The Last Samurai

LINKS
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections

Although the writer’s intent was probably not to make Katsumoto, a devout Buddhist, into a Christ figure, there are certainly enough interesting parallels to warrant discussion. In a very real way, Katsumoto’s relationships with the Emperor and the people of Japan reflect Christ’s relationships with God and the people on Earth.

The Servant Nature—
Katsumoto was a leader under authority, and he knew it. Even the word Samurai is translated “servant.� While Katsumoto’s service was to the people, he admitted that his highest service was to the throne, the Emperor. As long as he lived, he would serve the Emperor’s wishes. While a leader of the Samurai, Katsumoto did not claim deity or special privilege. He even declined the opportunity to give the Emperor advice when asked. Christ also spoke of his submission to God the Father. He said he was sent here by God (Matt. 10:40) and admitted that authority over heaven and earth was something given to him (Matthew 28:18). Like Katsumoto, his role as a servant was to the people (Matthew 20:28, “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many�). And much like the Samurai’s allegiance to the Emperor, Christ’s primary service was unto God. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work� (John 4:34). In Philippians 2:6-7, Paul shows the irony of this situation, saying that Christ, “who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant.� In other words, he deliberately limited his power here on Earth in order that the will of his authority (God) could be accomplished. The only difference between Katsumoto and Christ, was that Christ actually was God. And I would imagine Christ’s relinquishment of power was much more difficult than Katsumoto’s.

War and Peace—
Katsumoto represents the natural coexistence of both war and peace. Captain Algren tells the general that his two-week trained troops are unprepared to face the Samurai, whose primary occupation for the last 1,000 years had been war. Yet, when Algren lives with the Samurai, he discovers that they are a peaceful people, practicing war on occasions when necessary. Katsumoto teaches him that the way of the warrior is not only skill in battle, but also discipline, devotion to a set of principles and practicing inner stillness. Christ made similar claims regarding war and peace. Although he claimed to bring peace between mankind and God (John 3:16), he did not believe for a second that peace among men was something to be grasped. In fact, he claimed that his presence on earth would result in war. Christ asks his followers to live in peace with one another as far as it is possible (Mark 9:50), but he also clearly states in Matthew 10:34-39 that sides need to be taken sometimes. Truth is worth fighting for. Christ also modeled discipline (Mark 10:1), taught devotion to principles (Matt.7:24), and practiced inner stillness through prayer on a regular basis (Luke 5:16).

Faithful unto Death—
Katsumoto expressed on several occasions that if the Emperor wanted him dead, he had only to ask his life of him. There would be no fighting, no opposition, and Katsumoto would willingly give up his life if the Emperor thought it best. For the rest of the world, he would only die a warrior’s death. Christ said a similar thing of his life in John 10:18, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.� Christ would continue fighting to share the truth of God with people until God asked his life of him. Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane to be spared if there was another way. Still, he conceded, “Yet not my will, but Thy will be done.� God did ask for his life and Christ gave it. The Emperor also asked for Katsumoto’s life, though not as overtly. By choosing not to honor the way of the Samurai at the city council, the Emperor began the chain of events that led to Katsumoto’s demise.

The Message Sent—
Katsumoto deliberately fought to the end in order to send a message to the Emperor and to the people about the reason for the life he lived. While he was alive, no one wanted to hear or respect his message. But upon his death, the people in the army around him stopped shooting and bowed down to honor his legacy. Jesus finally got his message through to the people of Israel in the same way. Many believed that the prophesied Messiah would restore Israel to political world power, so the people were looking for a military leader. Christ had a different message. His refusal to take political or military action and subsequent death on the cross, sent the message that he did not come to conquer the earth for the nation of Israel, but to save the world from sin (John 1:29). Jesus preached to a deaf audience while he lived (Mark 4:12). Even his own disciples failed to understand at times. But in his death, the world began to see the broader picture: Reconciliation with God.

Salvation for the People—
The Emperor faced the difficult decision of whether to embrace the military advancements of the west or to remain faithful to the traditional battle technique of the Samurai. Realistically, lives were at stake. If he did not move forward with the times, his people faced potential slaughter at the hands of adversaries with greater technology. And although the Emperor does not entirely embrace the new technology, his deep concern for the survival of his people suggests that eventually he will. His decisions, Katsumoto’s death, and the defeat of the Samurai mark the decisive end of an era. In a similar way, Jesus’ death marks the end of an old system. Exit the legal system (obedience under the law), enter the grace system (salvation by faith). God desired that his people be able to live a vital, powerful life. He wanted to give them a means to defeat the adversary, rather than allow the continuing oppression of legalism. Paul mentions this principle of “death� caused by the law versus the “life� of the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:6. Just like Katsumoto, Christ’s death marked the decisive end of an era. For Christians, it was the end of an era of salvation based on the law. To some degree, each one’s death would mark the beginning of salvation for the people.

