Transcript Medieval Japanese Warfare

Medieval Japanese Society
Rise and Fall of the Samurai
Big Questions
• Why did Japan develop an honor-driven
Samurai culture?
• How was this culture similar to European
Medieval Culture?
• How was it different?
Early Japanese Society
• Prior to 200BCE, Japan was dominated by a
hunter-gatherer people known as the Ainu
– Originally believed to be from Northern
China/Southern Russia
The Yayoi
• Around 200BCE, Japan is invaded by a tribe
known as the Yayoi.
– Believed to have originated from Korea
– Maintained close ties to the region
– Originally allied with China
Yayoi Culture
• The Yayoi were a culture divided into clans
– Clans are political structures based around a large
extended family
– Each family had hundreds of retainers that served
them as soldiers
– Lesser family members owed allegiance to a
powerful patriarch or matriarch at the top
Yayoi Culture
First Emperor
• The most powerful clan, the Yamato, took
control of the Japanese islands, and took the
title of Emperor.
• Yamato Emperor maintained strong alliances
with the Korean peninsula, and China.
The Battle of Baekgang
• Around 620CE, China was taken over by the
Tang Dynasty, a strong, militaristic and
expansionist power
– Tang had designs on seizing the Korean Peninsula
which was ruled by four separate Kingdoms
• The Goguryeo was allied with the Tang
• The Baekje were allied with the Yamato
• The Silla and the Kaya were independent
Korea in 620CE
Battle of Baekgang
• The Tang Dynasty attempts to invade Silla
three times from the north, but are pushed
back by powerful defenses.
– Decide to attack simultaneously from North and
South by first conquering Baekje and Kaya
• Drags Yamato into the war on behalf of Baekje
Battle of Baekgang
• Japanese send a large fleet to invade Korea,
but it is disorganized
– Empress dies on the eve of the fleet’s departure,
no real control over the various clans
– Tang vessels line up in a defensive position in front
of the coast
– Japanese ships attack throughout the day, growing
exhausted and disorganized
– Finally, Tang fleet attacks, surrounding and wiping
out Japanese fleet
Tang fleet
Japanese response
• Japan forced to surrender all ties to Korea
• Japanese leadership decides to radically alter
Japanese society in response to loss
– Sends scholars to study at the Tang Dynasty Court
in order to learn how to run an army and
government
– Results in a series of massive changes to Japanese
culture, politics and the military known as the
Taika Reforms
Taika Reforms
• Introduced Buddhism and Chinese philosophy
• Created a structure for government known as
the Toho Code
– Government would have 12 levels, starting at the
top with the Emperor and his advisors, clan lords
(Daimyo), minor local nobles (Bushi), going all the
way down to peasants and slaves.
Taika Reforms
• 1 in 4 male adults would be drafted into the
military
– Would have to provide their own weapons and
armor
– Would never have to pay any taxes or duties
– Eventually this would be recognized as a class
known as Samurai, responsible for the day to day
overseeing of imperial activity
Taika Reforms
• Initially, Samurai is a term for government
worker (bureaucrat). Overtime, the Samurai
grow wealthier and increasingly associated
with the Bushi (lower nobility).
– By the Heian Period, Samurai titles were passed
from father to son, peasants were rarely if ever
lifted to the level of full samurai.
Heian Period
• Mark of the Samurai
– By 800AD the long sword (katana) became the
singular mark of the samurai class
– Inducted samurai would be presented with a set
of swords by their lord (Daimyo)
• Samurai typically fought from horseback and
were also expected to master the bow and the
spear.
Samurai Swords
• The Katana
– Long, curved blade, designed for a two handed
grip.
– Worn on a sash around the waste, known as an
Obi
– Designed to be drawn and swung in a single,
smooth motion
Samurai Swords
• The Wakizashi
– A shorter blade, with a straighter edge
– Could be used simultaneously with the katana
– More commonly used in ritual suicide
Diagram of a Samurai Sword
Construction
• Swords were lightweight and extremely strong
– Made from folding steel instead of simply
pounding it into shape
– Created blades with distinctive water-like patterns
on the blade from the folding marks
Bushido
• Throughout the Heian Period and into the
Shogunates, Samurai became almost
exclusively nobles (Bushi)
• Developed a noble code known as Bushido
(way of the warrior) in order to ensure loyalty
of the Samurai Class
7 Tenets of Bushido
• Rectitude: One must act as if they are always being judged
• Courage: One must never shy from battle or from a
challenge, nor act dishonorably or cowardly in combat
• Benevolence: One must treat inferiors well
• Respect: Have the utmost respect and honor for ones
superiors
• Honesty: Never lie or deceive in word or deed
• Honor: Always act in an honorable way and do credit to
your family
• Loyalty: Above all, your duty is to protect and serve your
lord
Violating Bushido
• By the 15th Century, violating Bushido was
considered a crime worthy of death
– Samurai who failed to serve their masters (allowed
them to die in battle) often performed a ritual form of
suicide (Hara Kiri) known as Seppuku (stomach
cutting)
– Involving slicing open your own stomach with a
wakizashi or tanto (dagger) while a second cut off
your head
– Occassionally, Daimyo would be called upon to
commit Seppuku as part of a peace agreement
