Yahoo Web Search

Search results

  1. Apr 1, 2016 · On September 24, 1877, a small force of 300-400 samurai armed with traditional weapons was pitted against 300,000 Western-armed and -trained imperial troops. The samurai fought with characteristic ferocity, but their swords and arrows were no match for modern rifles and cannon.

  2. Mar 2, 2016 · It's 玉砕 {ぎょくさい}. It's literal meaning is to shatter like a pearl, and the real meaning is to die rather than to surrender (= Death before Dishonor). This was the word often used to indicate the Japanese army has annihilated (instead of being taken captive) at Pacific war. I also found more about 玉砕 on Wikipedia...

    • Early Samurai
    • Rise of The Samurai & Kamakura Period
    • Japan in Chaos: The Ashikaga Shogunate
    • Samurai Under The Tokugawa Shogunate
    • Meiji Restoration & The End of Feudalism
    • Bushido in Modern Japan

    During the Heian Period (794-1185), the samurai were the armed supporters of wealthy landowners–many of whom left the imperial court to seek their own fortunes after being shut out of power by the powerful Fujiwara clan. The word “samurai” roughly translates to “those who serve.” (Another, more general word for a warrior is “bushi,” from which bush...

    The triumphant leader Minamoto Yoritomo–half-brother of Yoshitsune, whom he drove into exile–established the center of government at Kamakura. The establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, a hereditary military dictatorship, shifted all real political power in Japan to the samurai. As Yoritomo’s authority depended on their strength, he went to great...

    The strain of defeating two Mongol invasions at the end of the 13th century weakened the Kamakura Shogunate, which fell to a rebellion led by Ashikaga Takauji. The Ashikaga Shogunate, centered in Kyoto, began around 1336. For the next two centuries, Japan was in a near-constant state of conflict between its feuding territorial clans. After the part...

    The Sengoku-Jidai, or Period of the Country at War finally ended in 1615 with the unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu. This period ushered in a 250-year-long stretch of peace and prosperity in Japan, and for the first time the samurai took on the responsibility of governing through civil means rather than through military force. Ieyasu issue...

    In the mid-19th century, the stability of the Tokugawa regime was undermined by a combination of factors, including peasant unrest due to famine and poverty. The incursion of Western powers into Japan–and especially the arrival in 1853 of Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy, on a mission to get Japan to open its doors to international trade...

    In the wake of the Meiji Restoration, Shinto was made the state religion of Japan (unlike Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity, it was wholly Japanese) and bushido was adopted as its ruling moral code. By 1912, Japan had succeeded in building up its military strength–it signed an alliance with Britain in 1902 and defeated the Russians in Manchur...

  3. May 21, 2024 · In Japanese culture, the phrase “Death Before Dishonor” holds significant meaning, particularly within the realm of samurai traditions and the code of honor known as Bushido. Understanding the historical origins and cultural context behind this phrase provides insight into the values and principles that shaped Japanese society.

  4. Its profound meaning is often associated with loyalty, integrity, and the unwavering commitment to one's principles. In this article, we delve into the origins and significance of "Death Before Dishonor," exploring its historical context, cultural interpretations, and the values it represents.

  5. Jul 2, 2020 · While martial suicide is a practice found in a lot of cultures, the act of seppuku, or ritual self-disembowelment, is peculiar to Japan. The earliest known acts of seppuku were the deaths of samurai Minamoto Tametomo and poet Minamoto Yorimasa in the latter part of the 12th century. Seppuku is known in the west as hara-kiri.

  6. People also ask

  7. Aug 9, 2024 · Initially, seppuku was seen as an act of bravery and self-control, where a defeated warrior could choose death over dishonor. Over time, it transformed into a form of punishment imposed by feudal lords and the shogunate, reinforcing social hierarchies and the moral obligations of the samurai class.

  1. People also search for