Two short films from the Al Jazeera network highlighting the centuries-old fading arts of the samurai. You know we love our samurais, even if it comes in Chanel or Cat Armor form, so these hit especially close to home. The first film is about the last sword-maker in Taiwan who at 65 hopes to find a “worthy apprentice” to pass his legacy on to. Each blade he makes takes months to create, and like his forefathers he uses human bones to remove impurities from the steel and bestow upon the blades a spirit. The Green Destiny Sword from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of his masterpieces. The second film covers the fading work of a crew of samurai actors whose work peaked when the samurai film genre was booming in the 1950s through 70s thanks to auteurs like the great Akira Kurasawa. Now the waning interest of samurai films in Japan has them looking for work, and playing make believe at an amusement park. Now I don’t want to nitpick, but last I looked Taiwan wasn’t part of Japan, and being a samurai actor is not the same as being a samurai. Still, if you’re into the culture both films (reported by Steve Chao and shot and edited by Matthew Allard) are worth watching,

The Last of the Taiwanese Swordmakers…

The Last of the (silverscreen) Samurai…