The History of the Japanese Samurai
Ryoma Nakazaki
Honor, battle, betrayal, life, and death, are all part of the history of the Japanese warrior class, the Samurai. The word Samurai actually signifies the military elite of old Japan(Turnbull Warfare 10). This paper will examine the times of Japan’s “Age of War.”
In 1185 the first military rule in Japan’s history was created. The Emperor was stripped of all power, becoming only a figurehead. The Shogun, a type of military dictator, became the new ruler of Japan. The first Shogun instated a feudal system of states governed by military leaders as a means of keeping order. The order lasted for about 200 years, until the Ashikaga
family took over the Shogunate.
Beginning with Takaiyi, the Ashikaga Shogunate lineage marked an increasing loss of power of central government. The Daimyo, the individual leaders of the feudal states, began to seize
more power and wealth for themselves. With this new power, the Daimyo attacked his neighbors and seized land (Sestir). With the fall of the central power, the constant battle for land became the focus of the individual Daimyo. This became known as the Sengokujidai, or “The Age of the Country at War.”
During the Sengokujidai, the Japanese Samurai developed new armor and tactics more rapidly than at any other time (Cleary 42). The most important factor in the development of tactics was the introduction of firearms from Europe in 1542. Stephen Turnbull said in his book Samurai Warfare, “The usual conclusion is to see the introduction of firearms as the cause, and the change in warfare as the result.” The Daimyo could no longer use the cavalry charge, which was the most successful tactic until firearms. Because of the destructive nature of firearms, if a
Daimyo didn’t get his hands on as many as possible, he would lose. However, most Daimyo didn’t like guns because they lessened the importance of honorable hand-to-hand fighting that had gone on for centuries.
Firearms also brought about changes in the Samurai’s armor, and even the recruitment of non Samurai to fight in battle. Armor now had to be thicker and heavier for the upper class
Samurai; yet, even this was not enough. This extra cost, in money and life, was offset by the Daimyo recruiting commoners to fight their battles. These commoners were called “ashigaru”, or
light feet. Ashigaru, too, were against the Samurai idea of honor. Their widespread and sometimes uncontrolled use contradicted much of the Samurai ideal of elite combat, but large numbers had to be used by any successful leader (Turnbull Warfare 49). Thus began the Sengokujidai, an age of war, greed, and treachery.
The Daimyo saw the fall of the Shogun’s power as a good thing, for now they could do whatever they pleased. As a result of this new freedom, a state of constant warfare engulfed
Japan. Greed abounded during the Sengokujidai, son’s killed fathers, and brothers killed brothers, all for the want of power. On page 74 of Samurai: The Warrior Class, Turnbull writes,
“Consequently the self-immolation of the shugo-daimyo left a vacuum in the provinces which the smaller land owners rushed to fill.” Thousands of warriors died so their lords could gain
wealth.
Throughout the whole Sengokujidai there were constant small skirmishes in which only a few hundred died. When more and more men began to be killed, due to advanced tactics and firearms, the battles became bigger and more costly. These wars are the most famous. It became very important that a daimyo’s General knew how to use tactical advantages. With a large number of men and a good leader, a Daimyo could win as many wars as he needed to gain wealth. Although most of these wars were fought for land, some were fought as a game.
There were two Daimyo by the names of Uesugi and Takeda. These two men, although enemies, respected each other. They fought five battles on a valuable plain where their provinces
met called Kawanakajima. All but one of these battles were just skirmishes were the two Daimyo seemed to be playing a game of chess. “The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima” is probably the most
famous of all battles in Samurai history. Uesugi and Takeda, seeing one another as the only obstacle to becoming the new Shogun, were determined to fight to the death this time. However,
despite huge losses on both sides, these two never destroyed each other, nor would either of them ever become Shogun. It was a man named Oda Nobunaga who eventually conquered Japan.
Oda, who had converted to Christianity, was seen as a young upstart by all the other Daimyo. He quickly made a name for himself by killing one of the most powerful Daimyo in
the area named Imagawa, who happened to be a relative of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Oda knew that to conquer Japan, he would need the help of great generals. So, he enlisted the help of another young Daimyo named Tokugawa Ieyasu, and a powerful tactician named Hashiba Hideyoshi (later changed from Hashiba to Toyotomi). Together with these two men, Oda Nobunaga successfully conquered most of Japan. Yet, he would never become shogun. Oda was murdered by his own general, Akechi Mitsuhide, who’s mother had been killed by Oda ten years earlier (Turnbull History 162). This led to a power struggle between Oda’s two top generals, Tokugawa and Toyotomi.
Toyotomi declared Oda’s oldest son as successor, whereas Tokugawa declared Oda’ youngest son as heir. Tokugawa kept his position on the new heir unknown until Toyotomi was out of the
way. Toyotomi had no intentions of letting the Oda line rule again. So, for years Toyotomi, not Oda’s son, ruled Oda’s lands. Toyotomi eventually conquered the rest of Japan with Tokugawa’s
help. Then Toyotomi decided to invade Korea, which was a grave mistake. While in Korea, Toyotomi became ill and died leaving Tokugawa to rule Japan. Tokugawa set up the Tokugawa
Shogunate, which lasted from 1601-1868. In terms of political stability, the Tokugawa Shogunate surpassed all others in Japanese history (Plummer 6). The beginning of this Shogunate marked the end of the Age of the Country at War.
