Taira no Kiyomori was a general and warrior who created the first samurai administrative system in Japanese history. Before Kiyomori, samurai were mostly seen as hired warriors for aristocrats. Kiyomori took the Taira clan under his protection after his father's death in 1153, and quickly succeeded in politics in which he had previously held only a minor post.
In 1156, Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshimoto (head of the Minamoto clan) crushed the rebellion and took control of the two highest warrior clans in Kyoto. Their alliance turned them into bitter rivals, and in 1159 Kiyomori defeated Yoshimoto. Thus, Kiyomori became the head of the most powerful warrior clan in Kyoto.
He advanced on public service, and in 1171 gave his daughter to Emperor Takakura. They, in 1178, had a child, the son of Tokihito. Kiyomori later used this leverage to force Emperor Takakura to give his throne to Prince Tokihito as well as his allies and relatives. But in 1181 he died of a fever in 1181.
11. Ii Naomasa (1561 - 1602)
Ii Naomasa was a famous general and daimyō during the Sengoku period, when the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu ruled. He was considered one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Tokugawa, or Ieyasu's most devoted and respected generals. Naomasa's father was killed after being wrongly convicted of treason when Naomasa was a young child.
Ii Naomasa moved up in the Tokugawa clan, and gained great recognition after he led 3,000 soldiers to victory at the Battle of Nagakute (1584). He fought so well that he even received praise from the opposing general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After he helped win the Tokugawa victory during the Siege of Odawara (1590), he received Minowa Castle and 120,000 koku (an ancient Japanese unit of area), the largest piece of land owned by any Tokugawa vassal.
Naomasa's finest hour came during the Battle of Sekigahara, where he was wounded by a stray bullet. After this injury, he could not fully recover, but continued to fight for his life. His unit became known as the "Red Devils", for their blood-red armor they wore in battle for psychological impact.
10. Date Masamune (1567 - 1636)
Date Masamune was a ruthless and cruel daimyō in the early Edo period. He was an outstanding tactician and legendary warrior, and his figure was made even more iconic due to his lost eye, for which he was often referred to as "The One-Eyed Dragon".
As the eldest son of the Date clan, he was to take his father's place. But due to the loss of his eye after smallpox, Masamune's mother considered him an unsuitable candidate for rule, and the second son in the family took control, as a result of which a split arose in the Date family.
After several early victories as a general, Masamune rose to prominence, becoming the recognized leader and starting a campaign to defeat all of his clan's neighbors. When a neighboring clan asked Terumune, his father, to rein in his son, Terumune said he would not do so. Subsequently, Terumune was kidnapped, but before that he instructed his son to kill all members of the enemy clan if something like this happened, even if his father was killed during the battle. Masamune obeyed, killing everyone.
Masamune served Toyotomi Hideyoshi for some time and then defected to Tokugawa Ieyasu's allies after Hideyoshi's death. He was faithful to both. Although it is surprising, Masamune was the patron of culture and religion, and even maintained friendly relations with the Pope.
9. Hattori Hanzo (1542 - 1596)
Hattori Hanzo was a famous samurai and ninja of the Sengoku era, and one of the most frequently depicted figures of that era. He is credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and also with helping him become the ruler of a unified Japan. He was nicknamed Oni no Hanzo (Devil Hanzo) for his fearless military tactics which he showed.
Hattori won his first battle at the age of 16 (in a night attack on Udo Castle), and successfully freed the Tokugawa daughters at Kamino Castle from hostages in 1562. In 1579, he led a detachment of ninja from the province of Iga to protect against the son of Oda Nobunaga. Iga Province was ultimately destroyed by Nobunaga himself in 1581.
In 1582, he made his most valuable contribution when he helped the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu escape his pursuers to Mikawa Province, with the help of local ninja clans.
He was an excellent swordsman, and historical sources indicated that last years his life, he hid from everyone under the guise of a monk named "Sainen." Legends often attribute supernatural powers to him, such as disappearing and appearing elsewhere, precognition, and psychokinesis.
8. Benkei (1155 - 1189)
Musashibo Benkei, popularly known simply as Benkei, was a warrior monk who served the Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He is a popular hero of Japanese folklore. The stories of his birth vary greatly - some say he was the son of a raped mother, others call him the offspring of a god, and many attribute to him the attributes of a demon's child.
Benkei is said to have killed at least 200 men in every battle he fought. At the age of 17, he was over two meters tall and was called a giant. He was trained in the use of a naginata (a long weapon that looked like a hybrid of an ax and a spear) and left a Buddhist monastery to join a secret sect of ascetic mountain monks.
According to legend, Benkei went to the Gojo Bridge in Kyoto, where he disarmed every passing swordsman and thereby collected 999 swords. During his 1000th fight, he was defeated by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and became his retainer, fighting him against the Taira clan.
While under siege a few years later, Yoshitsune committed ritual suicide (hara-kiri) while Benkei fought on the bridge in front of the castle's main entrance to protect his master. It is said that the soldiers who organized the ambush were afraid to enter the bridge to engage in battle with a lone, giant. Benkei killed over 300 soldiers, and long after the battle was over, the soldiers saw Benkei still standing, covered with wounds and pierced by an arrow. The giant fell to the ground, dying standing, which eventually became known as the "Standing Death of Benkei."
7. Uesugi Kenshin (1530 - 1578)
Uesugi Kenshin was a daimyō during the Sengoku period in Japan. He was one of the most powerful generals of the era, mostly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield. He is renowned for his noble demeanor, martial prowess, and longtime rivalry with the Takeda Shingen.
