Historical Study: Japan's Feudal Samurai Age

For the first time ever, I've embarked on a deep Japanese appreciation phase. This is as per usual brought on by a video game, Assassins Creed Shadows. I've had this phase on the radar for nearly a year now since I learned of this release from my favorite video game franchise. The game provides a full emergence into Japan's Feudal Age with an obvious emphasis on samurais and ninjas (also referred to as shinobi). To go along with my video game I've paired some great Japanese themed TV shows, movies, and books such as Shogun. I'll later have posts regarding Japanese culture as well as book and video game reviews, but for now I'm going to focus on some Japanese history.

I've always been interested in Japanese culture and history but have hardly made a deep dive into it yet. I suppose the first interest I had was focused on their WWII imperial period, where they made up a part of the Axis Powers. I've wrote posts about Japan's modern Imperial Age (see Empire of Japan) as well as their economic boom in the 20th century (see Japan's Economic Miracle). This was a very intriguing time of fanatic extremism where some historians regarded the Japanese army to be even more ruthless then the German Nazis. Their soldiers were willing to kill themselves for the good of their empire (known as kamikazes) and simply refused to accept surrender at all costs. It's this extremist mentality that lead to the US decision to drop the nuclear bomb as the ultimate shock and awe event to end the war. 

When you look back at Japan's ancestry with their Samurai roots, you can begin to understand where this extremism derived from. I think I first became familiar with samurai culture from the popular cartoon Samurai Jack and later Tom Cruise's 2003 film The Last Samurai. But I actually knew quite little of their place in Japanese society during the Feudal Age, until the last month now. They were so much more than just great warriors, but considered as highly respected nobles, statesmen, and political leaders. Their military dictatorships, known as Shoguns strengthened Japanese resilience from the 1100s to the mid 1800s. They were able to repel various invasions by the Mongols and fervently resisted Jesuit Portuguese missionaries. This great culture thrived for nearly 700 years until the American influence of the Meiji Restoration occurred. Although Japan never reached the wealth and territorial might of some European nations, the Samurai to this day is considered the fiercest warrior in all of history. 

Heian Period (Rise of Feudal Lords) 794-1185

Much of Japan's early classical history was broken up into various war lords and military clans throughout the island. Throughout this age their primary religions consisted of Shintoism and Buddhism (which celebrated nature and the spirit over a divine deity). This became the core belief that united many clans during the Asuka Period. During the 700s the emperor passed new land reforms to empower noble landowners. These feudal lords were in charge of managing their local territory in accordance with the emperor. Their means of security to fight against lawlessness bandits, became the samurai. The early use of the samurai was more of a humble servant to the landowner, and did not transform into the noble warrior until many years later. 

In 794 AD the 50th Emperor Kammu moved the capital of Japan to Kyoto. He ushered in a new era of reform, known as the Heian Period, transforming Japan from a theocratic Buddhist region into a government with a legal system. Some of these reforms included abolishing peasant conscription and replacing it with local militia that would lead to the establishment of the samurai class. The conquest of the indigenous Emishi people in the northern regions of Japan also marked a major turning point in the development of the shogunates. Samurais acquired much of their traditions and fighting techniques from these ancient people such as mounted archers and the curved swords known as katanas.   

During this age the imperial authority of Japan was divided among various warlords and nobles known as daimyos. The Emperor was seen as more of a symbolic role with divine authority. Some of the most prominent clans were the Fujiwara, the Minamoto, the Taira, and the Tachibana. By the eleventh century the shoguns controlled more land then the government did, and built up great armies of samurais to defend their land. The Taira and Minamoto became the two dominant clans of Japan during this time and eventual arch enemies. Disputes over the throne from 1156-1160 led to the Hogen and Heiji Rebellions and the subsequent Genpei War from 1180-1185. The Minamoto clan finally achieved a decisive victory over the Taira at the naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura to end the war and become the undisputed power of Japan.      

Kamakura Shogunate (Mongol Invasions) 1185-1333

After successfully leading his clan to victory, Minamoto no Yoritomo declared himself first shogun of Japan. He moved his central government from Kyoto to Kamakura (on the outskirts of Tokyo) although Kyoto still remained the busier capital of Japan. Yoritomo established a stronger system of samurai soldiers and police to collect taxes, squash any rebellion activity, and maintain law and order throughout the land. The iconic colorful armor and headgear known as the o-yoroi and do-maru became prevalent samurai attire during this time. Following Yoritimo's death in 1199, his centralized shogunate government weakened as his appointed feudal lords known as shugos acquired more strength in their local lands. 

