History Film / Kagemusha

* LastRequest: The real Shingen, correctly guessing his gunshot wound would be fatal, gives a very forceful one to his retainers. He eventually dies on the road after seeing Mount Fuji--which eventually kicks off the need for the ''kagemusha'':
--->'''Shingen''': To occupy Kyoto, to fly my flags in the capital, has been my long-cherished dream. But... if something should happen to me, do not pursue that dream. Remember: my death must not be made known. Keep it a secret, for at least three years. Guard our domain. Never move from it. Do not move! If you ignore my order and set out to attack, our Takeda clan will be no more. Heed my words! This... is my final wish.

->'''Shingen''': To occupy Kyoto, to fly my flags in the capital, has been my long-cherished dream. But... if something should happen to me, do not pursue that dream. Remember: my death must not be made known. Keep it a secret, for at least three years. Guard our domain. Never move from it. Do not move! If you ignore my order and set out to attack, our Takeda clan will be no more. Heed my words! This... is my final wish.

->''"Swift as the wind. Quiet as a forest.\\
Fierce as fire. Immovable as a mountain.\\"''

Creator/IshiroHonda directed the 2nd unit and coordinated the production. The production was also internationally aided by Creator/GeorgeLucas and Creator/FrancisFordCoppola, admirers of the Japanese master. The film was described by Kurosawa as a dress rehearsal for ''Film/{{Ran}}'', which was released five years later. (Nakadai and Ryu would later reunite as father-and-son Lord Hidetora and Saburo, respectively, in ''Ran''.)

->''"To occupy Kyoto, to fly my flags in the capital, has been my long-cherished dream. But... if something should happen to me, do not pursue that dream. Remember: my death must not be made known. Keep it a secret, for at least three years. Guard our domain. Never move from it. Do not move! If you ignore my order and set out to attack, our Takeda clan will be no more. Heed my words! This... is my final wish."''
-->-- '''Shingen Takeda'''

[[quoteright:228:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KAGEMUSHA_JAP_5472.JPG]]

-->'''Shingen Takeda'''

* TheStoic: Nobukado, who is the only one of the Takeda leaders observing the Battle of Nagashino to maintain his cool while everyone else -- including Katsuyori --- are visibly panicking over the slaughter. A close-up shows, however, that he is utterly ''heartbroken'' at having to see so many brave and faithful Takeda retainers lose their lives for nothing. ([[https://www.musubi.it/images/cinema/Jidai/kagemusha77.jpg His face being stricken]] with UndeathlyPallor doesn't help, either.[[note]]It may well [[{{Foreshadowing}} have served as a premonition]], as seven years later, at the final [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tenmokuzan Battle of Tenmokuzan]], Nobukado would be among the remnants of the Takeda to be captured and executed by the Oda.[[/note]])

* NotSoDifferent: The thief resents being called scum by Shingen and remarks that a bloody warlord has no right to claim the higher moral ground. Shingen concedes the point.

''Kagemusha'' (影武者) is a 1980 film by Creator/AkiraKurosawa. The title (literally "Shadow Warrior" in Japanese) is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the [[{{Jidaigeki}} Sengoku period of Japanese history]] and tells the story of a [[NoNameGiven nameless lower-class criminal]] who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. The warlord whom the ''kagemusha'' impersonates is based on ''daimyo'' UsefulNotes/TakedaShingen, and the film ends with the climactic 1575 Battle of Nagashino.

* UsefulNotes/JapaneseChristian: A couple of them are seen in the provinces controlled by the Oda clan.

''Kagemusha'' (影武者) is a 1980 film by Creator/AkiraKurosawa. The title (literally "Shadow Warrior" in Japanese) is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the [[JidaiGeki Sengoku period of Japanese history]] and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. The warlord whom the ''kagemusha'' impersonates is based on ''daimyo'' UsefulNotes/TakedaShingen, and the film ends with the climactic 1575 Battle of Nagashino.

* GoryDiscretionShot: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. As the Takeda companies charge in the Battle of Nagashino, them being devastated is only implied by the horrified expressions of their commanders looking on. After they all attack, ''then'' the next few minutes displays the shattered blood-stained remnants of the companies writhing and struggling among a field of corpses.

* PetTheDog: Kagemusha's tender relation with his fake grandson. He is a better and warmer grandfather than the dreadful Shingen ever was.

* TruthInTelevision: The presence of Catholic Christians in Nobunaga's domains. Nobunaga, being a patron of Western culture and food, was very lenient in giving them living space and setting up churches, [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade in contrast to his reputation as a ruthless warlord]]. [[DeliberateValuesDissonance Considering the xenophobic tendencies of Japanese at the time]], though, it may have [[DemonKingNobunaga actually contributed to that reputation]].

''Kagemusha'' (影武者) is a 1980 film by Creator/AkiraKurosawa. The title (literally "Shadow Warrior" in Japanese) is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the [[JidaiGeki Sengoku period of Japanese history]] and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable clan. The warlord whom the ''kagemusha'' impersonates is based on ''daimyo'' Takeda Shingen, and the film ends with the climactic 1575 Battle of Nagashino.

