Famous Historical Figures of Japan - Page 2

koaku · (#11 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debezo

maybe, Takezo Kensei is based on Musashi Miyamoto.
Musashi is a most famous swordsman in Japan.
Takezo is a kun-yomi of 武蔵[Musashi].(Kun-yomi is japanese reading of Kanji)
Kensei means sword-saint, Musashi's famous title.

Thx

!

AoshiShinomori · (#12 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debezo

maybe, Takezo Kensei is based on Musashi Miyamoto.
Musashi is a most famous swordsman in Japan.
Takezo is a kun-yomi of 武蔵[Musashi].(Kun-yomi is japanese reading of Kanji)
Kensei means sword-saint, Musashi's famous title.

Oh!

That's very interesting Debezo-San! Could you post more about Musashi here?

You seem to know so much!

koaku · (#13 (**permalink**))

Yeah ! I want to know more about him too. His story seems very interesting

ragechan · (#14 (**permalink**))

I'm doing a cultural assignment on historical figures in Japan, some names I have in mind include Souzou Sagara and Yukimura Sanada. Do you think these people have had considerable influence on Japanese culture/history?

godwine · (#15 (**permalink**))

I have a few that I like:

Sasaki Kojirō 佐々木小次郎
Yagyū Jūbei 柳生十兵衞
Hattori Hanzō 服部半蔵

Their history is also fascinating.... But I agree, much of current Japan was crafted by the Meiji restoration, so I really do admire Sakamoto Ryoma and the Shinsengumi group (Kondo Isami etc)

strawberryshinya · (#16 (**permalink**))

ooo i love learning about the Shinsengumi!

can you teach me more about them? i only know the basic stuff like the ikeda (sp)inncedint...and alittle of what happend after like the death of Okita, Kondo's arrest n beheading, and Hijikata's death....Shimpachi and Saito were the only ones to live right?...well thats all i know. v_v...

godwine · (#17 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by strawberryshinya

ooo i love learning about the Shinsengumi!

can you teach me more about them? i only know the basic stuff like the ikeda (sp)inncedint...and alittle of what happend after like the death of Okita, Kondo's arrest n beheading, and Hijikata's death....Shimpachi and Saito were the only ones to live right?...well thats all i know. v_v...

You got the jist of it, there is also a background master mind who committed seppuku after deserting the group - Yamanami Keisuke. The history of Shinsengumi is rather complicated. Thre are many literature that was written in a very very subjective manner towards whether they are hero or foe, it really depends on the aurthor's political view towards the entire opening policy.

Its believed that Harada Sanouske also survived and moved to China and become a bandit leader, however there is nothing in place to support that claim.

However, most of the events involving the Shinsengumi as described by historian/writers do have supportive claims....

What kind of info are you looking for

strawberryshinya · (#18 (**permalink**))

ooo oh i see! so Harada might have lived too?
oh and i never completly understood what their goals where/what they hoped to accomplish...who did they work under? and were they truly an unofficial group? and what kinda things did Hijikata write about in his haiku book can i find excerts online or published elsewhere? did he write the code? how many years did the shinsengumi last? O.O
srry for all the questions....

godwine · (#19 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by strawberryshinya

ooo oh i see! so Harada might have lived too?
oh and i never completly understood what their goals where/what they hoped to accomplish...who did they work under? and were they truly an unofficial group? and what kinda things did Hijikata write about in his haiku book can i find excerts online or published elsewhere? did he write the code? how many years did the shinsengumi last? O.O
srry for all the questions....

The group was in fact official, some manga made it official to add that "bad boy" touch to them. They were "marked" unofficial by the emperor to abolish some of their rights and to disband their operation

They initially started out by a bunch of samurai who has no master. Known as the Roushigumi, you can think of Roushigumi as an organization, while the Shinsengumi is a division of it. The shinsengumi itself was referred as the "Miburou", Miburou is the term widely used in TV shows animate and manga. They work under the Tokugawa shogunate, and funded but them as well.

They act as secret police to the shogunate, while they are loyal to the shogunate, they also don't want to dishonor the Emperor, who was in conflict over Japan's open policy (the history with Commodore Perry's visit in 1853) with the shogunate. Most historians think of the shinsengumi as a crowd against the emperor, however this is not 100% accurate, their tasks is to maintain peace and justice in the current Kyoto/Nara/Osaka area, some of their action was driven purely from a patriotic heart, but it is true that a lot of missions they committed were in conflict with the emperor's interest.

They were formed around 1863, 1869 marked the end of the Shinsengumi.

Try looking up the history on the Ikedaya Incident in 1864, this is a major event in the Shinsengumi.

The translation of Hijikata's Haiku basically said "My spirit lives on after death".

Not sure what code you are referring to, but if you are asking if his Haiku was a secret code, I don't think anyone has figured that out yet, BUT the spirit that Hijikata is referring to, is basically "The Way Of the Ryounin", which is somewhat related to some code and ethics in the current Yakuza

strawberryshinya · (#20 (**permalink**))

thank u! that cleared up alot but the code i was refering to was the rules X3 the ones that listed alot of things such as desertion & raising funds being punishable by sepuku. i was wondering if he came up w/ that.