tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-305164162024-03-13T13:17:40.773-10:00Shogun-kiWelcome to the Shogun's mansion
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<br>The official blog of the Samurai Archives Japanese History PageKitsunohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18081442616773641512noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-88637817395736503482017-07-17T05:03:00.003-10:002017-07-17T05:03:48.540-10:00Murderous Samurai of the Bakumatsu Period
In the latter half of the 19th Century, Japan would see 250 years of relative peace devolve into a bloody landscape of violence, with disillusioned samurai banding together to attach and permanently silence those who they believed to be ruining the country. This was further exacerbated by historic rivalries between domains, by class differences between the lower and upper samurai, as well as by Tatsushuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981938829821610984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-74847057946857463152015-05-29T08:32:00.000-10:002015-05-29T08:32:21.705-10:00The Rambunctious Millet Grubbers and Dirt Farmers of the Edo Period
When one thinks about the common people of the Edo period, they probably think of a group of passive, law abiding, hard working farmers and textile producers. In fact, commoners of the Edo period were rowdier than you might imagine - there were literally THOUSANDS of peasant uprisings and disputes over the course of the Edo period. This often happened during times of famine, crop Kitsunohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18081442616773641512noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-27053393403497434982015-01-01T15:58:00.000-10:002015-01-01T16:11:20.817-10:00The 47 Rōnin: Re-opening the Fruit Cellar Door
"Ōishi Kuranosuke" leads the pack of Akō rōnin into Sengaku-ji.
I went to the 47 Rōnin Festival at Sengaku-ji temple on December 14, commemorating the 312th anniversary of the famous 'revenge' attack by a group of masterless samurai on the residence of Kira Yoshihisa (more commonly and erroneously known as Yoshinaka), the man they felt was responsible for their lord, Asano Naganori's death.Rekishi no Tabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210881598551319318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-8570894900368762892014-06-22T01:16:00.000-10:002014-06-22T01:16:36.881-10:00The Evil Book Redeemed: Alexander Bennett's Translation Of The HagakureFor years, the Hagakure (along with its spiritual cousin, "Bushido: The Soul of Japan") has been the bane of the Samurai Archives. Often taken by neophytes to the study of Japanese history as the 'official training manual of samurai down through time', it has been the indirect cause of much buffoonery and has left a trail of misconceptions in its wake. Many 'modern sammyrai' claiming to follow Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-74905172688918067902014-04-26T04:03:00.003-10:002014-04-26T04:11:47.132-10:00Katsu Kaishu, Navigator Of Chaos: An Interview With Romulus Hillsborough, Author Of “Samurai Revolution”, Pt. 2We’re happy to present our readers with the conclusion of our two-part interview with Romulus Hillsborough, author of the recently published Samurai Revolution: The Dawn of Modern Japan Seen Through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai. You can read part one of the interview HERE. In the following interview, RH is author Romulus Hillsborough and SA is the Samurai Archives’ Randy Schadel.
Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-18446814436897235142014-04-19T14:09:00.002-10:002014-04-19T15:10:11.392-10:00Rotating Volleys of Merchandise: The Battle of Nagashino as Pop Culture Phenom
A few years ago we ran an article about the ‘Selling of Sekigahara’-how battles from Japan’s past were a popular subject for merchandising and found their way into all sorts of pop culture venues. It’s not unusual to see them featured in tabletop board games, video games, models, figures, toys, dioramas, TV programs, movies, and even weapon reproductions. Recently the SA podcast ran a feature onTatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-23813583335092049902014-04-18T15:25:00.001-10:002014-04-18T15:31:55.695-10:00A Dragon’s Head And A Loser's ‘Tale’-A Mini-Review Of Universal’s “The 47 Ronin”OK, finally saw this. Narukagami's review on the Samurai Archives Film Forum covered much of what I also think, so I'll limit myself to new avenues.
