Sengoku Jieitai 1549
Encyclopedia
or Samurai Commando Mission 1549 is a feature-length film and manga
series focusing on the adventures of a modern day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
(JGSDF) element that accidentally travels through time
to the Warring States period
of Japanese history
.
Both the film and manga
are based on Sengoku Jieitai
(aka "Time-Slip", "GI Samurai", 1979), an action film which starred Sonny Chiba
as the leader of a JGSDF platoon
sent back to feudal Japan.
The manga series was drawn by manga artist group Ark Performance. The scenario was written by Fukui Harutoshi, based on Ryo Hanmura
's novel.
s with the use of electromagnetic shields. But something goes wrong, and all soldiers assigned to the test suddenly find themselves stranded on a battlefield in the Sengoku period (the year 1547) and under attack by a samurai
army. When the first men are killed, the unit retaliates with its formidable arsenal. And 74 hours later, a reverse effect occurs, and a wounded samurai warrior suddenly appears in the 21st century.
Two years later, former JSDF First Lieutenant and now world-weary restaurant owner Yusuke Kashima (Yosuke Eguchi
) is approached by Major Mori (Katsuhisa Namase
) and First Lieutenant Rei Kanzaki (Kyoka Suzuki), who inform him that his lost superior, Colonel Tsuyoshi Matoba (Takeshi Kaga
), is actually stranded in the past and ask for his help. All over Japan, black holes have formed which threaten to devour the present; Mori and Kanzaki are sure that Matoba is altering history. Using the same conditions as before, a second team under Mori's and Kanzaki's leadership is to be sent into the past and recover Matoba's unit; Kashima is to act as an observer and liaison to Matoba. Kashima refuses to participate, but then Shichibei Iinuma (Kazuki Kitamura
), the samurai who had appeared after Matoba's unit had been sent back in time, seeks him out and asks him what he is actually living for when he is not interested in saving the world. This challenge rekindles Kashima's interest, and he agrees to come along.
As the recovery team arrives, they rescue a youth by the name of Tosuke (Akiyoshi Nakao), but also come under attack by both samurai and modern weapons, and, with some help from Shichibei (whose lord, Saitō Dōsan
, had allied himself with the attackers) they are quickly captured. The survivors are brought to nearby Mount Anmo, where a castle has been erected which bears somewhat improvised, but clearly anachronistic
features, and an oil refinery
in its neighborhood! Soon, they meet the leader of the army, Oda Nobunaga
- who is actually Matoba, who has grown resentful of his own time period and intends to write Japan's history anew. Matoba has established himself as a warlord and assumed Nobunaga's identity after having killed him during one of his first battles. Now, using a battery from the magnetic shield as a kit-bashed nuclear device, he plans to make Mount Fuji
erupt, thereby eradicating the Kansai
region and establishing himself as supreme warlord. He approaches Kashima with the offer to participate, but the latter firmly refuses.
In the meantime, Shichibei learns that his lord has wed his daughter, Nōhime
(for whom the young samurai seems to feel more than respectful reverence) to the warlord and that the new arrivals are to be executed. While Schichibei is wracked with self-doubt about the fate of his benefactors, his own experiences in the future and the duty to his lord
, Tosuke manages to sneak inside the fortress, where he comes in contact with Nōhime. When she learns of his resolve, she encourages Shichibe to follow his own heart and secretly prepares to free the prisoners.
The next morning, Kashima is to fight Shichibei for the freedom of himself and his men, but before a deadly blow can be struck, Shichibei tries to convince his lord to turn away from Matoba. Just as Saitō Dōsan orders Shichibei’s death, Tosuke uses a commandeered APC
to provide the soldiers a route of escape and their weapons. They manage to snatch the majority of their equipment, but Major Mori is killed covering Kashima’s and Kanzaki’s escape, and Kanzaki herself is recaptured. With just about 21 hours left to return to their own time period, the surviving JSDF soldiers nevertheless decide to return to Anmo to stop Matoba. In the course of their planning, Kashima learns that Tosuke is actually the adopted son of Hachisuka Koroku Masakatsu
– a name which gives him hope for the future again. Soon, Shichibei returns to plead to his lord one final time and finally succeeds by appealing to a father’s love for his daughter, while Tosuke is sent to the emperor for an official authorization to declare Nobunaga a traitor.
