Historian Spotlight - Karl Friday

Karl Friday is one of the few historians out there who has a real "hands on" experience with the subject material that he writes about. He has lived in Japan and trained with the famed Kashima Shinryu.

I admit I had never read a Friday book until recently. Friday was kind enough to help me through my graduate school application process. I figured I owed it to the guy to read at least one of his books. The first book I purchased was Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryu and Samurai

This work was extremely well done and it immediately vaulted Friday to the top of my favorite historians list. (Yes, I am nerdy enough to have a favorite historians thread.)

Since then, I have read several other Friday works and his spot among the top of my aforementioned list is secure.

For more info on Friday, check out his faculty page at the University of Georgia

Karl Friday

The Generals of Uesugi Kenshin

Since I posted earlier about Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals, I thought it would only be fair to spend some time discussing the leadership of Shingen's greatest rival, Uesugi Kenshin,

The most common moniker associated with these men is "Uesugi Kenshin's 28 Generals." Because of this, I will list the 28 generals that I think figured the most prominent in Kenshin's battles. There are a few individuals that I really don't know too much information on. So you'll have to forgive my brevity when discussing these subjects.

Kakizaki Kageie - Kageie was one of Uesugi Kenshin's most famous generals. He was known as an extremely ferocious warrior that I like to compare to Kato Kiyomasa. He fought at 3 of the Kawanakajima battles against the Takeda and led the vanguard force for the Uesugi at the 4th battle. For some reason, Kenshin suspected Kageie of treason and ordered his death. Something that he would regret for the rest of his life.

Naoe Kanetsugu - Kanetsugu was one of Uesugi Kenshin's chief retainers, serving him as a top councilor. Kanetsugu may have been the greatest logistical tactician of his day. His command in this arena led to much of the success of the Uesugi during his career.

Murakami Yoshikiyo - Yoshikyo was an independent daimyo before joining the ranks of the Uesugi after losing his lands to the Takeda. Prior to this defeat, however, the Murakami were perhaps the chief rival of Shingen. Even more so than the Uesugi. He handed Shingen several defeats before eventually capitulating to a much larger force. He was perhaps the most "independent" of all the Uesugi generals.

Jojo Masashige - Masashige served both Uesugi Kenshin as well as Uesugi Kagekatsu. He fought with distinction in the wars against the Oda and also served Tokugawa Ieyasu at Sekigahara. Obviously he is one of the later names to appear on this list.

Suda Chikamitsu - Much like Murakami Yoshikiyo, Suda Chikamitsu was an independent daimyo before losing his lands to Takeda Shingen. In order to seek revenge on the Takeda, Chikamitsu decided to join the Uesugi clan in their effort to oppose him. He fought at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima and is known to have been the guardian of Sanada Yukimura at a later stage in his life.

Saito Tomonobu - Tomonobu fought in several campaigns for the Uesugi throughout his career. After Kenshin's death, he supported Uesugi Kagekatsu in the Otate no Ran. He is often considered to be one of the most capable generals for the Uesugi and he was highly regarded for his administrative capabilities as well as a being a terrific warrior.


Uesugi Kagenobu - Kagenobu was a very respected retainer under Kenshin. He fought in the Uesugi campaigns in the Kanto region as well as at the Battles of Kawanakajima. He made the unfortunate mistake of supporting Uesugi Kagetora during the Otate no Ran.


Irobe Katsunaga - Katsunaga was highly respected within the Uesugi clan. He fought during the Uesugi campaigns in Kozuke and participated in the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima, where he fought in the headquarters division. Katsunaga is often known as being one of the "Countrymen of Northern Echigo."


Amakusa Kagemochi - Kagemochi distinguished himself in the fighting at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima. At the battle he commanded the rearguard for the Uesugi and clashed with the famed Takeda warriors, Kosaka Masanobu and Baba Nobufusa. This skirmish took place in what is called Amenomiya.

Naoe Sadatsuna - Sadatsuna fought at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima, where he commanded the supply division.

Honjo Shigenaga - Shigenaga was a very experienced retainer for the Uesugi. He is also somewhat of a controversial figure. During the wars with the Takeda, Shigenaga switched his allegiance to Shingen. However, he switched back to the Uesugi and was forgiven. Some years later, during their wars with the Oda, Shigenaga again defected the Uesugi to join their enemy. However, once again Shigenaga switched back and was forgiven.


Shibata Naganori - Naganori began serving Kenshin at a very young age and fought in many of his battles. He fought on the right flank at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima and supported Uesugi Kagekatsu during the Otate no Ran.


Yasuda Nagahide - Nagahide was a trusted retainer of Kenshin's. He fought in the left flank at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima and received a personal commendation from Kenshin for his bravery in the action. He supported Uesugi Kagekatsu during the Otate no Ran.

Usami Sadamitsu - Also known as Sadakatsu, Sadamitsu was one of Uesugi Kenshin's chief retainers. He was placed in charge of the messengers during the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima.


Suibara Takaie - Takaie was a noted retainer of both Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagekatsu. His military career spanned several years and many engagements. He most notably fought at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima and the Osaka Winter Campaign. That's a 53 year difference in case you're wondering.

Takanoshi Masayori - Once again, Masayori provides another example of a once independent daimyo forced to join the Uesugi after he is removed from his lands by the Takeda. His service with the Uesugi did not last very long, however, He served at the 3rd and 4th Battles of Kawanakajima and then abruptly left the clan.


Takemata Hirotsuna - Hirotsuna fought in the vanguard at Kawanakajima. He is credited with being one of the first men to make contact with the Takeda forces.