Portraying both UsefulNotes/TakedaShingen and the ''kagemusha'' is Creator/TatsuyaNakadai, prized theater actor who has been working with Kurosawa as early as ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}''. Tsutomu Yamazaki, another well-known character actor, portrays Takeda Nobukado, Shingen's brother and a former ''kagemusha'' of Shingen himself. Daisuke Ryu plays the younger and more ambitious UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga.

* JidaiGeki: Japan, late XVI century.
* JobTitle: Roughly translates to "impostor".

* OneWordTitle: In the original Japanese, anyway. The English title is directly translated but three words: "The Shadow Warrior".

--> '''Nobukado''': ''I often [[DareToBeBadass wanted to be myself, to be free]]. [[SubvertedTrope But now I think it was selfish of me]]. [[TheRemnant The shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own]]. [[HappinessInSlavery I was my brother's shadow. Now that I have lost him... I don't know what to do]].''

** [[spoiler: When the death of Takeda Shingen is finally revealed, his rival Oda Nobunaga]] sings a song of mourning.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion:" I only stole a few coins. A petty thief. But you've killed hundreds and robbed whole domains. Who is wicked, you or I?"
* AsYouKnow:

* CharacterTics: Among Shingen's many mannerisms were his way of handling a resting table and fondling his moustache. The ''kagemusha'' spends much time perfecting his imitation of these habits to convince Shingen's household he's the genuine article.
* ChekhovsGun: How no one else can ride the real Shingen's horse, mentioned fairly early in the film when the courtiers are talking about problems with their ElCidPloy. Much later, the kagemusha rashly attempts to mount the horse, is thrown, and is exposed to the whole household as an impostor when he's revealed to not have the real Shingen's battle scars.

* JobTitle: Roughly translates to "impostor."
* KillThemAll: [[spoiler: The Takeda clan perishes under [[GloryHound Katsuyori's]] poor leadership in the final battle. Kagemusha dies too. It's implied some of the leaders [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere fled in time]] however.]] Serving as TruthInTelevision as well, as the Battle of Nagashino was the pivotal battle heralding the downward spiral of the Takeda clan. The Takeda would be finished off seven years later at the Battle of Tenmokuzan.

* LossOfIdentity: Implied to be the tragedy of the ''kagemusha'' (as discussed by Nobukado above in AlwaysSomeoneBetter): in performing the role of Shingen so well and internalizing what he represents to the Takeda, [[spoiler: his dismissal after his status as a fake was discovered left him without anything to cling on to]]. Watching the Takeda get slaughtered at Nagashino [[spoiler: pretty much made him snap, pick up a spear and futilely charge at the Oda camp's gunners, [[MoreDakka where he was riddled with bullets]]. His last scene of trying to save the now-tattered [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fūrinkazan banner of Shingen]] from floating to the river (before succumbing and floating downstream himself) is truly TearJerker stuff]].
** This is probably why [[spoiler:Kagemusha tried to ride Shingen's horse which would end up ruining the impersonation. He was so sure of being Shingen that it didn't occur to him that the horse, established as refusing to be ridden anyone but Shingen himself, would have disagreed.]]

* NotSoDifferent[=/=]InsultBackfire: The thief resents being called scum by Shingen and remarks that a bloody warlord has no right to claim the higher moral ground. Shingen concedes the point.

* OneWordTitle: In the original Japanese, anyway. The English title is directly translated but three words: “The Shadow Warrior”.

** The Kagemusha receives all the love and respect of Shingen's followers while the deception lasts, but once they find out that their real master is dead and the Shingen they’ve been serving since then is an impostor, they despise the Kagemusha and drive him away.

* TheStoic: Nobukado, who is the only one of the Takeda leaders observing the Battle of Nagashino to maintain his cool while everyone else - including Katsuyori - are visibly panicking over the slaughter. A close-up shows, however, that he is utterly ''heartbroken'' at having to see so many brave and faithful Takeda retainers lose their lives for nothing. ([[https://www.musubi.it/images/cinema/Jidai/kagemusha77.jpg His face being stricken]] with UndeathlyPallor doesn't help, either.[[note]]It may well [[{{Foreshadowing}} have served as a premonition]], as seven years later, at the final [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tenmokuzan Battle of Tenmokuzan]], Nobukado would be among the remnants of the Takeda to be captured and executed by the Oda.[[/note]])

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: UsefulNotes/TakedaShingen, UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga and UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu among others.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Nobukado mentioned to Kagemusha how, when he was serving as Shingen's ''kagemusha'' himself, how he wanted to be his own man, but knows he can never dare subvert or surpass his elder brother:

* TheStoic: Nobukado, who is the only one of the Takeda leaders observing the Battle of Nagashino to maintain his cool while everyone else - including Katsuyori - are visibly panicking over the slaughter. A close-up shows, however, that he is utterly ''heartbroken'' at having to see so many brave and faithful Takeda retainers lose their lives for nothing. ([[https://www.musubi.it/images/cinema/Jidai/kagemusha77.jpg His face being stricken]] with UndeathlyPallor doesn't help too.[[note]]It may well [[{{Foreshadowing}} have served as a premonition]], as seven years later, at the final [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tenmokuzan Battle of Tenmokuzan]], Nobukado would be among the remnants of the Takeda to be captured and executed by the Oda.[[/note]])

* AttackAttackAttack: This is Katsuyori's strategy for the Battle of Nagashino at the end of the movie. [[spoiler:It turns out badly with him sending waves of Takeda infantry and cavalry at Oda Nobunaga's army of matchlock troops hidden behind a long wooden barricade, where Katsuyori's troops end up getting massacred by sustained Oda volley fire in the space of ten minutes' screentime]].

