The Samurai Sword Blog

HBO was recently acquired by AT&T in a blockbuster $85 billion deal.  John Stankey is now heading up WarnerMedia and has promised to ramp up HBO's shows. This is where the opportunity to do something no one else is doing not only presents itself, but makes perfect sense; make a samurai epic. Everyone and their dog has piled onto the fantasy train after the success of Game of Thrones, which lead to the spillover piling onto the Viking theme shows. What is the only thing with global appea …

Like katana? Like Samurai? Like a body count right out of an 80's Stallone or Schwarzenegger film? Then you are in luck! Blade of the Immortal with English subs is streaming on Hulu. Without giving away spoilers, be prepared for a movie short on plot and long on severed limbs. It's a straight up bloodbath. Takashi Miike is known for making absolute slaughter fests, and this one has a decent budget and body count. If you've got time to kill and a Hulu account, it's worth a watch. A picture i …

If you have HBO chances are you have probably already watched season two of West World, so this is no surprise to you. If you haven't, season two has some great scenes in Samurai World with one of my favorite actors Hiroyuki Sanada. If you've seen The Last Samurai, The Wolverine, or 47 Ronin, then you would know him on sight. There is a decisive lack of samurai shows being made and I think Netflix and HBO are dropping a very large ball by not creating one. For now, the scenes in Samurai World wi …

Book Review - Musashi, by Yoshikawa EijiThe last blog post that I wrote for Ronin Katana was a book review of The Book of Five Rings, the penultimate work of master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. I had read The Book of Five Rings more than once, and continue to re-read it each year as part of my "rotation" (like many voracious readers, I have favourites that I can't help but revisit on a regular basis). In reading it, I felt that I had gained insight into Musashi's life, swordsmanship, and p …

The Book of Five RingsIf you collect katanas long enough you're eventually going to hear of him. One of the most famous and revered swordsman who ever lived, Miyamoto Musashi has inspired countless martial artists for centuries through his writings and the legends that surround his life. You've probably heard the name before now, whether referenced as a historical figure or as a character in one of the dozens of films, manga, and video games he is featured in. In addition, there are multip …