So are there Japanese rappers? that's a truly weird thought.

I read Japanese novels (in English translation)- medieval classics like the Tale of the Heike, more modern ones like Yoshikawa's Taiko (the rise and fall of the Oda as seen through the eyes of Hideyoshi - very long and rather old fashioned but has a very STW feel with shinobi sabotaging castles, armies being bribed, Ikko Ikki being revolting... ).

While I love chanbara movies only Ran and Kagemusha do the battles properly.