Tom Cruise spent almost two years preparing for the film, including swordplay instruction and Japanese language lessons.
This film marks the first time Ken Watanabe starred in an American-made movie, as well as the first time he speaks English in a film.
The swordsmith in the village is a real swordsmith named is Shoji Yoshihara. He is Yoshihara Yoshindo's brother. Shoji is a "Mukansa"-level master swordsmith, one of the highest rankings in Japan.
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