Japanese references in Star Wars

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 the history of cinema, and it has been or still is part of the lives of many fans of the saga. But did you know that it is possible to find several references to Japan or Japanese culture in Star Wars?

In fact, Star Wars references various peoples and cultures 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 based on the original features of the kabuto, a helmet worn by the samurai.

This is one of the most notable examples of elements from the saga inspired by Japanese culture. There are still several other characters, names, and outfits in the franchise linked to Japan, and in this article, we will present to you the main references to Japan contained in Star Wars.

We also recommend reading our article about Star Wars quotes in Japanese.

Darth Vader and the samurai

Let’s start with the most famous character of the saga, who is filled with references to the samurai, Darth Vader. When creating the character’s look, director George Lucas and art director Ralph McQuarrie had a conversation about how the villain would be.

Inspired by 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 in Japan, and were shaped in the image of demons, fierce animals, and ghosts.

Additionally, he also wears a type of cloak, similar to those used by samurai to deceive enemies during combat, preventing the opponent from seeing the movement of the samurai’s legs clearly, making it difficult to predict attacks.

The martial arts

Now talking about the martial arts used in the film, we again observe the presence of samurai, especially since the jedis are quite similar to samurai 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 besides that, we can note that the martial art used by the jedis is the same as that used by the samurai.

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 formation of the warrior’s character. Very important 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 strikes from a position called hasso (a position where the sword is positioned near the head). Other strikes 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 lightsaber is held is similar to the description of the Japanese martial art.

Queen Amidala

The influence of Japan in The Phantom Menace greatly affected the look 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 her outfit – a gray kimono – was not by chance, as the costume helps to make the meeting between Queen Amidala and Senator Palpatine (played by Ian McDiarmid) 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 compose the queen’s look. The oriental look prevails: the white base, the red mouth, the elaborate hairstyle” reminiscent of a Geisha.

Darth Maul

The last character on our list promises to leave a legion of fans around the world, of course, we couldn’t miss Darth Maul (Ray Park). This character was already a success even before the premiere in Japan, and it was easy to find t-shirts, action figures, and various things related to him.

But the secret of this entire 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, help Maul resemble a demon in person. And in Japan, the demon has the face of oni masks.

The oni masks originated from an ancient Japanese legend that said that people who died without an appropriate funeral ritual would become a demon.

This word also served to designate 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 of hunger.