It is definitely impossible for someone to have never seen or heard of Star Wars, as this is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) franchises in cinema history, and has been or still is a part of the lives of many fans of the saga. But did you know that it is possible to find various references to Japan or Japanese culture in Star Wars?
In fact, Star Wars references various peoples and cultures from around the world, as well as different eras, but the most evident are those that mention Japanese culture. One of the main ones is the characteristic helmet of Darth Vader, created according to the original features of the kabuto, the helmet worn by samurais.
This is one of the most notable examples of elements of the saga inspired by Japanese culture. There are still several other characters, names and clothes from the franchise linked to Japan, and in this article we will present you the main references to Japan contained in Star Wars.
We also recommend reading our article about Star Wars quotes in Japanese.
Table of Contents
Darth Vader and the samurai
Let's start with the most famous character of the saga, which is full of references to samurai, Darth Vader. When creating the look of the character, director George Lucas and art director Ralph McQuarrie had a conversation about what the villain would look like.
Inspired by the Japanese samurai, they decided that in addition to the already mentioned helmet, he would also wear a mask inspired by a type of metal mask called menpo. These metal masks could only be worn by the most respected warriors of Japan, and were shaped in the likeness of demons, fierce animals, and ghosts.
In addition, he also uses a type of cloak, similar to those used by samurai to deceive enemies during combat, making it impossible for the opponent to be able to see the movement of his samurai's legs, making it difficult to predict attacks.
the martial arts
Now talking about the martial arts used in the movie, we again observe the presence of samurais, especially because jedis are quite similar to samurais in several aspects, such as, for example, total obedience to their master and the almost religious connection they had with the weapon used in battles. But in addition to that, we can notice that the martial art used by jedis is the same as the one samurais used.
We are talking about the technique of kendo, the martial art used in Star Wars and by the samurai. This martial art reached its peak in Japan between the Kamakura and Muromachi eras and was used by the samurai for spiritual and mental improvement, which was very important for the warrior's character formation. Crucial characteristics for a jedi.
Anyone who practices kendo can reproduce the movements of the characters in the film. One similarity, for example, is the fact that Lord Vader launches many of his blows from a position called hasso (a position where the sword is positioned close to the head). Other moves are also used by Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan, Luke and Qui-Gon Jinn such as chudan, jodan, gedan and waki. Even the way the saber is held is similar to the description of the Japanese martial art.
Queen Amidala
The influence of Japan on The Phantom Menace significantly affected the visual design of the characters, especially that of Queen Amidala (played by Natalie Portman) – who would later become Anakin's wife and the mother of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker.
The choice of your outfit - a gray kimono - was not by chance, as the costume helps greatly to make the meeting between Queen Amidala and Senator Palpatine (who was played by Ian McDiarmid) in a very special ceremony. With the help of this outfit, Queen Amidala conveys an image of a sovereign queen.
The head of the makeup team for this film, Paul Engelen, commented on the character's look: "We combined many influences to create the queen's visual. The oriental look prevails: the white base, the red mouth, the elaborate hairstyle," reminiscent of a Gueixa.
Darth Maul
The last character on our list promises to leave a legion of fans around the world, of course Darth Maul (Ray Park) could not be missing. This character is already a success, even before the debut in Japan, it was easy to find t-shirts, dolls and various things related to him.
But the secret of all this success lies much more in the visual than in the villain's attitude. The incredible black and red "tattoo," along with the various horns surrounding his head, greatly help Maul to resemble the demon in person. And in Japan, the demon looks like the 鬼の面 (oni no men).
Oni masks had their origin in an ancient Japanese legend that said that people who died without proper funeral ritual became a demon.
This word was also used to title people who were not practitioners of Buddhism or who committed the sin of gluttony. Those who did this would immediately fall into the hell of hunger and become a gaki, that is, an oni da fome.
