Samurai Wars is a line of custom figures that imagines what a Star Wars movie directed by Akira Kurosawa would look like.  George Lucas has said what a fan he is a Kurosawa and also the influence that Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress"  had on Star Wars.   At the bottom of the page is a fake write up that I did for a convention that claims this is a real movie. 

Chipao / C-3PO For 3PO I went with a tall and lean body type. I used various browns and yellows for his golden color.  I tried to capture 3PO's stuffy demeanor with the arm pose. The golden disc is representative of 3PO's stomach disc, and the black sash would be his exposed wires.

Ryuuto / R2-D2 For R2 I went with a short and stout body type. I kept the classic colors scheme.  I thought the conical straw hat would be the dome, and I liked that it obscured the eyes. I tried to represent the various panels on R2 with the patches and button latches.

Soto-Mu Bushi / Stormtrooper Sotu-Mu Bushi, literally translated means "storm warrior"  The classic white armor became white samurai armor.  I kept the black under clothes.

Princess Layu / Princess Leia For Leia it was a pretty literal interpretation.  Her white gown is now a white kimono, her trademark hair buns were moved up and back, the gray sash and silver buckle are supposed to be her belt.  I even gave the scabbard a coiled rope to be like the wires around her long blaster.

Daku Joutei / Darth Vader Daku Joutei literally translated means "Dark Lord".  Vader's samurai influence is obvious so I  decided to go more extreme in his samurai incarnation.  The red scabbard is representative of his red light saber blade and I tried to capture the look of his mouth/grill with the fangs on his demon mask.

Sora Hokosusha / Luke Skywalker  Luke was also very literal.  His movie costume was already very Asian, I just played up the elements more and kept the classic color scheme.

Obu Wankabe / Obi Wan Kenobi Obi Wan is another character with obvious samurai influences.  He is supposed to be a masterless samurai or ronin.  I kept true the look of the movie character.  I decided to add the eye patch for a different look.  The blue scabbard is supposed to represent his blue lightsaber blade.

Chikushou / Chewbacca Chikushou literally translated means "beast". My incarnation of Chewbacca is that of an Oni demon.  I kept the brown fur, blue eyes and bandolier.  I initially planned for him to have an actual crossbow, but I opted in the end for an club, the traditional weapon of an oni.

Han Dokuen / Han Solo I kept the very Asian  name Han and Dokuen translated means "solo"   Han has the classic blue pants, cream shirt, and black vest.  My idea for Han was for that of a junk captain who had hung around the port city of Nagasaki (the only port that allowed trade with the west) and had been somewhat westernized.  That explained his western pistol and allowed me to infuse western elements into the classically iconic cowboy-esque character.

Fetababe / Boba Fett I always have to have a Boba Fet in my Star Wars lines.  My version has replaced the bounty hunter with his Japanese counterpart of a ninja.  I tried to capture the iconic Fett pose and replace my original idea of a crossbow with the more ninja-esque straight bladed sword.  The classic colors are there as is the piece-meal armor.  The quiver is representative of the rocket pack.

The following is a fake write up that I did for a convention. 

____________________

Last year you may recall reading or hearing about a discovery that shook the cinematic world to its foundations.  The famed Ekafama Auction House in Yokahama announced its astonishing discovery, pictures.  However, these were no ordinary pictures, they were in fact stills from a movie a half a century old that was not supposed to exist. 

The film was a movie that even the most wishful cinephile thought was an urban legend.  The movie was Mononofu Woza: Ryu-Mikomi by acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.  Very little has been written about the film over the years as very little was known.  The facts are hard to come by as the story and legends surrounding it grew substantially over the years until the entire project entered an ethereal state. 

The facts that can be confirmed by the limited studio records that survive are few.  It was to be something of mega project unheard of in its day.  The film was budgeted to be the most expensive film in Japanese history and boasted a veritable who's who of Japanese cinema and Kurosawa regulars (see inset table below).  It began filming in 1955 and would have been released the following year in 1956.  Most of the principal photography had wrapped when tragedy struck.  A fire broke out in the offices at the famed Toho Studios.  The arson investigation ruled newly installed faulty wiring as the cause of the blaze.  The studio decided the project could not be restarted due to the numerous commitments of its many stars to other films, many of which Toho studios was also overseeing. 

The decision to cancel the production over was always a great sadness for Kurosawa.  Many of the sets and plot details were reused a few years later in another Kurosawa film, The Hidden Fortress.  However, in respect for the work he had already completed as a unique creation much of the film was changed and scaled down for the second attempt. 

The plot, according to those involved in the production, was epic.  The film was set during the feudal era of Japanese history that preceded a unified country with a shogun and Emperor.  The story followed the rise in power of warlord daimyo, Da-ku Joutei, as he struggled to bring all of Japan under his control.  In a final attempt to take power from the final clan that stood in his way, he took Ogami, the daughter of their leader, hostage.  She was in secret negotiations with a few small bands of rebellious groups to unify against Da-ku while there was time.  Just as she was being captured she dispatched two of her servants the overly prudish Chipao and the trustworthy Ryuuto.  Their mission was to find an aged ronin, a masterless samurai, named Obu Wankabe, for only he could complete the mission with which she was tasked.  Lost and on a hopeless quest the servants befriend Sora Hokousha, a wide-eyed peasant, who jumps at the chance for a little adventure.  With Sora’s help the two find Obu and continue their mission.  The major problem is that Da-ku’s fortress is on a remote island cutoff and protected from invasion.  In a ruthless sake tavern, the band hires Han Dokuen a westernized sailor and criminal who happened to be the only one in the establishment not currently employed by Da-ku.  Once settling on a price, they group sets sail for the island on Dokuen’s ship with his first mate, Chikushou, a huge hairy oni, or demon, that Dokuen controls through a magic amulet.  Word reaches Da-ku about the band and he dispatches Fetababe, a ninja and assassin, to eliminate the threat.  On the voyage, Obu instructs the young Sora on the way of the samurai and the code of bushido.  After some skirmishes with Da-ku’s troops and Fetababe the rescues assault the stronghold and rescue Ogami dealing a crucial blow to Da-ku’s plans and instilling the countryside with hope that they could still stop his takeover.

Next fall a new line of action figures commissioned by the Kurosawa estate will hit stores.  The 7” figures will be sculpted by Sillof Studios and come complete with accessories and bases.  The line will contain all of the characters in the inset table.  The prototypes for the figures are below.