Oh absolutely! Talking about the great samurai of old would be the equivalent of talking about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the US. I don't think there are many people over the age of 5 that wouldn't know who Musashi is, but he is not as well known or respected as some other famous samurai. I mean -daytime soap operas are about them, manga comics are about them, even train advertisements and such. Much of the romance of Japan is strongly linked to the samurai. (I am in Japan currently BTW) :)