Post by kentaro on Sept 8, 2011 11:08:14 GMT -5
By request, I have moved my lengthy reply to Isawa Goro-san to this new thread.
Okay, my massive reply on the origins of Bushido:
ORIGINATION OF THE CODE:
"In the bushido code of honor written in the Edo period, he [Kusunoki Masahige] was held up as a symbol of loyalty to both the suzerain and the emperor at the same time." (Souyri, 116)
----------
"The extreme essence of bushido in the Edo period was supported by the absolute power of the bakufu. We know, however, that there was a wide gulf between ideals and reality. For example, if we study how members of the Minamoto family actually died, we understand that they were simply killers. If we study the lives of the non-samurai classes in the samurai period we hear their heartfelt protests against the consequences of this code." (Kure, 129)
-------------
"Although the term Bushido (Way of the Warriors) was not yet used during this period [Kamakura], the ideals of the bushi, or warriors, that emerged with the rise of the military eventually developed into the concept of Bushido in the Tokugawa period. In the Kamakura the samurai spoke of "yumiya no narai," or "the way of the bow and arrow.
The ethos of the samurai demanded that the warrior live by the principles of duty, loyalty, integrity, honor, justice, and courage. Japanese history abounds with tales of warriors who acted nobly, chivalrously, and selflessly, but they were not always motivated by noble ideals. Underneath the high-sounding ideals lay an equially if not more powerful motivation: self interest. The world of the samurai, particularly in time of disorder when no strong controlling force existed, was a society in which the law of the jungle prevailed." (Hane, 70-71)
So, while there is disagreement as to it's formulation, most agree that bushido was ignored quite freely.
HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF SCORN FOR BUSHIDO
The Heike War (1180-1185):
Basically, the reigning emperor and the retired emperor both attempted to control the court. Two rival families, the Taira and the Minamoto chose to back different factions. The Taira won. The Minamoto, not being completely eradicated (most of their children were killed) managed to hang while the Taira violently oppressed any who disagreed with their consolidation of power over the emperor and his court. The Minamoto, outnumbered but with superior leadership eventually triumphed. (Hane, 61-64)
The outcome: the Minamoto Shogunate ran the country, leaving the Emperor in Kyoto, but the real governing occurred in Kamakura. Minamoto Yoritomo, jealous of his brothers Yoshitsune and Yoshinaka (the ones who actually won his victory) had them killed. Oh, and having learned from the Taira's mistakes, they were all killed. Yes, even the youngest of children. (Hane 63-64)
The Mongol Invasions 1274, 1281:
The shogunal government successfully defeated the Mongol invasion, but the nature of a defensive war (ie, no seized land from the losers) made it impossible to reward the warriors, and they grew disenfranchised with the Kamakura Bakufu. (Hane, 69).
The Fall of the Kamakura Bakufu 1324-1336:
The Minamoto, having long since lost control to the Hojo regents in 1219 [again, the Minamoto ruled the emperor, but were now themselves under the thumb of another family], faced multiple risings by imperial forces: 1221, then again in 1324 and 1331. The Emperor Go-Daigo, with the aid of the general Kusunoki Masahige led an insurrection "akin to guerrilla warfare" (Hane 70) against the Hojo regency. This failed, but Kusunoki (the guerrilla leader) was hailed as a principled hero. (Hane 69-70)
So, if the imperial forces lost, who won? The Minamoto, or the Hojo? Neither! The general the Hojo had commissioned, Ashikaga Takauji (a Minamoto descendant, but not of the family), had a different plan. His first action on behalf of the bakufu was to destroy the bakufu's police department at Rokuhara. Ashikaga Takauji, was not rewarded by the Hojo for their defense. (Kure, 50)
To consolidate power, Ashikaga had an imperial prince in his custody assassinated. Eventually tired of even pretending to obey his superiors, he refused to return to command, and established his own shogunate in 1338. Oh, and for bonus points, there were two imperial courts from 1336-1392, the Northern and Southern Courts. (Hane, 87)
The Ashikaga Shogunate 1338-1573:
Some highlights
- In 1441, the sixth Ashikaga shogun was assassinated by one of his own officials (Hane 91). This led to (shockingly) a succession dispute, and civil war (Onin War 1467-1477). The war was particularly nasty in its disregard for non-combatants; it was fought in (not for) Kyoto (Hane 92; Kure 64).
