is a 2007 short film starring
Shin Koyamada
is a Japanese actor, producer, philanthropist, and martial artist. He is best known to the international audience for his co-starring roles in ''The Last Samurai'' (2003) as Nobutada and the Disney's '' Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior'' (2006) as ...
and written and directed by Craig Shimahara.
Plot
Jinbei Masuda, a Japanese Christian of the
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
class, draws his strength from his faith, family, and fencing. However, he is caught up in the
shogun
, officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...
's policy of religious persecution and must choose between his loved ones and his God.
Ships from Europe brought Christianity to the shores of Japan in 1549. For decades the seeds of faith grew under the watchful gaze of the
Shogun
, officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...
. But the fear of foreign influence eventually gave rise to persecution. By 1624, Japanese Christians enjoyed only a few more years of peace.
Cast
*
Shin Koyamada
is a Japanese actor, producer, philanthropist, and martial artist. He is best known to the international audience for his co-starring roles in ''The Last Samurai'' (2003) as Nobutada and the Disney's '' Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior'' (2006) as ...
– Jinbei Masuda 益田甚平
*
Yoshi Ando
Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, SNES as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Throughout the mainline ''Super Mario' ...
– Michijiro
*Atsushi Hirata – Iwanaga
*Yutaka Takeuchi – Tsunoyasu
*Craig Reid – Catholic Priest
*Kazumi Zatkin – Otsu
*Maxwell Banchi – Shiro
*Christine Shimahara – Kinu
*Tex Nakamura – Daimyo
*Yuji Tone – Attendant
*
Mitsuji Higashimoto – Guard No. 1
*Agata Toshiya – Guard No. 2
See also
*
Amakusa Shirō
, also known as , was a Japanese Christian of the Edo period and leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Shogunate. His Christian name was Geronimo and was later known as Francisco.
The uprising ...
*
Shimabara Rebellion
The , also known as the or , was an rebellion, uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638.
Matsukura Katsuie, the ''daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpo ...
*
Shimabara Peninsula
The is a peninsula located in Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The peninsula incorporates the cities of Shimabara, Minamishimabara, and Unzen.
The northern, eastern, and southeastern coasts of the peninsula face the Ariake ...
External links
*
Shin Koyamada's movie promotion with the Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan
2007 films
Films about Japanese Americans
2000s Japanese-language films
2000s samurai films
2000s Japanese films
{{2000s-Japan-film-stub
Japanese-language American films