Samurai

When one speaks of feudalism in Japan, one must always bear in mind that "Japanese" feudalism is as peculiar as "European" feudalism which exhibits different patterns in different countries at different times. The Japanese example is no exception in exhibiting different patterns and features at different regions and times. This study aims at discovering the periodic differences seen within the general framework of Japanese feudalism, especially in the domains under shogunal control by comparing the pre-Edo and Edo patterns of feudal structures. These differences in the administrative organization of the military and bureaucratic structures give Japanese feudalism a peculiar form different from Europe. Despite the seeming similarities attested by early modern European travelers to Japan and 19 th century historians, as the comparative approach demonstrates, what was called as Japanese feudalism by the early western visitors of Japan was in fact a culmination of a centuries long process. This article approaches the theoretical framework of Japanese feudalism in a comparative perspective between different periods.

The warrior caste dominated Japan since 1192. With the establishment of a military government the bushi or samurai became the icon of strength and authority, and at the same time the symbol of order, justice and of a superior unique style of life. The “loyalty to the Lord” (chū) was a fundamental value for a bushi and one's duty derived from the chū.
Death was the extreme expression of this loyalty and one way to express one's loyalty was following the Lord in death (junshi), until it was banned by the government in 1663. This article deals with junshi and the self sacrifice committed by four retainers of the Lord Shimazu Yukihisa (1550-1610), to cancel a merciless and disloyal act to their Lord.

FECHAS Resumen. Los samuráis completaban su entrenamiento marcial mediante un viaje a lo largo de la geo-grafía japonesa para aprender de otras escuelas y en ocasiones, batirse con ellas poniendo a prueba sus aptitudes marciales. Sin embargo, estas peregrinaciones también comprendían otros aspectos como el religioso y el artístico en lo concerniente al sable japonés o nihontō. Palabras clave: Samurái; shugyō; nihontō; koryū. [en] Musha shugyō: the warrior pilgrimage. A brief approach to the martial training of the Japanese warrior through their travels Abstract: Samurai completed their martial training with a trip through the Japanese geography to learn from other schools and sometimes challenge other samurai to test their martial skills. However, these pilgrimages also included other aspects such as religious and artistic considerations related with the Japanese sword (nihontō). Sumario: Las peregrinaciones en Japón y su relación con la clase samurái; El musha shugyō, el viaje de adiestramiento del samurái; Ejemplos y evolución del musha shugyō; El fin del musha shugyō y el inicio de una nueva era. Cómo citar: Sala Ivars, M. (2018). Musha shugyō: la peregrinación del guerrero. Una aproximación a la formación marcial del guerrero japonés a través de sus viajes, en Mirai. Estudios Japoneses 2(2018), 115-127. 1. Las peregrinaciones en Japón y su relación con la clase samurái. Las peregrinaciones han existido en Japón desde los primeros tiempos de los que se conservan fuentes históricas. Al igual que en otros países, estos viajes estaban íntimamente relacionados con la religión, alcanzando a todos los estratos de la socie-1

F. J. Norman, author of this book, was a soldier, who had been for many years resident in Japan. While acting in that country as an instructor in some of the leading colleges, both military and civilian, he had opportunities of making a thorough and systematic study of both the "noble sciences" of kenjutsu and jujutsu.
He was probably the first Occidental who has gone at all deeply into these two branches of Japanese education.

I re-edited this book based on several poor versions available on line.

The current study analyzes the documents of the Tannowa family, a warrior family which resided in Tannowa-no-shō, Izumi province, and seeks to undestand their path throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In the pursuit of these goals, this study engages in a contextualist analysis of the primary sources, frequently bringing to the fore background matters that operated within the society, such as the model of familial organization and conveyance of property within the warrior families, the system of land administration, the political play between the Imperial Court and the bakufu, among other factors. As the study advances, we are confronted by the new realities of the fourteenth century, where the first bakufu is overthrown, the second one rises over its ashes, and a war of six decades proceeds, product of a schism within the imperial family. In such a background, autonomous warrior leaders (tōzama) seek to offer their services to those who can better reward them. Throughout this study, we see the Tannowa advancing through a series of steps, from their humble beginnings as mere officials under Tannowa-no-shō's proprietor to their ascension to  tōzama status in the fourteenth century, alternating between the Northern and Southern Court and consolidating a firm base of regional power in Izumi, ending the century as provincial magnates known as kokujin ryōshu. Their history also allows a rare glimpse of the warriors under the Southern Court and presents faded familial conflicts, possibly pertaining to a part of their history that the compilers wished to forget.