The major battles of the Sengokujidai have been retold throughout time. Stories may have been changed or altered, yet they still accurately depict samurai warfare. Such battles
include the battles of Okehazama, Kawanakajima, and Nagashino.
The battle of Okehazama was the first fight that earned Oda Nobunaga his fame. Imagawa Yoshimoto was a descendant of the Shogun. With the loss of power of the Shogun, Imagawa thought
it would be a good opportunity to march on the capital, Kyoto, to take the Shogunate for himself. Oda, knowing that for his own glory, would need to kill Imagawa. As Imagawa was on his
was to Kyoto, he marched through Oda’s lands. Oda knew the time was right to kill Imagawa. So, when Imagawa’s army camped for the night, Oda’s army, though outnumbered twelve to one, stormed the camp. Imagawa was beheaded. This battle shows the ferocity and lack of regard for human life which most Daimyo possessed. These tactics were not used by Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.
Kawanakajima was the setting for five battles between two great warlords, Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. The terrain at Kawanakajima made it the site of many battles. It is a
large, flat plain in the mountains where the two warlords’ domains meet. Along with the terrain, the two leaders’ personalities were the major reasons for the five battles fought there. Takeda was an intelligent, treacherous, political master, where Uesugi was a soldier, a man of honor who would not betray anyone. The most famous of the five battles is the fourth. The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima was a costly fight. Approximately thirty thousand soldiers participated and nineteen thousand were killed (Turnbull Battles 56). Both warlords lost most of their armies at the fourth battle, but it was more costly for Takeda. Takeda lost his
general Yamamoto Kansuke, one of the most intelligent advisors of the Sengokujidai. But, perhaps the most damaging loss was Takeda’s brother Nobushige, who Takeda depended on heavily.
This battle was a great defeat for the Takeda clan, but it wasn’t the end of them.
Nagashino marked the end of the Takeda clan. Takeda Shingen died in 1573, leaving his son Takeda Katsuyori to rule. Katsuyori was a rash and hasty man. He decided that before his
neighbors Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga became too powerful, he would need to strike first. He led fifteen thousand men to Nagashino. When Katsuyori arrived he found Oda and Tokugawa waiting for him. They had made a wooden fence miles long and placed five thousand muskets, in three waves, behind it. Katsuyori made an irrational decision for his cavalry to charge the
wall. Oda’s tactic was to have one wave of his men to fire, then move to the rear to reload while the next wave fired. This proved deadly. Katsuyori lost three of his father’s most loyal
generals and ten thousand men. Oda’s men chased the fleeing Katsuyori until he could not get away. Katsuyori was forced to commit suicide, and the Takeda clan was destroyed.
The Samurai were religious warriors. Bushido, Japanese chivalry, developed with the arrival of Buddhism in 538 AD (Lay). Bushido was the warrior code that all Samurai were supposed to be held to. It was a strict code of honor and virtue. Seppuku, a type of suicide, was the embodiment of Bushido.
Seppuku was a means for a dishonored Samurai to regain honor. If a Daimyo lost a battle, and was about to be captured or killed by some nameless foot soldier, he would commit Seppuku.
Seppuku, also called hara-kiri, translated means belly cut, which is a fitting name. The dishonored Samurai would sit prostrate on his knees, take out his short sword, and cut himself deeply across the abdomen. It took a while for the man to die. This painful process was sometimes shortened by a second man cutting off the head of the dishonored man at the moment of utmost agony. Seppuku was not only suicide, it was a ceremonial saving of honor.
Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen were to models of the Samurai ideal of honor. Though mortal enemies, they respected each other. The most famous example of this is when Takeda ran
out of salt. Since Takeda’s lands did not border the sea like most other Daimyo, Takeda’s salt suppliers, who were rival Daimyo, decided to take away his supply. The situation in Takeda’s
domain became grave, when the news of a salt shipment arrived. Uesugi, who’s lands bordered the sea had sent lots of salt along with a letter from Uesugi to Takeda. The letter said, “I fight
you, but I fight with bow and arrow, not with rice and salt (Sato 221).” This shows the honor these two men showed despite being enemies.
There were some Samurai who had no regard for the rules of Bushido and honor. Akechi Mitsuhide is an example of such cowardice. Akechi was one of Oda’s most trusted generals. Yet,
when Oda gave him command of a thousand men, Akechi used those men to kill Oda. Akechi, after Oda was killed and he captured, would not do the honorable thing of Seppuku. He had to be killed while trying to escape. Lack of honor in Samurai was the second worst thing to a Daimyo, the worst being the use of Ninja. Ninja were stealthy assassins used by Daimyo to get rid of
rivals. They were the most shameful weapon a Daimyo had.
All of what is written here is just a brief history. The Samurai legends are romanticized today in Japan as is our Civil War. Many books and legends exist about the Samurai. Honor, cowardice, triumph, and death are all themes indicative of the warrior class of Japan, the Samurai.
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