...The Warriors of ancient Japanese legend have transcended the traditional image of war-tales and myths. For Japanese culture, the men who are regarded as one of the three types of heroes in Paul Varley’s book, Warriors of Japan: As Portrayed in the War Tales, have proven to be much more than the subject of a bedtime story, but rather a national treasure in which Japanese culture and wisdom is portray through. It is the victories, and failures of these heroes that teach the world of Japanese traditions and honor. However, these men were not created for the education of the world, but rather for the centuries of Japanese people whom these figures represent. Warrior tales of Minamoto no Tametomo, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, Minamoto no Yoshinaka, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune have a greater purpose than to provide entertainment to the people of Japan, these men provide a Japanese education on personality, values, morals, and Japanese customs. The three types of heroes that Varley examines in his book differ from each other slightly, but contribute greatly to the history of Japan in an exciting narrative of the honor and customs of the ancient Japanese warrior. The greatest loser-hero in Hōgen Monogatari is Minamoto no Tametomo (Varley, 56). A real life Japanese warrior, Minatomo was contributed with a number of attributes that are believed to have been not true in the effort to immortalize him as a warrior. Said to have stood two feet taller than the normal Japanese man, and endowed with...
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...April 20, 2010 Professor Ravina Legends of the Samurai The Faces of Bushido Bushido, however it is defined, has had a profound impact on Japanese society. Translated, Bushido means “Way of the Warrior” and so it can be defined as a type of code of conduct for samurai. Besides being simply a code applied to Japanese samurai alone, Bushido has also been said to be an integral element in the fabric of Japanese culture and society. Although there is no formalized official written document specifically stating what Bushido is, it remains an entity that has become the quintessential element of Japanese society. Of all the interpretations on what Bushido is, two of the most popular are the Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo and Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe. However, both of these writings are influenced by the time period in which they were written, and experiences of their respective authors. By evaluating certain influences on the interpretations of Bushido and the contradictions in them one is able to see how each is using their own version of Bushido to justify the author’s position or achieve a certain end. Bushido as a term itself was not used much later on, but the code itself, although unspoken, can be seen Japanese literature throughout the ages. Starting with the Shoku Nihongi the term “bushi” is used as well as the term “Saburau”, which was applied to those who accompanied nobility. One of the earliest forms of a type of written code of conduct that has Bushido...
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...The Last Samurai – Traditional and Modern Economies A traditional economy is an economic system that relies on a strong social network and is based on primitive methods and tools, whereas a modern economy relies on production, exchange, distribution, and consumption of goods. In the film, The Last Samurai, western Japan fights against the rebelling Samurai who do not wish to modernize and rid of their traditions. The vast differences between a traditional and modern economy are shown throughout the film as both civilizations express different means of production, military capabilities and cultural values. The reign of Emperor Meiji was one of the most revolutionary eras in Japanese history as Japan underwent dramatic changes in its government, economy, and culture. The nation opened its doors to the west and embraced a new world of cultural influences. Japan was transformed into an agrarian society with an industrialized economy and a strict military regime. Revolutionized Japan created modern weaponry such as guns and automatic weapons that were made in industrial factories. Instead of carrying goods using horses, Japan modernized using wagons and trains which made transportation of goods more rapid and efficient. In the film, we can see the paved streets and buildings of western Japan, the use of modern clothing, and advanced military technology. Conversely, the Samurai represent a traditional economy by their use of weapons, transportation, and cultural...
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...Bushido: Code of the Samurai By Allen Meeks Samurai live by a code ethics called Bushido. Bushido in Japanese means the way of the warrior. It was loosely based on chivalry. They live by honor and courage. They live and die for their masters. They go into battle fearless. They care about their appearances and usually are artists or poets. They master the martial arts, are frugal, and always have honor in death. Honor and death is what this report is about. Seppuku is a ritual in which a samurai will perform suicide as a way for an honorable death. It usually was performed when a samurai didn’t want to be killed by an enemy or if he has disgraced himself. It was also used if he dishonored his master. A samurai will take a short blade, or tanto, and stab it into his belly and slice left to right disemboweling himself. Meanwhile, a second assistant usually a family member or friend would slice the neck leaving the head hanging by a little piece of skin. It was thought as a bad omen to completely separate the head from the body. The very first act of seppuku recorded was done in 1180 by a Minamoto Yorimasa during the Battle of Uji. But it was not just a ritual performed by samurai. It was also a form of capital punishment as well. This way was only for the common person. They did not have the benefit of having their head cut off. They had to go through the agonizing torture of entrails on the ground and they bleeding to death. Seppuku would be punishment for anything...
