“Gohatto” or “Taboo” is a samurai movie from 1999, notable for two main reasons. It deals frankly with the historical custom of homosexual love affairs among the samurai class, and it contains some of the best sword choreography of any samurai movie.

Taboo is set during the era when the supporters of imperial rule were trying to overthrow the shogunate in the 1860s, and the shogunate hired a death squad of ronin warriors called the Shinsengumi to terrorize the rebels. The premise of the movie is that a young and extraordinarily beautiful young swordsman joins the gang, and immediately causes dissension in the ranks as the other warriors all try to get close to him.

This plot is likely to make some American viewers uncomfortable, due to the prevalence of homophobia in this country. The fact is that relationships between men were often accepted among the samurai, although generally not between those of equal age and rank. As in ancient Greece, one partner would be younger than the other. Of course, this would be seen as exploitative and inappropriate now, but that was not the case in that era, so the movie is only portraying something that really existed at the time.

For fans of samurai cinema, the real interest in this film is the superb quality of the sword choreography, which is far more realistic and historically accurate than in many samurai dramas. Most of the sword-fighting scenes are training bouts conducted with wooden weapons, which is an unusual but visually interesting choice. If you enjoy movies with realistic swordsmanship, this movie is highly recommended. If you're easily offended by movies with homosexual themes- get over it!