Back in January 2020, I had just wrapped up my self-assigned project, Massachusetts License Plate Concepts. Around the same time, a new Indiana Jones film—later revealed as The Dial of Destiny—was announced to be in active development. Intrigued by what thrilling and possibly perilous artifact Dr. Jones might chase next, I began sketching ideas for what I personally would want to see in an Indiana Jones movie—and on a poster.
During this brainstorming phase, I turned to Wikipedia and explored a list of lost and legendary treasures. That’s when I discovered the Sword of Kusanagi, one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan. According to legend, the blade holds the power to control the wind. Instantly, my imagination ignited: visions of WWII naval battles, sword-summoned hurricanes, and a quest for vengeance flooded my mind. From that moment, the poster began to take shape.
I originally expected the project to take about a year. But after a global pandemic, a mountain of college assignments, a stolen laptop, and a stubborn illness, I finally crossed the finish line—six years later.
Behind the Poster
- In Japanese folklore, the sword—Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi—symbolizes the virtue of valor.
- While the central plot of this imagined film revolves around Indy recovering the sword and keeping it out of the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army, it also tells a more personal story: a tale of revenge for Short Round, who was orphaned during the Japanese bombing of Shanghai in 1932.
- The four corners of the poster feature illustrated “windows” that trace the sword’s mythic journey to its WWII-era resting place:
- Top Left: The storm god Susanoo slays the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi and discovers the sword hidden in its tail.
- Top Right: Prince Yamato Takeru uses the sword to reverse an approaching wildfire, turning it against his treacherous enemies.
- Bottom Right: The child Emperor Antoku meets his tragic end. Upon learning of her clan’s defeat, his grandmother leads him and his court into the sea, drowning themselves along with two of the three Imperial Regalia—the sacred jewel and the sword.
- Bottom Left: The sword washes ashore at Ise, where it is recovered by Shinto priests.
· No AI generation was used in the creation of this poster.
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A final note: two of the actors
featured in the credits—Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Udo Kier—were still alive when
I began this project back in 2020.
