Japanese Warlord Played a Mean Game of Kickball

Oda Nobunaga, one of the most feared and powerful warlords in Japanese history, liked a good game of kickball. "Kickball?" you say. "Did it even exist 450 years ago?" Well, apparently it did.

Oda Nobunaga 1534-1582

According to the book, Japonius Tyrannus, kickball had been an aristocratic pastime since the late Heian period (794-1185) and surprisingly Nobunaga, a passionate falconer and sumo fan, displayed an interest in this surprisingly ceremonial sport.

Nobunaga actively involved himself with the court such as in 1575 when he organized a match between leading court nobles at the grounds of the temple Shokokuji. Nobunaga used these matches as well as the Tea Ceremony to establish or strengthen political bonds, or to associate with people from outside the warrior class: with merchants in the case of tea, and with nobles in the case of kickball.

The kickball matches also allowed Nobunaga to famliarize himself with the various court nobles. At the time, one of the players, Asukai Masanori (1520-94), served as Crown Prince Sanehito's special envoy to Nobunaga. The Asukai family had earned a dominant position as 'masters of kickball' in the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), thanks to the sponsorship of successive emperors and the Ashikaga shoguns. Nobunaga continued this shogunal sponsorship of the Asukai, even calling himself Masanori's 'kickball pupil' on one occasion.

I think it would have been pretty cool to have played kickball with the great warlord Nobunaga. I would be careful to always let him win of course.

As Toranosuke correctly pointed out below in his comment, the sport is not like today's version of kickball. The ancient sport is called kemari and is more like the game of hackysack or juggling a soccer ball. There were varying numbers of players, between 2 and 12, and the ball was passed between players. There was no tackling or vying for the ball and the game was not competitive apparently but was more dignified and ceremonious however it did (and does) require a great amount of skill.

Historical Ninja vs. Fantasy Ninja

Many events and stories surrounding the samurai in Japanese history are as much myth as they are reality such as the story of the 47 Ronin. The ninja are no different.

I recently came across a short but concise article describing the difference between the real ninja of Japanese history and the more well known fantasy ninja. The article on Suite101 was written by Carmen Sterba, a periodic and knowledgeable participant on the Samurai Archives Japanese history forums. I love brief yet informative articles such as Carmen's that get right to the point and teach people about the various myths of the samurai and ninja from medieval Japan.

The Origin of Za in Japan

Did you know that trade guilds in Japan originated as early as the twelfth century or earlier. Trade guilds derived from an early form of association called a za which means a seat and probably signified a place reserved at ceremonies or a market for a group of persons having the same interest. Early za were social groups that developed into occupational groups such as dancers, musicians, and other entertainers that performed for court nobles, powerful religious institutions, or manorial lords. This custom actually has persisted into modern times such as a company of actors, the Kabuki-za.

By the fifteenth century some mercantile za were organized by market rather than just commodity for example in certain towns. However, in the bigger cities such as Kyoto the za still tended to be organized by specific commodity and were usually concentrated in a special quarter of the city. This can still be seen today in certain cities in modern Japan such as the Zaimoku-za (timber merchants) quarter of Kamakura or the famous Gin-za (silver merchants) of Tokyo.

In their earlier forms, these organizations were not independent but were subordinate to a monastery, shrine, or a manor lord for which they served. But eventually these traders began to form quasi-independent za not only for their own protection but to increase their power and their profits. With this increasing power, many za began to have a monopolistic character by preventing competitors from obtaining raw materials within a certain area. A very powerful early za were the salt dealers of the Yamato province which controlled the salt wholesalers, retailers, and pedlars of the entire province. Eventually by the fifteenth century the za made powerful enemies by abusing their privileges and were forced to give way to other forms of mercantile organization such as "free" markets and guilds established by Oda Nobunaga.

Another famous za that I am sure most of you are familiar that has survived into modern Japan is the Yaku-za. This modern za has interests in many kinds of businesses and trades.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, the trade guilds and associations were transformed into more modern forms of business with the growth of the zaibatsu and keiretsu monopolies of the 20th century.