Kenshin believed in the Buddhist god of war - Bishamonten - and therefore his followers considered him to be the incarnation of Bishamonten or the God of War. He is sometimes referred to as the "Dragon Echigo", for his formidable martial arts technique that he displayed on the battlefield.
Kenshin became the young 14-year-old ruler of Echigo Province after wresting power from the hands of his older brother. He agreed to enter the battlefield against the powerful Takeda commander Shingen because Takeda's campaigns of conquest were approaching close to Echigo's borders.
In 1561, Kenshin and Shingen fought their biggest battle, the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima. According to legend, during this battle, Kenshin attacked Takeda Shingen with his sword. Shingen brushed away the blows with his iron battle fan, and Kenshin had to retreat. The results of the battle are not unequivocal, as both commanders lost more than 3,000 people.
Although they have been rivals for over 14 years, Uesagi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen have exchanged gifts several times. When Shingen died in 1573, Kenshin was said to have wept aloud at the loss of such a worthy opponent.
It should also be noted that Uesagi Kenshin famously defeated the most powerful warlord of that era, Oda Nobunaga, as many as twice. It is said that if he had not died suddenly after heavy drinking (or stomach cancer or murder, depending on who you ask), he might have usurped Nobunaga's throne.
6. Takeda Shingen (1521 - 1573)
Takeda Shingen, from Kai Province, was a prominent daimyō in the late Sengoku period. He is known for his exceptional military authority. He is often referred to as the "Kai Tiger" for his martial prowess on the battlefield, and as a arch-rival, Uesugi Kenshin, or "Echigo the Dragon".
Shingen took the Takeda clan under his protection at the age of 21. He teamed up with the Imagawa clan to help in a bloodless coup against his father. The young warlord made rapid progress and gained control of the entire surrounding area. He fought in five legendary battles against Uesagi Kenshin, and then the Takeda clan was destroyed by internal problems.
Shingen was the only daimyō with necessary force and tactical skill to stop Oda Nobunaga, who wanted to rule Japan. He defeated Nobunaga's ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1572, and captured Futamata Castle. Then he defeated the small combined army of Nobunaga and Ieyasu. While preparing for a new battle, Singen suddenly died in his camp. Some say he was wounded by an enemy gunner, while others say he died of pneumonia or an old battle wound.
5. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543 - 1616)
Tokugawa Ieyasu is the first shogun and founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. His family practically ruled Japan from 1600 until the beginning of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, became shogun in 1603, abdicated in 1605, but remained in power until his death in 1616. He is one of the most famous generals and shoguns in Japanese history.
Ieyasu came to power fighting under the Imagawa clan against the brilliant leader Oda Nobunaga. When the leader of the Imagawa, Yoshimoto, was killed during a surprise attack by Nobunaga, Ieyasu formed a secret alliance with the Oda clan. Together with Nobunaga's army, they captured Kyoto in 1568. At the same time, Ieyasu formed an alliance with Takeda Shingen and expanded his territory.
In the end, after the cover former enemy, the Ieyasu-Shingen alliance collapsed. Takeda Shingen defeated Ieyasu in a series of battles, but Ieyasu turned to Oda Nobunaga for help. Nobunaga brought his large army, and the Oda-Tokugawa force of 38,000 won great victory in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 against the son of Takeda Shingen, Takeda Katsuyori.
Tokugawa Ieyasu eventually outlived many of the great men of the era: Oda Nobunaga sowed the ground for the shogunate, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gained power, Shingen and Kenshin, two of the strongest rivals, were dead. The Tokugawa Shogunate, thanks to the cunning mind of Ieyasu, will rule Japan for another 250 years.
4. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536 - 1598)
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a great daimyō, general, samurai, and politician of the Sengoku period. He is considered the second "great unifier" of Japan, succeeding his former master, Oda Nobunaga. He ended the Warring States period. After his death, his young son was forced out by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Hideyoshi created a series cultural heritage such as the restriction that only members of the samurai class could carry weapons. He financed the construction and restoration of many temples that still stand in Kyoto. He played important role in the history of Christianity in Japan, when he ordered 26 Christians to be executed on the cross.
He joined the Oda clan around 1557 as a lowly servant. He was promoted to become Nobunaga's vassal, and participated in the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, where Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and became the most powerful general of the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi carried out numerous repairs to the castle and the construction of fortresses.
Hideyoshi, despite his peasant background, became one of Nobunaga's top generals. After the assassination of Nobunaga in 1582 at the hands of his general Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi sought revenge and, allying with a neighboring clan, defeated the Akechi.
Hideyoshi, like Nobunaga, never received the title of shogun. He made himself regent and built himself a luxurious palace. He expelled the Christian missionaries in 1587, and began a sword hunt to confiscate all weapons, stopping the peasant uprisings and bringing more stability.
When his health began to fail, he decided to make Oda Nobunaga's dream of Japan conquering China come true and began the conquest of the Ming Dynasty with the help of Korea. The Korean invasion ended in failure and Hideyoshi died on September 18, 1598. Hideyoshi's class reforms changed the social class system in Japan for the next 300 years.
3. Oda Nobunaga (1534 - 1582)
Oda Nobunaga was a powerful samurai daimyo warlord who initiated the unification of Japan at the end of the Warring States period. He lived his entire life in continuous military conquest, and took over a third of Japan until his death in the coup of 1582. He is remembered as one of the most brutal and defiant figures of the Warring States period. He is also recognized as one of the greatest rulers of Japan.