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...Between the 12th and 19th centuries, feudal Japan had an elaborate four tier class system. Unlike European feudal society, in which the peasants (or serfs) were at the bottom, the Japanese feudal class structure placed merchants on the lowest rung. Confucian ideals emphasized the importance of productive members of society, so farmers and fishermen had higher status than shop-keepers in Japan. At the top of the heap was the samurai class. The Samurai Class: Feudal Japanese society was dominated by the samurai warrior class. Although they made up only about 10% of the population, samurai and their daimyo lords wielded enormous power. When a samurai passed, members of the lower classes were required to bow and show respect. If a farmer or artisan refused to bow, the samurai was legally entitled to chop off the recalcitrant person's head. Samurai answered only to the daimyo for whom they worked. The daimyo, in turn, answered only to the shogun. There were about 260 daimyo by the end of the feudal era. Each daimyo controlled a broad area of land, and had an army of samurai. The Farmers / Peasants: Just below the samurai on the social ladder were the farmers or peasants. According to Confucian ideals, farmers were superior to artisans and merchants because they produced the food that all the other classes depended upon. Although technically they were considered an honored class, the farmers lived under a crushing tax burden for much of the feudal era. During the reign of...
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...Samurai and the “Oneness” of Kendo Marie Carpenter Grand Canyon University: ENG 105 4/28/2013 Samurai and the “Oneness” of Kendo The Japanese Samurai warriors came in to power after the Taika reforms of 646 A.D (Szczepanski,2013). The Samurai were created to protect the European lords with their riches. The Samurai were known to practice Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is the practice of calming the mind and accepting all things good or bad in life by using zen meditation (Bairan, 2006). Zen meditation aided the Samurai to focus completely on the present, eliminate all thoughts of life and death, and to be one with the sword (Kendo). Samurais live very peaceful lives with strict discipline of learning to be one with their sword (Kendo). They practice amongst each other every day to ensure that they are still one with their sword, along with meditating daily to ensure calmness. Samurai warriors are excellent marksman who use the “no mind” theory during battle. The “no mind” theory comes from zen meditation. The warriors meditate on a daily basis to help clear there minds and not focus on anything, but the breath. The breath is the essential part of meditation as when your mind starts to drift and focus on something else, you can calmly bring your mind back to the present and focus on the breath. The Samurai have been very successful in their battles due to not thinking about anything except the task at hand. The ultimate goal of the Samurai is to take...
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...In the Western world, the Japanese are well known for their intrepid knight-like warriors, the Samurai. During Japan’s feudal warring states period, Samurai first appeared as honorable and talented solders who faithfully served their lord. Since then, they have left a lasting legacy and impact all across the globe. Samurai have become the subjects of many movies, television series, and writings, becoming a massive culture icon. They’re skill with a sword is legendary and their code of Bushido, or the way, epitomizes the gentleman warrior. The impact of the samurai is so great that even in modern times, their practices are still carried out. One of the most notable instances of this is the suicide of Nogi Maresuke, a distinguished Japanese...
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...Therefore, he decided to use his army to try and make and attempt to kidnap and overthrow the current Emperor. This led to the Boshin War brought out Tokugawa Yoshinobu’s troops and the samurais of the Satsuma and Choshu alliance to fight against each other. The two troops clashed. The winning side was much more in favor to the Satsuma and Choshu alliance because similar to the West, the Emperor was more modernized with advance technology that created strong weapons. Thus, the two alliance won the war and Soshinobu had to surrender to a samurai of Satsuma. The Emperor then began to create reforms to address foreign threats to Japan. After the Emperor took over the throne, Japan was much more powerful and became one of the strongest nation of its...
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...Fukuzawa Yukichi: From Samurai to Capitalist Fukuzawa Yukichi was born in to a low ranking samurai family in 1835. This meant that there was very little chance for Fukuzawa to advance in social class, regardless of his individual ability. In February 1854, just a month after his 19th birthday, Fukuzawa decided to leave his home town Nakatsu to Nagasaki so he can begin his studies in Dutch. Which for the time being was the only prominent Western presence at the time. Once arriving in Nagasaki, Fukuzawa immediately began to study the Dutch language as well "the manufacture and technical operation of guns and cannon." Eventually, he progressed further than his housing patron, Okudaira Iki, who wrote a fake letter from Fukuzawa's mother about being ill. Although knowing the letter was fake, Fukuzawa still left and went to Osaka where his brother was residing in. His brother then holding up a previous obligation, helped Fukuzawa get enrolled at the Tekijuku school for Dutch studies headed by Ogata Koan in April 1855. After a year, Fukuzawa had to depart to Nakatsu to become head of the family because his brother had become very ill and died....
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...Roach, Colin M. Japanese Swords: Cultural Icons of a Nation; The History, Metallurgy and Iconography of the Samurai Sword. Tuttle Publishing, 2014. The noble ideographic representation of the Japanese Samurai in western culture paints them as gentleman warriors that practiced ancient martial arts. One of the most known part of their uniforms is the weapon they carry, the Japanese sword. In the culture these pieces of steel were more than just weapons, they were social and religion icons, representing tradition and a way of life. Japanese Swords: Cultural Icons of a Nation; The History, Metallurgy and Iconography of the Samurai Sword makes an attempt to outline the different levels of this iconic tool. The book shows the readers the unique way the swords shaped the way an identity was formed. Using history, spiritual symbolism, and metallurgical techniques the text steers the reader into the world of the Japanese samurai. Colin M. Roach, M. ED. is the author of this outline. He is an educator that was always been an enthusiast of Japanese history and culture. Having been able to trace his family connections back to Japan he focusing on Martial arts, archetypal warrior cultural and sword-related symbolism in his studies. As a result he...
