He was always thinking about his character

and how to add humor to it.

He had a great sense of humor.

First in line, step forward!

I'm talking to you!

I said you!

What was Mifune like?

If I had to describe him in one word:

Perseverance.

He was a man of perseverance.

Even as I grumbled and complained about various things

he just waited quietly.

In the beginning, Toshiro Mifune didn't want to be an actor.

Those days, the reality was that many people

became actors just to survive.

I think that was Mifune's situation.

But if he was going to do it,

he was going to do it right.

He wasn't going to embarrass himself as a man.

He had a lot of pride

so he worked that much harder.

And through that process, he evolved as a human being.

Kikuchiyo, what are you doing?

One sword is not enough!

It was my first adult role.

So I didn't know what to expect.

I was pretty nervous.

Otsu, forgive me.

Musashi and Otsu

are shy and awkward with each other.

But I think

there's great love between them.

Love takes a different shape.

For Japanese, I think,

it's more reserved.

We don't show it outwardly so much.

He didn't say much.

But he wasn't stuck up or anything.

He took his work seriously.

Here I am.

What do you want?

Why don't you just behead me?

You shame me this way! And you call yourself a priest?

You treat a samurai this way? Idiot!

You're very spirited.

Damn you!

In the morning, he was always on time for make-up.

He arrived 15 minutes early

to the sound stage for filming.

I thought to myself:

That's how I need to be.

Choose wisely or else!

Well, which should I choose?

Too many.

Wash these sticks.

A true samurai,

even if he was really hungry, he wouldn't show it.

He...

must live with dignity.

I was ecstatic!

My chance to be in a Kurosawa film!

I wanted any role, even the smallest part.

As long as I got it.

Kurosawa knows a lot about Noh theater.

So...

Mifune's make-up

is based on a Noh theater mask

of a ferocious warrior.

Even more wonderful

was Lady Macbeth

played by Isuzu Yamada.

The make-up for her character

is also inspired by a Noh mask.

I played a samurai who guards the shogun.

There are three of us.

I was Samurai 1.

It's a small role.

But even with small roles

each one of us was treated

as if we were the main characters.

I'm on guard duty

and we're given alcohol.

So I'm a bit wobbly.

That's when Mifune comes at me.

He stabs me.

That was the end of my scene.

But Mr. Kurosawa liked the way I died.

Return to your posts!

That's an order!

The shocking thing about that scene was

they didn't have insurance.

And what's more, they used real arrows

and the archers were college students.

The arrows were going everywhere.

The archers weren't good shots.

Who killed our great lord?

They told me to shoot.

I was there, but I said,

'No way!'

Why did he do such a dangerous scene?

With no insurance?

I think it was from the war, his loyalty.

He felt

an obligation to Kurosawa.

He owed his success to Kurosawa.

He was a poor soldier

who became a movie star.

That was Kurosawa's doing

and Mifune felt indebted to him.

Mifune just...

persevered.

He did so many tough things without complaint.

Well, that's how Kurosawa's films were.

Other films and other directors

might have friendly sets

where the director and actors

create a warm, family atmosphere.

Kurosawa's sets were definitely not like that.

Everything was tightly run.

Stressful, intense.

You hear the word 'perfectionist'

for Kurosawa, that's expected.

To make a great film,

everything matters.

When I worked with Mr. Mifune

the film industry was intense.

We worked non-stop.

We were in the studio 350 days out of 365.

When we got lunch

everyone took off for the restaurant.

Except Mr. Mifune and me.

We stayed behind.

Then we ran up

to the hair and make-up room

where we played Blackjack.

We had lunch delivered

by the local restaurant.

Mr. Mifune always ordered

ramen.

For me

that was the real Mifune.

He loved to play cards

cussing, 'Damn you, bastard!'

Then he went back to the set

and he was a noble samurai again.

We, the Toho movie actors,

we worked all year round

at full throttle.

We all did.

Most of the Mifune films

are about men.

They didn't know what to do with women.

For me to get a good part

I had to go to Shochiku Studios.

Toho wasn't big on roles for women.

Most Toho movies

directed by Kurosawa and starring Mifune

are about men.

Yojimbo was Kurosawa s attempt at doing something fun.

He wanted to do something everyone would enjoy.

In his other films

he took political themes

or philosophical ideas

and injected them into the story.

With Yojimbo he just wanted to entertain.

They were both in their prime.

So it was exciting.

Don't take us for fools.

See this tattoo?

I wasn't in prison for nothing.

I'm a wanted man. They can't wait to crucify me.

Me too.

They want my head.

Not to brag, but I've committed every crime in the book.

So you won't mind if I kill you?

What!

Kill us if you can.

It might hurt.

Yakuza don't fear swords.

There's no cure for idiots.

Yojimbo

is Mifune at his best.

Mentally and physically, as an actor.

It all came together.