His loyal supporter Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded him and he became the first to unite all of Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu later consolidated his power with the shogunate, which ruled Japan until 1868, when the Meiji Restoration began. It was said that "Nobunaga starts making the national rice cake, Hideyoshi kneads it, and finally Ieyasu sits down and eats it."
Nobunaga changed the technique of warfare in Japan. He introduced the use of long lances, promoted the construction of castle fortifications, and especially the use of firearms (including the arquebus, a powerful firearm), which led to numerous victories for the commander. After he captured two important musket factories in Sakai City and Omi Province, Nobunaga gained superior weapons power over his enemies.
He also instituted a specialized military class system based on ability rather than name, rank, or family. The vassals also received land based on how much rice was produced there, not on the size of the land. This organizational system was later used and extensively developed by Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was an excellent businessman who modernized the economy from agricultural cities to the formation of fortress cities with active production.
Nobunaga was an admirer of art. He built a large garden and castles, popularized the Japanese tea ceremony so that one could talk about politics and business, and helped start the formation of modern kabuki theater. He became the patron of Jesuit missionaries in Japan, supported the establishment of the first Christian temple in Kyoto in 1576, although he remained a staunch atheist.
2. Honda Tadakatsu (1548 - 1610)
Honda Tadakatsu was a general and later a daimyō during the late Sengoku period to the early Edo period. He served Tokugawa Ieyasu, and was one of Ieyasu's Four Heavenly Kings along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu. Of the four, Honda Tadakatsu had the reputation of being the most dangerous.
Tadakatsu was a true warrior at heart, and as the Tokugawa shogunate evolved from a military to a civil-political institution, he became increasingly distant from Ieyasu. The reputation of Honda Todakatsu attracted the attention of some of the most powerful figures in Japan at the time.
Oda Nobunaga, who was not known to praise his followers, called Tadakatsu "a samurai among samurai." Toyotomi Hideyoshi called him "the best samurai in the east." He was often referred to as a "warrior who surpassed death itself" as he never sustained serious wounds despite going through over 100 battles towards the end of his life.
He is often characterized as the exact opposite of Ieyasu's other great general, Ii Naomasa. Both were ferocious warriors, and Tadakatsu's ability to evade injury was often countered by the popular notion that Naomasa survived many battle wounds but always fought them.
1. Miyamoto Musashi (1584 - 1685)
Although he was not a prominent politician, or a famous general or military leader, like many others on this list, perhaps there was no other great swordsman in the history of Japan than the legendary Miyamoto Musashi (according to at least for Westerners). Although he was in fact a wandering ronin (masterless samurai), Musashi became famous due to tales of his swordsmanship in numerous duels.
Musashi is the founder of the Niten-ryu fencing technique, the art of fighting with two swords - katana and wakizashi are used simultaneously. He was also the author of The Book of Five Rings, a book on strategy, tactics, and philosophy that has been studied to this day.
According to his own accounts, Musashi fought his first duel at the age of 13, where he defeated a man named Arika Kihei, killing him with a stick. He fought with adherents of famous fencing schools, but he never lost.
In one duel against the Yoshioka family, a famous swordsman school, Musashi reportedly changed his habit of showing up late, arrived several hours early, killed a 12-year-old opponent, then fled when he was attacked by dozens of his victim's supporters. To fight back, he drew his second sword, and this dual sword technique was the beginning of his Niten-ki ("two heavens as one") technique.
According to stories, Musashi wandered the earth and fought in more than 60 duels, and was never defeated. This is a conservative estimate and most likely does not take into account deaths at his hands in major battles in which he participated. In the later years of his life, he fought much less and wrote more, retiring to a cave to write The Book of Five Rings. He died in a cave in 1645, foreseeing his death, so he died in a sitting position with one knee upright and holding his wakizashi in his left hand and his stick in his right..
Oda Nobunaga
(1534 ‒ 1582) Japanese commander, the first of the unifiers (Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Ieyasu Tokugawa) countries. He was the head of a small principality in the province of Owari (the central part of the island of Honshu). In 1558 began a struggle with neighboring feudal princes. In 1568 he entered the city of Kyoto, which was the residence of the shoguns and the official capital of Japan. In 1573, he deposed the last shogun from the Ashikaga house. By 1582 he united at least a third of the country under his rule. He fought with the Buddhist clergy, who opposed the centralization of the state and acted in alliance with hostile princes. From 1570, he waged a bloody struggle in many provinces against the Ikko sect, under whose banner the broad masses of the people came forward (the so-called Ikko-ikki - uprisings of the Ikko sect). In order to strengthen the feudal system, O. began a personnel census of land, destroyed internal outposts, established a single monetary unit, and built roads.
