Shōtarō Ikenami was a Japanese author. He wrote a number of historical novels. He won the Naoki Award for popular literature in 1960. Many of his historical novels were adapted for TV and cinema.

The Last Samurai is a 1974 Japanese period drama film, directed by Kenji Misumi. It is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel Sonootoko. The Last Samurai was Misumi's final film.