Get your husband and run!

Mifune was very considerate.

When we were standing around, waiting on the sound stage,

he'd bring us chairs and say,

'Hey, sit down'

in that gruff manner.

When we were on location

and the food at the inn was...

well...

it wasn't very good...

He'd throw some garlic in a pan,

then some meat and vegetables.

He'd stir fry it up.

'Here, eat this', he'd say.

Mifune was

like the ocean.

The ocean is boundless.

But, sometimes, very turbulent.

He was quite dashing,

vibrant and refreshing.

I never saw it in person

but I suspect he kept a lot inside.

And it had to come out somehow.

In Kurosawa's films, I always played the stoic characters.

Diligent, not sexy at all.

Mifune was strong.

So strict and disciplined with himself.

But if you hold everything inside

it builds up over time.

So when night came and the sake started to flow...

he had to let loose.

So many times I had to save his butt.

Yeah, Mifune was a heavy drinker.

We'd go to Shibuya and he picked fights with gangsters.

It didn't happen everyday.

But when he drank it was usually sake or whiskey.

And dinner wasn't over

until he finished the bottle.

When he got drunk, he took his sword out

and he'd swing it around wildly.

And whenever that happened

I was very scared.

He'd get drunk and drive by Kurosawa's house

in his convertible car.

He'd yell, 'Damn you!'

And we'd say, 'Oh no!'

The big factor was the wind.

They had big airplane propellers.

On top of that, for the big scene

he told the actors,

'Keep your eyes wide open!'

You can't keep your eyes open in a wind storm.

In Red Beard I'm one of the attackers.

My first move

is to run at him.

Then he throws me over,

and while I'm down

he beats up three or four more people.

Then I come back for more.

I was trying desperately

not to mess up the take.

This is terrible. Such violence is bad.

Doctors shouldn't do such things.

All of the characters have something off balance in their lives

that they live with somehow.

My character is sick,

and Mr. Kayama is trying to give me medicine.

But I refuse to take it.

So the doctor comes and says, 'Let me try.'

The scene establishes Dr. Akahige's humanity.

I didn't know how to do the scene.

He fooled me

and pulled me through it

the way he stayed in character as Dr. Akahige.

It felt like all of the actors

were breathing the same air.

Everything came naturally.

Do you want me to yell?

Fine, but I'm still staying.

Who says so?

You taught me the road to take.

On the movie set

our made-up world and the real world

became one.

And we owed it to Mr. Mifune.

He led the way.

Kurosawa was getting older

and was moving away from stories with samurai heroes.

At the same time, Mifune was getting older,

so it was becoming harder for him

to play tough guys.

That was part of it, but I'm not really sure what happened.

I believe they had more to achieve together.

It was the end of an era for all of us.

I don't know exactly what happened.

They went their separate ways.

Mifune got busy

working on films overseas.

Then time passed and

they never talked about it.

But Mifune stayed loyal to Kurosawa through it all.

He always wanted to work with Kurosawa again.

I was the publicist

for Mifune Productions.

The one time he shared something personal

was during the scandal.

The words he said to me

have stayed in my memory.

'They'll never understand what I'm feeling.

'Whatever I say, they won't hear me.'

Actually, they never got divorced.

To the very end

my mother refused to sign

the divorce papers

and it turned into a scandal.

On the movies

I would go over

the fight scene with him.

I'd say, 'You move here.

'Then you kill 15 guys.'

He'd say,

'You want me to kill 15 guys at once?'

'Yes, please', I'd say.

He had those glaring eyes.

He held his sword tightly,

clenched his teeth

and moved towards you.

It was intimidating

facing him.

It wasn't slow and graceful, it was BAM!

No one else

had that power and intensity.

One day, he said we had to start doing television.

I remember the indescribable pain in the room.

He was playing 'Toshiro Mifune',

being 'Mifune, the movie star' instead of acting.

When we were young

we worked together many times,

Mifune and me.

I wish we could've gone on to play older couples together

if he had stayed healthy.

In the last years of his life

he wasn't able to remember his lines.

So we made a 'cheat sheet' with his lines

written out in big letters.

I would stand next to the camera and hold the cards

so he could read his lines.

I guess it was Alzheimer's disease.

His son Shiro took good care of him.

Around that time, my father...

started to spend most of his time alone.

Then my wife and I started to look after him.

I bet he's still playing a samurai.

Really, you know.

He left us too early.

There was no one like him then.

Or now.

I was really sad.

I'm still sad.

My father was also in poor health.

When Mifune died, my father wasn't able to leave the house.

They were comrades.

We were part of the golden age of Japanese cinema together.

When I look back at each and every film,

I couldn't have made them without you.

You gave so much of yourself.

Thank you, my friend.

For one last time

over a bottle of sake

I wish I could've told you all this.

Goodbye, my friend,

I'll see you soon.