Darth Vader and Date Masamune An Unusual Relationship

This is the most famous helmet used by Date Masamune. Its sword-like golden moon atop the helmet is striking. Date Masamune was a samurai warrior who started building a castle town in 1600, and made the foundation of the city of Sendai.

“Star Wars”-a film directed by George Lucas. This film was first released in 1977 in the United States and was an explosive hit, followed by 5 other films that have attracted movie fans worldwide.

The costume design of Darth Vader, a dark Sith Lord in this film, was based on the motif of samurai armor and helmets from the age of Japan’s provincial wars. In particular, the mask design is said to be based on the helmet of Date Masamune of Sendai. Is this true? We asked Mr. Naotsugu Hamada, the former curator of the Sendai City Museum his opinions on this matter.

He told us that he received a call from the United States more than 20 years ago when he was the curator of the Sendai City Museum and lent photographs of the armor and the helmet of Date Masamune to a person involved in production of the film.

There is one book titled Star Wars: The Magic of the Myth, released by Mary Henderson in 1997 in the United States that introduces costumes, spaceships, weapons and other memorabilia from the scenes in Star Wars.

Photographs of the helmets of Darth Vader and Date Masamune are shown side by side on pages 188-189 and there is a passage explaining that the helmet of Darth Vader was made based on Japanese armor and helmets. The pitch black mask, its curve, and the armored suit, which is completely black, do resemble those of Date Masamune.

Celestial bodies have been worshiped by people in all countries. Samurai warriors during the age of Japan’s provincial wars used the symbols of the sun, the moon, and the stars for their helmets and flags, believing in their unearthly powers. The film “Star Wars” that used space as the battlefield may relate to samurai warriors in some way.

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