In 1274 the whole nation of Japan was reunited due to a full scale invasion by the Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan. The Mongols heavily outnumbered the Japanese with their 40,000 soldiers and 900 ships against 10,000 Samurai. However the samurai defended their land with great zeal and were aided by miraculous thunderstorms that became known as kamikazes (divine winds). Despites the Mongol's superior forces and weaponry (which included the first use of bombs and gunpowder in Asia) the first invasion came to a stand-still and the Mongolians were forced to retreat to China. 

However the samurai knew they would return and began to build up their defenses. Diplomacy between the two nations failed when a Japanese shugo beheaded 5 Chinese diplomats. In 1281 Kublai Khan sent a 2nd invasion into Japan, with a much larger force of 140,000 men and 5,000 ships. The Japanese army was once again vastly outnumbered, with only 40,000 men. However thanks to their defensive walls, superior fighting discipline, and another miraculous typhoon they were able to once again repel the invasion. The Mongolians were forced to retreat and withdraw their invasion and word began to spread that Japan was indeed protected by a divine natural force. 

Despite their victory over the Mongolian invasions, the finances of the war took a toll on the Kamakura Shogunate during the 1300s. The relationship between the shogunate leaders and the samurai were fractured due to this loss in compensation. At this point samurai developed a new practice of Zen Buddhism to be one with life, nature, and not afraid of death. In 1331 seeking to restore imperial power, emperor Go-Diago enlisted the support of a shogunate general Ashikaga Takauji to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate. The Genko War lasted from 1331-1333 and led to the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate and the restoration of imperial power in Japan.       

     

Sengoku Period (Warring States Period) 1333-1568

Emperor Go-Diago's Kenmu Restoration of the imperial throne was rather short-lived and in 1336 the general Takauji captured Kyoto and declared himself shogun. Takauji established his shogunate in the northern district of Kyoto known as Muromachi. Meanwhile Emperor Go-Diago was not prepared to go away quietly and re-established an imperial government in the southern region of Yoshino. This led to a civil conflict known as the Nanboku-cho period where their were two rival governments in the north and the south of Kyoto. In 1392 Takauju's grandson Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was able to establish peace and unify the northern and southern governments. 

With this reunification of the shogunate and the imperial throne, the Ashikaga shogunate became the new centralized government of Japan. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was a very influential leader for nearly 30 years establishing peace throughout Japan as well as with China. However following his death in 1467 civil war returned to Japan due to a feud between two prominent daimyos over control of the Ashikaga shogunate. The Onin War was an intense civil war that lasted for ten years (1467-1477) and completely destroyed the city of Kyoto. As a result of this conflict the Ashikaga shogunate lost much of it's power and Japan entered a period of continuous civil war among various clans for control of the nation. This continuous warring states period, also known as the Sengoku Period, lasted for nearly 150 years without a centralized government.

During this time the samurai were able to elevate their status not just as vassals to their daiymo lord, but to become daimyo noble lords themselves. During this time ninjas (also known as shinobis) from the provinces of Iga and Koka became prevalent spies and assassins hired by daimyo lords. Buddhist warrior monks also came to prevalence during this time seeking to restore Buddhism as the central religion of the nation. Ronins also emerged as samurai warriors without any allegiance to a noble lord. Some of the most powerful samurai daiymos of the era were Uesugi Kenshi, Takeda Shingen, Mori Montonari, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Despite the continuous warfare, iconic Japanese customs emerged during this time such as ink painting, Japanese gardening, bonsai trees, and their tea ceremonies.     

The Arrival of Portuguese trade and religion (1543)

Quite surprisingly the European discovery of Japan came after they discovered the New World of the Americas. Although in the late 1200s, Marco Polo had discovered the far eastern lands of Asia such as India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China he never reached the island of Japan. It was thus unknown to the western world until 1543 when a Portuguese merchant ship was blown off course and landed on the island of Tanegashima. The Portuguese thus established a trade partnership with the Japanese introducing new items, most notably firearms such as muskets and pistols. By 1556 the Japanese had purchased roughly 300,000 firearms from Portugal to use in their armies.  

