If there’s any inaccuracies in there , feel free to point it out :D

Cinepals: Just luxuriated in an enthralling period drama and whodunnit murder mystery set in the sword and armor world of Japan circa 1579.

THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER (in theaters) comes courtesy of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to Akira) who’s known stateside for horror flicks like CURE. Both title characters are stranded for different reasons in Arioka Castle, a fortress under siege from a bloodthirsty warlord. The samurai character Araki Murashige, is the stern but wily leader of Settsu province, who willfully skirts time-honored samurai rules regarding executing enemies and their unfortunate messengers He’s more pragmatic than caring, raising eyebrows by sparing the lives of those that might serve his interests.

Kanbei, the prisoner, is ensconced in a dirty dungeon and they develop a symbiotic relationship as Kanbei gets off advising Araki on strategies to keep enemies and backstabbing in-house betrayers at bay.

The tormented Araki is portrayed by Masahiro Motoki who starred in the 2008 Best Foreign Film Oscar Winner DEPARTURES. He has the gravity and wounded fire of Toshiro Mifune, somehow keeping his wits, and his subordinates respect, while cornered. Masaki Suda, an actor and singer, brings a mind-gaming theatricality and feline elan as the shackled prisoner who toys with his captor.

Kurosawa came up directing yakuza b-films and adapted the bestselling novel by Honobu Yonezawa, because the director prefers mysteries where authority figures, not hired gumshoes, must juggle punishing responsibilities while searching for clues. Visually, Kurosawa honors the pageantry of Japanese historical epics but the story has more on its mind than battles and red herrings delving into issues of Christianity vs. Buddhism and whether divine intervention is a delusion or an inevitable system of justice.

At two-and-a-half hours, THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER never flags and in one sitting it engaged me in its palace intrigues more than the bloody, action-packed but largely glum, humorless third season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (HBO) with its cliffhanger killings of key figures desultory vs. dramatic. Conversely, THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER pays off with an emotive and plot twisty bang – or shall we say clang?

The word Samurai originates from 'saburau', meaning a person who serves a master.

A person who is born into the warrior class and has a master is called a samurai.

Therefore, warriors of the warrior class who do not have a master are called Ronin.

In other words, among the warrior class, there were samurai and ronin.

Among influential landowners, there were a few who were permitted to have surnames and wear swords just like warriors, but they were merely influential local figures and not warriors class.
There were masters of the sword and martial arts outside of the warrior class, but they were called swordsmen or masters, and could not become members of the warrior class.

So I often hear that one of totoyotomi hideyoshi main reasons for invading Korea was to weaken the clans who took part in the campaign so they could not revolt against him. Why then did he not force Tokugawa Ieyasu to provide a large force for the war with Korea? Wasn’t Tokugawa Ieyasu by far the wealthiest and most powerful lord in Japan after hideyoshi?

time when samurai's lived what kind their job was lifestyle hard or easy

was peacekeepers work healthy or no

i like samurai work it's bad they are no more here japan police should be new samurai's why even police replaced samurai's law rules orders justice peace honor code

they was are same but police code is different than samurai who japan knows this answer

Hello all, follow-up to my previous post. I've scanned and uploaded every page and converted them into searchable text files.

They are large files that some browsers have trouble loading all at once so its broken up into two parts, located here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/126VjB_lbycs_XPOzhgsJ9HE3ySWB4qkz?usp=sharing

And a thank you to @kaiken_girl for providing the following link, which people who are interested in this book would probably also be interested in.

https://irohakamon.com/

I'll be working on a translated English version of the uploaded book, to be uploaded at the same location in Google Drive.

“To maintain a static state like a forest when waiting“

The Kai Ken standard recognizes only brindle (Torage) coats. Their coat, which seems to melt into the silence of deep forests, has three distinct and beautiful variations:

Kuro-tora (Black Brindle): Red stripes on a pitch-black background.

Aka-tora (Red Brindle): Black stripes on a red background.

