Star Wars Continues To Be Inspired by the Japanese
Kintsugi, the art of repair in a galaxy far, far away
We love everything Star Wars here at Tales Beyond Tomorrow! and we also love anything Japanese.
When these two combine, they always create something unique.
George Lucas was heavily inspired by the Japanese jidaigeki (period piece) film, "The Hidden Fortress," by Akira Kurosawa. The story involves two peasants agreeing to escort a man and a woman across enemy lines in return for gold without knowing that he is a general and the woman is a princess.
“The one thing I was really intrigued by was the fact that the story was told from the two lowest characters. I decided that would be a nice way to tell the Star Wars story…That was the strongest influence.”
The film was inspired by Chanbara ( sword fighting) and Jidaigeki filmmaking, and they also inspired its characters' clothing, armor, and symbols.
Just look at the menacing Darth Vader and his stormtrooper's armor, and you'll see a striking similarity to those samurai warriors of the past.
Look at how the Jedi dress, with their long robes.
The imperial logo and rebel logos resemble old Japanese family crests. Google Genji guruma, and you'll see what we're talking about.
Star Wars: A New Hope came out almost half a century ago, and to this day, we can see Japanese influence in the more recent Star Wars stories.
From Kylo Rens' helmet to the more recent Grand Admiral Thrawn's army of stormtroopers, now Night Troopers, seen in the latest Ahsoka episode.
These stormtroopers have been through a lot, as seen by their battle-damaged armor.
Thrawn has a deep appreciation for art, and kintsugi is
a type of art form of repairing damaged items.
The idea behind kintsugi is to preserve history and not hide from it.
Kintsugi means golden joinery; hence, the gold in the damaged areas of the trooper's armor.
If you know any other examples of Japanese inspiration in Star Wars, let us know in the comments! May the force be with you!
