barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
I will second (or third, or fourth) the call for Lone Wolf and Cub -- and MythandLore, I'm pretty sure you'll find the comic was the original source of the tale.
The comics have been re-released in English in the original Japanese format -- at $15 a pop (that's in Canada) they're a little pricey (especially since there's 28 of them), but they tell a GREAT story and provide tons and tons of detail about daily life in the time of the samurai. I can't think of a better source. You should be able to find them in any comic shop or even larger bookstores.
Kurosawa is quite possibly the greatest director in the history of cinema, and I heartily recommend all his films. For your purposes, the best two are easily The Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress. Both give lots of insight into life in medieval Japan, have tons of action and memorable characters you'll want to use in your campaign.
Anime films can provide some pretty cool ideas for monsters and magic items and so on, and definitely Ninja Scroll is a great place to start. Most anime is science fiction more than fantasy, however, but look around.
If you want to use some primary sources, there are a couple of Japanese writings from the time that have been well-translated are usually pretty easy to find. A Book of Five Rings is by the master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (there's any number of films about him -- notably the Samurai trilogy) and gives some insight into the thinking of a particularly ferocious samurai. Hagakure was written by a much more gentle fellow, a samurai who went into seclusion and made this fascinating collection of anecdotes about his life. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagan is much the same thing, but from the point of view of a noblewoman living in the capital of Kyoto.
You ought to be able to find a volume of Basho's poetry anywhere, which will give an idea of the notions of beauty and philosophy of medieval Japan. Also cast around for The Story Of The 47 Ronin, an emblematic tale of the samurai mindset (and perfectly true!). There's any number of versions -- I can't really recommend one to you.
Good luck! And have fun.
The comics have been re-released in English in the original Japanese format -- at $15 a pop (that's in Canada) they're a little pricey (especially since there's 28 of them), but they tell a GREAT story and provide tons and tons of detail about daily life in the time of the samurai. I can't think of a better source. You should be able to find them in any comic shop or even larger bookstores.
Kurosawa is quite possibly the greatest director in the history of cinema, and I heartily recommend all his films. For your purposes, the best two are easily The Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress. Both give lots of insight into life in medieval Japan, have tons of action and memorable characters you'll want to use in your campaign.
Anime films can provide some pretty cool ideas for monsters and magic items and so on, and definitely Ninja Scroll is a great place to start. Most anime is science fiction more than fantasy, however, but look around.
If you want to use some primary sources, there are a couple of Japanese writings from the time that have been well-translated are usually pretty easy to find. A Book of Five Rings is by the master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (there's any number of films about him -- notably the Samurai trilogy) and gives some insight into the thinking of a particularly ferocious samurai. Hagakure was written by a much more gentle fellow, a samurai who went into seclusion and made this fascinating collection of anecdotes about his life. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagan is much the same thing, but from the point of view of a noblewoman living in the capital of Kyoto.
You ought to be able to find a volume of Basho's poetry anywhere, which will give an idea of the notions of beauty and philosophy of medieval Japan. Also cast around for The Story Of The 47 Ronin, an emblematic tale of the samurai mindset (and perfectly true!). There's any number of versions -- I can't really recommend one to you.
Good luck! And have fun.
) Crouching tiger Hidden Dragon and films by Kurosawa.