Reference:

Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan: 1334-1615.

The myth of of samurai cavalry

I am republishing this 2009 post because there is such a common misconception regarding medieval samurai cavalry.

This poster from the Akira Kurosawa film Kagemusha illustrates the classic view of early samurai cavalry. Great cavalry charges of thoroughbred looking horses.

But as Karl Friday in his book Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan reveals, the mounted samurai of the movies bare little resemblance to the actual mounted warriors from medieval Japan. Early medieval Japanese war-horses were actually much smaller and slower than the horses seen in classic samurai movies.

According to Friday, the mounts favored by early medieval samurai were stallions raised in eastern Japan and selected for their size and fierce temperament. They were stout, short-legged, shaggy, short-nosed beasts, tough, unruly and difficult to control.

In 1953, a mass grave at Zaimokuza near Kamakura was unearthed that is believed to contain the remains of men and horses killed during Nitta Yoshisada's attack on the city in 1333. The skeletons show the horses of the period ranged in height from 109 to 140 cm at the shoulder. Modern thoroughbreds by comparison range in height around 160 to 165 cm.

Also, these medieval horses could not sustain high speeds for long distance due to their size and the weight they were carrying, mounted samurai with full armor. Even modern racing horses can only go full out for 200 or 300 meters. Early medieval Japanese horses gave the samurai a rugged, stable, and comfortable platform from which to shoot their arrows, but it was a heavy beast not well designed for high speeds or long distance riding.

Horseman had different roles throughout the samurai era. During the Heian/Early Kamakura era they operated much like skirmishers with bows. They began to make greater use of hand-to-hand weapons like naginata and swords as time went by, ending up using primarily short yari during the sengoku. And by the late Sengoku with the advent of firearms, they did begin to function much like 'trucks'-there are many accounts where samurai were told to dismount before they reached the battlefield so as not to have their horses shot. Horses were rare and expensive, and no samurai was in a hurry to throw their horses lives and training away. (Samurai Archives)

In addition, the amount of dismounted combat in Sengoku jidai increased along with the increase with the number of guns. I think this was probably due to the fact that relatively few number of Japanese cavalry made it easier for concentrated fire of arquebus to defeat them. (Samurai Archives)

So the scenes in the movies with the cavalry charges that seem to go on forever are of course greatly embellished. But they make for an exciting movie.

Japanese castle ramparts constructed in California

I came across this website today called Stoneworld.com that has an interesting story regarding the construction of replica Japanese castle stone ramparts at a park here in California. The stone ramparts were constructed in January of this year in Ventura, a small city of about 100,000 people 2 hours north of Los Angeles. Master stonemasons came from Japan to California to supervise their North American counterparts in the construction of a traditional Japanese structure — castle ramparts — using ancient but still viable techniques.

They used nearly 400 tons of sandstone, a very common stone here in Southern California. This is different from the type of stone used in castle building in Japan which I believe is granite. If someone knows for sure the specific type of stone used in Japan, please let me know. The Japanese stonemasons used a traditional method of splitting the stones called mame-ya.

The article talks about Auchi castle, the magnificent castle built by the great warlord Oda Nobunaga at the height of his power. Azuchi was was of the grandest castles in Japanese history, rivaling or exceeding Osaka or Edo castle in grandeur. Oda Nobunaga is infamous for his destruction of the Buddhist temple complex on Mt. Hiei. The warrior monks from Mt. Hiei had long been a dangerous thorn in the side of Nobunaga. In 1571 Nobunaga dealt with the warrior monks in a most brutal way, laying waste to everything and everyone on Mt. Hiei, killing everyone who did not escape. However, Nobunaga did find something he truly appreciated on Mt. Hiei, very well built stone walls. The walls were apparently built by a community of stonemasons who lived at the foot of Mt. Hiei and known as the Anoh. The Anoh were originally brought from Korea to Japan in the 6th century and later it was the Anoh stonemasons who helped construct Nobunaga's Azuchi castle in 1579. Unfortunately for Nobunaga, he would be dead by 1582 and his beautiful castle burned to the ground after being completed only three years prior.