The next morning, Saitō Dōsan returns to Anmo with fake news that Kashima and the remaining soldiers are headed for Kyoto
to ask the emperor for assistance. Taking the bait, Matoba has the majority of his forces move out. As soon as this is done, Kashima and a group of his men, assisted by Dōsan’s samurai, conduct acts of sabotage and attack the castle guards. Kashima fights his way to Matoba, who is just about to launch the bomb, and finally manages to kill him, but the bomb is still set to explode.
As the oil refinery is destroyed, the explosion triggers an earthquake which destroys the castle. Kashima and Kanzaki are – along with the bomb – evacuated by helicopter and quickly brought to the point of entry, where Kashima hopes that the electromagnetic effects created by the time shift will cause the timer to stop. With only seconds to spare, they manage to return to their point of entry and are transported back to their own time; the time bomb is stopped and the present restored.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series focusing on the adventures of a modern day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
(JGSDF) element that accidentally travels through time
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
to the Warring States period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
of Japanese history
History of Japan
The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
.
Both the film and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
are based on Sengoku Jieitai
Sengoku Jieitai (1979 film)
is a 1979 Japanese feature length film focusing on the adventures of a modern day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force team that accidentally travels in time to the...
(aka "Time-Slip", "GI Samurai", 1979), an action film which starred Sonny Chiba
Sonny Chiba
, also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,...
as the leader of a JGSDF platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
sent back to feudal Japan.
The manga series was drawn by manga artist group Ark Performance. The scenario was written by Fukui Harutoshi, based on Ryo Hanmura
Ryo Hanmura
Ryō Hanmura was a Japanese science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. His name is alternatively transliterated as Ryo Hammura. He won the Naoki Prize for his 1975 novel Amayadori...
's novel.
Plot summary
On March 10, 2003, the army conducts an experiment which is meant to shield military equipment from the effects of solar flareSolar flare
A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release of up to 6 × 1025 joules of energy . The flare ejects clouds of electrons, ions, and atoms through the corona into space. These clouds typically reach Earth a day...
s with the use of electromagnetic shields. But something goes wrong, and all soldiers assigned to the test suddenly find themselves stranded on a battlefield in the Sengoku period (the year 1547) and under attack by a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
army. When the first men are killed, the unit retaliates with its formidable arsenal. And 74 hours later, a reverse effect occurs, and a wounded samurai warrior suddenly appears in the 21st century.
Two years later, former JSDF First Lieutenant and now world-weary restaurant owner Yusuke Kashima (Yosuke Eguchi
Yōsuke Eguchi
is a Japanese poet, actor and singer, who most recently starred in 2009 Japanese film Goemon. Since 1986, he as appeared in a number of television series and movies. He is married to the actress and pop star Chisato Moritaka, with whom he has a son and a daughter....
) is approached by Major Mori (Katsuhisa Namase
Katsuhisa Namase
is a Japanese actor, known primary for his roles in Japanese television dramas. His roles are often positions of authority, such as managers, principals, or police officers, but many of these characters also share a certain kookiness and incompetence...
) and First Lieutenant Rei Kanzaki (Kyoka Suzuki), who inform him that his lost superior, Colonel Tsuyoshi Matoba (Takeshi Kaga
Takeshi Kaga
is a well-known stage and movie actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef produced by Fuji TV. His real name is .-Biography:...
), is actually stranded in the past and ask for his help. All over Japan, black holes have formed which threaten to devour the present; Mori and Kanzaki are sure that Matoba is altering history. Using the same conditions as before, a second team under Mori's and Kanzaki's leadership is to be sent into the past and recover Matoba's unit; Kashima is to act as an observer and liaison to Matoba. Kashima refuses to participate, but then Shichibei Iinuma (Kazuki Kitamura
Kazuki Kitamura
is a Japanese film and television actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 14th Yokohama Film Festival for Minazuki, Kyohansha and Kanzen-naru shiiku.-Movies:...