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...l The History of the Japanese Samurai and Sword Brandon Stepka SOCI306 The history of the Japanese samurai and sword has always been an interesting topic to me. I will not only be discussing the correlations between the two, but also the evolution of each. Along with that, I will be expanding upon how the Japanese sword was created, how it became popular, and lastly, how it is link to Japanese culture. I would now like to start by giving you a background of the Japanese samurai. The Japanese warrior, also known as the samurai, appeared during the Heian Period (794-1185). They initially started out as warriors and protectors for wealthy landowners. This is partially where the name ‘samurai’ came about, meaning “those who serve”. The samurai truly began to grow during the Kamakura period, where the “establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, a hereditary military dictatorship, shifted all real political power in Japan to the samurai.” This power was forged by leader Minamoto Yoritomo, who pushed vigorously to establish a high social status for the samurai. Without the acknowledgement of Yoritomo, you would not be considered a samurai; he had the final say. Now that I have given you some basic history of the samurai, I would like to give you some interesting facts that I found to be very cool. First, the Japanese samurai’s would burn incense into their helmets before battle, because of the possibility their heads would be cut off it would not smell. This...
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...The Harakiri and Its Implication to Japanese Pride The Harakiri and Its Implication to Japanese Pride Around 800,000 to a million people die by suicide every year, making it the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Rates are higher in men than in women, with males three to four times more likely to kill themselves than females. There are an estimated 10 to 20 million non-fatal attempted suicides every year. Attempts are more common in the young and females. Views on suicide have been influenced by broad existential themes such as religion, honor, and the meaning of life. During the samurai era in Japan, Seppuku also known as Harakiri was respected as a means of atonement for failure or as a form of protest. One of the factors that leads to Harakiri in Japan is the Psychosocial states. A number of psychological states increase the risk of suicide including: hopelessness, loss of pleasure in life, depression and anxiousness. A poor ability to solve problems, the loss of abilities one used to have, and poor impulse control also play a role. In older adults the perception of being a burden to others is important. Recent life stresses such as a loss of a family member or friend, loss of a job, or social isolation (such as living alone) increases risk. Those who have never married are also at greater risk. Being religious...
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...similarities, they also had their differences. European warriors were known as “knights”, while Japanese warriors were “samurai.” Both knights and samurai had a code of ethics they were to follow; the codes that the knights had to follow was chivalry, and the samurai were bound by bushido. Both European and Japanese warriors wore armor. However, their armor had very many differences. For example, knights typically...
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...“MEIJI ERA’s (1868-1912) IMPORTANCE IN JAPANESE MODERNIZATION.” Japan is a country that has never been colonised and was never colonised during the colonial period. It was governed by the Emperors, Shoguns, Daimyos and the Samurais through the feudal structure of governance with the Emperor as the head of the hierarchy. It maintained its isolationist policy and never opened-up to the outside world for centuries and was in a stagnant stage in terms of development. However, in the 19th Century it dumped its feudal past and subsequently emerged stronger and economically superior after the rubbles left behind by the Pacific War in the 20th Century. Japan showed her strength in the two World Wars. Japan is now ranked one of the world’s largest power/economy behind The United States and China. It is regarded as a distinct civilization of its own, with very unique history. To fully understand present day Japan and its economic miracle, critical investigation needs to be done on its past history to see where its foundation of modernity and industrialization has been laid. When investigation was done, it showed that the Meiji Era (1868-1912) is considered to be the upward trajectory that fired-up Japanese industrialization and helped establish its modernization path. This started when Japan’s pre-modern political system and its feudal society (1603-1865): the Edo Period, led by the Tokugawa Shogunate, with its band of radical samurais was ended in 1868. The Tokugawa Shogunate/central...
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...Assignmen2: Samurai Culture in Japan GVPT 280 The Samurai culture of Japan The Samurai culture was seen for the first time during the 12th century during the first military dictatorship. They last until 1868 when they were disbanded. The word samurai translates to “those who serve”. In the beginning, samurai was armed guards for wealthy land owners. Over the years the samurai developed into what we know of them today. An elite military group. To become a samurai, it started at an early age. They was taught and lived by a code of honor, it was called bushido or “way of the warrior. There are 7 virtues of the bushido. The virtues were morality, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty. They was taught in a very strict way. They was taught swordsmanship, horsemanship, archery and martial arts. They was taught to know suffering, not to want wealth or praise, taught it is better to die then dishonor one’s self and most of all obey his master or lord. The samurai was well educated in reading and writing. Some samurais became business men and politicians throughout their history. The samurai had their own religion which was called Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is coming to enlightenment through mediation. True Zen is coming face to face with one’s self. It was also tried into their teachings at early ages. The most iconic items of the samurai was their swords and their armor. A samurai carried...
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