Azuchi Castle ruins

According the Stone World article, there still lives a family at the foot of Mt. Hiei who carry on the traditional way of stone working. Jyunji and Suminori Awata are father and son 14th and 15th generation stonemasons. The Awatas were even commissioned to help stabilize the stone rampart remains of Azuchi Castle according to the article. It was the Awata Construction Company that was incentive for the Ventura California project. The article has additional interesting information about the Awata's and their trade.

Hideyoshi lives and he's ready to kick North Korean butt

Hashiba Hideyoshi in rubber boots in front of his missile arsenal. (Photo from viceland.com)

Kim jong-il and North Korea may have nukes but Japan can rest easy, Hashiba Hideyoshi is alive and well and ready to kick some North Korean ass should they ever attack Japan. Yes, the great 16th century unifier of Japan, better known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, is living in Aoyama and has built an arsenal of ballistic missiles ready to launch at the slightest provocation. The modern Hideyoshi has even created his own feudal domain called Odagawa where he has built a small castle and of course a hot spring hotel.

Apparently Mr. Hideyoshi realized who he really was when he was a young man and was told by a priest that he was the reincarnation of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He didn't think too much of it until later from reading about the real Hideyoshi, he realized what an impressive general he was. Now Mr. Hideyoshi wears samurai armor ready for battle while holding an assault rifle. He doesn't mind that people may think he is completely mad, he's just the resident crazy man. Hideyoshi moved to Aoyama and established his Odagawa Domain where he decided to dig for a hot spring and establish a hotel. It wasn't until later after hearing about North Korea's Taepodong missiles that threatened japan, that Hashiba Hideyoshi decided to build his own missile arsenal.

According to Mr. Hideyoshi, he has seven Patriot missiles (that don't fly) and a nuclear armed 'interplanetary' ballistic missile and another missile that he calls the "Super Fighter Hashiba 7". The Hashiba 7 apparently works if it is loaded with liquid oxygen and alcohol, although I wouldn't want to be in the area when Mr. Hideyoshi fired it up. Hideyoshi has even bigger dreams. He next plans to build two Aegis class warships and an aircraft carrier, the Odagawa Domain navy.

He also has a tank armed with cannons and missiles but Hashiba states that they don't fire real ammunition. If he did fire them, he states, he would be prosecuted much more severely than just a simple weapons violation.

Hideyoshi in rubber boots in front of his castle. (Photo from viceland.com)

I learned of the modern Hashiba Hideyoshi through the Samurai Archives and an article on Mr. Hashiba Hideyoshi from viceland.com.

Samuel Hawley's "Imjin War"

The Shogun-ki blog has an excellent part one interview with Samuel Hawley, author of The Imjin War. The Imjin War is the story of the late 16th century Japanese samurai invasion of Korea from 1592 to 1598 initiated by the powerful Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was the great warlord who finally succeeded in unifying Japan under his rule after more than a century of civil war. Hideyoshi's stated goal of the Korean invasion was to eventually conquer Ming China. Hideyoshi's dream was never achieved as his samurai armies, after early successes that took them to the very border with China, eventually bogged down into brutal warfare on the Korean peninsula. The failure of Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea was partly due to the intervention of tens of thousands of Ming Chinese troops that crossed the Yalu River to confront the invaders just as they did over 350 years later against the Americans. Hawley's book is probably the best English language work on the 16th Century Japanese invasion of Korea.

Here is part two of the interview with Mr. Hawley.

