Military History of Japan

"Gosannen War Emaki" [Artist Unknown]

Book of the Samurai

"Prohibited book of Nabeshima, Hagakure The Analects (abridged). 1939 edition."

     As with the code of chivalry among European knights, Medieval Japan also had a code for its elite warrior class- the samurai- Hagakure. The contents of the book consisted of commentary from its author Yamamoto Tsunetomo and his retainer Nabeshima Mitsushige and related to the ways in which a samurai should behave and speak.

     The core theme of the document relates to a philosophy that a warrior should behave under the belief that they are already dead- and that their behavior should center around self-sacrifice for noble causes. The composer hoped to instill in future samurai the need to embrace the constant awareness and acceptance of death as a part of life, and that- through this acceptance and awareness- a warrior could achieve one's calling as a warrior.

     Tsunetomo was a warrior during peacetime in Feudal Japan. After the Shimebara Rebellion, Japan enjoyed relative peace for almost two centuries- making the elite warrior class restless and politicians debating the need for their continued existence. Tsunetomo's handbook on proper behavior for peacetime warriors helped pacify the warrior class and maintain self-discipline among their numbers.

     The book enjoyed little renown after the fall of the samurai class following the Meiji Restoration until World War II when Japanese soldiers in the Pacific War embraced its teachings and adopted its philosophies on the proper behavior of soldiers. Post-War Japanese Nationalists later embraced the book as a manual of behavior in an era of foreign occupation following a humiliating defeat as a manual for behavior as unofficial warriors in a culture war against the West.

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Tale of the Heiki

     While female samurai were rare in Feudal Japan, they certainly were not absent. Among the most famous was Tomoe Gozen who served during the Genpei War. Gozen commanded a unit of three hundred warriors under the leadership of general Yoshinaka during the war against an enemy Taira clan force of two thousand. During the war, Yoshinaka captured Kyoto- the then imperial capital- and demanded to be named head of the powerful Minamoto clan. Instead, the Minamoto sent Yoshinaka's cousin Yorimoto to defeat him. Yoshinaka's army battled Yorimoto in the Battle of Awazu in which Gozen is noted for beheading an enemy warrior.

     The battle turned against Yoshinaka however. The outnumbered Yoshinaka fought valiantly, but could not overpower the larger army under Yorimoto. Yoshinaka- with only a small band of warriors remaining from the fight- urged Tomoe Gozen to flee. While the warrior woman killed at least two enemy warriors in her escape, Yoshinaka and his remaining warriors fought a final stand and were killed to the last man. Tomoe Gozen's life would be immortalized in the historical epic "Tale of the Heiki" compiling stories of the long feud between the Taira and Minamoto clans.

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Kami of Eight Banners

"The Buddhist Sogyō Hachiman depicted in the attire of a Buddhist monk, syncretised from the Shinto deity Hachiman" [Unknown Artist]

     In the Shinto Faith of Japan, there is one man who would- through his lifetime- earn such a reputation for success in combat that he would- in death- become a god of war. Known in the afterlife as Hachiman, Emperor Ojin ruled sometime during the 3rd-4th Century CE, and his life has become more myth than legend. What is known about the emperor is that he probably wasn't an emperor at all.

     Historians note that the Japanese term for emperor (tenno) is only used after Ojin's era, and that the application of the term was only ever used posthumously by Feudal Japanese historians. If Ojin really did exist, he was likely a clan leader or war chief whose narrative became the legend it is today.

    According to myth, Ojin was born to a widowed princess after the latter returned from an invasion of a "Promised Land" (Korea). After his mother turned over the keys to the empire to her son, Ojin ruled for forty years and fathered twenty-eight children with one spouse and ten consorts.

     It would be after his death that Ojin would become a source of worship by several groups in Japan including the imperial family who saw him as a divine ancestor and by samurai who embraced him as a god of archery and warfare. Even the peasantry of Feudal Japan worshipped Hachiman with Shinto shrines spotlighting the figure across Japan.

     Today, there are so many shrines to Hachiman (2500 in fact) that he has more shrines across Japan today than any other Shinto divinity, second only to Inari. Additionally, Hachiman's symbol- a swirling whirlpool- would become a major symbol of warriors across Japan- including several samurai in the decor of their weaponry and the Tairo clan, the sworn enemies of the Minamoto.

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Ran so Far Away

"Theatrical Release Poster"

     Depictions of Feudal Japanese warfare have captivated audiences across the globe with some inspired by historical events- such as The Last Samurai- and others inspired by mere fiction- such as Seven Samurai. The greatest depiction of Feudal Japanese warfare however may be one inspired by Irish historical events.

     In 1985, legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa brought to the screen the Shakespearean epic of King Lear- a play itself inspired by a mythologized pseudo-historical account of an ancient Irish king and his three daughter who fought a civil war over their father's throne.

     Like the play, Ran centers around an aging, successful warlord who decides to voluntarily abdicate the throne and leave it to his three children to rule as equals. What ensues is a war between the children over control of the entire kingdom of their father.

     Kurosawa saw in Shakespeare's play a mold for using as a catalyst for expressing anxiety over nuclear war in the Cold War Era, and intentionally directed battle scenes to express his nation's collective anxiety- especially in the lethal use of European firearms (arquebusiers).

     The film's depiction of the anxiety-inducing warfare of Feudal Japan reflected the anxiety of the Cold War to perfection, and often appears on lists of the greatest war films ever made. It's one of the greatest depictions of a Shakespeare film brought to screen, one of the greatest war films ever made, and is often cited as the greatest depiction of Feudal Japanese warfare ever made.

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Way of the Sword

     Like with Medieval Europe, Feudal Japan developed several sports as a means of training future warriors in order to prepare them for combat. Among the several martial arts developed for training warriors in Japan was the sport of Kenjutsu- an ancestor to the contemporary Kendo. Like with fencing schools in late Medieval Europe, Feudal Japan had special schools for teaching Kenjutsu which continued operation for centuries- many of which today survive through the teaching of kendo. Both Kenjutsu and Kendo emphasis the same teaching technique as European fencing- using proper form as a tool for achieving success. Where Kendo differs from European fencing is the use of bamboo swords and armor as opposed to metal swords and padded cotton protection.

     Kendo became widely popular throughout Japan, especially under the Meiji Restoration as police across Japan began using swords as their main sidearm. After World War Two, kendo was banned in occupied Japan in a larger effort to remove militarization of the Japanese public, but occupying forces allowed the reintroduction of the sport in 1950 as part of national school curriculum. Upon the return of independence in 1952, Japan's laws banning martial arts lifted, and Japan's martial arts (including Kendo) gained a resurgence in popularity. Today, Kendo enjoys international popularity with the International Kendo Federation organizing competitions and regulations of the sport across the globe.