), the samurai who had appeared after Matoba's unit had been sent back in time, seeks him out and asks him what he is actually living for when he is not interested in saving the world. This challenge rekindles Kashima's interest, and he agrees to come along.
As the recovery team arrives, they rescue a youth by the name of Tosuke (Akiyoshi Nakao), but also come under attack by both samurai and modern weapons, and, with some help from Shichibei (whose lord, Saitō Dōsan
Saito Dosan
was a daimyo who dramatically rose and also fell from power in Sengoku period Japan. He was also known as the for his ruthless tactics.-Life:Originally a wealthy merchant from Yamashiro Province , he entered the service of Nagai Nagahiro of Mino Province , assuming the name Nishimura Kankurô.He...
, had allied himself with the attackers) they are quickly captured. The survivors are brought to nearby Mount Anmo, where a castle has been erected which bears somewhat improvised, but clearly anachronistic
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
features, and an oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
in its neighborhood! Soon, they meet the leader of the army, Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
- who is actually Matoba, who has grown resentful of his own time period and intends to write Japan's history anew. Matoba has established himself as a warlord and assumed Nobunaga's identity after having killed him during one of his first battles. Now, using a battery from the magnetic shield as a kit-bashed nuclear device, he plans to make Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
erupt, thereby eradicating the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
region and establishing himself as supreme warlord. He approaches Kashima with the offer to participate, but the latter firmly refuses.
In the meantime, Shichibei learns that his lord has wed his daughter, Nōhime
Nohime
also Kichō or Lady Noh, was the wife of Oda Nobunaga, a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. Her proper name was Kichō, but since she came from Mino Province, she is most commonly referred to as Nōhime . She was renowned for her beauty and cleverness.Nōhime's father was the...
(for whom the young samurai seems to feel more than respectful reverence) to the warlord and that the new arrivals are to be executed. While Schichibei is wracked with self-doubt about the fate of his benefactors, his own experiences in the future and the duty to his lord
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
, Tosuke manages to sneak inside the fortress, where he comes in contact with Nōhime. When she learns of his resolve, she encourages Shichibe to follow his own heart and secretly prepares to free the prisoners.
The next morning, Kashima is to fight Shichibei for the freedom of himself and his men, but before a deadly blow can be struck, Shichibei tries to convince his lord to turn away from Matoba. Just as Saitō Dōsan orders Shichibei’s death, Tosuke uses a commandeered APC
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
to provide the soldiers a route of escape and their weapons. They manage to snatch the majority of their equipment, but Major Mori is killed covering Kashima’s and Kanzaki’s escape, and Kanzaki herself is recaptured. With just about 21 hours left to return to their own time period, the surviving JSDF soldiers nevertheless decide to return to Anmo to stop Matoba. In the course of their planning, Kashima learns that Tosuke is actually the adopted son of Hachisuka Koroku Masakatsu
Hachisuka Masakatsu
, also Hachisuka Koroku , was a daimyo and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history. He was the son of Hachisuka Masatoshi....
– a name which gives him hope for the future again. Soon, Shichibei returns to plead to his lord one final time and finally succeeds by appealing to a father’s love for his daughter, while Tosuke is sent to the emperor for an official authorization to declare Nobunaga a traitor.
The next morning, Saitō Dōsan returns to Anmo with fake news that Kashima and the remaining soldiers are headed for Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
to ask the emperor for assistance. Taking the bait, Matoba has the majority of his forces move out. As soon as this is done, Kashima and a group of his men, assisted by Dōsan’s samurai, conduct acts of sabotage and attack the castle guards. Kashima fights his way to Matoba, who is just about to launch the bomb, and finally manages to kill him, but the bomb is still set to explode.
As the oil refinery is destroyed, the explosion triggers an earthquake which destroys the castle. Kashima and Kanzaki are – along with the bomb – evacuated by helicopter and quickly brought to the point of entry, where Kashima hopes that the electromagnetic effects created by the time shift will cause the timer to stop. With only seconds to spare, they manage to return to their point of entry and are transported back to their own time; the time bomb is stopped and the present restored.