- The end of the shogunate was more of a whimper and less of a bang; the sixteenth century became known as the era of the "low overthrowing the high" (Kure 64).
The Founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate:
Well, I'm running out of time/steam here. So, I'm gonna be lazy and add sources later. This part is hilarious.
Basically, Oda Nobunaga attempted to seize as much territory for himself as possible. He was not shy about using imported and manufactured firearms, or attacking monasteries. Oda was defeated when one of his noble followers, Akechi Mitsuhide, assassinated Oda.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a follower of Oda, (and former sandal bearer; this was before the social classes became so locked in place) took up the charge to avenge Oda. Oh, and make himself ruler of Japan (not shogun; he didn't have the pedigree). While he was at it, he passed decrees that would prevent future social ladder climbers from doing exactly as he had just done. Toyotomi, dying with a minor son as heir (and having paid some attention to the fact that bushido went out the window when opportunity knocked) had a council of regents established that swore to support his son. Among them, was Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, realizing that his oath to Toyotomi was worth significantly less than the shogunate, promptly began to assemble forces and alliances to crush any rivals. Notable moments of non-bushido:
- He won the deciding battle at Sekigahara through the arranged betrayal of one of his rival Ishida's allies.
- Toyotomi's heir lived, but Tokugawa was in charge. Toyotomi gathered ronin at Osaka to resist, but Tokugawa stomped him in a long seige. Especially amusing: A ceasefire included the terms that Osaka's defenses would be left in their 'original state'. The Tokugawa argued that their 'original state' was an empty field.
Conclusions:
Bushido, while likely present to some extent prior to the Tokugawa bakufu, was certainly not a strong motivating force in the decisions of samurai. Each of the three shogunates were founded by a usurpation of authority, and usually with quite 'dishonorable' tactics.
Isawa Goro-san, I eagerly await your reply.
WORKS CITED:
Hane, Mikiso. Premodern Japan. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1991
Kure, Mitsuo. Samurai: An Illustrated History. Boston, Mass: Tuttle Publishing, 2002
Souyri, Pierre Francois (translated by Kathe Roth). The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japanese Society. London: Pimlico, 1998 (translated 2001)
Okay, my massive reply on the origins of Bushido:
ORIGINATION OF THE CODE:
"In the bushido code of honor written in the Edo period, he [Kusunoki Masahige] was held up as a symbol of loyalty to both the suzerain and the emperor at the same time." (Souyri, 116)
----------
"The extreme essence of bushido in the Edo period was supported by the absolute power of the bakufu. We know, however, that there was a wide gulf between ideals and reality. For example, if we study how members of the Minamoto family actually died, we understand that they were simply killers. If we study the lives of the non-samurai classes in the samurai period we hear their heartfelt protests against the consequences of this code." (Kure, 129)
-------------
"Although the term Bushido (Way of the Warriors) was not yet used during this period [Kamakura], the ideals of the bushi, or warriors, that emerged with the rise of the military eventually developed into the concept of Bushido in the Tokugawa period. In the Kamakura the samurai spoke of "yumiya no narai," or "the way of the bow and arrow.
The ethos of the samurai demanded that the warrior live by the principles of duty, loyalty, integrity, honor, justice, and courage. Japanese history abounds with tales of warriors who acted nobly, chivalrously, and selflessly, but they were not always motivated by noble ideals. Underneath the high-sounding ideals lay an equially if not more powerful motivation: self interest. The world of the samurai, particularly in time of disorder when no strong controlling force existed, was a society in which the law of the jungle prevailed." (Hane, 70-71)
So, while there is disagreement as to it's formulation, most agree that bushido was ignored quite freely.
HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF SCORN FOR BUSHIDO
The Heike War (1180-1185):
Basically, the reigning emperor and the retired emperor both attempted to control the court. Two rival families, the Taira and the Minamoto chose to back different factions. The Taira won. The Minamoto, not being completely eradicated (most of their children were killed) managed to hang while the Taira violently oppressed any who disagreed with their consolidation of power over the emperor and his court. The Minamoto, outnumbered but with superior leadership eventually triumphed. (Hane, 61-64)
The outcome: the Minamoto Shogunate ran the country, leaving the Emperor in Kyoto, but the real governing occurred in Kamakura. Minamoto Yoritomo, jealous of his brothers Yoshitsune and Yoshinaka (the ones who actually won his victory) had them killed. Oh, and having learned from the Taira's mistakes, they were all killed. Yes, even the youngest of children. (Hane 63-64)
The Mongol Invasions 1274, 1281:
The shogunal government successfully defeated the Mongol invasion, but the nature of a defensive war (ie, no seized land from the losers) made it impossible to reward the warriors, and they grew disenfranchised with the Kamakura Bakufu. (Hane, 69).