* GrayRainOfDepression: Kagemusha's last scene in the clan compound, [[spoiler: when he is refused a goodbye with his "grandson" and expelled]].

* LeaveTheCameraRunning: One of Kurosawa's trademarks; long, silent shots of soldiers riding horses, generals lost in contemplative thought, and [[spoiler: battlefields strewn with dead bodies.]]

* GeneralFailure: Takeda Katsuyori is aggressive to a fault as a military leader, lacking his father's wisdom and judgement. His audacity leads to the capture of the Tokugawa fortress of Takatenjin, which Shingen himself was never able to take, but this is only because his reckless attack on the fortress gives the Takeda generals and the Kagemusha no choice but to reinforce him. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Katsuyori gains control of the clan when the Kagemusha is exposed, and when Nobunaga invades their territory he leads a counteroffensive instead of staying on the defense as his late father and the other generals advised. This leads to catastrophic defeat at Nagashino: even though directly charging the enemy stockades and arquebusiers proves futile, Katsuyori insists on sending wave after wave of troops to be mowed down until he has nothing left]].

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The kagemusha and the Takeda generals that personally led the attack at Nagashino in the final battle are all killed, and the Takeda army [[CurbStompBattle is clearly utterly crushed]]. It seems the generals who were back at the command post fled, and it's quite likely that the Takeda clan will be destroyed as Shingen predicted.]]

** Another long slab of dialogue halfway through the movie, as a retainer feels the need to explain to Katsuyori how Shingen passed over Katsuyori as the heir in favor of Katsuyori's little son.

* BigBad: Oda Nobunaga is the most powerful and ambitious antagonist plotting to destroy the Takeda clan, with the help of his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu. It's mainly for the sake of deterring Nobunaga that the Kagemusha must impersonate the late Shingen, [[spoiler:and when the charade is exposed Nobunaga makes his move]].

* AsYouKnow: In the opening scene Nobukado tells Takeda, regarding the thief's resemblance to him, that "Only I, your brother, could see it from the first."

* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Kagemusha is shot by Oda gunners while observing the ruination of the Takeda clan. He dies as he attempts to grab the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furinkazan standard]] floating down a stream, and floats with it.]]

%%* BigBad: Oda Nobunaga is the primary enemy commander shown.

* BoxedCrook: The thief's life is spared in order to act as a top-secret double for an identical-looking feudal warlord. Oddly, when it initially appears he won't be able to succeed the Takeda set him free rather than disposing of him, but he returns to them to make another attempt of his own volition.
* CharacterTics: Among many of Shingen's mannerisms, his handling of a resting table and fondling his mustache was most iconic, so much that ''kagemusha'' takes much time in perfecting these to convince Shingen's household.
* CurbStompBattle: The Battle of Nagashino.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The kagemusha and the Takeda generals that personally led the attack at Nagashino in the final battle are all killed, and the Takeda army [[CurbStompBattle is clearly utterly crushed]]. It seems the generals who were back at the command post fled, and it's quite likely the Takeda clan will be no more as Shingen predicted.]]
* ElCidPloy: The death of Takeda Shingen brings all sorts of DecapitatedArmy related misfortunes for his clan, so the impersonation scheme is set in motion. DoubleSubverted as after the initial evaluation the thief is deemed unfit for the task and the clan leaders are about to reveal the truth, but this changes again when the thief fully commits to his role.
* ForegoneConclusion: Anyone familiar with the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 knows most of the movie's ending already...
* GeneralFailure: Played with, in tandem with GloryHound; initially defied as Katsuyori's audacity pays off when his risky attack forces the other Takeda leaders with a more experienced judgment to support him against their will and the clan succeeds in taking a fortress that Shingen himself never was able to take. In the end [[spoiler: Takeda Katsuyori disregarding the defensive strategy set by his father and the other generals leads to catastrophic results]].

* BadassGrandpa: Shingen at age 51 is an undoubted badass, but special mention goes to Masakage Yamagata who is older than Shingen, yet still has the stones to try and talk sense into Shingen, his feudal master.
* BigBad: Oda Nobunaga is the primary enemy commander shown.

* JustJokingDefense: The thief admits everything to Shingen's concubines in their first meeting, but laughs it off. They think that he's just teasing them.

* SarcasticConfession: How Kagemusha deals with his concubines when they become suspicious. It works. [[spoiler: For a while.]]