Hollywood’s infamous dark knight took its inspiration from none other than Samurai legend, Date Masamune. While many people may have assumed Darth Vader’s ultimate evil persona was based on Dick Cheney, according to the City of Sendai homepage, it was its own larger than life shadowy ruler.
Before the 1977 release of Star Wars, which became a legend in its own right, director, George Lucas, called up the curator of the Sendai City Museum, and requested photos of Masamune’s helmet and armor. Indeed, the jet black suits, facemask, and curvature of the helmets, show a striking resemblance. The famed light sabre could also be compared to the swords of samurai.
As well, one might see parallels between Japan’s age of provincial wars, and the intergalactic power struggle depicted in the Star Wars epic. Lucus’ apparent interest in Japanese history may have included an admiration for Bushido, the way of the samurai, which was a deeply enshrined code of honor carried highly by warriors of Japan’s armies. Perhaps Lucus brought bushido to life on the silver screen through his creation of similar abstract concepts such as “The Force”.
Although admittedly a stretch, it is also possible that Lucus’s loveable Yoda character also had some influence from Japanese culture. The name, Yoda, is not so different sounding than the Japanese word, yotta, meaning “drunk”. The wise old little green man’s mannerisms do somewhat resemble that of a Japanese sarariman staggering out of an izakaya after one too many glasses of sake. Yoda’s broken English and the word order of his sentences are also oddly comparable. Proper English sentences have the subject before the verb, followed by the object. Proper Japanese sees the object follow the subject, and the verb placed at the end of the sentence—exactly the same pattern as in Yoda’s dialogue.
Whether all this evidence is fact, or just itself a legend, the displays in the Sendai City Museum are sure to trigger your imagination. The original suit of armor and helmet of the “one-eyed dragon”, Date Masamune, make for a fascinating visit to the museum, which sits across from the International Center, and just below Aoba Mountain, which is also home to a dominating statue of Masamune overlooking the city.