He was killed by one of his closest associates Mitsuhide Akechi.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
(1536 - September 15, 1598, Fushimi), commander and statesman of feudal Japan. Born into a peasant family in the province of Owari in 1536. In his younger years, wanting to become a samurai, he was hired into the service of several military leaders, until he finally joined the future ruler of Owari - Oda Nobunaga. The latter elevated Hideyoshi to the rank of general for his brilliant mind. Among the exploits that made the former peasant son popular among the soldiers, they call the forced construction of Sunomata Castle, covering the rear in the Battle of Kanagasaki, the "water assault" of Takamatsu Castle. In 1583, after the death of Oda Nobunaga in the Honnoji temple at the hands of the rebel Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi actually usurped the full power of his late master. Having received from the emperor the position of regent-kampaku and the "great minister", as well as the surname of the aristocratic family Toyotomi, he united the fragmented "states" of Japan under his command. Hideyoshi compiled the all-Japanese land Registry, which became the basis for taxing the population over the next three centuries, and also carried out the seizure of all weapons available to the peasants and philistines, dividing Japanese society into administrators from among the military personnel and civilian subordinates. The last decade of his reign was marked by the prohibition of Christianity in Japan and the aggression against Korea and China. Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598, leaving an infant son, Hideyori.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
(1542-1616) - commander and statesman, founder of the Tokugawa shogun dynasty. One of the closest associates and followers of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, made a significant contribution to the creation of a centralized feudal state in Japan. Ieyasu was born on December 26, 1542 at the small Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province (now part of Aichi Prefecture). His father was a local feudal lord Hirotada Matsudaira. The Matsudaira clan, along one line, descended from the Minamoto house. There was a legend that the family was related to Prince Genji. Ieyasu asserted his leadership and expanded his holdings by the same means as the rest of the daimyo: by force of arms and through temporary alliances. But in his actions he was more cautious, prudent and did not commit rash acts. In January 1603, an official of the imperial court informed Ieyasu that the emperor intended to appoint him shogun. On February 12, a ceremony was held not only to proclaim him shogun, but also to confer on him the court title of udaijin (court minister) instead of the former naidaijin (minister of the interior).
Ieyasu was not a shogun for long - in May 1605 he renounced this title in favor of his son Hidetada. Thus, the post of shogun was assigned to the Tokugawa house. But he only formally retired from power. As before, not a single important matter was decided without his participation.
In the last years of his life, Ieyasu issued a whole series of decrees regulating the life of the imperial court, the nobility, and the clergy, which helped to strengthen the position of the shogunate.
Ieyasu died in April 1616. His posthumous name is Daigongen Tosho.
Miyamoto Musashi
Without exaggeration, this man can be called the most famous sword master of the early Tokugawa period. His popularity at all times is due to the fact that he lived in an era when the role of samurai in society was changing rapidly. Musashi became legendary during his lifetime, and therefore in many legends about him it is very difficult to separate truth from fiction. And yet, what do we know about the real Musashi?
Musashi's date of birth is considered to be 1584, the birthplace is the village of Miyamoto in Harima Province (now Hyogo Province). His full name Shinmen Musashi no kami Fujiwara no Genshin. "Musashi" here is the name of the area, "no-kami" means "noble person", and "Fujiwa-ra" is the name of a noble family who played an important role in the history of Japan about a thousand years ago.
Musashi was a militant teenager and an orphan. It is hard to say who inspired this thirteen-year-old boy from a samurai family to duel with a famous warrior named Arima Kihei, a Shinto-ryu martial arts samurai who studied the arts of sword and spear. The legend says that the boy knocked the experienced warrior to the ground and, when he tried to get up, hit him on the head with a stick. In the end, Kihei bled from his throat and died.Musashi's next fight took place when he was sixteen. This time he defeated a samurai named Tadashima Akiyama. Subsequently, Musashi traveled around the country, participated in duels and six times took part in large-scale military operations.
Musashi became famous for being, as some researchers suggest, the first to use both long and short samurai swords at the same time in fights. Therefore, he calls his school Nito-ryu (two-sword style). From here comes the pseudonym that Musashi chose for himself as an artist - Niten (two skies).
But the most famous duel involving Musashi took place in 1612, when he was in the city of Ogura in the province of Bunzen. His opponent was Sasaki Kojiro, a young warrior who created a strong swordsmanship technique. tsu-bame-gaeshi("swallow barrier"), the model for which was the movement of the tail of a swallow in flight.The place of the duel was to be a small island, located a few miles from Ogur.He was transported to the island in a boat Sato Okinaga while Musashi meanwhilebegan carving a wooden sword from a spare oar that was in the boat.As the boat approached the shore, Kojiro and the venerable gentlemen who had gathered to watch the duel were surprised at what they saw. Uncombed, with a towel tied around his head and a long oar in his hands, Musashi jumped into the water and rushed to the place of the duel. Kojiro drew his long sword, made by the renowned master Nagamitsu, and tossed aside the scabbard. "You're right, you won't need the scabbard anymore!" - shouted Musashi, flying at the enemy with his oar. Kojiro was forced to strike first, but Musashi deflected the sword in one motion and hit him on the head. Falling, Kojiro ran into his own sword and died. Seeing that the duel was over, Musashi bowed to the crowd and immediately ran back to the boat.
Of particular interest is the question of whether Miyamoto Musashi was personally acquainted with Takuan Soho. Although there is no written document that confirms Takuan's direct influence on Musashi, there are legends about the meeting of these two heroes of their time. It seems that Takuan, with his deep understanding of Zen and the art of the sword, better than anyone else, could inspire Musashi to relentlessly seek perfection beyond technology. This hypothesis is also supported by the fact that Musashi and Takuan are natives of the same places: Musashi was born in the village of Miyamoto, which is located on the other side of the mountain from the birthplace of Takuan, the village of Izushi.
Takeda Shingen
Takeda Harunobu Shingen was born in 1521. Shingen is a Buddhist name taken by Harinobu in 1551 when he became a monk. At the age of 15, in 1536, he received his baptism of fire during a campaign when his father Nobutora attacked a certain Hiraga Genshin in the Uminokuchi fortress area. Takeda Nobutora had 8,000 warriors. He had to operate in conditions of heavy snowfall. Nobutora was already ready to abandon the assault, but his son took command, withdrew his troops and took the castle by storm.