Ballad: Na mo naki koi no uta

Synopsis:
When the young boy Shinichi runs away from his life problems and fears, he goes to an old tree next to a Buddhist Jizo statue to pray for courage. The next thing he knows, he is appears in the feudal Japan of the samurai in the domain of Kasuga during the Sengoku (Warring States) era, in the midst of a battle. Here he befriends a famous samurai called the Demon Ijiri. Ijiri is feared in battle, but he proves to be a less successful lover. He has been in love with Princess Ren since his youth who has loved him in return, rebuking offers of marriage in the hopes of marrying for love. When the powerful and feared Lord Takatura asks for her hand in marriage, she dares not refuse him for the safety of her domain. Shinichi's family begins searching him where they also travel to the past and find him in Kasuga, but with them they bring shocking news to the domain leaders. The Kasuga domain had never been recorded in history, and their enduring battles with other clans were seemingly fruitless. In light of this news, Princess Ren is relinquished of her duty to marry the formidable Lord Takatura. Ijiri is overjoyed, as is the Princess Ren. Yet Lord Takatura is unaccustomed to rejection, and his rage results in a fearsome battle.

I watched this movie on a February 1st 2010 flight from Los Angeles to Japan. The movie stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi who is a member of the popular Japanese pop group SMAP and also stars in the female lead Yui Aragaki who is also a famous model and singer. I love samurai movies and, although this was not the average sounding samurai flick with the time travel and all, it sounded interesting enough to watch. Well, it turned out to be pretty cheesy. I will give you a good example from the movie of how cheesy it is. Shinichi's parent's travel back in time to find there missing son and they travel to the past in their sport utility vehicle where they proceed to drive it around the feudal Sengoku landscape. The classic cheesy scene is when Shinichi and his parents help Ijiri fight Takatura when they blast their off-road vehicle through a great samurai battle between Ijiri's and Takatura's forces. It was pretty silly. There is one short but decent samurai battle scene near the beginning of the movie but the last battle with the car driving around was a complete joke.

Samurai Misconceptions

All Samurai followed a chivalrous code of ethics known as "Bushido"

With books titled "Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai" and "Budo Shoshinshu: The Code of the Samurai" flooding the market, one generally comes to think that the samurai ALL followed the Bushido, or else they weren't really samurai. This just isn't the case.

Bushi-do is correctly translated as "The Way of the Warrior". However, the Bushido was nothing more of an invention of the Edo Jidai (Edo era) meant to keep samurai subservient to their employing daimyos. The Edo Jidai was the 250 year long peace ruled over by the last shogunate (Tokugawa Shogunate), which directly proceeded the Warring States era (better known as the Sengoku Jidai). The shogunate was very paranoid during this period; it was, after all, the third shogunate, the first two having collapsed into warfare. Several new practices came into play during this time period; for example, daimyo were expected to spend part of their time in Edo (now known as Tokyo), the seat of the shogunate's power. This was to keep unruly daimyo (like Shimazu or Mori daimyo, who would later tear down the shogunal government) in check.

Another practice was a serious enforcement of a samurai's loyalty to his daimyo. During the Sengoku Jidai, there were several instances of samurai turning on their daimyo, most often to disastrous affects. The shogunate made turning on one's daimyo the most serious offense for a samurai.

Also, during this time of peace, the samurai no longer had as much purpose in Japanese society. They became administrators and small time government officials. With this pretty much 'excuse' for existence, a ronin named Yamaga Soko took the Confucian principals that had been governing Japanese life for centuries and gave the samurai a new reason for existence. Soko's codices later became the foundation for the bushido, which received great support from the shogunate. The shogunate was looking for ways to insure that the samurai did not rise up against their daimyo. As one of Soko's rules was a complete, sincere devotion to one's feudal lord, this fit perfectly into the shogunate's paranoid attempts to suppress all possible revolts... and it worked.

Samurai before the Edo Jidai did NOT follow any "Bushi-do", then. In fact, there are so many examples of betrayal, uncouthness, and other acts completely contrary to the bushido in the Sengoku Jidai that it becomes glaringly obvious. This isn't to say however that there weren't noble samurai. In fact, Uesugi Kenshin is renowned for his honor in his battles with Takeda Shingen in the late 16th century.

This information comes directly from the Samurai Archives. A great source for information about the samurai and other aspects of Japanese history prior to the Meiji Restoration.

Samurai Skater

The Japanese figure skating champion Oda Nobunari has had a strong opening going into the Olympic season. He has won his two Grand Prix events - Trophée Bompard in mid October and Samsung Anycall Cup of China last weekend - with strong performances.

