Production of "Seven Samurai" coincided with an equally elemental movie, allegorising Japan's nuclear martyrdom, "Godzilla" - both at the same studio, Toho. In "Seven Samurai," a village regularly ...

Samurai warriors derived their status and salaries from the daimyo lords they served. When a daimyo died, these warriors became "ronin," masterless samurai. After Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in ...