This incident showed that Singen was superior to his father militarily. This caused displeasure in Takeda Sr. A quarrel broke out between father and son, which ended with Takeda Harunobu deposing his parent on July 7, 1541 and seizing military control of Kai. The clan's vassals readily recognized the new lord and quickly raised an army when neighboring daimyōs rushed to attack the clan, thinking that a transfer of power would inevitably weaken it. Five days later, the enemy army deeply invaded Kai, but Harunobu had already managed to gather 5,000 warriors, to which, for greater numbers, he added the same number of militias.
Takeda Shingen's personal life was no less colorful than his military career. He had two main wives and three official concubines, as well as about 30 mistresses. In the surviving portraits, Singen is depicted as a man of strong build, with a determined look and lush sideburns. Takeda Shingen is also known for his way of ruling the province. Kai he ruled from Kofu, later renamed Fuchu. But his stake in Kofu was not a lock. Shingen lived in a homestead (yashiki) called Tsutsujigasaki. The estate was a rectangle on the plan and was protected only by a flooded moat. This weakness of the fortifications showed that Singen fully hoped for his own army and did not need stone walls.
Overall, Shingen is an example of the classic dai-myō of the Sengoku period. He was a skilled general, a good manager, a talented politician and a generous patron of the arts. At the same time, he was distinguished by ruthlessness, did not hesitate to execute enemies, burned villages. His campaigns under Kawana-kajima were marked by the effective use of cavalry at Mikataga-Hara in 1572.
Of the five battles fought at Kawanakajima, the fourth, in 1561, was the most fierce and bloody. Shingen hoped to take Kenshin by surprise by suddenly crossing the Chikumagawa River in the middle of the night. In reality, Kenshin outwitted Shingen and dealt him a surprise blow. During the battle, it came to a duel between the two generals.
http://site
Released: 1999
Genre: samurai, romance, drama
Type: OVA
Number of episodes: 4 (30 min.)
Description: A random person can save a life and change it forever. He can give a new breath, a new path and a new name. This is what happened to the main character Cinta, a little boy who was sold to slave traders. Then in Japan there were constant internecine wars, and other clans made raids. In one of these raids, everyone who was with Sinta was killed, and he was saved by a random warrior. Since then, the boy's life has changed.
This stranger turned out to be a master of the sword and decided to teach his craft to the young Sint. The boy was named Kenshin and became a real killer high level. He served the Tokugawa shogunate during its later years. Never in his life did Kenshin flinch, never felt pity or regret. One day, once again doing his job, he meets the girl Yukishiro Tomoe, who becomes a witness to the murder he committed. Unexpectedly for himself, Kensick does not kill her and leaves her alive. Something trembled in Kenshin's heart, and he took pity and took the girl with him. What special cold Kenshin found in this girl and what kind of relationship awaits them? And how will these events change his whole life?
Samurai were a much more complex class than representation modern society about the selfless military class. Although they were sometimes legendary warriors who put honor above all else, they also included mercenaries who hunted for gold, pirates, travelers, Christians, politicians, assassins, and vagabonds.
10 Samurai Wasn't So Elite
Despite the fact that we think of the samurai as an elite fighting force, the majority of Japan's military were foot soldiers called ashigaru, and it was foot soldiers who won wars.
Ashigaru started out as a general rabble of people brought in from the rice fields, but when the daimyo realized that a well-trained standing army was better than random untrained warriors, they trained them to fight. In ancient Japan, there were three types of warriors: samurai, ashigaru and ji-samurai. Ji samurai were samurai only when needed, working as farmers for the rest of the year.
When a ji samurai decided to become a full-fledged samurai, he joined the ashigaru, not the ranks of his wealthier colleagues. Ji-samurai were certainly not as respected as true samurai, but their assimilation into ashigaru was hardly a downgrade. Japanese ashigaru were almost on an equal footing with the samurai. In some areas, the two classes could not even be distinguished.
Military service as an ashigaru was one way to climb the social ladder of feudal Japan, culminating in the fact that Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the son of an ashigaru, rose so high that he became the preeminent ruler of Japan. He then knocked the ladder out from under those who were not samurai at that time, thus freezing the distribution social classes Japan.
9 Christian Samurai
Photograph: Boac Marinduque
The arrival of Jesuit missionaries in southern Japan led some daimyo to convert to Christianity. Their conversion may have been more practical than religious, as connection to Christendom meant access to European military equipment. A converted daimyō, Arima Harunobu fielded European cannons to use against his enemies at the Battle of Okita-Nawate. Because Harunobu was a Christian, the Jesuit missionary was present at the battle and recorded as his samurai, rather mistakenly kneeling and reciting the Lord's Prayer before every shot they fired from their precious cannons.
Allegiance to Christianity prevented the daimyō Dom Justo Takayama from acting like any other samurai commander during his reign. When Japan kicked out Christian missionaries and forced Japanese Christians to renounce their faith, Takayama chose to flee Japan with 300 other Christians rather than renounce his faith. Currently, the issue of giving Takayama the status of a Catholic saint is being considered.
8. Ceremonies for Inspection of Severed Heads
The enemy's head was proof of the samurai's duty done. After the battle, the heads were collected from the shoulders of their dead owners and presented to the daimyo, who enjoyed a relaxing head-viewing ceremony to celebrate their victory. Their heads were thoroughly washed, and their hair was combed and their teeth blackened, which was a sign of nobility. Each head was then mounted on a small wooden holder and marked with the names of the victim and the killer. If time was short, a hasty ceremony was arranged during which the heads were placed on the leaves so that they would absorb the blood.
