A great fan of John Ford, Miyazaki pays tribute to the American legend with his creation of a tight-knit frontier town , Tatara Ba or Iron Town, which could be at the edge of any wilderness, whether American or Japanese – a town that resembles those of such classics as “My Darling Clementine.” He peopled this town with characters from outcast groups and oppressed minorities who rarely, if ever, appear in Japanese films. And he made them yearning, ambitious and tough, embodying many of the same qualities which have been valued so highly in frontier life yet have been so devastating to the environment.