Seven Samurai

the years, from the ancient samurai all the way to today’s modern anime. In Ancient Japan, the samurai acted as the military force of the country. Samurai were high on the political ladder, and “by the late 12th century, samurai lords ruled both the provinces and central Japan” (DeSnoo). This status led to them being highly respected by other citizens of the country. However, if a samurai wished to leave the organization, a physical change needed to occur. The samurai “would cut off his top…

ages (400 to 1400 A.C) lived the samurai, the loyal warriors of Japan, and the knights, the religious warriors of Europe. Though they may be on opposite sides of the world, they do not acknowledge each other’s existence, similarities were mere coincidences, and the two display little correlation among each other. The knights and samurai differentiated upon their training, had dissimilar loyalty policies and codes, and diverse perspectives of death. Although the samurai and knight started their…

meant that armies were larger and more diverse, resulting in stronger defence systems. When fighting, quilted padding was worn under steel or iron plates that were bound together with strips of lacquered leather, allowing easy and free movement. Samurai became adept fighters on foot or on horseback - they practiced both armed and unarmed combat. This means that when they fought other armies they had the upper…

In 1603, the Tokugawa shoguns seized control in Japan and shut it to outsiders. For over 200 years, Japan was detached from different countries. After some time, distress developed among numerous Japanese as they suffered money related hardship and absence of political influence. The legislature reacted by attempting to resuscitate old ways, stressing cultivating over business. These attempts had little achievement, and the shoguns' power became weak. At that point, in 1853, an armada of very…

themselves?” Both samurai and knights were created to protect their country and people. When riots broke out or thieves came to steal a master’s belongings, the warriors would protect them. Samurai and knights fought in wars and protected their country. Critics may say that the samurai and knights were very different because they were on opposite sides of the globe, but they were very much the same. Samurai and knight training, as well as their codes of honor, were very much alike. For…

Oku no hosomichi, is the story of a Buddhist man’s travels throughout Japan during the Kamakura Period. The book has many names in English, but here it will be referred to by the name contained with the reading: The Narrow Road to a Far Provence. The tale is but one example of many Buddhist themed stories during the Japan’s Kamakura period. Japan was one of the only countries to incorporate Buddhism into the already standing religion: Shintoism. This offers a unique look into Japan and the…

The bunraku and kabuki play Double Suicide in Amijima was adapted into a film titled Double Suicide in 1969. The film is a very interesting and artistic mix of modern film technique and illusions to the bunraku genre of traditional Japanese theater. Throughout the film, darkly-clothed stagehands and puppeteers, or kuroko, can be seen with their faces covered. In bunraku, kuroko cover their faces to not distract the audience while maneuvering the puppets; however, the lead puppeteer with decades…

Japanese Edo Period Art The Edo period had a lot of importance & impact on Japan as it helped flourish its culture by cutting off the west and isolating itself, with the help of many Schools of Japan learning new techniques in art which would become the norm for today. A lot of the impact was on the social classes, as artists started to become noticed, and recognised for the art they created. The points to discuss will be on ‘who’ to talk about. First, I’ll look at Hoitsu & Buncho from Edo as…

Development and construction of both sites The designer of the Shugakuin Imperial Villa is retired Emperor Gomizuno-o (1596- 1680), he did the landscape design of the Upper Villa and Lower Villa. The designer of the Katsura Imperial Villa - Prince Toshihito, was his uncle. In 1629, Tokugawa Shogunate – actual governor of Edo, intensified the opposition and interference of the imperial household, the emperor became a puppet. Feeling deep resentment and Emperor Gomizuno-o suddenly abdicated. In…

Meiji Transformation (1868-1900) in Japan was a turning point in the history of the state. Due to the Western approach of modernization in internal political, economic and social spheres; in other words, the transition from a traditional society to modern, Japan became one of the leading world countries. However, in big cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, such modernization was more tangible than in the provincial small towns or villages, where the strong connection with traditions was still…