Samurai Culture: the myth?

1. Samurai Culture: the myth? • Devotion to military arts: • Men of war, experts of weapons • Sword, dagger, spear • Longbow, the siege crossbow, arquebus, cannon • Wear fancy armor and helmets • Practitioner of Bushido （武士道) • Leader take the lead in the battle • Express death-defying loyalty to one’s lord • Willing to commit seppuku personally, and mass suicide • Kill relentlessly; engage in massacres • Collect enemy’s chopped-off heads • Patron of the literary and martial arts? • Daimyo were more likely trained in both the literary art and martial arts • Tea ceremony, flower arrangement, designs of tea house and garden • Great concern for name (honor, face, fame, pride)

2. Samurai Culture: New Notion • The image of the noble Samurai was created by the Samurai themselves in the 17th century, when they lost their functions in a time of peace. • YamamotoTsunetomo (1659-1721) :“I have found that the Way of the samurai is death. This means that when you are compelled to choose between life and death, you must quickly choose death.” • They portrayed themselves as noble warriors to justify their existence • They promoted the image of bushido , the way of the Samurai, which is death, and exaggerate their sense of honor and loyalty • Samurai swerved allegiance • They were interested in reward and recompense • Would move from one side to another, depending on which side rewarded them more • They were not willing to die for their lord • would retreat whenever they experienced casualties • Prevalence of Seppuku has been exaggerated • In most cases, they did it when they were about to be captured and executed • Samurai rarely used swords in battle • Swords were expensive • Spears were more often used

3. Decapitation and disembowelment • Decapitation • The samurai was rewarded by taking the head of a worthy enemy in battle • Disembowelment • The samurai adopted belly-cutting as a means of showing courage or avoiding disgrace • Used to follow one’s lord in death

4. Famous Civil Wars (I) • 1185, DAN NO URA • Minamoto Yoshitsune (850 ships)vs. Taira Munemori (500 ships) • 1189, Koromogawa • 1219, Shokyu Rebellion • 1467-1477, Onin War

5. Famous Civil Wars (II) • 1553-1564, Kawanakajima • Takeda Shingen vs. Uesugi Kenshin (both were samurai monks) • Five battles • 1561, 4th battle was especially bloody • 1573, Mikatagahara • Takeda Shingen vs Tokugawa Ieyasu • 1574, Takeda Katsuyori vs Ogasawara Ujisuke (Tokugawa Ieyasu) • 1575, Nagashino • Takeda Katsuyori (Shingen’s son) vs. Oda Nobunaga & Tokugawa Ieyasu • 1583, Shizugatake • Toyotomi Hideyoshi vs. Shibata Katsuie • 1584, Komaki and Nagakute • Toyotomi Hideyoshi vs. Tokugawa Ieyasu • 1600, Sekigahara • Tokugawa Ieyasu vs. Toyotomi Hideyori’s supporters • 1614-1615, Osaka and Tenoji • Tokugawa Ieyasu vs. Toyotomi Hideyori

6. The Samurai under the Tokugawa • Tokugawa Ieyasu founded his bakufu in Edo, present-day Tokyo, in 1603 • The shogunate lasted for 265 years (1603-1868) • Two policies helped achieve a long-term peace • Hostage-taking system • Called Sankin-kodai, “serving the lord in shift” • Codification of hierarchy and behavior • Division of the entire population into four classes: samurai, farmers, craftman, and merchants • The samurai, although they ranked the highest, were deprived of right to pursue their profession of armed violence