Japanese History thread

Jaegal_Maut wrote:

Yes, lack of age means lack of wisdom..
Btw in your pic he didn't wear any eye-patch ne~?

I don't really think he did wear any eye patches.Afterall...he isn't one bit ashamed about having one eye less than us.But who knows the truth about history...I searched for many pictures on Masamune but besides the photo given for his SW character...most of them did not have him wearing any eye patches.

And unlike the Three Kingdoms...I did not have a book to read about them this time round.I always believe that a history book written in its native language is the most accurate.So whatever I knew is solely though some weirdo game and the Japanese drama "Toshiie To Matsu".

ben_galahad wrote:
[image]

If you take off his helmet and let him wear a eye patch... he looks like Xiahou Dun :headscratch:
Xiahou Dun also dig his eyes out and devoured it.... does Masamune eat it too ?

kami_kaze wrote:
If you take off his helmet and let him wear a eye patch... he looks like Xiahou Dun :headscratch:
Xiahou Dun also dig his eyes out and devoured it.... does Masamune eat it too ?

Now you mention it, yeah, it resembles Xiaohou Dun.. but very diff in age..

kami_kaze wrote:
If you take off his helmet and let him wear a eye patch... he looks like Xiahou Dun :headscratch:
Xiahou Dun also dig his eyes out and devoured it.... does Masamune eat it too ?

That devouring thing about Xiahou Dun is totally wrong!!!In that battle against Lu Bu,when an arrow hit his eyeball,he pulled the arrow out together with his eyeballl,threw it to the front,and fainted!!!Which makes sense.In Date's case he already had an infected eyeball so all the veins connecting it to the brain had been either not functioning or is near to total malfunction.Soooo...his body can adapt to the sudden loss of an eyeball,especially one that is near to dying.

But Xiahou Dun had a perfectly fine eyeball...so pulling it out is similar to severing one of our limbs.(ok maybe the blood loss difference is very big)
Soooo in that battle he fainted and was brought back to Cao Cao's camp.

Uh, are you guys talking about Japanese history? :headscratch:

bmwracer wrote:Uh, are you guys talking about Japanese history? :headscratch:

Sorry sorry.Just kind of go off topic a little thanks to some resemblance between two specific person in Japan and China.Anyway this current topic should die out soon...or at least for the omparsion part...

i just say there's a resemblance btw Masamune & Xiahou Dun
and asked a question about Masamune :

kami_kaze wrote:does Masamune eat it too ?

and ben_galahad post

ben_galahad wrote:In Date's case he already had an infected eyeball so all the veins connecting it to the brain had been either not functioning or is near to total malfunction.Soooo...his body can adapt to the sudden loss of an eyeball,especially one that is near to dying.

still on topic here...
we just a bit off by using Xiahou Dun as comparision
:bow: :bow: Sumimasen

Ok, since its japanese history, Any one of you know about the legendary katana?? Or something about katana?? Is it masamune a legendary katana??

Jaegal_Maut wrote:Ok, since its japanese history, Any one of you know about the legendary katana?? Or something about katana?? Is it masamune a legendary katana??

The famous history about two of the best blacksmiths in Japan very very long ago.One was called Muramasa and the another was called Masamune.They both agreed to create a katana each to determine whose's the best blacksmith in Japan.After making them and naming it after their name,they tested it out on a river.Muramasa placed his katana upright and when a leaf went past it,it was cut neatly into half with both sides having an equal side.Such was the sharpness of Muramasa.But when Masamune did the same thing,the leaf went past it unharmed.Therefore Masamune proved to be superior as it was believed to process magical power.

It's pure fantasy(which is obvious) so there's nothing much to debate about it.There's also another legendary katana called Kusanagi,a long katana which was extemely sharp yet was light as a feather.But it seems to be a fantasy as well.

But instead of katana,why not learn about Miyamoto Musashi's "Book of Five Rings"?He's the only samurai in Japan history not to lost a single duel with other warriors using various weaponry.I tried reading it but it's not like Art Of Wars by the Chinese strategists.That book is all about how to position yourself and the various techniques usable when wielding a katana.Confusing...

ben_galahad wrote:

The famous history about two of the best blacksmiths in Japan very very long ago.One was called Muramasa and the another was called Masamune.They both agreed to create a katana each to determine whose's the best blacksmith in Japan.After making them and naming it after their name,they tested it out on a river.Muramasa placed his katana upright and when a leaf went past it,it was cut neatly into half with both sides having an equal side.Such was the sharpness of Muramasa.But when Masamune did the same thing,the leaf went past it unharmed.Therefore Masamune proved to be superior as it was believed to process magical power.

It's pure fantasy(which is obvious) so there's nothing much to debate about it.There's also another legendary katana called Kusanagi,a long katana which was extemely sharp yet was light as a feather.But it seems to be a fantasy as well.

But instead of katana,why not learn about Miyamoto Musashi's "Book of Five Rings"?He's the only samurai in Japan history not to lost a single duel with other warriors using various weaponry.I tried reading it but it's not like Art Of Wars by the Chinese strategists.That book is all about how to position yourself and the various techniques usable when wielding a katana.Confusing...

