In Japan, the term chanbara (チャンバラ), also commonly spelled "chambara", is used for this genre, literally "sword fighting" movies,[1] roughly equating to western swashbuckler films.
Chanbara is a sub-category of jidaigeki, which equates to period drama. Jidaigeki
may refer to a story set in an historical period, though not
necessarily dealing with a samurai character or depicting swordplay.
While earlier samurai period pieces were more dramatic rather than action-based, samurai movies post World War II
have become more action-based, with darker and more violent characters.
Post-war samurai epics tended to portray psychologically or physically
scarred warriors.[2] Akira Kurosawa stylized and exaggerated death and violence in samurai epics.
His samurai, and many others portrayed in film, were solitary figures,
more often concerned with concealing their martial abilities, rather
than bragging of them.[2]
Historically, the genre is usually set during the Tokugawa era (1600–1868), the samurai film focuses on the end of an entire way of life for the samurai, many of the films deal with masterless ronin, or samurai dealing with changes to their status resulting from a changing society.
At least 26 films were made about the blind swordsman, Zatoichi.
A burly masseur with short hair, he is a skilled swordsman who fights
using only his hearing. While less known in the West, he is arguably the
most famous chanbara character in Japan.
Four movies were made about another blind samurai, the Crimson Bat. Her character was a blind female sword fighter, and made in response to the huge success of Zatoichi.
A number of films were also made about Miyamoto Musashi, a famed historical warrior and swordsman, including a six movie series about his life, starring Yorozuya Kinnosuke.
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