Seppuku
Preparation for Seppuku
Outside of Bushido
• The tenets of Bushido limited a Samurai in
warfare
– Necessitated the growth of a class that could carry
swords, but was not hindered, hence the Ninja
– Ninja were considered honorless, not true samurai
(served no one master), yet still able to carry weapons
– Ninja typically acted as spies, assassins and
mercenaries
– Often there would be little difference between true
samurai and Ninja on the battlefield
Samurai Armor
• Typically made of Iron plates over leather,
banded together by silk thread
• Decorative features borrow heavily from
Chinese influence
• Designed for heavy protection, while still
allowing mobility on the ground
– Unlike Knight armor which was optimized for
horseback
Samurai Armor
Ninja Armor
The Ronin
• Samurai who lost their lands and titles
became known as Ronin
– These landless Samurai were, according to
Japanese law, still afforded more rights than
peasants
– Often resorted to banditry to survive
– Number of Ronin vastly increase as Japan begins
to modernize
The Shogunate: The Genpei War
• The Genpei War came at the end of the Heian
period
– Begins as a drawn out territorial feud between the
Minamoto Clan and the Taira Clan
• Emperor staid neutral, and became irrelevant to the
fighting
– War would involve several competing Buddhist
factions as well
The Genpei War
• War fought across both land and sea
– Taira controlled most of the island of Shikoku,
while the Minamoto clan controlled Hokkaido
• Taira had a superior navy
• Involvement of Buddhist Temples
– Japan dominated by 9 large sects of Buddhism
– Two most powerful, Zen and Pure Land took sides
in the war, and mustered armies
Battle of Dan-No-Ura, 1185
• Final sea battle between Minamoto and Taira
– Taira commit their entire fleet to battle, split into
three groups
– Minamoto commit their entire fleet as a single
group
• Both sides carrying Imperial symbols, designating them
the Emperor’s favorite on their flagships
Battle of Dan-No-Ura
• Taira ships fighting defensively, use the tides
to close and surround Minamoto ships
– Quickly board and attack
– Minamoto samurai prove to be superior, fight lasts
far longer than expected
– By mid-afternoon, tide goes out, leaving Taira
warriors stranded
Battle of Dan-No-Ura
• Minamoto capture Taira flagship, including
their Imperial flags
• Hundreds of Taira Samurai choose to kill
themselves rather than be captured
– Shinto priests believe to this day that the crabs on
the beach near Dan-No-Ura contain the souls of
lost Taira Samurai
Rise of the Shogun
• Minamoto Clan establishes the position of
Shogun
– Officially, Shogun is merely the Emperor’s top
general
– In reality, the Shogun is the de facto ruler of Japan
(ruler in fact, if not in law)
– Shogun commands direct loyalty of all Daimyo
Buddhism and the Genpei War
• Buddhist sects are forced to severely limit the
size of their protective force, and the number
of temples they can operate
– Buddhism cannot be eliminated due to popularity
among Samurai
1274: The Kamikaze
• The Mongol rulers of China send a massive
fleet in an effort to invade and destroy Japan
– Fleet struck by a massive typhoon and run
aground on the rocky islands around Japan
– Event is seized upon by Shogun as an example of
the Kami (gods) approving of his rule
Shogunate
• Battle under the Shogun period becomes
highly ritualized, dominated by individual
honor duels
– Rules of Shogunate sword-play still exist in Japan
today as the sport Kendo
Guns come to Japan
• Gunpowder was first introduced to Japan by
the Mongols, who were fond of throwing
small bombs
• Guns arrive from Portugal, who introduce a
flintlock musket known as the Blunderbuss
Changing Culture
• As Samurai combat becomes more formalized,
the Japanese Daimyo and Shogun begin
relying more and more on masses of foot
soldiers, Ashigaru to win battles
– Ashigaru made up of peasantry, though trained in
warfare and paid for their services
– Ashigaru typically lightly armored, carry spears,
guns and bows (never swords)
Japan Isolates
• By the mid-17th century, Portuguese and
Spanish influence in Japan was growing
– Widespread embrace of Christianity by lower
classes
• Catholic Jesuit priests establish permanent
presence in Nagasaki
• Shogunate increasingly concerned about an
“invasion from within”
Japan Isolates
• In 1666, the Shogun orders all Portuguese out
of Japan
– Declares Buddhism and Shinto the only official
religions, persecutes Japanese Christians
– Japan becomes officially isolationist
Fading role of Samurai
• Japanese society stabilizes and stagnates
– Lack of constant warfare, renders Samurai largely
unnecessary
– Most become bureaucrats
– Loss of income renders many Samurai penniless,
yet still retaining more rights than the growing,
wealthy merchant class
Japan Modernizes
• 1853: As part of a global mission to extend
American power, Commodore Perry arrives in
Japan with a fleet, and demands they
negotiate
– Shells the harbor at Edo
– Isolationist Japanese caught unprepared for
superior American technology, forced to open
Samurai of the Court ponder Japan’s
Fate
Modernization
• Several Daimyo, recognizing the need to
reform Japan, throw their weight behind the
Emperor, rather than the Shogun
• Known as the Meiji Restoration
– Emperor demands Shogun’s removal, and seizes
all Shogun lands
– Ends isolationism, brings in foreign engineers to
help Japan modernize
– Begins the process of outlawing the Samurai, and
simplifying the social structure