35
votes
Accepted
Why would anyone from Japan be in Northern India in early 1900s?
There would seem to be quite a number of possibilities, including:
Businessmen
Japanese business interests in India were extensive between the two world wars. Putting this together with "In the ...
- 108k
34
votes
Accepted
Are there incidents of ronin travelling outside Japan as soldiers of fortune?
Yes, there were. Below are examples from Siam, the Philippines, China, Mexico and Indonesia.
Ayutthaya (Siamese Kingdom)
Probably the best known one was Yamada Nagamasa (born 1590, died 1630) in the ...
- 108k
28
votes
What was the purpose of the breastplate rings on samurai armor?
Carlos Martin's comment can be verified by a standard book on Japanese armor. The rings are discussed in the book "Arms and Armour of the Samurai" cited below. I shall quote the relevant ...
- 628
20
votes
Why would anyone from Japan be in Northern India in early 1900s?
(Some) Indians, and (some) Japanese share a common religion, Buddhism. This religion was founded in India in the sixth century B. C.,spread over East Asia, and found its way to Japan in the sixth ...
- 104k
9
votes
Accepted
Was "Aku Soku Zan" (悪即斬) a real Shinsengumi motto?
Perhaps most telling is that the phrase is bad Classical Chinese. If I were to put it in English as "Evil, namely slay," that is not perfectly correct but would give a sense of the mangled grammar. ...
- 2,604
7
votes
Could someone help to identify this Japanese mon found on what appears to be a late Edo Period Jingasa?
That is a bishi (菱, lit. "rhombus") mon, specifically, a maru-ni mitsu bishi (丸に三つ菱, lit. "circle with three rhombuses").
(Left: mitsu bishi mon | Right: maru-ni mitsu bishi mon
...
- 97.6k
5
votes
Are there incidents of ronin travelling outside Japan as soldiers of fortune?
The Dutch hired Japanese mercenaries to conquer the Banda islands in 1621. They were not gentle.
@Tom Au alludes to this, I think.
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5
votes
Are there incidents of ronin travelling outside Japan as soldiers of fortune?
This mainly took place in the "interregnum" between the Muromachi (ended 1573) and Tokagawa periods (began 1603) when there was a power vacuum that left a lot of samurai "stranded."
As in the answer ...
- 104k
4
votes
Accepted
How accurate is the fatalistic samurai culture in James Clavell's novel Shogun?
From what I've read, Clavell's portrayal of the Samurai culture in Japan is not too far from the reality.
For example, this guidance from Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578):
Fate is in Heaven, the armour ...
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4
votes
Why would anyone from Japan be in Northern India in early 1900s?
I live in Japan and have lived here 35 years. The Samurai disappeared in the 1860-1870's (sword-bearing was banned in 1876). So while he was from a samurai family, that wouldn't have meant much ...
- 41
4
votes
Could rōnin become a samurai again?
A ronin is always a samurai. A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master due to circumstance (assassination/murder, war, natural causes) or after the loss of his master's favor or ...
- 139
3
votes
Was the Horo Cavalry "Balloon cloak" effective?
Horo cloak Video
Greetings.Seeing as there has been much question concerning the presence and use of the Horo by many on the forums I thought perhaps I would provide this excerpt for the esteemed ...
MCW♦
- 34.1k
3
votes
What is the story of this kamon?
In this site, this kamon is named as Hiraoshiki Kenhanakaku. Kenhanakaku means "Sword flower horn". It is a variation of the Hanabishi.
Generally I think you will find crests being used by ...
- 2,257
2
votes
What did the Edo samurai bureaucracy actually look like?
It is definitely not a full answer but may help you to have a general feel about the Edo era. Some basic facts to help with the perspective:
The samurais appeared much before Edo, and had several ...
- 1,205
2
votes
What is the meaning and history of this Japanese Crest symbol?
[Note: this became an answer because it was far too long to post as comments. It doesn't really answer the question, but will hopefully put OP or someone else on the right track.]
Some google image ...
1
vote
Could someone help to identify this Japanese mon found on what appears to be a late Edo Period Jingasa?
These symbols are found in training facilities by the person being trained. See hiroshige plate blocks and prints by taschen. This symbol was printed on fabrics through thousands of year most ...
- 11
1
vote
What are the outer vests/jackets that samurai wear?
That outer vest is a “Jinbaori”. Not referring to armour suit.
- 6,279
1
vote
Was the Horo Cavalry "Balloon cloak" effective?
Mike Loades did an episode on this and it was amazingly effective. With nothing but air backing the silk it deformed with the arrow and basically captured the arrow, causing it to fall away or worst ...
1
vote
What role did the Ancient Samurai heritage play on Modern Japan during WW2?
The heritage of the Samurai, the Bushido code, played a major role in how Japan conducted operations in WW2.
The first effect was the 'no surrender' policy. The Japanese soldier fought to the death, ...
- 3,431
1
vote
Were there Samurai equivalents in Korea or China?
In Korea (gojoseon goguryeo baekje shila Balhae goryeo joseon etc) you were either commoner, slave, yangban (rich gentlemen class?), scholar, or a warrior called Muin or Musa. 2 of the ways of getting ...
- 11
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