Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this article. I’m Shogo from Let’s ask Shogo, the interpreter of the online lessons and owner of this website.

1. What is This Video About?

I had Seki Sensei, the 22nd headmaster of Kobudo Asayama Ichiden Ryu, react to Twilight Samurai’s two main fighting scenes. Twilight Samurai is one of Japan’s most famous samurai movies, with Sanada Takayuki as the protagonist. We’ve once reacted to The Last Samurai’s fighting scene, so this was the second movie reaction video.

2. Why Should You Absolutely Watch it?

Twilight Samurai is very famous for having quite realistic fighting scenes. The whole movie itself is not flashy, and it shows what the life of a real samurai was like: very poor and struggling. However, listening to Seki Sensei’s opinions, you will find out that even the most realistic movies have some points that would be slightly awkward from a Kobudo perspective. What he pointed out about the first fighting scene and the protagonist not using specific techniques was very interesting. I hope you can check it out by looking at the video.

3. What are Some Points NOT Discussed in the Video But Shared Here?

In the second fighting scene, the protagonist, Seibei, cuts his opponent’s leg, Yogo. In the movie, it just looks like a small scratch, but I asked Seki Sensei if that’s possible or not. The answer is that it would be unrealistic if he weren’t wearing a kimono over his leg. Yogo had pulled up the hem of the kimono and exposed his legs, so if he got his legs cut with a katana, it should have done more damage. On the other hand, Seki Sensei also explained that just by wearing a kimono, you can lessen the damage of a katana cut greatly. This is especially true because men’s kimono aren’t so tightly worn and have some space between the body and the clothes. This absorbs the energy of the katana attacks and protects you.