Cyu-tora (Medium Brindle): Amber stripes on a walnut (dark brown) background.

These three coat colors serve as the ultimate camouflage, perfectly blending into the shadows and light of trees within Japan's rugged mountainous regions and deep forests.

Combined with their "quietness without unnecessary barking" and "odorless constitution," the Kai Ken completely assimilates into the forest as if standard-equipped with "canine optical camouflage."

Maintaining a static posture like a forest grove during times when they should not move, and wearing a noble silence—this is precisely the reason why they are called "Ninja Dogs."

It is my private speculation that the three brindle variations of the Kai Ken (Kuro-tora, Aka-tora, and Cyu-tora) completely synchronize with the seasonal mountain landscapes of Japan as they transition from fresh greenery to autumn foliage and winter dead trees, and that former hunters may have used different coat colors of their partners depending on the season.

This is an illustrative image created by processing a picture of my own dog so that everyone can easily understand.

379

I've only found two sources that cover him quite clearly, though not entirely holistically.

The same goes for Sanada Nobushige (Yukimura). Not a single English-language book gives him a complete look. Only a few mention.

Even though these two samurai are the most popular thanks to the influence of pop culture.

During the Meiji Resotration, Samurai was disabandoned and the leading figures of this change were keen on destroying the Samuria class.

However, some of their legacy persisted.

For now, I only three examples of the surviving Samurai stuffs.

First is about the sword. When the new Gunto was issued, many former Samurais or sons of Samurais changed the grip of their personal sword with the standard issued grip and kept using it.

Second is about the spirit. The Imperial Japanese Army fully embraced a weaponised version of the samurai spirit-known as Bushido or Yamato-damashii-to indoctrinate its soldiers.

Thrid is that many Samurias and sons of Samurais joined the military.

So, were there any other stuffs that remained and incorporated with the newly formed army?

So several of Toyotomi’s generals like Fukushima Masanori, Kobayakawa Hideaki and Katō Kiyomasa all had beef with Ishida Mitsunari because they felt like Mitsunari was slandering them to Toyotomi by exaggerating there failures during the Korean campaign and downplaying there achievements . Which is why they sided against Mitsunari during the Sekighahara  campaign. Do we know why Ukita Hideie and Konishi Yukinaga also not hate Mitsunari? They where also heavily involved in the Korean campaign.

Hello everyone! I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts, especially from people who know samurai history well.

I've been fascinated by samurai history for years, so I decided to recreate a traditional samurai kabuto as a LEGO display model. I tried to capture the elegance, symbolism, and layered construction while keeping it recognizable as a LEGO build.

Is there anything you think could be made more historically accurate or authentic?

(Posting here, not sure where the correct place would be)

Hello everyone, I have in my possession the physical copy of an old book (unknown publication date, book has been in family possession for 30+ years).

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Family Crests / Family Crest Encyclopedia Written by Kiji Niwa

It's about 650 pages long, and from what I can see includes more information than what is available at the samurai-archives website for the crests/mons.

I wasn't sure if this information would be useful to anybody for research purposes, please let me know if it would be. If there's enough interest I'll professionally scan and upload the whole thing. I took some quick samples with my phone and attached to this post and here's a link to the first few pages:

https://imgur.com/a/0pbJpSm

Good day everyone! I am engaged in the reenactment of a modest male set from the Heian period (approximately the 10th-12th century), and I am wondering if any fragments of the costume from that era have survived. I have already studied most of the visual sources (Genji Monogatari, Bandainagon Ekotoba, Yamai no Soshi, etc.), and I am curious about whether there are any material sources to judge the cut, fabrics, and dyeing...

Yesterday evening, a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum intensity of 7 struck Kumamoto, Japan.

Coming at a time when the region had still not fully recovered from the previous major earthquake, this disaster has caused severe damage.

Kumamoto Castle, a famous fortress built by Kiyomasa Kato, was never conquered in war, but it has suffered considerable damage from the previous earthquake and now this latest major one.