Victory over Death—
This is where the two stories diverge. The Last Samurai does not imply that Katsumoto was resurrected or reincarnated. Unlike Christ, his death was final. The movie leaves you with a sense of loss and the admission that there was no real gain on either side. While the Emperor’s decision to reject alliance with the west honored the Samurai, the questions still linger… Yes, but for how long? And will his successors feel the same? The joy of Christ is knowing that a greater hope does not lie in the hands of humanity. Christ died once, for all people, for all time (Rom. 6:10). Romans 5:9-11 is worth opening your Bible to read. It shows that reconciliation with God is available to anyone who believes. And the fact that Christ was raised from the dead gives hope that new life is in every believer’s present (Rom. 8:11) and eternal life is in our future (John 14:2-3).

Honor is a slippery word. If asked to define it, I might have a notion of it or scramble up several words that come close. But, my life in American culture has far removed me from a sincere understanding of honor, at least as it involves experience. The opening lines of the film, “a forgotten word- honor� didn’t speak volumes to me at first.

The Last Samurai asks the question, “What does it mean to honor something?� Family, culture, tradition, your enemy, your word, principles, change…the film addresses humankind’s tendency to devalue things which are by nature worthy of respect. Among the many, many examples of this theme throughout the movie, the two primary examples were the country’s struggle to preserve the sacred tradition of the Samurai and Captain Algren’s need to reconnect with life. At the beginning of the movie, Captain Algren has lost his soul to war. Embittered by an inhumane encounter with the American Indians, he claims, “I’ll kill whoever you want for $500 per month.� A drunken cameo hero working for Winchester, he values neither his life nor the lives of the rebels he is paid to suppress. However, his stay with the Samurai reintroduces him to friendship, self-respect, spirituality, serenity, and a desire to preserve rather than destroy. The country’s struggle occurs in the opposite direction. Rather than fighting to regain a sense of value, Japan struggles with losing that value. The time-honored tradition of the Samurai warrior faces extinction. The Emperor desires to embrace the fleeting economy of the West, but has enough innate respect for things culturally sacred to defer drastic change. The worthy adversary, Osuma, quickly wields his influence to convince the Emperor to forsake the past and embrace change. Though opposite in approach, both storylines address the question of what is to esteem something or hold it in high regard.

There are so many examples of this in the movie, it is worth seeing a second time just to absorb a new perspective on things our culture has forgotten. Algren’s strange relationship with Taka forces us to take a look at the value of family, courtesy, and destiny. Katsumoto introduces Capt. Algren to friendship, faith, discipline, the value of keeping one’s word, service, and war as life rather than death. Capt. Algren in turn teaches the Samurai that death for one’s principles is a matter of passionate expression rather than a shameful display of defeat.

Ujio represents courage, loyalty, and discipline.

Graham, who documents history, shows the importance of leaving some things undocumented.

The Emperor’s struggle reveals the difficulty of governing a nation through changing times.

Each of these things commands honor in its own right, and it is interesting to note the dynamic contexts in which this word is used.

The problem of assigning value to that which is truly important is not new. Greece had a similar problem during the time the New Testament was written. Jesus introduced the word agape to the disciples and they could not understand why He would want to use it. It was a relatively unacceptable word for love because it suggested a kind of love that gives without receiving anything in return. To the Greek (and to the American today) this concept of “honoring� something above one’s self was foreign. But that is what Christ taught, and it is what He lived. The words of Philippians 2:6-8 have always astounded me. Every time I read them, I am taken aback by the level of love, commitment, passion and true honor that Christ has given us. To be the very God who created humanity, to come to earth and die by our laws, to give his own life so that we could be reconciled with Him…that is honor. That is esteeming someone on a level that I cannot pretend to match.

By the end of this movie, I couldn’t get the one question out of my head: What does it mean to honor something? And then, what is it that I honor? Honestly, I had to rearrange some of my priorities and become reacquainted with several things lost in the shuffle of my life. Although my academic mind feels obligated to explore the other amazing themes of this movie, I think I will leave them alone for today. Perhaps I will go see the movie again, this question of honor now being resolved in my mind.

LINKS
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections