CAB Marines explore historic site featured in 'The Last Samurai'
KUMAMOTO CITY, KYUSHU, Japan (February 23, 2007) -- Many Marines may be familiar with Kumamoto City after watching the Tom Cruise film "The Last Samurai," but how many can actually say they've been to its castle?
http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2007/070223-kumamoto.html
Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso
That's exactly what Marines with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division can now say after they toured Kumamoto Castle, Kyushu, Japan, Feb. 11 following the conclusion of Exercise Forest Light 2007.
The nearly 400-year-old castle is better known by the Japanese as the site of Japan's last civil war. After the new Meiji government sought to abolish the samurai's political influence in 1877, an army of former samurai rose against the government.
As was loosely depicted in the movie, the 50-day siege ended with the castle in flames and the samurai defeated, thus ending the warriors' hopes of returning to their place of prominence as the protectors of the emperor of Japan.
Today the castle stands reconstructed thanks to donations from Japanese citizens and is a monument to the fierce battle that took place there.
Several Marines agreed the samurai spirit they learned of during the tour is similar to the core values practiced in today's Marine Corps. The same virtues of honor, courage and commitment were taught to all samurai from the time they were children.
The CAB Marines said the tour was a refreshing end to the exercise and enjoyed the opportunity to learn of another culture's warriors.