As expected, about a 2 on a 100 based accuracy scale. A Lord Asano attacks an unarmed Lord Kira, is sentenced to seppuku, and a group of 47 of his former vassals led by Oishi Yoshio murder Kira. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, else is Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-17802517611642918722014-03-28T06:37:00.001-10:002014-03-28T06:37:47.341-10:00Katsu Kaishu, Navigator Of Chaos: An Interview With Romulus Hillsborough, Author Of “Samurai Revolution”, Pt. 1 Romulus Hillsborough is the author of several popular books dealing with the Bakumatsu/early Meiji period of Japanese history and the personalities that shaped its course. These include Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, Samurai Tales: Courage, Fidelity and Revenge in the Final Years of the Shogun (an expansion of his earlier Samurai Sketches), and the work for which he is perhaps bestTatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-76461068565464530112014-03-15T08:59:00.003-10:002014-03-16T05:54:19.648-10:00A Tale Of Badgers And Tigers: Lian Hearn’s “The Storyteller And His Three Daughters”Akabane Sei has problems. He’s a rakugo storyteller, specializing in comic stories designed to send his audience home laughing and feeling good. But things are not easy for a rakugoka in Meiji Japan. Audiences are dwindling as new forms of entertainment become popular. There’s even increased competition in the person of Jack Green-an Englishman who has enchanted crowds with his exotic tales of Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-24045861534209907612013-11-23T07:30:00.001-10:002013-11-23T08:00:42.278-10:00'Tis The Season For The Ronin-Shambhala’s “The 47 Ronin” Graphic Novel December has always been the month where the 47 Ronin enter the stream of modern Japanese consciousness. The assault by the Ronin on Lord Kira’s estate took place on the “fourteenth day of the twelfth month” in the year of Genroku 15. While this actually corresponds to January 30th of the Western calendar, the Japanese have traditionally recognized it on December 14th. The Ronin appear in Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-27314539855661889242013-10-12T03:30:00.000-10:002013-10-12T03:37:51.434-10:00The Birth of the Ninja: How The West Came To Embrace NinjerRecently on the Samurai Archives Forum, there was a discussion about making the myth of the ninja the subject of a future podcast. Part of the discussion centered on just how the myths of ninja clans such as Koga and Iga came into being and the image of the black-clad super assassin found its way into Western pop culture. Writer Stephen Turnbull and 'ninjer master' Stephen K. Hayes were two Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-82046912815468450282013-08-21T04:02:00.000-10:002013-08-22T01:48:07.795-10:00A Graphic Approach to Musashi and Demons: Shambhala’s “The Book of Five Rings” and “The Demon’s Sermon on the Martial Arts”While manga treatments of famous works of Japanese literature are common in Japan, they’re virtually unknown in the West. Part of this is due to the long-standing prejudice in Western societies that ‘comics’ are nothing more than entertainment for children. Over the past 25 years or so, the graphic novel has changed that way of thinking. While they often provide the adventures of our favorite Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-31970727877231583372013-01-13T03:03:00.000-10:002013-01-13T03:05:21.198-10:00Full Circle: The Full Moon Cut Completes Its Arc In Animeigo’s “Sleepy Eyes Of Death Collector’s Set 3”
Nemuri Kyoshiro’s “Full Moon Cut” is the stuff of chanbara legend. It’s Zatoichi’s cane sword and dice tricks. It’s Hanzo the Razor and his big friend’s training regimen. It’s Tange Sazen’s one-eyed leer and Musashi’s two-sword style. It’s the baby cart and ‘horse slaying’ sword technique. It’s Mifune’s scratching. The mesmerizing Full Moon Cut has Kyoshiro start with the blade pointed Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-59462814267687189822012-11-28T15:49:00.003-10:002012-11-28T15:50:33.138-10:00The Well-Trod and Annoying Path of Learning Japanese Kanji
Every now and then at the Samurai Archives, be it on the podcast, or here on the blog, we mix things up a bit. One thing that comes up every now and then on the forum is, "What's the easiest way to learn Kanji?" It's pretty contentious (which a simple google search will illustrate), because everyone who has decided they want to learn Japanese will probably, at some point and for Kitsunohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18081442616773641512noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-86995363408862577272012-11-17T05:55:00.004-10:002013-10-16T00:52:50.155-10:00Thanks For Nothing, Dark Horse: The 47 Ronin Travesty
