When you think of Japanese samurai, what comes to mind?
Slash the enemy with a sword, be loyal to the lord, kill yourself in defeat...
This is the image that most film and television dramas leave us,
But is this really the case with the real samurai image?
How did samurai emerge, develop, and die?
Today Panda Jun wants to recommend this book for everyone
A good book that explains the rise and fall of Japanese samurai and culture over the past thousand years,
3 hours to answer all your questions about Japanese samurai!
A Minimalist History of japanese samurai
When it comes to Japanese samurai, you can't avoid the topic of "cutting your belly."
Suicide by cutting off his abdomen after defeat seems to be a recognized expression of the samurai spirit.
But in fact, cutting the abdomen is not a tradition that represents the spirit of the samurai.
The early samurai did not have the special death penalty of "cutting the abdomen".
It was only in the later peaceful Edo period that "cutting the abdomen" became a portrayal of boyhood.
In Japanese mythology, the belly hides the soul and emotions of the person.
Cut open the stomach so that people can see the "loyal" soul of the samurai,
And the act of cutting the abdomen also shows the bravery of the samurai.
But unlike the public perception of "suicide by cutting one's abdomen",
In order to reduce the pain of the abdominal cutters and make them die faster,
There will be companions behind the tortured to help complete the decapitation.
Therefore, compared to the suicide method, abdominal cutting is more of a ritual.
You can even take a fan and draw it on your stomach and behead it.
Just to maintain the glory of the samurai, this process is also called cutting the abdomen.
In addition to cutting the abdomen, the shogunate also created an idealized samurai image.
Because of the ideal color and the spirit of firm loyalty,
At this time, the image of the samurai was borrowed from various literary works and kabuki, and was widely circulated.
Although some stories describe samurai in error,
But people still enjoy this kind of fantasy depiction, and even the samurai themselves like to watch it, and even imitate it.
Over time, the image of the samurai we are familiar with has solidified.
After reading the introduction of Panda Jun, everyone is suddenly cheerful,
And in addition to the above mentioned, there are many discoveries in the book:
◆ Before the samurai duel, it will not be like the self-reported door in the film and television;
◆ In addition to martial arts, samurai even had to learn to manage their families and property;
◆ Belly cutting is not arbitrary, and in some periods there are even strict ritual manuals...
This small volume of "A Minimalist History of the Samurai of Japan",
However, the history of the samurai for more than a thousand years from the Heian period to the Meiji era is very clear.
And in order to make this book, Panda Jun endured the pain of blood!
The first is the double-sided gilded inner seal, which is collectible in texture!
And in order to help everyone understand the historical status of the samurai in a deeper way,
The samurai catalogue included in the book selects 10 well-known samurai, including Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Through these 10 samurai faces that dominate Japanese history, you can understand the historical truth of the rise and fall of samurai.
There are also 12 exquisite color illustrations, selecting major events in the history of Japanese samurai,
For example, "Heiji Monogatari Scroll", "Oda Nobunaga Kiyosu Castle Repair Imperial View Map", "Honnōji Burning Map", more vividly and intuitively introduce the thousand-year history of Japanese samurai!
If you're also interested in Japanese samurai, this "Minimalist History of Japanese Samurai" is not to be missed!