(Dissertation paper for the title of Bachelor of Arts in History)

Itakura Shigenori’s (1617-1673) letter to his son is a spiritual testament of a  feudal Lord for his successor. Together with some contemporary works of the 17th century and with a biographical document on Itakura himself, it significantly helps us with the understanding of the peaceful period of history it was written in, within a changed society, where samurai's existence and rank were no longer justified by war. In the letter Shigenori warmly recommends his son to be respectful of Japanese tradition and warrior class principles, but also emphasizes the importance of behaviours such as willing to listen to the others’ opinions, rewarding the virtuous and punishing the dishonest. His words reflect the awareness of the fact that contemporary samurai were progressively less faithful to the ancient values.

From the Introdution, written by Luka Culiberg, guest editor of this special issue: The aim of the present issue of the Asian Studies journal is thus to approach the notion of bushidō from as many aspects as possible in order to further unveil some of the mystery informing this notion. The seed that bore fruit in the form of present issue was planted back in the summer of 2017, when The National Museum of Slovenia featured an exhibition, titled The Paths of the Samurai, displaying samurai warrior equipment and related paraphernalia. Among the numerous events accompanying the exhibition, the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Ljubljana, in cooperation with the National Museum, hosted a symposium with the aim to rethink, discuss and further elucidate the tenets that underlie the notion of the so-called “way of the samurai”. The majority of contributions in the present issue are based on papers presented at that symposium. At this point I would first like to express our gratitude to all who came to Ljubljana from abroad
to share their valuable insights on the subject; and second, I would like to thank everyone who submitted their contributions, thus making this journal issue possible.
I am more than convinced that the final result will serve as a valuable resource not just for the scholars of Japanese history, but for a much wider readership interested in the workings of ideology in general.

Em resumo, neste presente texto, tentaremos desenvolver uma reflexão sobre a arte da guerra e sua estreita relação com o ritmo, com o estado de espírito , e portanto, o estado psicológico, de quem a pratica, bem como analisar a importância e os tipos de olhar utilizados para analisar aquilo que o lendário samurai chamava de “arte militar”.

The Fourteenth Century Japan was marked by intense political instability and a legitimacy crisis that lasted half a century, in which two centers of power declared themselves simultaneously as legitimate – the Ashikaga bakufu and the Southern Court in Yoshino. In this context, warlords changed sides in a long civil war according to what was most favorable to them. This article seeks to examine up to what point the topoi of samurai loyalty was historically existent. Furthermore, it tries to make a general summary regarding the circulating ideas concerning loyalty, especially in the gunkimonogatari and buke kakun, as well as to trace a parallel between those ideas and the historical reality of the Japanese Middle Ages.

Samurai swords are iconic weapons in history as well as literature and film. The famed Samurai have used this effective weapon for hundreds of years. From Musashi to Highlander and Kill Bill the sword has taken on an almost mythic status. The handmade nature of the sword produces art and is an art onto itself. Folding the Japanese steel and differential tempering the blade gives this highly effective sword an extremely hard and razor-sharp edge while the spine remains more pliant to absorb and flex with the concussive blows a sword like this takes in practice and in battle.

Тема статьи-сопоставление элементов шаманской традиции в Древней Японии и в индейском племени абсарока. Оставляя в стороне вопросы о месте боевых искусств в воинской культуре и общекультурном пространстве Японии (это тема специального исследования) и опираясь на данные исследователей, свидетельствующие о наличии в японских во­инских практиках черт, характерных для шаманизма, автор сосредотачивает внимание на сравнении практик и подходов к психофизической тренировке японских воинов и воинов североамериканского племени.
Ключевые слова: воинская культура, шаманизм, боевые искусства, индейцы, измененное состояние сознания, божественное откровение, видение, Япония, Катори.

Аннотация: Предметом исследования является философия японских школ боевых искусств. В статье рассматриваются философские категории «сущность» и «явление», как наиболее подробно разработанные составляющие философской системы японских школ боевых искусств. На основании воспринятых от учителей дзэн неоконфуцианских и буддистских концепций мастера боевых искусств и основатели школ разрабатывали собственную философскую систему, направленную прежде всего, на практическую реализацию философских принципов в практике боевых искусств и на воинском пути в целом. Исследование произведено на основании изучения исторических источников, сочинений мастеров боевых искусств, а также статей и научных работ ведущих специалистов в этой области. В статье продемонстрировано, что на основании понимания категориальной системы «сущность – явление» мастерами и основателями школ японских боевых искусств были разработаны стратегические принципы и тактические приемы, реализующие применение теоретических философских концепций в ежедневной практике и обучении воина. Кроме того, интерес представляет и теоретическое описание данных категорий.
Ключевые слова: сущность, явление, боевые искусства, японская философия, востоковедение, восточная философия, дзэн, неоконфуцианство, философия боевых искусств, философские категории
Review: The subject of the research is the philosophy of the Japanese martial arts schools.
The article deals with the philosophical category of "essence" and "phenomenon", as the most
developed components of the philosophical system of Japanese martial arts schools. On the
basis of Zen, Neo-Confucian and Buddhist concepts, martial arts masters and founders developed
their own philosophical system aimed primarily at the practical implementation of philosophical
principles in martial arts and warrior path in general. The research is based on the
analysis of historical sources, works of masters of martial arts as well as articles and scientific
papers of leading specialists in this field. The author of the article demonstrates that based
on the conceptual framework 'essence – phenomenon' the masters and founders of Japanese
martial arts schools developed strategic principles and tactics that implied the application of
theoretical philosophical concepts to daily practice and training of a soldier. In addition, theoretical
description of these categories is also interesting.
Keywords: Philosophy of martial arts, essence, phenomenon, martial arts, Japanese philosophy,
orientalism, oriental philosophy, zen, Neo-Confucianism, philosophical categories.