In one case, viewing the heads won resulted in the daimyō losing his own. After taking the two forts, Oda Nobunaga, daimyō Imagawa Yoshimoto led the march to the head-viewing ceremony and musical performance. Unfortunately for Yoshimoto, the rest of Nobunaga's forces advanced and made a surprise attack while the heads were preparing for viewing. Nobunaga's forces crept right up to Yoshimoto's army and attacked after an occasional thunderstorm. Yoshimoto's severed head then became the centerpiece of his enemy's head-viewing ceremony.
The system of reward based on severed heads was operated in a black manner. Some samurai said that the head of an enemy infantryman was actually the head of a great hero and hoped no one would find out the truth. After the samurai actually removed the valuable head from his shoulders, he could leave the battlefield, since the money was already in his pocket. The situation became so serious that the daimyo sometimes even forbade the taking of heads so that their warriors would focus on winning rather than getting money.
7. They retreated during battles
Many samurai preferred to fight to the death rather than live in dishonor. The daimyo, however, knew that good military tactics included retreat. Tactical and true retreats were as common in ancient Japan as elsewhere, especially when daimyo were in danger. In addition to being one of the first samurai clans to use firearms, the Shimazu clan of southern Japan was famous for using feigned retreat warriors to lure their enemies into a vulnerable position.
When retreating, the samurai used a billowing cloak called a horo, which protected them from arrows while fleeing on horseback. Well pouted like balloon, and its protective insulation also protected the horse. Killing a horse was easier than aiming at a rider, who could quickly die as soon as he was pinned down by his own dead horse.
6 The Samurai Were Great
Photo: Samurai Antique World
In the early years, samurai made long speeches describing the bloodlines of warriors prior to one-on-one battles. Later, the Mongol invasions and the inclusion of the lower classes in the war made the proclamation of samurai bloodlines impractical in combat. Wanting to maintain their important status, some warriors began wearing flags on their backs that detailed their lineage. However, since opponents were probably not interested in reading family histories in the heat of battle, the practice never caught on.
In the 16th century, warriors began wearing sashimono, small flags that were meant to be worn on the back of a samurai to represent their personality. Samurai went to great lengths to stand out from the crowd, and sashimono weren't limited to flags, they also included items such as fans and wooden sunbeams. Many went even further and marked their identity with ornate helmets with deer horns, buffalo horns, peacock feathers - everything that helped to attract a worthy opponent, whose defeat provided them with honor and wealth, was used.
5 Samurai Pirates
Around the beginning of the 13th century Mongol invasion pushed the Korean army away from its coast. A bad harvest left Japan with little food left, and given the fact that the capital was far to the east, the unemployed ronin in the west began to desperately need income with little oversight. All this led to the birth of the era of Asian piracy, the main players of which were the samurai.
The pirates, who were called wokou, caused so much chaos that many of the international disputes between China, Korea, and Japan began because of them. Despite the fact that wokou eventually began to include everything more other nationalities, the early raids were carried out primarily by the Japanese and continued for many years as the pirates were under the protection of local samurai families.
Korea eventually came under the control of the Mongols. After that, Kublai Khan became an enemy of the wokou, who was informed by the Korean ambassadors that the Japanese were "cruel and bloodthirsty" and the Mongols began to invade the Japanese coast.
The invasion failed, but it helped put a stop to further wokou raids well into the 14th century. By that time, the wokou were a mixed group of people from different parts of Asia. However, because they made their numerous invasions of Korea and China from the Japanese islands, Emperor Ming threatened to invade Japan if she failed to solve her pirate problem.
4. Harakiri was actively condemned
Harakiri, or ritual suicide, was the samurai's way of preserving his honor after a certain defeat. Everyone was after him anyway, and he had nothing to lose except for nerves before the procedure of dumping his intestines on the floor. However, while the samurai were willing to commit suicide in this honorable way, the daimyo were more concerned about saving their armies. The most famous historical examples mass suicides overshadow the simple truth that there was no point in losing talented warriors. The daimyo who won the battle often wanted their enemies to swear allegiance to them, rather than commit hara-kiri.
One type of hara-kiri was junshi. By committing this type of suicide, the samurai followed their fallen lord into the afterlife. This was very problematic for the Vladyka's heir. Instead of inheriting his father's samurai army, he ended up with a court full of the corpses of the best warriors. And given the fact that the new daimyo was honored to financially support the family of the fallen samurai, junshi was also an unattractive financial prospect. Eventually, the practice of junshi was banned by the Tokugawa shogunate, although this did not stop some samurai from following it.
3. Samurai Abroad
While samurai in service rarely left their daimyō's territory except to invade foreign territories, many ronin sought their fortunes abroad. Among the first foreign countries who began to hire samurai was Spain. In a plot to conquer China for Christendom, Spanish leaders in the Philippines added thousands of samurai to a multinational invasion force. The invasion never began due to lack of support from the Spanish crown, but other mercenary samurai often served under the Spanish flag.
Fortune samurai especially distinguished themselves in ancient Thailand, where a Japanese samurai garrison of approximately 1,500 men assisted in military campaigns. The colony consisted mainly of ronin who sought their fortune abroad and Christians fleeing the shogunate. The military support given to the Thai king by leader Yamada Nagamasa earned him both a princess and a title of nobility. Nagamasa was given power over a region in southern Thailand, but after choosing the losing side in a succession war, he died from his wounds in battle. After his death, the Japanese presence in Thailand quickly dwindled as many fled to neighboring Cambodia due to the anti-Japanese attitude of the new king.
2 Late Samurai Were Poor And Could Kill Peasants 
Photo: PHGCOM/Wikimedia
After Japan was unified, the samurai who made their living participating in endless civil wars his country, there was no one to fight. No war meant no heads. And no heads meant no money, and the lucky few of the thousands of Japanese samurai who kept their jobs now worked for daimyo who paid them rice.
