Yasuke: The African Samurai

Japan is not a place one would usually associate with immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean. Yet in the late 16th century Japan’s most powerful warlord, Oda Nobunaga, had a black page who was not only a cultural curiosity but also served as Nobunaga’s bodyguard and was granted the prestigious rank of Samurai. This was a time of incessant warfare as the Ashikaga Shogunate fell and Japan became a war-torn nation with each tribe vying for control of against rival warlords. During this time the key to supremacy lay in controlling the powerless Emperor in his court in Kyoto. In the mid 16th century this civil war was nearing its end with the arrival of the Europeans and their modern armaments, guns and cannons. Nobunaga is himself a very interesting character. Nobunaga was obsessed with all things Western besides their armour and armaments and is one of the first recorded Japanese men to have worn Western clothing, use tables and chairs, and drink wine from goblets. Like this:

Introduction and Contents This is a list of questions and answers about the Japanese language originally from the Usenet newsgroup sci.lang.japan. Jump to: Writing, Grammar, Word origins, Words from other languages, Japanese and English, Word meanings, Pronunciation, Slang and colloquialisms, Names, Examinations, Word games, Numbers, counting, and dates, Etiquette, Computers, Miscellaneous, Other internet resources, About the sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions. 1. Writing 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

is not available Behind the Camera - Seven Samurai The peasant village in The Seven Samurai was a complete set built on the Izu Peninsula about 50-100 miles south of Tokyo. At the time it was just remote, wild country, but it's now part of a national park. The location shoot and the fully detailed nature of the set lent authenticity but increased the problems encountered and raised the costs of production as opposed to filming in the studio. In his autobiography, Kurosawa responded to frequent accusations through the years that he was too exacting with sets and props. Most Japanese films at this time cost around $70,000. Kurosawa explained the reasons for the huge expense and lengthy shooting schedule: "Something always comes up. Kurosawa said in his autobiography that he began thinking about the music and sound effects at the very beginning of each film project, and pointed out how in some of his films, he used different theme music for each character or group of characters. by Rob Nixon VIEW TCMDb ENTRY

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Bushido, by Inazo NitobÉ, A.M., Ph.D.. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Daimyo Prior to unification, Japan was divided into numerous domains under the rule of the daimyo, military lords with large landholdings living in castle towns. For hundreds of years, daimyo armies were frequently at war. After the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603, the daimyo swore their allegiance to the shogun and promised military service on demand. To keep the daimyo subservient, the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu, instituted "Sankin Kotai," which forced the daimyo lords to reside in Edo during part of every other year. WARDROBE AND HAIRWhen not wearing battle armor, daimyo wore "eboshi" caps of black silk gauze stiffened with a black lacquered paper lining. IMAGE CREDITS Top and left: Daimyo/Chiba City Museum.Daimyo procession on the Tokaido Road/Shunji Jonoshita

Samurai and Bushido - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com In the mid-19th century, the stability of the Tokugawa regime was undermined by a combination of factors, including peasant unrest due to famine and poverty. The incursion of Western powers into Japan–and especially the arrival in 1853 of Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. The powerful clans of Choshu and Satsuma combined efforts to topple the Tokugawa Shogunate and announce an “imperial restoration” named for Emperor Meiji in early 1868. Ironically–given the loss of their privileged status–the Meiji Restoration was actually engineered by members of the samurai class itself.

Lethal Beauty: Birmingham Museum of Art exhibition conjuring samurai warriors, ancient battles with exquisite swords and armor BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Japanese culture – its fine art, music, animation and film – has gained a strong foothold in Western consciousness in recent decades, due in large part to the growing popularity of manga, animé, karaoke, even the newspaper puzzles, sudoku. But perhaps no other Japanese import has captured the imagination like samurai, warriors that thrived from the 12th through the 19th centuries. Their legendary virtues – rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty – have been depicted in dozens of films, most notably Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and "The Throne of Blood," and by turns, American films such as "The Magnificent Seven," "Star Wars" and "The Last Samurai." But samurai were more than just fodder for sensational action films. They were an integral part of feudal Japan, a revered class of highly trained swordsmen and archers who protected their lords with their lives. CATALOGAndreas Marks, "Lethal Beauty: Samurai Weapons and Armor"

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