Ninja Scroll Comparisons

Im a big fan of the Ninja Scroll anime, but Ive just seen Swordsman part 1 and Ive noticed loads of similarties between the two films. But since Swordsman was made 4 years or so before Ninja Scroll I guess the credit goes to Swordsman...

The Comparisons:

'wise cracking' swordsman
Old man that is a kung fu master - they even look the same in both films!! Missing teeth, the flask and the clothes
A poisonous Bee attack
various political intrigues
fighters with 'dark martial arts' skills
a woman that can control snakes
a female martial artist that helps out the main swordsman

These are the ones that come to mind anyway. Of course Ninja Scroll is an 18 with some serious violence in it, whilst Swordsman is fairly violent its alot of cheesy - with its musical numbers etc...