Japanese History and Culture
Samurai and ninja
- the Japanese feudalism -
Mitsuhiko Toho
Faculty of Japanese culture
Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology
Warsaw
toho@pjwstk.edu.pl
Japanese History and Culture
Samurai and ninja
- the Japanese feudalism -
Mitsuhiko Toho
Faculty of Japanese culture
Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology
Warsaw
toho@pjwstk.edu.pl
2007
Samurai and ninja
2
Etymology
• Samurai 侍
( 侍 or, more rarely, 侍 ) was a term for t
he military nobility in pre-industrial Jap
an. The word 'samurai' is derived from
the archaic Japanese verb 'samorau', c
hanged to 'saburau' , meaning 'to serv
e'; a samurai is the servant of a lord.
(Wikipedia)
= bushi,shi, mononofu
2007
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Yamato period (V – VIII c.)
• Otomo 侍侍 – the imperial palace gu
ard
• Mononobe 侍侍 – the defense forc
e, the border army
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Nara period (VIII c.)
• Taiho ritsuryo 侍侍侍侍 – The code from
701.
• Yoro ritsuryo 侍侍侍侍– The code from
757.
Rei No 6:
– Kuei-rei 侍侍侍
– Gunbo-rei 侍侍侍
• The military organization
• Military services – 1/3 seitei (20 – 60 years
old)
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Heian period (VIII – XII c.)
• Seiitaishogun 侍侍侍侍侍 (Shogun 侍侍 )
to conquer Emishi 侍侍
• The rebellion in Johei – Tengyo 侍侍侍
侍侍侍 (935 – 941)
• The beginning of samurai families
• Seiwa Genji 侍侍侍侍
vs. Kammu Heike 侍侍侍侍
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Domination of samurai
• The Hogen 侍侍 Rebellion in 1156
• The Heiji 侍侍 Rebellion in 1159
• Taira no Kiyomori 侍侍侍 (1118 -
1181)
– the first government of samurai
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Medieval times
• Bakufu - shogunate
– Kamakura Bakufu (1192 - 1338)
– Muromachi Bakufu (1338 - 1573)
• Development of manorial systems
– Shugo 侍侍
– Jito 侍侍
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Kamakura period
(1192 - 1338)
• Minamoto no Yoritomo 侍侍侍 (1147 -
1199)
– The founder of the Kamakura bakufu
– Hojo Tokimasa 侍侍侍侍 (1138 - 1215)
– Shikken 侍侍 - the regent of shoguns
• The mongol invasion in 1274 and 1
281
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Muromachi period
(1338 - 1573)
• Onin – Bunmei War 1467 r.–
1477 r.
• Sengoku period
• Harquebus – 1543
• From shugo-daimyo to sengoku-
daimyo
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Sengoku period
• The worring States period
• Declination of Ashikaga/Hojo shoguna
te
• Confricts between local warlords
• Sengoku daimyo
– Mori Motonari 侍侍侍侍 (1497 - 1571)
– Takeda Shingen 侍侍侍侍 (1521 - 1573)
– Uesugi Kenshin 侍侍侍侍 (1530 - 1578)
– Oda Nobunaga 侍侍侍侍 (1534 - 1582)
– Tokugawa Ieyasu 侍侍侍侍 (1542 - 1616)
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Azuchi-Momoyama period
(1573 - 1603)
• Oda Nobunaga (1534 - 1582)
• Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536 - 1598)
• Reunification of Japan
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Edo period (1603 - 1868)
• Tokugawa-bakufu in Edo (Tokyo)
• Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 - 1616) - th
e founder
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Buke Shohatto
• Various points of laws for samurai
families issued in 1615
•
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Kinchu-Kuge Shohatto
• Various points of laws for the imper
ial court and aristocracy
• The empelor should concern with
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The four divisions of
society in the Edo period
• 侍 shi – samurai
• 侍 no - farmers
• 侍 ko - artisans
• 侍 sho - merchants
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Hierarchy of samurai in th
e Edo period
T a ir o
...
I g a s h u
I g a s h u
K u n ig a s h ir a
...
R u s u i t o s h iy o r i
K a n jo B u g y o
...