Descubre la verdadera historia de los samuráis. Más allá de la leyenda y más allá del mito aguarda una realidad apasionante. Durante siete siglos, los samuráis constituyeron la élite social y política de Japón y forjaron en torno a sí el mito del guerrero noble de espíritu, valiente, honorable y fiel. Pero, ¿qué hay de cierto en aquello que sabemos –o creemos saber– acerca de los samuráis? ¿Cuál es su verdadera historia? A lo largo de los doce capítulos que conforman este libro, recorreremos más de mil años de la historia de esta casta de guerreros, desde su paulatino surgimiento durante la segunda mitad del primer milenio hasta su desaparición oficial a finales del siglo XIX. Un relato veraz y ameno, basado en hechos, bibliografía y documentos históricos, que describe también la parte legendaria y mítica pero sin confundirla con la realidad, pues esta resulta suficientemente apasionante por sí misma.

Tapa blanda: 336 páginas
Editor: SATORI EDICIONES; Edición: 1 (16 de mayo de 2016)
Colección: Historia
Idioma: Español
ISBN-10: 849446857X
ISBN-13: 978-8494468575

Bushi ruled Japan for a long time. In ancient times the passage of power would take place by hereditary right, following the belief that the virtues were passed on together with the blood. However, during the Sengoku Jidai new warrior families asserted themselves on the political scenery and many bushi, although not of noble extraction, seized the power by force and guile. With the Tokugawa domination a problem for the bushi arose. Far from their ideal precursors, the bushi were now often considered unreliable and unfair: how to justify their superiority and the right to rule over the other social classes? The letter of Itakura Shigenori, together with some famous contemporary texts, helps the understanding of the historical period he lived in. Itakura points out the capacity to carefully listen to the comments of the trustworthy warriors and to observe the behavior of the warriors serving in the fiefs, but still strongly believes in the importance of the traditional values of a ruler.

Itakura Shigenori’s (1617-1673) letter to his son is a spiritual testament of a feudal Lord for his successor. Together with some contemporary works of the 17th century and with a biographical document on Itakura himself, it significantly helps us with the understanding of the peaceful period of history it was written in, within a changed society, where samurai's existence and rank were no longer justified by war. In the letter Shigenori warmly recommends his son to be respectful of Japanese tradition and warrior class principles, but also emphasizes the importance of behaviours such as willing to listen to the others’ opinions, rewarding the virtuous and punishing the dishonest. His words reflect the awareness of the fact that contemporary samurai were progressively less faithful to the ancient values.

Call for participants - Learning from Shōgun (a cultural studies workshop)
September 03, 2018, Bucharest.

Thirty years after the first translation of James Clavell’s Shōgun into Romanian, it seems timely to assess the novel’s cultural and historical significance in Romania as well as in the broader European space. Starting from a few key topics introduced by Henry Smith and his collaborators in Learning from Shōgun – Japanese History and Western Fantasy (1980), we invite our fellow translators (as well as other colleagues interested in our project) to join us for a discussion on the perceptions and modalities of the novel shaping Japan’s image in communist Romania/Europe and its subsequent transfigurations.

The term bushidō is widespread today and involves history, philosophy, literature, ­sociology and religion. It is commonly believed to be rooted in the ancient “way” of the bushi or samurai, the Japanese warriors who led the country until modern times. However, even in the past the bushi were seldom represented accurately. Mostly, they were depicted as the authors thought they should be, to fulfil a certain role in society and on the political scene.By taking into account some ancient and pre-modern writings, from the 8th to the 19th centuries, from the ancient chronicles of Japan, war tales, official laws, letters, to martial arts manuals and philosophical essays, and by highlighting some of the bushidō values, this article attempts to answer the questions how and why the representation of the bushi changed from the rise of the warrior class to the end of the military government in the 19th century.