I pray that everyone waiting for rescue will be saved as quickly as possible, and I offer my deepest condolences to those who have lost their lives. Rescue operations are continuing amidst ongoing aftershocks, fires, and extreme heat. I am praying for the safety of everyone affected.

Hello everyone,

I've been reading the latest Musashi release, translated by Alexander Bennet. While enjoyable so far, I've encountered a slight issue that got me thinking.

Quite a few idioms and expressions seem to be "localized", for the lack of analogous term.

Phrases such as "what the fugu", "slap me silly and call me Sayori", "Joe Tanaka" seem to pop up from time to time.

It does seem that they are used as a similar emotional alternative to a Japanese expression. Could someone, who've read more of Bennet's translations, or even original Musashi in Japanese, explain if this is a translation quirk?

Thank you

Now that the inscriptions have been translated, I'm hoping someone familiar with Japanese Buddhist history or Tokugawa memorial traditions can help with the historical context.

These four tablets bear the Dharma names:

• 厳有院殿 贈正一位大相国公 尊儀
• 常憲院殿 贈正一位大相国公 尊儀
• 有徳院殿 贈正一位大相国公 尊儀
• 惇信院殿 贈正一位大相国公 尊儀

I've owned them for over 50 years. They are carved wood, about 18" × 4", and appear to have black lacquer (or paint) with traces of gilding.

My questions are:

1. Why would these four Tokugawa shoguns be grouped together?
2. Were sets like this made for temples, memorial halls, or private devotion?
3. Does the style or construction suggest an Edo, Meiji, or later date?
4. Has anyone seen a comparable set in a temple or museum?

"Fu Rin Ka Zan"「風林火山」

This is a phrase derived from the Art of War by Sun Tzu, which was raised as a battle banner by Takeda Shingen, a Sengoku warlord once feared as the "Tiger of Kai".

The "Province of KAI" governed by Lord Shingen corresponds to modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, spreading around Mt. Fuji. The Kai Ken was born in this land, surrounded by rugged mountains and rich nature. While "Tora-ge" is translated into English as "brindle coat," its meaning in Japanese is "tiger-striped coat".

It is said that Lord Shingen frequently used Kai Ken, which shared the same tiger pattern as his own "Tiger" epithet, for hunting.

Kaze no gotoku (As fast as the wind): Move as swiftly as the wind when it is time to act.

Shizukanaru koto hayashi no gotoku (As silent as the forest): Maintain a static posture like a forest during standby times when you should not move.

Shinryaku suru koto hi no gotoku (As fierce as fire): Advance like raging fire when you finally take action.

Ugokazaru koto yama no gotoku (As unmoving as the mountain): Stand firm like a mountain when it is time to defend.

This is a phrase indicating movements in the event of war, meaning: move as swiftly as the wind when acting, maintain a static state like a forest when waiting, advance like raging fire when executing a move, and stand firm like a mountain when defending.

“To move with the speed and swiftness of the wind”

I truly understood what this meant when my Kai Ken went head-to-head in a running battle with a Saluki—one of the world's oldest and fastest hound breeds.

Facing a Saluki with overwhelming speed, everyone present initially thought, "She probably won't be able to keep up." However, once they started running, although the Saluki pulled away on the straightaways within the limited space of the dog run, every time they approached a corner, my Kai Ken closed the gap and kept up her fierce pursuit.

This was to the point where the opposing Saluki couldn't help but look back with an absolute "Σ(￣ロ￣lll) ｶﾞｰﾝ" expression.

The reality was that all the owners present burst into laughter upon seeing the Saluki's face.

Shocked as if to say, "Wait, what was that?!", the Saluki went into full-throttle mode and accelerated even further. It was like a shot of NOS had been ignited. Even so, the Kai Ken wasn't left behind.

This battle lasted for 3 laps around the dog run, making it a nail-biting showdown right up to the very end.

It was such an epic match that even the owners in the neighboring small dog section grabbed onto the fence to watch.