In 1549 the Catholic church sent Jesuit missionaries from Portugal led by Francis Xavier. While the Japanese were first alarmed by these western barbarians, they were also curious of their customs, their large ships, and powerful weapons. The religion of Christianity was very different from their practices of Shinto and Buddhism, however it was all so new and interesting to the locals. There were nearly 150,000 converts throughout the 1550s where it seemed as if the Christian faith was going to spread like a wildfire as it did throughout Europe and the Americas. However by the 1580s new laws were passed by the emperor to prohibit the practice of Catholicism and no longer allow Jesuits missionaries. The daiymos of Japan simply felt this new foreign religion would destroy their proud customs, and eventually banned the religion entirely by 1620.   

Tokugawa Shogunate (The Edo Period) 1568-1868

By the 1560s a new powerful warlord named Oda Nobunaga had emerged with an intention to end the civil wars and unify Japan. Oda Nobunaga had begun his campaign near Nagoya and achieved a decisive victory in 1560 at the Battle of Okehazama by defeating the much more powerful army of Imagawa Yoshimito. Perhaps Oda's greatest move as leader was establishing peaceful relations with the Portuguese to use their firearms and learn of their battle tactics. By 1568 Oda Nobunaga brought an end to the Ashikaga Shogunate when he captured the city of Kyoto. The Azuchi Castle was built in 1579 in Kyoto as the main headquarters of the Oda clan. Nobunaga now controlled much of the southern region of Japan and intended to press further north, until he was assassinated by one of his own officers in 1582. 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded Nobunaga as leader of the Oda clan and continued his work to gain full control of Japan. Hideyoshi achieved key victories in the southern and eastern regions of Kyushu and Kanto, including decisive victories over the poewrful Hojo clan. By the 1580s Hideyoshi had become the most powerful warlord in Japan and began a series of strict law reform including prohibiting Christianity, confiscating swords from the peasants while requiring samurais to carry 2 swords, and limiting the power of daiymos. He also freed the Japanese slaves in 1590, deeming them as field commoners and laborers. His ambition reached new heights when he launched an invasion into mainland China in 1592 by invading Korea. The Imjin War was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea, from 1592-1598 that ultimately ended in withdrawal for the Japanese after Hideyoshi died. 

Following Hideyoshi's death their was another civil war of succession in which Hideyoshi's son was defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by Tokugawa Ieyasu. This ushered in the Edo Period under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate that would hold control of Japan for the next 268 years. Tokugawa moved his central government to Tokyo which finally brought about a long period of peace and stability throughout Japan after many years of civil war. Economy and trade began to flourish in Japan during the 17th century, of which Tokyo became the largest city in the world. Crime was dealt with very harshly to discourage any lawlessness, and samurais were given the option to commit suicide, known as seppuku, if ever they were dishonored. Following the Catholic Shimabara Rebellion of 1638, Japan completely outlawed Christianity and took drastic steps to isolate it's country from the outside world. The only nations allowed to trade during this time were Chinese, Koreans, and the Dutch (however they made a rare exception with the English navigator William Adams granting him samurai status).

Throughout the 17th and 18th century, the samurai class were no longer seen as the nations security force yet rather as aristocratic nobles and bureaucrats who still honored the traditional customs of Japan. Meanwhile the culture and economy of Japan continued to flourish thru this time with a boom of infrastructure, agriculture, education, philosophy, as well as the arts and entertainment. The female practice of Geishas emerged during this time as popular artists of song, dance, etiquette, and sophisticated conversation (although often seen as escorts they were not to be considered as prostitutes). The practice of Neo-Confucianism became the central core of the Tokugawa Shogunate dividing society into four occupations: the warrior, the peasant, the artisan, and the merchant. Meanwhile samurais practiced the code of Bushido, "the way of the warrior" honoring their traditional customs thru chivalry. 

However by the mid 1850s, the Tokugawa Shogunate finally began to crumple due to rising Western influence. Most notably was the American intervention, that sought to end Japan's isolation and re-establish trade routes into Asia thru the Pacific Ocean. The Shogunate was unable to confront this strong armed bullying by the United States which upset many of the Japanese populace, most notably the samurai. Seeking to expel the barbarians, the samurais formed an alliance with the Shogunate seeking to restore Japanese isolationism. However in 1868 Emperor Meiiji's brought a devastating blow to the samurais at the Boshin War (much thanks to superior American armaments) which ended the age of Shogunates and brought about a new modern age for Japan.