Japanese History and Culture

Samurai and ninja

- the Japanese feudalism -

Mitsuhiko Toho

Faculty of Japanese culture

Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology

Warsaw

[e-mail]

2007

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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

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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

•

http
://www.uni-erfurt.de/ostasiatische
_geschichte/texte/japan/dokumente/
17/tokugawa_legislation/index.htm

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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

•

Bushido

- The Soul of Japan, Nitobe

Inazo (1862 - 1933)

•

Hagakure

- Yamamoto Jocho or

Tsunetomo (1659 - 1719)

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The Book of Five Rings

• 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

wikipedia

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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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Iga

•

http://www.iganinja.jp/japanese/m
enu.html

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Ninjutsu books

Fujibayashi Yasutake, Bansen

Shukai,

22 volumes, 1676

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Ninja in Internet

•

Ninja Museum

http://www.sphere.ad.j

p/ninja/

•

Ninja Hakubutsukan

http://www.mpd.c

o.jp/net/ninja/japanese/menu.html

•

Ninja Expo

http://www.ninpaku.ne.jp/

•

Sanada Yukimura

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