Matsumoto Kageshige - Kageshige was a close retainer of Kenshin and was active in many of his campaigns, including the Battles at Kawanakajima. He is credited with playing a crucial role in the peace negotiations between the Uesugi and the Hojo.


Naoe Kagetsuna - Kagetsuna was also very close to Kenshin. He was a logistics genius and was extremely effective in coordinating supply lines during the Uesugi battles.

Nagao Masakage - Masakage was Kenshin's brother-in-law as well as the father of future clan leader, Uesugi Kagekatsu.

Ayukawa Kiyonaga - Kiyonaga fought at Honjo Castle in 1539 as well as in the headquarters division at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima.

Shibata Hironaga - Hironaga fought in the vanguard at Kawanakajima.

Nagao Fujikage - Fujikage fought in the left flank at the 4th Battle of Kawanakjima.

Inoue Kiyomasa - Kiyomasa fought in the headquarters division at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima.

Shimonjo Saneyori - Saneyori fought at Kawanakajima.

Nakajo Fujikasuke - Also known as Fujikashi, he distinguished himself at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima where Kenshin personally commended him for his bravery.


Yamayoshi Toyomori - Also known as Toyouji, he played a vital role in the negotiation of a peace treaty between the Uesugi and the Hojo in 1570.


Shimazu Norihisa - Norihisa fought in the vanguard at Kawanakajima.

Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals

This group of men are known to have been the ablest Takeda warriors during the reign of Takeda Shingen. These individuals all played a critical role in the many conquests of the Tiger of Kai throughout his career.


Baba Nobufusa - Also known as Baba Nobuharu. He fought at Odawara, Mikatagahara, Kawanakajima and Mimasetoge. Nobufusa personally objected to Nagashino, because he recognized how futile the fight was. Despite his objections, he led the charge for the Takeda and was killed while protecting Takeda Katsuyori's retreat after the battle. He was known for his wisdom as well as his bravery and was often consulted on all matters by Takeda Shingen. Prior to his death at Nagashino, Nobuharu was said to have fought in over 70 battles without being injured.



Yamagata Masakage - Masakage is considered to have been the fiercest warrior in the Takeda clan. He performed admirably during the Takeda's campaign in Shinano and played an important role in the defeat of the Murakami at the Siege of Toishi. Masakage also played a major role in the Takeda victory at Mikatagahara as well as the battle of Mimasetoge. Much like his older brother, Obu Toramasa, Masakage dressed his troops in all red. This earned them the nickname "Red Regiment." Masakage died at Nagashino while commanding the vanguard of the Takeda force.

Sanada Masayuki - Masayuki is often overshadowed in history by his son, Yukimura. The fact is Masayuki was a capable fighter n his own right and is often considered one of the greatest generals of the later Sengoku period. His first battle was for the Takeda at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima. He became the head of the Sanada in 1575 and immediately began to expand his family's influence. In 1580, Masayuki gained control of Kozuke from the Hojo. Five years later, Masayuki stoutly defended the territory against an invading Tokugawa force. Masayuki would join Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590 to help attack his rivals, the Hojo, during the Odawara Campaign. He sided with the Western Army at Sekigahara and stubbornly defended Ueda Castle.

Hara Toratane - Toratane earned a reputation as being one of the fiercest warriors of the Takeda. He was also thought as one of the more skilled generals employed by Shingen during his many campaigns. His use of Ashigaru units has become legendary. It has been said that Toratane could use 10 Ashigaru with the same effectiveness as 100 Samurai. He is also reported to have been wounded no fewer than 50 times in at least 30 battles, a direct opposite of the career of Nobuharu.


Yamamoto Kansuke - Kansuke provided valuable service to the Takeda in their wars within Shinano. Kansuke helped to defeat the Murakami in 1551, and fought valiantly in all of the Kawanakajima battles. Kansuke was the chief strategist for the Takeda and his suicide is something that has grown to become a legend. After (falsely) believing that his strategy had failed at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima, Kansuke threw himself into the ranks of the Uesugi and fought til the death.


Takeda Nobushige - Nobushige was the chosen successor to the Takeda domain until his brother, Shingen, rebelled. Shingen, realizing the abilities of Nobushige, not only allowed him to live, but also gave him a commanding role within his vanguard. Nobushige was known for his military capabilities as well as his wisdom. He often provided Shingen with invaluable advice throughout his campaigns. Nobushige was eventually killed during the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561.


Kosaka Masanobu - Masanobu played a pivotal role in the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima,
proving to be a thorn in the side of the Uesugi throughout the engagement. Masanobu was one of the few Takeda generals to survive the Battle of Nagashino. He is responsible for the safe retreat of Takeda Katsuyori and his personal guard at this engagement.

Obu Toramasa - Toramasa's moniker was "The Wild Tiger of Kai." Now that's just plain awesome! Toramasa rightly earned that nickname on the battlefield. He was a well renowned general known for dressing his unit in all red. Something that would be copied by several later generals. His most brilliant moment came during the Siege of Uchiyama Castle. With only 800 men, the "Wild Tiger" successfully defended the castle from 8,000 troops led by Uesugi Kenshin.


Obata Toramori - Toramori was a valuable retainer of the Takeda clan throughout his entire life. Toramori fought for Baba Nobuharu in all of his battles. As the opposite of Nobuharu, he was reported to have been wounded no fewer than 40 times in his long career. Toramori is known to have been an ashigaru tairo.


Akiyama Nobutomo - Nobutomo was noted as being perhaps Takeda Shingen's fiercest warrior, earning him the moniker, "The Raging Bull of The Takeda Clan." Any nickname as cool as that was usually earned. Nobutomo is also one of the unfortunate Samurai to have met his demise by being crucified. This was done after Nagashino, when Nobutomo attempted to hold onto Iwamura Castle.

Anayama Baisetsu - Also commonly known as Anayama Nobukini, he was a noted warrior for the Takeda. He fought in all of Shingen's campaigns, and even fought for Takeda Katsuyori at Nagashino, despite objecting to it. There’s an interesting story about his death. After Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled against Oda Nobunaga, Baisetsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu needed to flee the capital. As the story goes, Ieyasu followed the advice of his noted retainer, Hattori Hanzo, ad took a different route than Baisetsu. As they say in the business, the rest is history...


Sanada Yukitaka - Yukitaka was a warrior of renowned skill. Shingen actually sought out his services after seeing his abilities firsthand. Yukitaka helped to capture several castles during the Takeda's campaign in Shinano. He was a noted strategist, and along with Sanada Nobutsuna, Yukitaka helped to capture Toishi castle. He also fought at the Battles of Kawanakajima.

Naito Masatoyo - Masatoyo was one of Shingen's most reliable generals. He fought in many of the Takeda's battles, particularly distinguishing himself at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561, as well as at the Siege of Minowa Castle 5 years later. Masatoyo was a cavalry commander and he fought in the forefront at both the Battle of Mikatagahara as well as at Nagashino, where he was killed.

Ichijo Nobutatsu - Nobutatsu was a brother of Shingen, and fought in several of his battles. Nobutatsu was particularly skillful in the use of diplomacy, In this area, he was able to strengthen the alliance between the Takeda and several of their allies.


Takeda Nobukado - Nobukado was another one of Shingen's brothers. He was very well-educated and used his intelligence in the role of adviser to Takeda Katsuyori. He fought and died at Nagashino.

Hara Masatane - Masatane was a skilled commander who fought for the Takeda in many battles as a senior retainer, most notably Mimasetoge and Kawanakajima. He was killed while fighting in the forefront at Nagashino.


Itagaki Nobukata - Nobukata was one of the chief conspirators in the plot to overthrow Shingen's father, Nobutora as the head of the Takeda clan. After helping to install Shingen to power, Nobukata quickly became a powerful figure within the Takeda clan. He was a close adviser to Shingen as well as a noted warrior. He is often credited with fielding a spy unit for the Takeda. Nobukata was killed at the Battle of Uedehara.


Oyamada Nobushige - Nobushige was a distinguished general for Shingen who fought at several battles including, Kawanakajima, Takiyama and Mikatagahara. He deserted Katsuyori in 1582 in favor of the Oda, but was executed for his "cowardice" by Nobunaga.


Saigusa Moritomo - Moritomo fought at Mimasetoge and Mikatagahara, as well as at Nagashino. He was killed alongside Takeda Nobuzane during the raid on their position at Nagashino by Sakai Tadatsugu's forces.

Tada Mitsuyori - Served the Takeda as an infantry captain under Itagaki Nobukata. Mitsuyori fought in this capacity in 40 battles for Shingen. He particularly distinguished himself in the fighting at the Battles of Sezawa and Uehara.

Yokota Takamatsu - Takamatsu started out as a very low ranking warrior within the Takeda clan. However, he quickly proved himself on the battlefield, earning several promotions. He was noted as being very skillful with the bow and arrow. Takamatsu was killed during the Siege of Toishi. It is reported that Takeda Shingen used Takamatsu as an example for his other samurai to follow.

Sanada Nobutsuna - Nobutsuna was a veteran of many wars during his career. He was the commander during the capture of Toishi Castle for Shingen. At Nagashino, Nobutsuna was in charge of leading a large group of cavalry.

Amari Torayasu - Torayasu served both Takeda Nobutora and Takeda Shingen during their respective reigns as the head of the Takeda clan. He was elevated to the position of clan elder up until the time of his death at the Battle of Uedehara.


Tsuchiya Masatsugu - Masatsugu is perhaps most famous for the charge he led against the Oda barricades during the Battle of Nagashino. Of course, he was killed in the resulting action, but his deeds have lived on.

Site of The Day - Oda Nobunaga: The Warlord Who Changed Japan

Today's site is another blog. This one is run by a friend of mine named Les Paterson. He is the author of Oda Nobunaga: The Battle of Okehazama. When he's not busy writing a book, he's running his blog, which is deceptively not all about Oda Nobunaga. Les also posts translation projects as well as info on some of the other major figures in Japanese history.

He is a self-proclaimed Nobunaga nut, though and that shows through in some of his work. I can't be mad at that, however. As I'm sure you've noticed, I can have a bias towards Takeda Shingen.

Stop by his site sometime and tell him I sent ya.

Oda Nobunaga: The Warlord Who Changed Japan.

Book Review: Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan

Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan in Dr. Karl Friday's contribution to the "Warfare and History" series created by Jeremy Black. I've only read a few other titles in this series, but Friday's is easily my favorite.

This work provides a stunning amount of information on the advancements in weapon technology in Japan's medieval period. A feat that is even more amazing considering the length of the book. (It's only 236 pages including an extensive notes and index section.) Friday spends a great deal of time discussing the Later Three Years War. I particularly liked this feature as I am not very familiar with this particular conflict, and it was very interesting to see the weapons and strategies used at this time.

Friday also discusses the gokenin in great deal. These men carried a great deal of responsibility in Pre-Sengoku Japan. They served the Shogunate during the Kamakura period and served all types of roles from bodyguard to warrior to administrator. These men were some of the most important people in Japan's history and Friday paints them in the appropriate light.

Friday also delves into the difference between tactics and strategy in military affairs. This is something that is usually sorely needed in any academic study of a military field. One of my favorite sub-fields within this area was Friday's discussion of mounted tactics used by the soldiers at this time. There were terrific diagrams used to show how mounted Samurai would maneuver their horse to position themselves perfectly for an attack or defense, depending on their situation.

Outside of the diagrams used for defining mounted fighting tactics, Friday uses chart and tables tremendously in this work. There were several graphic comparisons between the different weapons that were in use at the time. In fact, outside of a typical weapons manual, this work may have the most detailed information on the different tools used for warfare during this period. The tables on both military and governmental organization were also well done and very helpful.

Armor construction is one of the more confusing aspects of Samurai warfare. Fortunately, Friday does his best to describe a few of the techniques used for armor construction within becoming too reliant on jargon. His section on this are was extremely informative and is a source that I will certainly turn too for future reference on the subject.

5.0/5.0

I don't give too many books a perfect rating. I can usually find something wrong or irritating with any work. However, Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan is one of my favorite works in any subject. I really can't recommend this book high enough.

Battle of Nagashino

I know I've been on a bit of a Takeda/Nagashino binge here lately. Hopefully this will be the post that gets everything out of my system.

I've already discussed the battle in my Takeda Katsuyori post earlier, and the specifics of the battle are pretty well known. So there's no need to delve into the actual battle itself. I will explain it briefly, however.

The Battle of Nagashino took place in June of 1575, and it started with the siege of Nagashino castle by Takeda Katsuyori. The castle was held by Okudaira Sadamasa, a former "iffy" supporter of the Takeda. Sadamasa called for support from Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, who were both eager to assist.

The decimation of the famed Takeda cavalry by an insurmountable force of arquebus behind a solid defense of barricades is now something that is a part of Japanese legend.

Recent scholarship has suggested that while firearms did play a pivotal role in the defeat of the Takeda, their numbers may have been greatly exaggerated. Most older sources cite that the Oda used no less than 3,000 arquebus troops at the battle. Recent studies suggest that the number may have been at the most 1,000. Thomas Conlan uses recent excavations of the battlefield to establish the theory that there may have been as few as half that number.

One thing that can't be argued about the battle is the amount of shear devastation that it caused upon the Takeda clan. Perhaps no other battle in Japanese history can account for more field commander casualties than Nagashino.

Of the 97 named Samurai that Takeda Katsuyori took with him into the battle, 54 were killed. Some of these casualties were very important men with illustrious warrior careers. A few of the men that were killed are as follows:

Baba Nobufusa - One of my personal favorite historical figures. Nobufusa was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals and was renowned for his wisdom and intelligence. He was often consulted by Shingen himself during many of his battles.

Yamagata Masakage - Masakage was another one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. He was one of the fiercest commanders in the Takeda army, and was perhaps the eldest of the men fighting at Nagashino.

Hara Masatane - Yet another one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. He was killed while attacking in the vanguard of the Takeda lines at Nagashino.

Takeda Nobuzane - Nobuzane was the younger brother of Takeda Shingen and Katsuyori's uncle. He was in charge of Tobigasu, a position in the rear of the Takeda army during Nagashino. It was here that he was killed by Sakai Tadatsugu's raid.

Tsuchiya Masatsugu - Masatsugu was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. (Surprise!) He also led a charge against the Oda barricades and was cut down by the ashigaru teppo units summarily.

Naito Masatoyo - Guess what? You got it! Masatoyo was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. He was a very reliable warrior who fought in many battles throughout his career for the Takeda. Of course, culminating with Nagashino.

Sanada Nobutsuna - Another one of the 24. Nobutsuna played a critical role in the capture of Toishi castle from the Murakami early on in his career. His is probably more famous in history for being the uncle of Sanada Yukimura.

Sanada Masateru - The brother of Nobutsuna, Masateru was one of the more experienced generals at Nagashino for either side.

Saigusa Moritomo - Moritomo was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 generals. He aided Takeda Nobuzane in his position at Tobigasu. He was killed alongside Nobuzane during the raid on their position.

Yonekura Shigetsugu - Shigetsugu served Amari Haruyoshi for the Takeda and was killed while attacking the Oda barricades.

Mochizuki Nobumasa - Nobumasa was the Son of Takeda Nobushige. He was shot down and beheaded by an ashigaru during the Takeda attack.

If you're into strategy, here's an interesting take on Nagashino for you:

Tsukahara Bokuden

Most any fanboy nowadays can recite the life story of Miyamoto Musashi to you. You know, the one where he traveled across the country mercilessly killing anyone dumb enough to get in his way. Then he marries the princess and slays all the demons and becomes an immortal and blah blah blah.

The story of Tsukahara Bokuden, on the other hand, is not quite as famous among the Western audience. Like Musashi, he fought in many duels over his life and came away the victor in all of them. Bokuden is credited with founding the Kashima Shinto-ryu, as well as creating a technique called, Mutekatsu-ryu. (Winning without hands.)

Bokuden is documented to have fought in over 30 battles. Including these 30 battles, he is supposed to have fought a little over 200 individuals, having never been bested. He was also trained by one of the founding fathers of the Kashima Shinryu. Plus he personally trained 2 Ashikaga Shoguns as well as the man Takeda Shingen himself.

From Karl Friday's Legacy of the Sword:

In his (Bokuden) travels throughout Japan, leading an entourage at times numbering more than 800, he is said to have fought at least nineteen duels with live blades and participated in some thirty-seven battles, during all of which he bested more than 212 opponents.

Then there's this legend:

Bokuden came across a young, brash warrior who was bragging that he could take the older Bokuden. He agreed to fight the youngin', and when he was asked which style he used, he replied, "The Style without hands/sword" (depending on how you translate).

This confused the young warrior, so he agreed to fight the old man on a nearby island. Bokuden quietly rowed out to the island and the young swordsman quickly jumped off the boat and onto the island. No sooner than he touched the ground, Bokuden began to row back to shore. As he was rowing away he yelled back to the man, "This is my no hands/sword school."

This might sound a little familiar. It was completely jacked by Bruce Lee for one of his Hollywood films.



This is a woodblock print of a fictional training session between Bokuden and Musashi. Bokuden is doing the training, which may show you how he is revered outside of the West.

Historian Spotlight - Thomas Conlan

Thomas Conlan is an Associate Professor of History at Bowdoin College (ME).

Check out his bio here.

Conlan has authored some really great works in recent years. In Little Need of Divine Intervention and Weapons and Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior are two valuable resources for me in my current personal library. Along with those 2 works, Conlan has also authored State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth Century Japan.

You can also find him from time to time making appearances for History Channel specials.

Conlan has also done some tremendous work putting together some virtual online scrolls. (I won't go into these that much here because they are going to be discussed in further detail in the near future.) I have already wasted more than a few hours digging through these scrolls and reading over the great information that Conlan has provided for them. You can find these scrolls on the link that I provided earlier in this post.

Site of The Day - Nanzan Institute for Religion & Culture

The Nanzan Institute is responsible for producing one of my favorite journals: The Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. This journal's archive is available online in it's entirety and it is free! There is seriously some top notch research and analysis provided in these journals, and I have learned a great deal about the complex religious structure of Japan perusing their catalogue.

The Nanzan Institute also provides several other excellent online journals. These Include:

Contemporary Religion In Japan
Asian Ethnology
Bulletin of The Nanzan Institute For Religion & Culture
Inter-Religio

Along with these journals, the Institute also has an extensive list of books related to Japanese religion. There is also a collection of e-books for all you Nook and Kindle users.

One area of the site that I like to frequent besides the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies archive is their Current Projects area. Within this section is a nice Upcoming Books segment that gives you a glimpse to where the field is trending in the near future.

Nanzan Institute for Religion & Culture

Takeda Katsuyori: A Sengoku Loser

As you can tell from the title, Takeda Katsuyori is not one of my favorite individuals in Japanese history. It's not that often that you come across someone who has the ability to single handily destroy one of the more powerful clans in Japan. (I know there is an argument that it is not entirely his fault, but I still place the blame squarely on him.)

At the time of Takeda Shingen's death and the ascension of Katsuyori to the head of the clan, the Takeda were an extremely powerful family. In fact, one can make an argument that they were the only clan powerful to stand in the way of Oda Nobunaga and his quest for power. However, within 2 years of his rise to leadership, Katsuyori and the Takeda were no longer a figure in Japan politically or militarily.

The reason for this lies within Katsuyori's actions in 1575.

After failing to capture Yoshida Castle from a much smaller Tokugawa force, Katsuyori decided to set his sights on rival Okudaira Sadamasa and Nagashino Castle. Despite the small numbers of the Okudaira at Nagashino, they were firmly supported by their Tokugawa and Oda allies.

Katsuyori decided to meet with his top retainers to discuss the plan of action. Despite pleas from the older guard of the Takeda generals to retreat back home, Katsuyori set his mind on storming at Nagashino and capturing the castle.



You think it would be wise to listen to the men that had the most military experience, wouldn't you? Not only did Katsuyori not listen to his father's loyal retainers, but he did the exact opposite of their recommendation. Katsuyori decided to stage an attack against a force that was easily twice the size of his.

What followed is what is perhaps one of the bloodier routes in Japanese history. The Takeda were roundly defeated and nearly the entire rank of generals was depleted from Katsuyori's army. Some of the notable Takeda retainers that were KIA:

Baba Nobuharu
Yamagata Masakage
Hara Masatane
Sanada Nobutsuna
Takeda Nobuzane

That's virtually a who's who of warriors within the Takeda clan and perhaps throughout Japan. All were killed because of Katsuyori's (wrong) decision.

Katsuyori, on the other hand, survived. He managed to live for another 7 years doing what he did best and losing battles at Takatenjin (1581) and Temmokuzan (1582). He was forced to commit suicide after the latter.

Book Review: Japan's Medieval Population

Wow. That's all I can say about the stunning amount of stats and figures that William Wayne Farris manages to stuff into Japan's Medieval Population: Famine, Fertility and Warfare In A Transformative Age (2006).

There are so many charts, tables and graphs that it's actually hard to read the text in the book. Speaking of the text, there is a lot of jargon here. Farris is incredibly intelligent and he really knows his stuff. This is definitely a book that shouldn't be picked up unless the reader has a good background in Japanese history.

Some of the stats presented in the book are really bewildering. Thankfully, Farris spends a good amount of time discussing how he has come to certain figures. The whole basis of the book is to discuss Farris' theory on what Japan's population was like in the period between 1150 and 1600. Farris uses many different techniques to formulate his theory:

• Farris draws his own conclusion by comparing and contrasting past works on Japan's population of this period. The most notable of these works is that of Akira Hayami.
• Land registers are used to find out how much land was arable and what exactly the land produced and how much of that particular item was produced.
• Death registers are used to measure, well, death. Farris really does a great job with these register. He breaks them down year by year, month by month, and even male to female.

Some specific areas of the book I found interesting included the discussion of the Kangi Famine from 1229-1232. This was a particularly devastating famine (Farris calls it the worse in Japan's history.) that wiped out a significant part of Japan's population.

I also enjoyed Farris' discussing of the Sengoku Period. (Of course) A set of tables discussing the frequency of military expeditions by both Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen were exquisite. Farris even spends a significant amount of time on case studies of both the Mori and the Takeda.

The one thing about a William Wayne Farris work is that the reader (or at least me) is always left with some unanswered questions. There were a few minor ones in this work as well. The major question mark I had was with the concept of "fukuro mochi." Apparently, these men went around kidnapping people to become a warrior's servant in the 13th century. Farris only spends one paragraph on the subject, and I can't find any other material on it. I don't know the prevalence of this practice or if it even existed. My best guess is that Farris took a literal translation of something that could simply mean "bag carrier." Farris says that these men were described as carrying "squirming people" in bags thrown over their shoulders. Hmmmmm......

3.5/5.0

I liked this book a lot. For something that I have little to no interest in, Farris does a decent job of grabbing my attention and keeping it. However, the jargon used in this book bordered on boring in certain sections. Also, the fukuro mochi segment just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Movie Review: When The Last Sword Is Drawn

When The Last Sword is Drawn (2003) depicts the events in the life of a certain Yoshimura Kan'ichiro. Kan'ichiro is a poor "country" Samurai that is forced to move to the city to find work. Eventually he finds work in the now famous, Shinsengumi.

Kan'ichiro does anything he can to earn money to provide for his family back home. In doing so, he earns the reputation as a greedy, money grubbing individual. Despite this, Kan'ichiro proves his merit as an honorable Samurai both on the training grounds as well as on the battlefield.

There were some historical references that I was pleased to see in the film. Both Kondo Isami and Saito Hajime are major figures in the film. Also, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi (1868) provides the films' climatic finish.

Well, it would have been the films' climatic finish if it were for a nearly half-hour long death scene for Kan'ichiro. This was without a doubt the worst part of the film. Admittedly, at the beginning of the scene, I felt somewhat emotional and sympathetic. However, I soon began to scream to myself, "Just die already!" Unfortunately, it took awhile for the hero to expire, and this led to a near laughable finish to an otherwise masterful film.

One feature of the film that I did like tremendously, was the use of flashbacks. The first time a flashback took place, however, I was a bit confused. There was no real delineation between the present and the past. After that initial bump, though, I could follow the flashbacks with ease, and the movie was better for it.

5.0/5.0

This was really a great film. Despite the over the top, melodramatic finish, the film was tremendous. I recommend this movie to anyone. No matter which type of movie you're into, this is a film that is sure to impress.

Site of The Day - Early Modern Japan: An Interdisciplinary Journal

Early Modern Japan is a scholarly journal that is run by the Ohio State university and made available online for any who wish to see. The nice thing about this site is that it provides the quality of articles that you would expect from a source like J-Stor, but without the cost. Yes, it's free! You might be asked for your e-mail, but I can assure you, there is no unnecessary messages sent by the site.

The online journal is run by Dr. Phillip Brown, and it contains a back catalogue that dates back to June, 1991.

Trust me, there is an abundance of good information here. There are articles from PhD coandidates as well as tenured professors. Just be sure you have a few hours to spare before clicking the link.

Early Modern Japan: An Interdisciplinary Journal

The Myth of Bushido and the "Code of the Samurai"

Bushido. There is a common misconception in the West that the warriors of pre-modern Japan lived and died by this code.

The truth is this "code" is a formulation of the Edo period. Hagakure was written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo during this period. As most of you know, this is basically the "bible" of bushido, for lack of a better term. The Daimyo of the Edo period saw this as a way of keeping their respective Samurai totally subservient to them. (It was also used to great effect during WWII, but that's for a later post.)

Hagakure and bushido came about nearly a century and a half after the fighting had ended in Japan. The fact is, there are countless documented acts of treachery, betrayal and what can be called "cowardice" during the Sengoku period that would not have been allowed under bushido.

In fact, Japanese history would be incredibly different if Bushido was in fact practiced during the Sengoku Period. At the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) Tokugawa Ieyasu won a decisive victory over Ishida Mitsunari. However, his victory was only assured when Kobayakawa Hideaki switched sides and attacked his former allies.

One of the most-quoted lines of the Hagakure is "The way of the samurai is found in death." This is all well and good in a period of peace. There's not too much fear of death. It also gave Samurai of the Edo period a reason to protect their superiority over their countrymen.

However, in the times of constant warfare with death always surrounding them, a great Samurai was often judged by his ability to survive.

In Weapons and Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior: 1200-1877 A.D., Thomas Conlan does a great job of juxtaposing the above quote by Tsunetomo with a quote from a daimyo named Tsuchimochi Nobuhide made in 1336, "We suffered casualties, our forces withered to nothing, and we fled."

Nobuhide knew that it was necessary for him to live and protect his lands as a daimyo. As Conlan puts it, his survival mattered more than his reputation.

The Shimazu Clan

One thing I want to do here at Gaijin-ji is shine the spotlight on certain historical figures. Given my interest and background, this will usually mean a biography on a Sengoku Era Daimyo.

For my first installment of this series, I wanted to do someone who was a favorite persona of mine as well as someone who deserved to be the first name on this sure to be prestigious list. However, I wanted to stay away from the bigguns (Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, Shingen, Kenshin, etc.) for now. So I decided to look to look at Shimazu Yoshihisa. While doing this, I realized, I really like Shimazu Yoshihiro as well. Then I realized I like Shimazu Iehisa. Then I realized I really liked Shimazu Takahisa. Then I realized....you get the picture.

So my first installment of this series will not focus on one individual in particular. Instead it will focus on an entire clan. The Shimazu.

The Shimazu Clan

The Shimazu clan were situated on Kyushu in the Satsuma han. Over time, the Shimazu would become known for producing extraordinary generals as well as exemplary warriors. They were among the last families to submit to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his bid to consolidate the realm. They are also responsible for some of the most brilliant military strategies ever witnessed in Japan, which I will get to in the following sections.