R o ju
...
...
S h o g u n
ninja
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The samurai economy
• The basic income - rice
– 40% ~ 50% of product as tax
• Unit: koku 侍
• 1 koku = 10 to = 100 sho = 1000 go
• 1 go = 180 ml - one meal
• 1 koku ≈meals for 1 year/person
• Average income/family = 50 koku
(gross) ≈ \200,000 - \3,000,000
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Bushido – way of the warri
or
•
- The Soul of Japan, Nitobe
Inazo (1862 - 1933)
•
- Yamamoto Jocho or
Tsunetomo (1659 - 1719)
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• Miyamoto Musashi (ca 1584 -
1645)
– The Ground Book
– The Water Book
– The Fire Book
– The Wind Book
– The Void Book
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侍侍 gojo
• 侍 jin - benevolence
• 侍 gi - rectitude
• 侍 rei - respect
• 侍 chi - wisdom
• 侍 shin – trust
Panku, Paihu tung (ok. 79 n.e.)
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侍侍 gorin
- the relations of humanity
-
• 侍侍侍侍 affection between father and son
• 侍侍侍侍 righteousness between sovereign
and minister
• 侍侍侍侍 attention to their separate functio
ns between husband and wife
• 侍侍侍侍 a proper order between old and yo
ung
• 侍侍侍侍 fidelity between friends
Mencius (372 – 289 BCE)
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侍侍 Seppuku
Seppuku (Japanese: 侍侍 , "stomach-
cutting" or "belly slicing") is a form
of Japanese ritual suicide by
disembowelment.
see
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Nihonto - Katana
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Kuro zukuri no tachi
Total length 86.8 cm, length of the cutter
68,2 cm
Shoso-in, 8th century
侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍 11., 1999
忍
NINJ
A
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侍侍 Ninja
侍
Nin.
shino(bu)
bear, endure,
put up with; hide (oneself).
shino(baseru)
,
shino(basu)
conceal, secrete.
shino(bi)
stealing (into); spy, sneak
thief;
shino(biyakani)
stealthily,
secretly.
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侍侍 Ninja
侍
Sha, Ja. person; thing
mono
p
erson,
somebody.
–sha
agent, a
ctor
The New Nelson Japanese-English character dicti
onary, 1997
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Ninja
• 侍侍 onmitsu
• 侍侍 kanja
• 侍侍侍 kunoichi
• 侍侍侍侍 shinobi no shu
• 侍侍侍 suppa
• 侍侍侍 rappa
• 侍侍侍 mawashi mono
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Ninjutsu books
Fujibayashi Yasutake, Bansen
Shukai,
22 volumes, 1676
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Ninja in Internet
•
http://www.sphere.ad.j
p/ninja/
•
http://www.mpd.c
o.jp/net/ninja/japanese/menu.html
•
http://www.ninpaku.ne.jp/
•
http://www.sanada.or.jp/
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The end of samurai period
• The last shogun - Tokugawa
Yoshinobu (1837 - 1913)
• Taisei-hokan - the restoration of poli
tical power to the empelor, 1867
• New goverment of Meiji, 1868
– The battle of Toba-Fushimi
– The Hokuetsu war
– The Hakodate war, 1869
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Samurai rebelions
• Bans of swords in 1870, 1872 and
1876
• The end of pay by goverment for
samurai, 1876
• Rebelion in Saga, 1874
• Jinpuren rebelion in Kumamoto, 1876
• Akizuki rebelion in Fukuoka, 1876
• Rebelion in Hagi, 1876
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The Seinan War – 1877 r.
Saigo Takamori, 1827 – 1877
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The Last Samurai
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References
• Jolanta Tubielewicz, Kultura Japonii – Słownik,
WSiP, Warszawa, 1996
• 侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍 (Słownik historii
Japonii) 侍侍侍侍侍侍侍 1959
• Henry Wiencek, Władcy Japonii – Skarby
świata, Amber, Warszawa, 1997
• Sztuka japońska w zbiorach Muzeum
Narodowego w Krakowie, Fundacja Kyoto –
Kraków, 1994
• 侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍 300 侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍侍 2005
