In KILL BILL, Sonny Chiba plays “The Man from Okinawa”.
Okinawa is a set of the most southern Japanese islands .
It’s had an interesting history.
An island group of the central Ryukyu Islands in the western Pacific Ocean southwest of Japan. In World War II Okinawa, the largest island in the group, was the scene of fierce combat between the Japanese and U.S. Army and Marine forces (April 1-June 21, 1945). The islands were returned to the Japanese in 1972.
Now, I’m wondering why QT would have Hattori Hanzo come from there.
Does anyone know if QT has ever visited Okinawa?
I know that QT visited Japan in 1997 promoting the Japanese release of “From Dusk Til Dawn” with Robert Rodriguez. He also made a series of Japanese commercials with Sonny Chiba. But I don’t think he ventured outside of Osaka or Tokyo.
Anyone know if he went anywhere else?
Okinawa is known as the birthplace of Karate. But being so south of the rest of Japan, didn’t have much of a samurai history. In fact, it’s almost considered not a real part of Japan by the rest of the Japanese. It’s like Hawaii to the rest of the US. It’s officially part of the country but it feels more like an island get-away.
QT may have gotten the idea because the “Beat” Takeshi Kitano film SONATINE released on QT’s Rolling Thunder Label is set for the most part in Okinawa.
Any other reasons?
I haven’t read the script yet. (I know my willpower is crumbling. 
)
