Re: Digest Number 917

(snip) Hey, as an
aside, my husband's been practicing kendo for about thirty years. We
recently watched 'Ghost Dog' and hubby went into a fit of spleen. It
seems the main character puts a katana back into its sheath UPSIDE-
DOWN- he's slice his thumb open if he tried to do that in real life.
(Giggle. Snort. Chuckle.)

God, will it ever end?

Lili

To be sure, the sword work in "Ghost Dog" was the weakest part... Whittaker
also does a wrist-twist that's more Filipino stick than Japanese sword (the
same move we see Cruise execute in solo practise in "Last Samurai," for that
matter). But "Ghost Dog" wasn't really about the Way of the Sword, so much
as the Way of the Warrior.
And it worked quite brilliantly as that, a modern man's search for a way to
live out his vision of Bushido in the context of urban America. His loyalty
is pure, and what gives him strength is that he's the only one who
understands the story he's written of his life. His own 'lord' doesn't get
it, although he works with it. One of the bosses is old-world enough to
understand the kind of man who's after him, and most of the mob soldiers are
living essentially as samurai - that is, they're household warriors serving
a specific family, with their loyalty and their skills determining their
status in the household structure - but they don't realise themselves what
an old-world power structure they live in, and the Whittaker character does.
What I saw in Whittaker's sword work was a man who had decided he ought to
practise this, but had no instruction. As I recall, his combat handgun work
was rather well done. So the weak sword style seemed a flaw that was
consistently in character.
Besides, recall that before katana, swords were sheathed in a style that
would look "upside-down" to a modern kendo practitioner. Look at the way a
tachi is rigged for wear.

Gereg

--- In samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com, "Silk Road School"
wrote:

> To be sure, the sword work in "Ghost Dog" was the weakest

part... Whittaker

> also does a wrist-twist that's more Filipino stick than Japanese

sword (the

> same move we see Cruise execute in solo practise in "Last Samurai,"

for that

> matter). But "Ghost Dog" wasn't really about the Way of the Sword,

so much

> as the Way of the Warrior.
> And it worked quite brilliantly as that, a modern man's

search for a way to

> live out his vision of Bushido in the context of urban America.

His loyalty

> is pure, and what gives him strength is that he's the only one who
> understands the story he's written of his life. His own 'lord'

doesn't get

> it, although he works with it. One of the bosses is old-world

enough to

> understand the kind of man who's after him, and most of the mob

soldiers are

> living essentially as samurai - that is, they're household warriors

serving

> a specific family, with their loyalty and their skills determining

their

> status in the household structure - but they don't realise

themselves what

> an old-world power structure they live in, and the Whittaker

character does.

> What I saw in Whittaker's sword work was a man who had

decided he ought to

> practise this, but had no instruction. As I recall, his combat

handgun work

> was rather well done. So the weak sword style seemed a flaw that

was

> consistently in character.
> Besides, recall that before katana, swords were sheathed in

a style that

> would look "upside-down" to a modern kendo practitioner. Look at

the way a

> tachi is rigged for wear.
>
> Gereg

Just keep in mind the character he plays is INSANE, probably
schizophrenic, and is not a "modern Samurai" except in his insanity.