Omura is the one of the two main antagonists (along with Colonel Bagley) in the film The Last Samurai. He is a businessman from Japan who is assisting the Emperor in westernizing their country.
He was portrayed by Masato Harada.
Biography[]
Because of the Emperor's interest in everything western, Omura has been hiring every western expert he can find, such as Dutch Architects, French Lawyers, and German Engineers. However, the samurai come to resent these changes and, although still remain loyal to the throne, refused to use accepts westernization and abandon their ancient traditions. As a result, discontented Samurai warrior Katsumoto leads a rebellion in his belief that he is serving the Emperor, Omura hires American soldiers, such as Colonel Bagley and Captain Nathan Algren, to train Japan's Imperial Army to replace quell the rebellion. In exchange for training the soldiers, Omura and the Emperor promise a trade agreement for America.
The new Imperial Army is called into action when the samurai attack a railroad Omura owns, even though Captain Algren insists that they are not ready. The battle ends in catastrophe as the unprepared conscripts fire their guns too early, failing to deal any damage to the samurai and break ranks and flee when the samurai charge. Gant is killed in the ensuing chaos and Algren is taken captive by the samurai, following the Imperial Army's defeat Omura realizes that Algren was right about the Imperial Army not being ready. Omura hires a group of assassins to infiltrate the village the samurai live in and kill Katsumoto, the leader of the Samurai rebellion. The assassins are defeated by Katsumoto and Algren, Katsumoto then requests a meeting with Emperor Meiji and grants him safe passage, releasing Algren in the process. Upon arriving in Tokyo, Algren finds the Imperial Army is now a well-trained, fully equipped fighting force under Bagley's command.
Under Omura, Katsumoto discovers that the Emperor is essentially Omura's puppet due to his inexperience and incapability to make decisions while Omura dominates the court and enacts a series of laws outlawing the samurai and their traditions. Meiji restores Katsumoto to the court who attends a meeting but under Omura's new laws Omura has him arrested for carrying a sword in public and instates seppuku as his punishment to redeem his honor. Algren who refused Omura's prior offer to lead the army against the samurai and developed sympathy for the samurai's cause frees Katsumoto with the help of Graham and his son Nobutada who is killed in the process.
Omura alongside Colonel Bagley mobilize the Imperial Army to finally crush the rebellion, Katsumoto and Algren make a final stand with five hundred samurai against Omura's numerically superior forces. Katsumoto and Algren use Omura's overconfidence to lure the army into a trap, following early firing by the howitzers on the samurai lines, they feign retreat, a hubristic Omura orders a full assault on the samurai against the advice of Bagley. The samurai initially repel the Imperial forces by lighting hay on fire to cut their forces into two and ambush them, showering them in a barrage of arrows. The ensuing battle inflicts massive casualties on both sides and the Imperial forces eventually retreat. Knowing that the Imperial forces will be receiving reinforcements soon, Katsumoto and Algren make a last stand with their remaining men against Omura.
A timorous Omura orders Bagley to quell the samurai who lead a suicide charge into the Imperial force's lines. The samurai manage to break through their lines while Bagley is killed by Algren after he hurls a sword through his chest, Omura hastily orders the new gatling guns to be brought up against the samurai. The samurai are then mowed down by the gatling guns while Katsumoto is mortally wounded, a sympathetic officer orders them to stop firing while Omura orders them to persist but eventually they cease. Katsumoto commits seppuku with Algren's help whilst Imperial forces kneel in respect.
After the final battle between Omura and Katsumoto's forces, Omura returned to the Imperial Palace to witness the signing of the treaty with the United States. Before Emperor Meiji could sign the treaty, Algren came in to present the late Katsumoto's sword to the Emperor. The young Emperor finally realises his mistake in allowing Omura to westernize Japan as he realizes Omura is corrupt and only trying to serve his own interests while eroding away the ancient traditions of Japan and its people and refuses to sign the treaty much to the chagrin of Omura.
Omura protests the Emperor's decision and attempts to persuade him to discuss the matter with him, the Emperor however refuses and simply states that he has done quite enough whilst Omura insists he has done what is best for the country, the Emperor furiously silences him and threatens to seize his family's assets and distribute them amongst the populace as a gift to the people while Omura fulminates that the Emperor disgraces him. Emperor Meiji offers him Katsumoto's sword to perform the traditional suicide of the Samurai if he could not bear his shame, Omura vehemently glares at Algren while yielding to Emperor Meiji's decision.