Hattori Hanzo was a legendary Japanese samurai warrior from the 15th century. Sonny Chiba will be playing one of his relatives I think. But in any case, heres some history on the original Hattori Hanzo:
HATTORI HANZO’s many merits gave him big recognition and he was awarded the command over the HASSENSHI SAMURAI’s. HATTORI HANZO died in battle the 4’th of december in 1596 when he had the command over a troop that would terrorize NINJA’s from FUMA RYU in KANAGAWA. HANZO and his troops had followed the FUMA RYU NINJA’s out on the sea in boats, but the FUMA NINJA’s used underwater techniques to destroy the rudder on their boats. And when HANZO and his men jumped into the water to swim ashore the FUMA NINJA’s had filled oil into the water and sat it on fire, they all died in the flames. HATTORI HANZO was succeeded by HATTORI IWAMI NO KAMI MASANARI.
The population in Japan still sings about HANZO in the areas around KAWAUCHI, he was also known as “The great lancer”, a very strong warrior. It is not many that realize his connection to NINJUTSU, he was more known as a BUSHI (a SAMURAI) from IGA.
Sonny Chiba (above) will be playing Hattori Hanzo, the samurai master in Kill Bill.
Thank God for u toothpick! (also about the Pai Mei info.) You’re one cool dude.
Its really interesting about Hattori Hanzo. Tarantino is a danm genius. I love him.
Sonny Chiba looks really cool in that pic.
I CANNOT WAIT FOR KILL BILL DAMN IT!!!
The only thing that bugs me is that damn title!! I think Q.T.'s mind can come up with something much better than Kill Bill.
JULES
I know what you mean about “Kill Bill”. Its a very short unexciting sounding title for a film thats an “epic kung fu/grindhouse film”. But, I think thats why QT chose it. Its simple yet it hides all the crazy stuff that the film contains. Its still not as original as Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction though.
I was surprised about the Pai Mei thing. I had no idea he was a character from the Shaw Brothers films. But now that I know, I think its fn awesome!
Stay Kool and the Gang
Here’s the whole article: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/6753/HanzoHattori.html
Like Jules on Kill Bill, I feel the same way about the name Hattori Hanzo. To me the name just screams ninja and it’s sort of hokey. Probably the equivalent of naming a badass sheriff Wyatt Earp or something to that effect. Contrary to that article, I think most people who have heard of Hanzo usually think of him as an all out ninja. The Japanese even have a popular cartoon called Ninja Hattori-kun about a 2 ft tall ninja (Hattori) running around screaming nin-nin-nin.
But hell, I guess it fits with the whole grind house theme of the film. And who the hell has heard of Hattori anyway (curse that cartoon and the damages it caused). Sorry about the bitching!
Here’s a site with more Ninja stuff: http://www.geocities.com/ShoKosugiTheNinja/links.html
Sonny Chiba has iconic value, to be sure, but does anybody else think that, if Toshiro Mifune were still alive, he’d been among QT’s first choices for Hattori Hanzo?
I’m sure QT loves Toshiro Mifune, but QT seems to be aiming for a more B-movie crowd rather than an A-list actor.
But it looks like Tarantino wrote the part specifically for Chiba because Sonny Chiba has already played the part of Hattori Hanzo in “Shadow Warriors”, the TV series that Tarantino and his buddies would watch every Sunday night in the 1980s.
yeah that’s good info.
we shouldn’t forget that everything QT makes, he takes from somewhere else. there’s barely any original stuff in his works. he takes something, puts it in a mixer, peps it up and there we go: a new cool flick
8)
hey am I wrong with this? : is this Chiba’s first real acting performance in a major american motion picture or not?
I can’t wait for all those Sushi Bar scenes. Can’t wait for the baseball to be cut in half
I want to know does Sonny Chiba get to fight in Kill Bill??
[quote]I want to know does Sonny Chiba get to fight in Kill Bill??[/quote]
Nope, Hattori Hanzo isnt fighting in the film. He is there as a legendary mythical character who creates the special Lioness Sword of Revenge for The Bride, his presence alone is exciting enough if your a Sonny Chiba fan. 
Sonny Chiba has iconic value, to be sure, but does anybody else think that, if Toshiro Mifune were still alive, he’d been among QT’s first choices for Hattori Hanzo?
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ive only watched Chiba in the old Street Fighter movies long ago.
what i could see was Chiba trying to imitate Bruce Lee’s expressions.
it turned out to be the best comedy and sidesplitting scenes my friends and i ever watched. the funniest stances and poses and the look on his face made me laugh more than the Three Stooges ever could.
Toshiro was the best on screen samurai i have ever seen.
it was a shame when he passed away, and the next year we lost Kurosawa.
i have yet to see an american movie represent Samurai concisely, Cruise is working on the last Samurai but who knows without seeing the script how good it will be.
Toshiro, i think would have eclipsed the other actors with his presence.
[quote]Sonny Chiba has iconic value, to be sure, but does anybody else think that, if Toshiro Mifune were still alive, he’d been among QT’s first choices for Hattori Hanzo?
ive only watched Chiba in the old Street Fighter movies long ago.
what i could see was Chiba trying to imitate Bruce Lee’s expressions.
it turned out to be the best comedy and sidesplitting scenes my friends and i ever watched. the funniest stances and poses and the look on his face made me laugh more than the Three Stooges ever could.
Toshiro was the best on screen samurai i have ever seen.
it was a shame when he passed away, and the next year we lost Kurosawa.
i have yet to see an american movie represent Samurai concisely, Cruise is working on the last Samurai but who knows without seeing the script how good it will be.
Toshiro, i think would have eclipsed the other actors with his presence.
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Toshiro was a GREAT actor. He was brilliant in Kurosawas films and he was great in one of my favorite films called “Hell in the Pacific” with Lee Marvin.
I think one of the the reasons QT chose Sonny Chiba is because he fits in with the whole “Exploitation” theme of the film. Plus, hes one of QTs favorite Japanese actors as we all know.
The Streetfighter films are so much fun. I have them all and I really enjoy them. From the crazy fighting poses and over the top violence to the screechy breathing noises that Chiba makes. Its Exploitation at its finest. Great stuff.
The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise might be cool. We’ll see.
Just tossin’ some useless trivia: Last Samurai also stars Hiroyuki ‘Henry’ Sanada. Sanada was one of Chiba’s number one protégés back when Chiba ruled Japanese action. He’s very much a respected and successful actor nowadays (though, his personal life seems a bit rocky). I can’t confirm it but I heard Sanada’s last flick (Twilight Samurai) won praise from the Emperor.
Check out The Executioner, one of Sanada’s first karate films with Chiba, if anyone’s up for a good laugh. Chiba (and also another action legend) does a much better Bruce Lee interpretation (an angrier Lee that can ONLY be described as Sonny Chiba) in this one.
I think after Kill Bill, they’re gonna offer him to shoot a StreetFighter sequel