“…if a man has not discovered something that he will die for,
he isn’t fit to live.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr., Walk to Freedom, Detroit, 23 June 1963.

I’ve been watching the 2024 version of Shōgun, the historical drama based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell. I have to say, I’m rather impressed. Most of the actors are Japanese, a majority of the dialogue is in Japanese (if somewhat “jidaigeki“), and the production is pretty authentic to what I know of 16th-century Japan.

I’ve never read Clavell’s novel, which while fictional in detail is based on actual people and events from late 16th-century Japanese history. This was a pivotal moment in Japan, marking the end of the country’s Feudal period, or 418-years of near continuous civil war.

Japan’s Feudal period began in the late 12th-century when the “shōguns”, powerful Japanese military leaders, replaced the imperial court as the country’s central government. Generals loyal to the shōgun were compensated with land and regional powers, becoming the feudal lords known as “daimyo”. But some among the daimyo would eventually grow in power enough to challenge the authority of the shogunate with their own private armies.

This resulted in the rise of the “samurai”, or more accurately, “bushi” (武士), who were an elite professional warrior class. For bushi, war was a way of life that often included entire families. The term “samurai” more accurately denotes service as a trusted retainer to a daimyo. So for bushi as samurai, this amounted to pledging one’s life to a daimyo.

Alliances of convenience among the daimyo, and sometimes even the civil authority of the imperial government, would form and wane through generations as power shifted. And by the mid 15th-century, Japan had become a society that existed in a state of almost constant internal warfare. During this time, Zen Buddhism began to strongly influence the development of a bushi philosophy and an associated code-of-behavior. Much of this emphasized salvation through self-discipline, applying it to Confucian ideals of loyalty and duty.

After 415-years, this pattern of endless warfare would ultimately culminate in the monumental, “Battle of Sekigahara” on 21 October 1600, in which at least 30,000 combatants would lose their lives. But the result would be a subsequent two-and-a-half centuries of peace, economic and cultural development, and isolationism under the unified leadership of the “Tokugawa Shogunate” during Japan’s subsequent “Edo period“. It was during this time that the bushi philosophy would become consolidated into various forms of a doctrine known as “Bushido”, or the “way of the warrior”.

Japanese samurai are usually associated with the use of swords, and primarily the “katana”. With its long curved blade and single sharpened cutting edge, it is intended to be drawn and used quickly in a single slashing motion. In 1588, the right to carry swords was restricted only to samurai, making the wearing of swords also a display of elite social status. However, the sword was not typically the first weapon of choice in warfare.

Especially before the introduction of firearms, the primary weapon of a samurai was actually the “yumi”, an asymmetrical longbow with a shorter lower limb. This design allowed for the bow to be more easily used from horseback, or from behind protection. At over two meters in length, properly drawing and releasing arrows from a yumi requires significant strength and years of training.

Regardless, a skilled samurai on horseback could accurately release an arrow every few seconds while riding at full gallop. These arrows, called “ya”, would be tipped with a variety of different types of steel points depending upon the intended target. In warfare, this allowed for long-range attacks before closing on an adversary.

At closer quarters, however, foot soldiers especially would utilize a type of gripped spear known as a “yari” (槍). Yari were usually equipped with a long and thin, pointed steel tip intended to puncture through armor. These steel tips also sometimes included cross bars or hooks, which were intended to keep an impaled enemy from pushing any closer. But there was also another common polearm.

The “naginata” (薙刀, “mowing sword”) consists of a metal or wooden pole with a long, single-edged, curved blade on its end. The pole extended the reach of the blade, which was intended primarily for slashing and cutting. During warfare, these could be swung at an enemy in order to break lines or to combat cavalry, and were sometimes used by mounted samurai and foot soldiers, as well as warrior monks.

A form of the naginata, the somewhat lighter “ko-naginata”, is the iconic weapon of women of the Japanese nobility. Nearly all women of status were trained to use these weapons to protect themselves, as well as their homes and children. Because of its reach, it could be used to sweep an area clear, or to keep an attacker at a distance. The naginata was also effectively used by female warriors. The legendary female samurai, Tomoe Gozen (“Lady Tomoe”), was said to have wielded the weapon with great skill.
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Sixteenth-century feudal Japan was an at once extraordinarily beautiful, and extraordinarily violent society. And the introduction of Western weapons, such as early firearms and cannons to Japanese battlefields only served to amplify the latter. Important to the context of what the story is attempting to illustrate, the 2024 Shōgun doesn’t shy away from depictions of this violence. It was a utility to the Japanese society of the time. Life was seen as but a fleeting moment in which to appreciate beauty. Purpose came only from dedicating one’s self to something greater.