Some of you may recognize his family name.

Nobunari is the 17th descendant of famous Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga and so has samurai blood in his veins. "Since at least him, all male descendants have the syllable 'Nobu' in their first name," the 2006 Four Continents Champion explained (actually Nobunaga's father Nobuhide also had this spelling).

Nobunari is considered to be one of the contenders at the upcoming Vancouver Olympics.

Goldenskate.com

Sengoku Coffee

Georgia Coffee has some cool looking Sengoku warlord coffees. My favorite is the Oda Nobunaga can which I believe is the second one from the left on the top row.

Thanks to Otsuke for alerting me of this.

Two Katen no Shiro trailers

Another Katen no Shiro teaser

Movie about Nobunaga's Azuchi castle

Here is a teaser for the movie Katen no Shiro which is about the construction of Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga's (1534-82) grand and magnificent Azuchi castle. Apparently this movie was released on September 12th. Has anybody seen it?

From the teaser, it looks pretty amazing. I wish I could see it but I would need English subtitles. Who knows when that would happen. The well-known actor Toshiyuki Nishida plays a lead role in the film. Anybody familiar with Japanese television will recognize him. The movie website is here.

Azuchi castle was built by Nobunaga to be a symbol throughout Japan of his growing power. Azuchi was not the typical rugged and foreboding castle of the time but was built lavishly to impress. The castle was located near Kyoto and took three years and thousands of laborers and artists to build. It was completed in 1579 as Nobunaga was nearing the height of his power and with national hegemony within his sights. Unfortunately the castle was destroyed only three years later in 1582 by Nobunaga's assassin Akechi Mitsuhide (or possibly was burned by looting townspeople or another theory that it was burned by one of Nobunaga's sons).

Tenchijin episode 32

Tenchijin is rapidly coming closer to its culmination. The young Hideyori has been born and the Toyotomi heir crisis is now coming to boil with Mitsunari confronting Hidetsugu with the charge that he is suspected of treason. Mitsunari's evil smile at the end of the episode after Hidetsugu accused him of causing his downfall shows that Mitsunari is now rapidly sliding into his manipulative and destructive ways and making many enemies.

Earlier, Mitsunari was confronted by several of the other great Daimyo, mainly Tokugawa Ieyasu and Mori Terumoto, who have accused Mitsunari of manipulating Hideyoshi and causing great hardship for the daimyo. Below is Ieyasu confronting Mitsunari. Ultimately it is Ieyasu versus Mitsunari in the epic confrontation at Sekigahara.

One of the enemies that Mitsunari makes that he will later truly regret is one of Hideyoshi's adopted sons, Hidetoshi. Mitsunari has Hidetoshi removed from any influence or power in the Toyotomi family by forcing the Mori clan to adopt Hidetoshi. This causes Hidetoshi great anger and hatred towards Mitsunari and he will eventually have his revenge against Mitsunari at the battle of Sekigahara. Below is Hidetoshi begging the Uesugi for assistance with his plight.

Warlords and Tea Ceremonies

The art of the tea ceremony has a long history in Japan going back many hundreds of years and practiced among the cultured nobility and the imperial family. But did you know that the tea ceremony was extremely popular among some of the most feared warlords in Japanese history.

Probably the most feared warlord of them all was Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) who had a great passion for the tea ceremony. Nobunaga did not just simply participate in the ceremonies but also had a great desire to collect the most incredible tea utensils, meibutsu, as well as how to use them expertly. Nobunaga received instruction in the art of tea from the greatest masters including Imai Sokyu, Tsuda Sogyu, and Sen no Rikyu.

For Rikyu, this association meant fame and fortune, and for Nobunaga it brought qualification as a man of culture. Each used the other to increase his own prestige.

Nobunaga valued he's tea utensils immensely. A sign of how much Nobunaga valued his great general Toyotomi Hideyoshi is revealed after Nobunaga rewarded him with twelve of his famed tea pieces. On the first day of the sixth month of 1582, Oda Nobunaga held a grand tea party at the Honnoji temple in Kyoto, having brought with him several dozen of his most precious tea implements to show an assembly of leading nobles and lords of the land. But before the next day had dawned, Nobunaga was dead, the victim of one of his general's, Akechi Mitsuhide. Both Nobunaga and his meibutsu were devoured by the flames that destroyed the temple in which he was staying.