Oh naruhodo ne, so its pure fantasy, so the book its like fighting-with-katana guidebook?? thats pretty confusing if the reader aren't familiar with fighting with katana :sweat:

ben_galahad wrote:

Such a pity.Japan's history is pretty interesting.But your meaning of modern Japan history...does it focus on events after the Meiji era?If so then I can't help much...don't really like any history concerning firearms.Muskets are ok but not guns...

Well, the book that was recommended for summer reading in preparation for the course was "The Making of Modern Japan" by Marius B. Jansen, and it starts with the Sekigahara battle in 1600 and goes to the 1970's. Huge book BTW, around 793 pages.

Oh a question, are most Japanese History books and articles written from the concept of "top down- with emphasis on Politicians, Military, etc, rather than the bottom to top approach- with emphasis on the common working folk"?

Thanks :mrgreen:

altec wrote:

Well, the book that was recommended for summer reading in preparation for the course was "The Making of Modern Japan" by Marius B. Jansen, and it starts with the Sekigahara battle in 1600 and goes to the 1970's. Huge book BTW, around 793 pages.

Oh a question, are most Japanese History books and articles written from the concept of "top down- with emphasis on Politicians, Military, etc, rather than the bottom to top approach- with emphasis on the common working folk"?

Thanks :mrgreen:

It kind of depends which kind of book do you read.If you are reading about history books about one particular part of history then they will emphasise a lot on matters of the court.The strategies used and purposed...the reward ceremony where how much plot of land and what type of rank does he get.That's like any normal history book.Just focus on the big names.

But books regarding about the common folk...I can't think of much.Most of them are just a layout of the history of Japan,about how did the people and their lifestyles evolve as time passes.

Sorry if I can't be of much help.My Japanese studies is still at its child stage. :say_sorry:

I realised that the game directly related to the Sengoku Jidai cannot be trusted totally.For instance...the man who is directly responsible for the death of Oda Nobunaga,Akechi Mitsuhide...this is what Samurai Warriors protrayed about him.

[image]

Wow!!!Long silky hair that will make girls envious right?!?Isn't Mitsuhide such a charmer?!?But this is the real protrait on Mitsuhide...

[image]

He's bald to be exact.That's what most comics and historical books describe him as.A bald,cunning yet loyal retainer of the Asakura and Oda Clan.So summary is...do not trust MOST things you see on a video game.

ben_galahad wrote:[image]

He's bald to be exact.That's what most comics and historical books describe him as.A bald,cunning yet loyal retainer of the Asakura and Oda Clan.So summary is...do not trust MOST things you see on a video game.

Does cunning peoples always bald ? :hehe: using their brain cells too much ? or it's just the hairstyle trend at that time ?

ben_galahad wrote:

The famous history about two of the best blacksmiths in Japan very very long ago.One was called Muramasa and the another was called Masamune.They both agreed to create a katana each to determine whose's the best blacksmith in Japan.After making them and naming it after their name,they tested it out on a river.Muramasa placed his katana upright and when a leaf went past it,it was cut neatly into half with both sides having an equal side.Such was the sharpness of Muramasa.But when Masamune did the same thing,the leaf went past it unharmed.Therefore Masamune proved to be superior as it was believed to process magical power.

More on Muramasa from Wikipedia,

Sengo Muramasa was a famous swordsmith that founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period of 16th century in Japan. It is said that Muramasa "was a most skillful smith but a violent and ill-balanced mind verging on madness, that was supposed to have passed into his blades....They were popularly believed to hunger for blood and to impel their warrior to commit murder or suicide.".[1]

The school of sword-making at Ise province was famous for the extraordinary sharpness of their blades. The earliest known work of the school is dated at 1501; the Muramasa school continued into the late 1500's.[2] It's believed that Sengo Muramasa was a student of Heianjo Nagayoshi, a prominent Kyoto swordsmith known for spears and engravings.

Muramasa's swords fell out of favor with the Japanese government when Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun, establishing the Tokugawa Shogunate, in 1603. It is said that Ieyasu had lost many friends and relatives to Muramasa blades and had cut himself badly with one, so he forbade his samurai to wear blades made by Muramasa. This contributed even more to the Muramasa legend and led to many plays and dramas in Japanese literature featuring the blades. Due to the stigma attached to them, many Muramasa blades had their signature changed or removed. Since opponents of the Tokugawa Shoguns would often wish to acquire Muramasa blades, forgeries of Muramasa blades were also often made.

wow !! even Tokugawa Ieyasu fear it !! i wish i had an opportunity to see one of those Muramasa "demon" swords.....

Top 10 best looking samurai (at least according to this person): http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/03/11/revealed-japans-top-10-handsome-samurai%E3%80%90photos%E3%80%91/

If #2 (Shibusawa Heikuro) replaced his fan with a guitar he looks a lot like Nagase Tomoya of TOKIO.

gaijinmark wrote:Top 10 best looking samurai (at least according to this person): http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/03/11/revealed-japans-top-10-handsome-samurai%E3%80%90photos%E3%80%91/

None of 'em look like Mifune Toshiro or Chiba Shinichi. :beaten: