The true story behind the mysterious Japanese samurai

The true history of the samurai is more complex and surprising than we imagine. Disclosure/British Museum via BBC The solid legacy of the samurai is a unique phenomenon in the cultural history of humanity. No other social group from the medieval era has been so persistently celebrated or mythologized in popular culture, from ukiyo-e prints (a style of woodblock print popular in Japan between the 17th and 19th centuries) to contemporary video games, films and TV shows. Fame always brings with it mythification and this also happened with the samurai. Were these fabulous knights of the past really as brave, loyal, selfless, disciplined and unmistakably Japanese as we think? The answer is no, at least according to the British Museum’s new exhibition titled “Samurai.” Its proposal is to demystify the fantasy surrounding these mysterious and largely little-known warriors — and reveal their true story, which is much more fascinating. Who were the samurai and how did they come to be? “They were not a unitary group of people who remained the same throughout history,” explains exhibition curator Rosina Buckland. “I think the perception in the West is that samurai are warriors — which is certainly true. That’s how they emerged and rose to positions of power in the Middle Ages.” “But this is only part of the story,” according to her. Armor on display at the British Museum has a pointed front and angled sides to deflect musket bullets. Disclosure/British Museum via BBC The origins of samurai date back to the 10th century, when they were initially recruited as mercenaries for the imperial courts. They gradually evolved into rural aristocrats. But samurai were not gallant soldiers who followed chivalric codes of honor, as people later came to believe. During battles, they often used opportunistic tactics such as ambushes and trickery. They were often more motivated by reward, in land and status, than by a sense of honor or altruistic duty. This flexible outlook meant that they also embraced multicultural influences and foreign technology, which is another surprising facet of the samurai identity. The cuirass of the magnificent samurai armor on display in the British Museum was based on a Portuguese design. It has a pointed front and angled sides to deflect musket bullets. These characteristics only became necessary in Japan after the country began to import firearms from Europe, in 1543. See the videos that are trending on g1 ‘Culture is power’ The samurai gained political power by exploiting the chaos generated by disputes over imperial succession. In 1185, a controlling clan (the Minamoto) took over and established a new government, parallel to the imperial court. And, over the years, there has been the rise and fall of warlord dynasties, involving several battles between clan leaders. But, as Buckland points out, “even in those ancient stages, culture is extremely important. Culture is power.” Military leaders were called Shoguns. They realized that they could not successfully exercise authority using the perspective and mentality of tribal warlords. Therefore, they found ways to supplement their military power with the more subtle and sophisticated modes of political influence of courtly society. His diplomatic strategy was based on Chinese philosophy, mainly the ideas of Confucius (c.551 BC-479 BC). “In Neo-Confucian thought, you need to have a balance between military power and cultural skills,” explains Buckland. This branch increased investment in soft power (power of influence) in the court chambers. Samurai originate in the 10th century and their legends and mythology have remained alive for centuries. Disclosure/British Museum via BBC In addition to being adept in the art of war, samurai became familiar with the refined arts of painting, poetry, music, theater and the tea ceremony. One of the most beautiful and unexpected objects in the exhibition is a fan with illustrations of orchids, painted by a 19th century samurai artist. “Shogun: The Glorious Saga of Japan”, the Disney/FX series whose second season is currently in production, provides a fictional account of one of the most important points in the history of the samurai. In the 16th century, the leader of one of the clans, Tokugawa Ieyasu (represented in the series by the character Yoshii Toranaga), formed a government so successful that it lasted 250 years. As a result, there were no longer major battles in Japan and the samurai began to assume new roles. Instead of commanding on the battlefield, they now administered the state. “They are the ministers, legislators and tax collectors,” according to Buckland. They took jobs that spanned the entire court, “going as far as guarding the castle gates.” Samurai women During the new regime, known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, the families of the Daimyos (Japanese regional lords) were taken to live in their power base, the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo). “They are kept somewhat hostage, close to the Shogun, so that he can keep an eye on them,” explains Buckland. In other words, it was a way of demanding obedience and loyalty from the samurai. “You cannot conspire across regions if your wife and heir are in Edo, as you could lose access to them or they could be executed.” The result was an increased importance of the role of women in samurai circles, according to Buckland. “Women manage the household while their husbands are frequently away,” according to her. “And if you’re a high-ranking samurai, you might have 40 or 50 people in your house. It’s like running a small business.” In addition to supervising employees and traders, they also managed the children’s education and received guests with the necessary rituals and procedures. Several objects in the British Museum’s exhibition tell the life story of these samurai women, such as dresses, etiquette manuals and accessories. Objects like this opulent female firefighter costume tell the life story of women samurai John Bigelow Taylor/John C. Weber Collection via BBC During the Tokugawa Shogunate, plays, poems and artwork increasingly represented the legendary samurai of the past, highlighting their heroism, valor and loyalty. The most publicized virtues were those of men, but some also spoke of female samurai warriors. An ukiyo-e print from 1852 shows one such woman: Tomoe Gozen, wife of a Minamoto clan general. It shows Gozen at the battle of Awazu in 1184. It is said that she encountered the feared warrior Hachirō Morishige, knocked him off his horse and took his head off with her bare hands. Fall and rebirth During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Japan opened its borders to international trade and began to modernize its industry and social and military institutions. One of the changes was the official abolition of the samurai class, in 1869. It was another fundamental point in its history. “At that moment, the image of the samurai turns into pure fiction,” according to Buckland. “He is rejected for about 25 years, but nostalgia takes shape and his image is revisited.” Outside Japan, a new fascination with samurai led to the popularity of books such as “Bushido: Soul of Samurai” (Ed. Tahyu, 2005), written by Japanese Quaker Nitobe Inazō, resident of California, in the United States. “The book was widely read,” says Buckland. “American President Theodore Roosevelt [1858-1919] “It was used to explain the success of Japan, which had recently won the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and then defeated Russia.” In Japan, throughout the 20th century, a distorted image of the samurai was manipulated for different purposes, such as military propaganda and national symbol. After the Second World War (1939-1945), samurai tales were reborn again — in this The most famous of the directors responsible for these works was Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998). His talent for telling stories visually and dealing with action sequences decisively influenced American cinema. dollars” (1964). In 2018, a poll carried out by the BBC elected “The Seven Samurai” as the best non-English film of all time. Subsequently, Hollywood even produced its own films on the subject, such as “The Last Samurai” (2003) and “47 Ronins” (2013). And the popularity of everything related to samurai was reaffirmed more recently by the success of the series “Shogun: The glorious saga from Japan, based on a 1975 novel by English writer James Clavell (1921-1994). Many of the costumes from the original ‘Star Wars’ film, including Darth Vader’s, were inspired by samurai armor. Disclosure/Lucasfilm via BBC The exhibition shows that the original film “Star Wars, A New Hope” (1977) was inspired by Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” (1958). And many of the film’s costumes were influenced by samurai armor. The most symbolic is that of Darth Vader, on display in the final room of the exhibition. The true story of the samurai is one of evolution and adaptation, from their origins as medieval mercenaries to their later position as gentrified bureaucrats and patrons of the arts. But his legend has proven to be an ongoing source of intrigue and fascination, kept alive over the decades in the arts, film, video games and literature. And, regarding the exhibition at the British Museum, Buckland hopes “that people will be inspired to create new representations of samurai.” The Samurai exhibition is on display at the British Museum, in London, until May 4th. Bushido: the book that changed the image of Japan Shogun: why do the Japanese use words of Portuguese origin? The incredible story of the African immigrant who became one of the most respected samurai in Japan in the 16th century The samurai who fled Japan and became ‘wine king’ in California in the 19th century

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