Now, I would like to take a look at a few of the prominent names associated with the Shimazu Family.

Shimazu Tadahisa

Tadahisa was named the Shugo of Satsuma in 1187 on a direct appointment from Minamoto Yoritomo. He was a tremendous leader that would go on to earn the moniker of "Lord of the 12 Southern Islands." Tadahisa is a prominent figure in the Rekidai Uta, which is a basically a long poem that describes the succession of the Shimazu lords. While his reign does coincide with a turbulent period in Japanese history, his military career is not quite up to par with some of the names that follow.

Shimazu Katsuhisa

Katsuhisa is a rather interesting figure among the Shimazu clan. He was a prominent figure within the family until he was forced into exiled after the rebellion of Shimazu Sanehisa and coming to odds with Shimazu Takahisa. He tried to secure the rulership of the clan for his own at Kagoshima, but he was defeated. Again, we haven't really gotten to the meat of the Shimazu military leaders.

Shimazu Takahisa

Finally we get to the good stuff! Takahisa was a very capable leader and an ambitious military persona. He sought to strengthen the Shimazu hold in Kyushu and sought many different ways in which to accomplish this. This included firearms. Takahisa is credited with being the first daimyo to employ the new weapons on the battlefield in Japan. This took place in 1549 during the Siege of Kajiki. While not a very significant battle in terms of territory expansion, it was a very important step in the development of Japanese warfare.

During Takahisa's reign, the Shimazu became one of the prominent families throughout the archipelago. He actually sought to improve foreign trade within his territory (thanks to the firearms.) this led to the vast improvement in the economic conditions of Kagoshima. Despite Takahisa's brilliance, he is often overshadowed by the later leaders of the clan.

Shimazu Yoshihisa

Yoshihisa is by far my favorite of the Shimazu leaders. He is also one of my favorite daimyo, period. Yoshihisa was perhaps the most talented general in the history of the Shimazu and his leadership helped guide them through several very historic battles. After becoming the head of the Shimazu in 1566, Yoshihisa set about unifying Kyushu under Shimazu control. This of course led to several battles. Most notably; Kizakihara (1572) and Takabaru (1578) against the Ito, and Mimigawa (1578) against the Otomo, After the Battle of Takabaru, Yoshihisa had gained total respect from his retainers. Something that would help out tremendously in the latter conflict.
The Battle of Mimigawa in 1578 was Shimazu Yoshihisa's crowning moment. The battle truly showed his mettle as a general and leader of men. His army completely routed a much larger Otomo force, allowing the Shimazu to take near total control over the whole of Kyushu. Yoshihisa was able to accomplish this major feat through the use of highly disciplined and loyal retainers.

Yoshihisa did make one critical mistake, however. When Hideyoshi decided to consolidate the realm after his ascension to power, one of the obvious steps he took was to conquer Kyushu. Yoshihisa dismissed Hideyoshi's attempts at a non-combative approach to capturing Kyushu due to his humble origins. Yoshihisa felt like he shouldn't have to negotiate with someone who was not originally of bushi rank.

Of course this led to Hideyoshi's Kyushu campaign and the defeat of the Shimazu. The most famous battle of this campaign was the Battle of Hetsugigawa in 1586. Despite eventually losing the campaign, the Shimazu were able to defeat a Toyotomi army led by Chosokabe Motochika at this engagement.

Yoshihisa is quite possibly the greatest general to ever come out of Kyushu.

Shimazu Yoshihiro

Yoshihiro is probably the most famous of all the Shimazu generals. Yoshihiro's career as a warrior began at a very young age, and he quickly showed signs of the fierce fighting future that was to come. It was known from the very start that Yoshihiro was destined to be a great leader. During the Battle of Kizakihara, Yoshihiro distinguished himself for his brave fighting.

Yoshihiro also fought at Takabaru, Mimigawa, Minamota and Hetsugigawa. After the subjugation of Kyushu by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Yoshihiro was called upon to lead men in his quest to conquer Korea. Yoshihiro led a rather large contingent of men in both Korean Campaigns. He most notably fought valiantly at Namwon and Sachon.

Like Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro was guilty of one fatal mistake. In 1600, Yoshihiro sided with Ishida Mitsunari at Sekigahara against the Tokugawa. We know how well that decision turned out for him...

Shimazu Iehisa

Iehisa was an exemplary commander for the Shimazu who fought in several battles throughout his career.

He particularly distinguished himself as a leader of men at the Battle of Okitanawate in 1584 against Ryuzoji Takanobu. Iehisa is also credited with a major role in the defeat of the Otomo at Mimigawa. Iehisa held out in Taka Castle in the opening stages of the war, allowing the rest of the Shimazu commanders to come to his aid and defeat the much larger attacking force.

That about wraps up some of the bigger military names in the Shimazu clan's history. There are a few other names that deserve mention:

Shimazu Tadatsune - The 1st Tozama daimyo to hold a fief under the Tokugawa administration. He was the first Japanese man to rule over all of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Tadatsune also participated in the Osaka Winter Campaign in 1614.

Shimazu Nariakira - He lived much later than the other men I have mentioned. Nariakira placed a very high value on Western living. He oversaw the first "Western Ship" built in Japan, and he established a major industrial area in Satsuma.

There are a few other names that I have left out. Most notably Shimazu Sanehisa and Shimazu Toyohisa. Both of these men were great leaders in their own right. Probably Toyohisa a little more than Sanehisa.

Why were the Shimazu so successful in Kyushu? How could they keep producing such talented military leaders?