By law, samurai were forbidden from working to support themselves. Trade and Agriculture were considered peasant work, which is why the only source of income for the samurai was a fixed payment of rice in an economy that was rapidly moving to trade with coins. It was no longer possible to buy as much sake for a handful of rice as it was possible in the old days, so the samurai were forced to exchange their rice for real money. Unfortunately, for the upper class, under great pressure, giving good gifts, having quality items, and wearing stylish clothes was part of official duties samurai. Therefore, during the Edo period, many samurai fell into a black hole of debt from creditors.
This may explain why they were given the right to kirisute gomen, the legal right to kill defiant commoners. This was a tempting right for the ruined samurai, who could now pay off their debts with the sword. However, documented cases of the use of this right are practically non-existent, so it seems that in general the samurai did not use this right.
1. How it all ended
Over the last 250 or so years of their existence, the samurai gradually evolved into poets, scholars, and officials. Hagakure, possibly greatest book about being a samurai was the commentary of a samurai who lived and died without taking part in any war.
However, the samurai remained Japan's military class and despite the prevailing world, some of Japan's best swordsmen were from the Edo era. Those samurai who didn't want to change their katana for a feather trained diligently in swordsmanship, fought duels to win enough fame to open their own martial schools. The most famous book on Japanese warfare, The Book of Five Rings, appeared during this period. The author Miyamoto Musashi was considered one of Japan's greatest swordsmen, participating in two of the few major battles of the period, as well as numerous duels.
Meanwhile, those samurai who stepped into the political arena steadily rose in power. Eventually, they gained enough power to challenge the shogunate. They managed to overthrow him by fighting in the name of the emperor. By overthrowing the government and installing a figurehead emperor, they essentially seized control of Japan.
This move, along with numerous other factors, marked the beginning of Japan's modernization. Unfortunately for the rest of the samurai, the modernization included a Western-style draft army, which drastically weakened Japan's military class.
The growing frustrations of the samurai finally culminated in the Satsuma Rebellion, depicted very loosely in the movie " The Last Samurai". Although the actual rebellion was vastly different from how it was portrayed in Hollywood, it's safe to say that the samurai, true to their martial spirit, ended their existence in a flash of glory.
Who are the samurai? They represent the feudal class of Japan, which enjoyed great respect and reverence among all other estates. Samurai were feared and respected for their cruelty in battle and nobility in civilian life. The great names of the samurai of Japan are written in a story that will forever remember these legendary figures.
This is a kind of analogue of European knights, who swore to serve faithfully to their master and played one of the most important roles in the Japanese community. Their activities and way of life were rigidly bound by a code of honor, which was called "Bushido". The great samurai of Japan fought for the feudal lords or daimyo - the most powerful rulers of the country, who obeyed the powerful shogun.
The daimyō era lasted from the 10th to mid-nineteenth century. During this time, the samurai managed to surround themselves with a kind of halo of nobility, they were feared and respected even outside the country of the Rising Sun. Mere mortals admired them, bowing before their cruelty, courage, cunning and resourcefulness. Many feats were attributed to samurai, but the truth was actually much more prosaic - the famous samurai of Japan were ordinary killers, but what was the nature of their crimes!
Top most famous samurai in Japan
One can talk endlessly about the great samurai. Their stories are shrouded in a halo of mystery and nobility, very often they were credited with undeserved feats, but these personalities still remained the subject of worship and disinterested respect.
- Taira no Kiyomori (1118 - 1181)
He was a commander and warrior, thanks to whom the first samurai administrative system of government in the history of the Japanese state was created. Prior to the start of his activities, all samurai were simply hired warriors for aristocrats. After that, he took the Taira clan under his protection and quickly achieved success in political activity. In 1156, Kiyomori, along with Minamoto no Yoshimoto (the head of the Minamoto clan), managed to crush the rebellion and began to rule the two highest warrior clans in Kyoto. As a result, their union turned into bitter rivals, and in 1159 Kiyomori defeated Yoshimoto. Thus, Kiyomori became the head of the most powerful warrior clan in Kyoto.
Kiyomori was able to seriously move up the career ladder. In 1171, he gave his daughter in marriage to Emperor Takakura. A little later, their first child was born, which was often used as a lever of pressure on the emperor. However, the plans of the samurai failed to materialize, he died of a fever in 1181.
- Ii Naomasa (1561 - 1602)
He was a famous general or daimyo during the period when the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu was in power. It was one of the most devoted samurai known to the history of Japan. He advanced significantly through the ranks and received great recognition after 3,000 soldiers under his leadership won the Battle of Nagakute (1584). He fought with such vigor that even opponents admired his behavior on the battlefield. The greatest popularity brought him the battle of Sekigahara. During the battle, he was hit by a stray bullet, after which he could not fully recover. His squad was called the "Red Devils" for the corresponding color of the armor that the soldiers wore during the battle to intimidate opponents.
- Date Masamune (1567 - 1636)
The list of "The most famous samurai" continues this legendary figure. The daimyo was ruthless and merciless, almost everyone said so about him. He was an outstanding warrior and an excellent strategist, and his personality became even more memorable due to the loss of one eye, for which Masamune received the nickname "One-Eyed Dragon". He was supposed to take the leading position in the clan after his father, but the loss of an eye caused a split in the family and came to power younger brother Date. Already being a general, the samurai was able to gain a good reputation and was rightfully considered a leader. It was after this that he unleashed a campaign in order to defeat the neighboring clans. This created considerable excitement. As a result, the neighboring clan turned to the father with a request to curb his eldest son. Terumune was abducted, but he managed to warn his son about a similar outcome of events and asked him to kill all members of neighboring clans. Date Masamune followed his father's instructions.