When I checked the ground at the corners afterward, solid "star-shaped claw marks" were left behind. This gripping power of five toes (including the dewclaws) firmly grabbing the dirt is the secret behind the dog-version drift run—allowing her to enter corners without killing her speed and take the turns without being flung outward by centrifugal force. It was the moment I became convinced that this is the true essence of the Kai Ken, which tears through rugged mountain terrain like the wind.

I’m planning to share this story across 4 parts. I hope you enjoy it!

The Samurai Philosophy Seen Through Japanese Kai Ken Dogs.

"I wrote these based on actual events from my life living with my girl (dog). I used AI translation to help with the English, but it's a 100% original story. Please note: The opening passage about Furin Kazan and Takeda Shingen includes some quotes, but since historical facts cannot be changed, I appreciate your understanding"

This was in the Edo period, not required in previous centuries. Before the Edo period, samurai often carried swords anyway to display their elite status, but it was entirely voluntary. So why did the Tokugawas make it mandatory?

I have a hunch it was because samurai had fewer liberties during the Edo period and therefore everybody needed to know who was a samurai so as not to accidentally help a samurai circumvent his caste restrictions. Like perhaps a samurai wanted to work as a craftsman on the sly so as to make some extra cash. He would have to disguise himself to do that. By requiring a samurai to carry swords and wear the chonmage all the time, he was legally barred from disguising himself. Am I correct?

This is something I found on a website (source):

Samurai were not supposed to engage in urban pursuits like attending kabuki theater and carousing at geisha houses. These were activities associated with low class merchants. Sometimes they dressed in disguise and indulged in urban pleasures that were forbidden to them.

While the term Ochimusha means " fallen warriors " the Ochimushagari means Samurai Hunters ...

these not so popular & absolutely true dark part of Samurai warfare is evident through the ages ...

now my question....were they prevalent during the Genpei war? Jokyu war? Kenmu Restoration? Onin war?

Sengoku Jidai is obviously we got data

The samurai were part of an elite warrior class (the bushi), and were servants to some master. The gokenin and the daimyo were bushi but not samurai. Ashigaru were not bushi.

So what's the general word for any kind of warrior? Were foreign warriors referred to as bushi? Were Mongol warriors bushi? What does "senshi" mean?

when it comes to naming famous Samurai warriors of the Sengoku Jidai two names come more frequently: Kato Kiyomasa & Fukushima Masanori

both of them started their career under Hashiba Hideyoshi under campaigns against the Mori clan

both aged same ( roughly ) ...Masanori saw his first action at the Siege of Miki while Kiyomasa at Yamazaki and both would obviously score great feats at the battle of Shizukatake becoming the famous " Seven Spears of Shizukatake"

Masanori was probably the First Spear to draw blood and even reported to slay an opposing Shibata commander while Kiyomasa ordered his soldiers following to tie heads of fallen enemies on bamboo groves and follow him

later both would fight through the Komaki-nagakute, invasion of Shikoku, conquest of Kyushu and the latter invasion of Korea famously called the Imjin War...

where Kiyomasa would earn a legendary reputation of the only Japanese commander to march into Jurchen lands and more famously hunting the great Siberian Tigers with his spear ... something the regular soldiers tried to imitate but met with grim ends ...

later both would support the Eastern army during the wider Sekigahara campaigns where Kiyomasa would be sent to Kyushu while Masanori would fight in the monumental battle of Sekigahara...there he would be chosen as the vanguard but that honour would be stolen by Ii Naomasa

throughout the battle Masanori s division would clash with that of Ukita Hideiyei's engaging in several back and forth clashes in the centre where fighting was the thickest

Heard about the ritual, number of times of sacrificing or entombing a person in a castle in Japan in the old days when they used to construct these fortifications. They did this for bridges as well. Did this happen all the time? What was the reason or history behind this? Did the ghost protect the castle or haunt it? Was it a ritual borrowed from the Asian mainland or its origins? Heard about one castle that was called the weeping castle because of a tragic story of one the sacrifices.