Dark Horse Comics has accomplished much in its 25+ years of operation. It was one of the pioneers in allowing writers and artists to retain control of their original characters. The company wasn’t afraid to feature stories that tackled socially touchy issues or expressed unpopular viewpoints, and helped to transform comics into a medium for adults as well as children. They’ve also helped Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-2677135817744489392012-11-11T08:30:00.000-10:002012-11-11T08:31:37.975-10:00When Seven Samurai Just Weren’t Enough-Animeigo’s “Eleven Samurai” Halloween may be over, but the ‘claret continues to flow’. It’s another dose of in-your-face, bloody group vengeance in Animeigo’s release of “Eleven Samurai” (“Ju-ichinin No Samurai”, Toei 1966) the final film in Kudo Eiichi’s “Samurai Trilogy”. The first two films in the trilogy, the original “13 Assassins” and “The Great Killing”, both featured meticulous plans to ambush the numerically Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-65702454334958392622012-09-14T15:09:00.001-10:002012-09-14T15:17:20.627-10:00Principled Warfare V: The Conclusion
Hello all, and sorry for the delay in getting to this final installment. It's been a busy two weeks, and as much as I enjoy writing these for you, you lost out to visiting my wife and kids for a few days. But, I'm back, and finally ahead enough in my classwork to get back to the topic of the Joint Operating Principles, and what we can learn from them when studying military history. A reminder, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16480142296510441956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-6520817043184770802012-08-30T06:20:00.000-10:002012-08-30T06:20:14.725-10:00Principled Warfare: Episode 4: The New Principles
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16480142296510441956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-13055138405954544342012-08-28T16:32:00.002-10:002012-08-29T00:34:56.902-10:00Principled Warfare: Episode 3: The Three S's
Well,
folks—sorry for the few day delay, but our series on the 12 Principles of Joint Operations is back with Episode 3: the Three “S”’s : Security, Surprise,
and Simplicity. Somehow I get the feeling we’ll be talking a whole lot
of Okehazama today…let’s get to it, shall we? The previous two installments can
be found HERE (Objective, Offensive, and Mass) and HERE (Maneuver,Economy of Force, andAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16480142296510441956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-11477488366026888252012-08-22T15:21:00.000-10:002012-08-28T16:34:15.749-10:00Principled Warfare II: Samurai Combat Done Right (And Wrong)
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16480142296510441956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-22025305998756067942012-08-21T18:35:00.000-10:002012-08-21T21:14:25.050-10:00Principled Warfare: Samurai Combat Done Right (And Wrong)
Greetings once again, Samurai Archives fans! It’s me, ltdomer98,
or Nate, as those of you who listen to our podcast know me. Of course, a
blogpost from me means there’s military history to discuss, so get ready for a
5 (yes FIVE) part series of posts.
Yes, I know it’s been a long time since I blogged on military
concepts—most of you probably don’t remember this post from 2010 about the LevelsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16480142296510441956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-62396398366869664692012-07-05T05:14:00.001-10:002012-07-05T05:38:54.041-10:00Schooling the Yagyu: Takuan Soho’s “The Unfettered Mind”
Yagyu Munenori was the founder of the Edo branch of the
famous Yagyu Shinkage-ryu School of swordsmanship. Munenori was well regarded,
being the sword instructor to the Tokugawa and the author of the Heiho Kadensho
(a work on swordsmanship and how some of its aspects could be applied to
politics and life). However, it appears someone wasn’t impressed. In a letter
to Munenori, a Buddhist monk Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-41277892428934862362012-06-09T09:06:00.000-10:002012-06-11T03:25:36.590-10:00All-Out Bakufu Brawlz-Animeigo’s “13 Assassins” and “The Great Killing”
In chanbara, bloodletting comes in many forms. There’s
the one on one duel between sword masters (perhaps best exemplified by the
infamous ‘blood geyser’ duel between Mifune Toshiro and Nakadai Tatsuya at the
end of “Sanjuro”). Then there’s the fight between a harried single swordsman
and a small host of enemies (the climactic battle in “Sword of Desperation”).
From there it’s a small step Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-46894762225499041452012-04-28T10:32:00.004-10:002012-05-08T01:22:09.116-10:00An Empire In The Palm Of Your Hand: Total War Battles: Shogun
‘Total
War Battles: Shogun’ is the initial foray of SEGA/Creative Assembly’s Total War
franchise into the world of handheld devices, and it’s one of the best games
available for the IPhone/Ipad (and soon the Android). Unlike their recent PC
release ‘Fall of the Samurai’, ‘Battles’ makes no pretensions to historical
accuracy. Instead, it concentrates on delivering a fun, easy to learn game with
Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30516416.post-20133366152673249202012-04-23T04:18:00.000-10:002012-05-18T02:29:31.615-10:00Total War, Total Fantasy: Shogun 2-Fall Of The Samurai
Any time a developer puts together a
game based on an historical event, there’s going to be a tradeoff between
accuracy and playability. Whether it’s a tabletop sim or a computer game, some
situations just aren’t easily recreated, or would cause a serious problem with
game balance. Even the most accurate Japanese history sims like Magitech’s
“Takeda” series (that uses actual maps of Tatsunoshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06599103938584456508noreply@blogger.com0