Although this contradicts some ideas about samurai, but Date Masamune was a supporter of religion and culture. He even personally knew the Pope.
- Honda Tadakatsu (1548 - 1610)
He was a general and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ieyasu along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu. Of the four, Honda Tadakatsu had a reputation for being the most dangerous and merciless. He was a true warrior, even in the depths of his soul. So, for example, Oda Nobunaga, who, by the way, was not very happy with his followers, considered Tadakatsu a real samurai among all other samurai. It was often said of him that Honda bypassed death itself, as he never received a serious injury, despite the fact that the number of his battles exceeded 100.
- Hattori Hanzo (1542 - 1596)
He was the most famous samurai and ninja of the Sengoku era. Thanks to him, Emperor Tokugawa Ieyasu survived, and a little later became the ruler of a united Japan. Hattori Hanzo showed brilliant military tactics, earning him the nickname Devil Hanzo. He won his first battle while still quite young age Hanzo was only 16 at the time. After that, he was able to free the Tokugawa daughters from the hostages at Kaminogo Castle in 1562. The year 1582 was decisive for him in his career and in gaining a leading position - he helped the future Shogun escape from his pursuers to the province of Mikawa. In this operation, he was helped by local ninjas.
Hattori Hanzo was an excellent swordsman and in his last years, according to historical sources, he was hiding under the guise of a monk. Many often attributed supernatural abilities to this samurai. It was said that he could instantly hide and appear in the most unexpected places.
- Benkei (1155 - 1189)
He was a warrior monk who was in the service of the Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Benkei is perhaps the most popular character in Japanese folklore. The stories about his origins are many-sided: some claim that he was born to a raped woman, while others are inclined to believe that Benkei was a descendant of a god. Rumor has it that this samurai killed at least 200 people in each of his battles. An interesting fact - at the age of 17, he was more than 2 meters tall. He learned the art of naginata (a long weapon that is a mixture of a spear and an ax) and left a Buddhist monastery to join a sect of mountain monks.
According to legend, he went to the Gojo Bridge in Kyoto, and was able to disarm every passing swordsman. Thus, he was able to collect 999 swords. During the 1000th battle with Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Benkei was defeated and forced to become his vassal. A few years later, while under siege, Yoshitsune committed ritual suicide while Benkei fought for his master. Rumor has it that the rest of the soldiers were afraid to oppose this giant. In that battle, the samurai laid down about 300 soldiers, who saw with their own eyes how the giant pierced by arrows was still standing. So everyone was able to learn about the "standing death of Benkei."
- Uesugi Kenshin (1530 - 1578)
He was one of the most powerful commanders of the Sengoku era in Japan. He believed in the Buddhist god of war, and his followers were convinced that Uesugi Kenshin was the incarnation of Bishamonten. He was the youngest ruler of Echigo Province - at the age of 14, he took the place of his older brother.
He agreed to go against the greatest commander Takeda Shingen. In 1561, the largest battle between Shingen and Kenshin took place. The results of the battle were mixed, as both sides lost about 3,000 men in this battle. They were rivals for more than 14 years, but even this fact did not prevent them from exchanging gifts. And when Shingen died in 1573, Kenshin could not accept the loss of such a worthy rival.
Data on the death of Uesugi Kenshin is ambiguous. Someone says that he died from the consequences of heavy drinking, someone is inclined to the version that he was seriously ill.
- Takeda Shingen (1521 - 1573)
This is perhaps the most famous samurai in the history of Japan. He is known, by and large, for his unique military tactics. Often referred to as the "Kai Tiger" for its distinctive characteristics on the battlefield. At the age of 20, he took the Takeda clan under his tutelage, then united with the Imagawa clan - as a result, the young commander received power over all nearby territories.
This was the only samurai who possessed sufficient strength and skill to defeat the powerful Oda Nobunaga, who aspired to power over all of Japan. Singen died while preparing for the next battle. Some say that a soldier wounded him, while others are inclined to believe that the samurai died of a serious illness.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543 - 1616)
He is the first shogun and founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. His family practically ruled the Land of the Rising Sun from 1600 until the beginning of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu received power in 1600, became shogun three years later, and two years later he abdicated, but remained in power the rest of the time until his death. It was one of the most famous generals in the history of Japan.
This samurai outlived many famous rulers in his lifetime: Oda Nobunaga laid the foundation for the shogunate, Toyotomi Hideyoshi seized power, Shingen and Kenshin, two of the strongest rivals, were dead. The Tokugawa Shogunate, thanks to the cunning mind and tactical thinking of Ieyasu, will rule Japan for another 250 years.
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536 - 1598)
It is also the most famous samurai of its kind. He was a general and great politician of the Sengoku era, as well as the second unifier of Japan and the man who ended the Warring States period. Hideyoshi has made efforts to create some cultural legacies. So, for example, he introduced a restriction from which it followed that only members of the samurai class could carry weapons. In addition, he financed the construction and restoration of many temples, and also played a significant role in the history of Christianity in Japan.
Hideyoshi, despite his peasant background, was able to become the great general of Nobunaga. He failed to obtain the title of shogun, but made himself regent and built a palace. As his health began to fail, Hideyoshi began to conquer the Ming Dynasty with the help of Korea. The class reforms that the samurai carried out significantly changed the Japanese social system.
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