Source:

Warlords, Artists, and Commoners

Rikyu

Excellent movie. This movie is about Japan's most famous tea master, Sen no Rikyu. Rikyu lived at the end of the 16th century and the end of the turbulent period of war, sengoku jidai. Rikyu became the tea master to the powerful national unifiers Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. But Rikyu was not just a tea master, he also gained political influence as the confidant and cultural mentor to Hideyoshi.

Rikyu's relationship with Hideyoshi is one of the epic stories in Japanese history with a tragic ending. If you are not familiar with this historical time period or Sen no Rikyu then the movie may not interest you. But if you do, then it is a good movie to watch.

Female history geeks

Samurai and Sengoku warlords have become popular again in Japan. Check out the post at cartoonleap.com that describes the phenomenon.

For some reason the samurai warlords from over 400 years ago are especially popular among women in Japan. These women are called rekijo or female history geeks. Maybe it is due to the samurai period dramas on TV such as the NHK Taiaga dramas. Maybe the women are more enamored with the actors that play the warlords.

Ninja Movie Weekend

It was another samurai movie weekend, or I should say Ninja Movie Weekend. This weekend I watched Shinobi No Mono 1 and 2.

Shinobi no Mono is a series of eight jidaigeki (Japanese historical dramas) which were released in Japan over a four year period from 1962 to 1966. The plot of these two films focuses on a ninja named Ishikawa Goemon and his struggle to survive during Japan's warring states period. The films star Ichikawa Raizo (from Sleepy Eyes of Death fame) who plays Ishikawa Goemon.

In the first film, Goemon is caught cheating with his masters wife. So the master forces him to kill the ninja's mortal enemy, the ruthless warlord Oda Nobunaga. I don't wan't to give away the story so I will just say that Goemon's goal of killing Nobunaga continued into the second film. Both films included a lot of kick ass ninja action.

These movies rocked. They included some awesome ninja and samurai action as well as several gruesome episodes such as a ninja getting his ears cut off. The second movie really followed the collapse of the Nobunaga regime and the rise of Hideyoshi. The movies will have more meaning if you have some background in this period of Japanese history. But even if you don't, they are some damn good ninja movies that I highly recommend.

Samurai Banners - Furin Kazan

Last Sunday I watched Samurai Banners (Furin Kazan). This movie is a samurai historical drama based on the sengoku period battle strategist Yamamoto Kansuke, a general for the great warlord Takeda Shingen. The movie stared Toshiro Mifune who played Kansuke. Furin Kazan means "wind, forest, fire and mountain" and was the battle standard of Takeda Shingen. It comes from Sun Tzu's The Art of War and essentially means "Move as swift as a wind, stay as silent as forest, attack as fierce as fire, undefeatable defense like a mountain."

The ruthless yet brilliant strategist Kansuke advises Shingen on much of his battle strategy and helps the Takeda to expand their power and control over various neighboring clans. However, the movie culminates with the famous 4th Battle of Kawanakajima against Uesugi Kenshin in which Kansuke makes a fatal error in strategy. The blunder nearly causes defeat for the Takeda. Although the Takeda were not defeated, they also failed in their long quest to crush Kenshin's armies and to march into the Uesugi territory of Echigo.

This was another good samurai movie even though there is actually relatively little samurai action. Most of the action takes place in the final battle at Kawanakajima. The movie included the famous account of Uesugi Kenshin breaking through the Takeda lines and personally attacking Takeda Shingen as Shingen sits on his camp stool. Shingen calmly thwarts Kenshin's sword attacks with his battle fan. Kenshin was unable to take Shingen's head but as Kenshin retreats, he looks back at Shingen with a smile. There is doubt among many historians as to whether this confrontation between two of the most famous samurai warlords actually took place, but it was still a cool scene nonetheless.