The Fall of the Kamakura Bakufu 1324-1336:
The Minamoto, having long since lost control to the Hojo regents in 1219 [again, the Minamoto ruled the emperor, but were now themselves under the thumb of another family], faced multiple risings by imperial forces: 1221, then again in 1324 and 1331. The Emperor Go-Daigo, with the aid of the general Kusunoki Masahige led an insurrection "akin to guerrilla warfare" (Hane 70) against the Hojo regency. This failed, but Kusunoki (the guerrilla leader) was hailed as a principled hero. (Hane 69-70)
So, if the imperial forces lost, who won? The Minamoto, or the Hojo? Neither! The general the Hojo had commissioned, Ashikaga Takauji (a Minamoto descendant, but not of the family), had a different plan. His first action on behalf of the bakufu was to destroy the bakufu's police department at Rokuhara. Ashikaga Takauji, was not rewarded by the Hojo for their defense. (Kure, 50)
To consolidate power, Ashikaga had an imperial prince in his custody assassinated. Eventually tired of even pretending to obey his superiors, he refused to return to command, and established his own shogunate in 1338. Oh, and for bonus points, there were two imperial courts from 1336-1392, the Northern and Southern Courts. (Hane, 87)
The Ashikaga Shogunate 1338-1573:
Some highlights
- In 1441, the sixth Ashikaga shogun was assassinated by one of his own officials (Hane 91). This led to (shockingly) a succession dispute, and civil war (Onin War 1467-1477). The war was particularly nasty in its disregard for non-combatants; it was fought in (not for) Kyoto (Hane 92; Kure 64).
- The end of the shogunate was more of a whimper and less of a bang; the sixteenth century became known as the era of the "low overthrowing the high" (Kure 64).
The Founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate:
Well, I'm running out of time/steam here. So, I'm gonna be lazy and add sources later. This part is hilarious.
Basically, Oda Nobunaga attempted to seize as much territory for himself as possible. He was not shy about using imported and manufactured firearms, or attacking monasteries. Oda was defeated when one of his noble followers, Akechi Mitsuhide, assassinated Oda.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a follower of Oda, (and former sandal bearer; this was before the social classes became so locked in place) took up the charge to avenge Oda. Oh, and make himself ruler of Japan (not shogun; he didn't have the pedigree). While he was at it, he passed decrees that would prevent future social ladder climbers from doing exactly as he had just done. Toyotomi, dying with a minor son as heir (and having paid some attention to the fact that bushido went out the window when opportunity knocked) had a council of regents established that swore to support his son. Among them, was Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, realizing that his oath to Toyotomi was worth significantly less than the shogunate, promptly began to assemble forces and alliances to crush any rivals. Notable moments of non-bushido:
- He won the deciding battle at Sekigahara through the arranged betrayal of one of his rival Ishida's allies.
- Toyotomi's heir lived, but Tokugawa was in charge. Toyotomi gathered ronin at Osaka to resist, but Tokugawa stomped him in a long seige. Especially amusing: A ceasefire included the terms that Osaka's defenses would be left in their 'original state'. The Tokugawa argued that their 'original state' was an empty field.
Conclusions:
Bushido, while likely present to some extent prior to the Tokugawa bakufu, was certainly not a strong motivating force in the decisions of samurai. Each of the three shogunates were founded by a usurpation of authority, and usually with quite 'dishonorable' tactics.
Isawa Goro-san, I eagerly await your reply.
WORKS CITED:
Hane, Mikiso. Premodern Japan. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1991
Kure, Mitsuo. Samurai: An Illustrated History. Boston, Mass: Tuttle Publishing, 2002
Souyri, Pierre Francois (translated by Kathe Roth). The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japanese Society. London: Pimlico, 1998 (translated 2001)