Must have been something in the rice cakes.....

Site of The Day - Samurai Archives

I'll try my best to scour the Internet to find the best websites dedicated to the study of Japanese history. As I do this, I will post them in a section somewhere on this fine blog in the near future. The first site that I can think of is possibly the best site for Japanese history related topics. The Samurai Archives.

This website is, in a word, totallyfreakingawesome! I came across the SA about 7 or 8 years ago while perusing the Internet, and I have been visiting it ever since. There is a wealth of information on this site that is helpful for anyone looking to learn more about a certain topic. They run their own wiki with nearly every name, place or battle that you can think of. It's definitely one of the more exhaustive sites on the web. The archived sections of the site are also fun to look at. Although, you should find all of the info from those areas in the wiki. There's also an Internet community on the SA known as the Citadel. There are some great scholars and amateur historians that post there regularly and they are usually eager to help any newbie. I say usually, because there are some members that have a quick temper and they will not tolerate any question that may stem from fanboyism. They have their own bookstore that's run through Amazon. This store carries several books broken up into sections like: Sengoku & Kamakura, Balumatsu & Meiji, Ancient Japan, Edo Period, etc.

Definitely check out this site as soon as possible. Like right now. Go check it out!

http://www.samurai-archives.com/

Movie Review: Goemon - It's History.....Sorta

The Movie

Goemon (2009) is about a Japanese folk hero named Ishikawa Goemon who is along the lines of Robin Hood. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor. This of course draws the ire of said rich, evil people.

This particular film follows the exploits of Goemon in the years following the death of Oda Nobunaga. Japan is under the strict dictatorship of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who has the treacherous Ishida Mitsunari doing his bidding. Of course, there's Tokugawa Ieyasu waiting in the background plotting away.

Goemon runs across a scroll during one of his thievery episodes that gets everybody all in a huff. Apparently the scroll shows an agreement between Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide on a plot to assassinate Nobunaga. This sends Goemon into a rage because Nobunaga was his mentor (Hopefully not in the Mori Ranmaru sense) since a young age.

To add to Goemon's blinding rage towards Hideyoshi, he gets more motivation to kill the man by both Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari. Both men want Hideyoshi dead to clear the way for their own ambitions. (The movie portrays Ieyasu in a good light and Mitsunari in a not so good one.)

Goemon is successful in killing off Hideyoshi, which of course sets the stage for a power struggle between Mitsunari and Ieyasu. The final scene is Sekigahara. The battle is an epic one between the 2 sides. As they are fighting to a near stalemate, Goemon shows up in Nobunaga's old armor and scares the shit out of everybody on the battlefield. They all think that Nobunaga has come back from the dead and he's there to tear some shit up.

Goemon tears his way through the battlefield, killing anyone dumb enough from either side that gets in his way. He takes out Mitsunari, but is cut down before he can get to Ieyasu by none other than Hattori Hanzo. Surprise!

The DVD

The DVD copy that I have is from Bonzai Media. It's not so great of a copy, but I've seen worse from Japanese knock offs. There aren't any extras, which I wasn't really expecting anyway. The AV was decent, but would have been better in Blu -Ray. (Blu-Ray version of this film is not available in America.) The translation for the subtitles was the only major concern I had. Some words were not the best fit for the translation, and some words were even misspelled or typed twice! Still, this version is the best you can get in the states, so you may just have to make do.

My Review

The movie was fairly entertaining. It was interesting to see a unique take on a pivotal part of Japanese history, The main gripe I had with the story was the character development. You really feel no attachment to any of the main characters, especially Goemon! Considering that this was a fairly long movie, there was ample opportunity to accomplish this. The visuals were tremendous. Even without a Blu-ray copy I was amazed. The CG often times looked like a video game. A really, really good video game. Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in Japanese history, video games, cool action flicks or just plain bad assedness.

4.0/5.0

The character development, or lack thereof and the poor quality of the DVD itself keeps this one from getting a perfect score from me.

Allow myself to indtroduce myself

This will hopefully be the first of many posts here at the Gaijin-ji. I am Leakbrewergator or Henry for short. I have a strong interest in Japanese history and culture. I hope to make this a place to share my thoughts and ideas on everything from famous figures, famous battles, books, movies, other historians, other sites, etc.

I once ran a blog dedicated to my other passion in life: College football. That does seem to be a weird combination doesn't it? College football and Japanese history. I guess you can't really expect more from a Southerner and Florida Gator fanatic!

There will probably be a few themes you will notice here at the Gaijin-ji. Let me lay them out for you now:

1. Erratic posting - I can go for months posting every single day and then turn off the ol' blogging brain for weeks at a time. Truth is, I have a life (believe it or not) outside of blogging, and said life can get in the way sometimes. It's hard to run one of these bad boys all by your lonesome. That being said....

2. Guest posters - In my former life as a college football blogger, I would occasionally invite a friend of mine to run a guest blogging segment. Since more of my buddies are into college football and not Japanese history, that may not be so prevalent here.

3. Interaction - I love to interact with my millions and millions of readers. Shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment at the bottom of one of my posts and I'll be sure to respond to you as soon as possible. I've even been known to converse with the spambots that sometimes populate these pages.

4. Total no-homo man crush love fest on Takeda Shingen - The Tiger of Kai is the man. He never made a mistake and he is the epitome of awesomeness. No one f***s with Shingen and everything will be fine around here. I'm sure he'll pop up in a few of my posts over time.

That's about all I can think of for now. I should have the blog looking like I want it to (proper links, photos, organized sections) in a few weeks. Until then, enjoy the random posts I put out there and just know, THERE IS A PLAN!

Happy reading and please leave comments.