I won’t get into the plot or the story-line of Shōgun, which is placed during the lead-up to the Battle of Sekigahara, as there are plenty of other sources. But a pivotal character in Clavell’s story is “Toda Mariko” [family name, given name], who is based on the historical, Akechi Tama (明智たま), also known as Hosokawa Gracia (細川ガラシャ).  From an aristocratic bushi family, she lived from 1563 until her death on August 25^th of 1600. After learning both Latin and Portuguese, she was baptized as a Christian in 1587, taking the name Gracia. 

In 1600, the feudal lord Ishida Mitsunari attempted to force Gracia’s husband into joining his side in the coming battle by effectively holding her hostage at Osaka Castle. Unwilling to accept the disgrace, Gracia was said to have had a family retainer end her life since her Christian beliefs would not allow suicide. Her death severely damaged Ishida’s reputation, causing him to lose the support of many generals, several of whom were probably also Christians themselves. These defections would ultimately result in Ishida Mitsunari’s defeat at the Battle of Sekigahara.

Clavell’s version of the real-life Gracia in the character of “Mariko” illustrates the feudal Japanese ideal of samurai bushi, while also bringing together much of the preceding story through her use of the ko-naginata. Meaning is established through a formalized, but unyielding loyalty, even if to fight against one’s own destiny is futile. Whether or not such a death is worthwhile is left to the viewer, as Clavell didn’t take a side in what constitutes “barbarity”.

Warning! Bloody content:

Notes about some of the images:

“A Medieval Japanese Archer” is a lithograph by Émile Théodose Thérond (1821–1883), and Jean Gauchard (1825-1872). I believe that it was drawn from a photograph with a posed subject, probably taken around the end of the Edo era in 1868 or shortly thereafter. Personal collection.

The arrow points (“yanone” or “yajiri”) are all Edo era (1603-1868). The longer-shafted points were sourced from the Kobe/Osaka region. The others are from the Tokyo/Chiba area (Edo). Some of the smaller points were made with the same craftsmanship as that seen in traditional blades, and were signed by their makers. Personal collection.

Japanese Print, “「英勇一百伝」 「巴御前」” (“One Hundred Tales of Heroes” “Tomoe Gozen”), by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1851).
At the Tokyo Metro Library: https://ukiyo-e.org/image/metro/H020-004

Battlefield Archery: This is a link to a ceremonial demonstration of “kyujutsu”, or battlefield archery. The archers first demonstrate a “Sashiya”, where a group of archers release a steady stream of arrows. This is followed by a “koshia”, where the archers advance in alternating ranks. This was intended to pin-down enemy archers, allowing spearmen from their own ranks of a “kumiyumi”, or a group of archers and spearmen who have trained to work together, to move forward. The headwear signifies that these archers have been temporarily blessed as Shintō priests while they perform as entertainment to the gods of the shrine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJVC6ExVUi4
There’s a good article here.

Dealing with Feudal Bureaucrats  Partially just for fun, but also because it depicts a fairly accurate use of the katana, or long sword. These were not “fencing” weapons; rather, they were a utility. This is the sequence preceding the accumulation of bodies (and body parts) visible in the background during Mariko’s confrontation with the replacement entry guards. The bushi-samurai assigned to Mariko-sama by Lord Toranaga would indeed have followed her direction without question. Observing appropriate formality, however, the samurai bows respectfully in recognition of the bureaucratic status of the official in charge of the gate. What follows is an example of “Iaijutsu” (居合術).

This is a response to an attack starting from the “saya”, or the katana’s sheath. As the gate official reaches for his weapon, the samurai immediately disables his would-be attacker in a single move of the katana from the saya (takes off his opponent’s fingers), dispatches his assistant, returns to conclude his business with the official, shakes the blood from the katana, and then replaces it back into the saya in a span of five seconds. Efficiency!