Samurai were the members of the military class of old Japan. The word is first used from about the 8th century ad, and is derived from the verb sabarau, which means "to serve". The original service rendered was as guards to the imperial palace or on police duties in the provinces.
Many samurai families originated from imperial princes settled in lands far from the capital. They grew in local influence, and learned considerable military skills through fighting the emishi, the aboriginal Japanese, or from conducting campaigns against rivals or rebels. In the latter case commissions were awarded to samurai by the central government, who rewarded them well. The hallmark of these early samurai was the possession of a horse and skills at handling bow and arrow. By the 12th century the samurai clans became powerful enough to challenge the imperial authority themselves, which culminated in the Gempei wars.
The shogunate established by Minamoto Yoritomo was a government of the samurai class. From this time on the rank of samurai became more closely defined as an elite group supported by lowly foot soldiers.
By the 13th century the samurai sword achieved prominence over the bow, and by the beginning of the Sengoku-jidai (The Age of the Country at War) the period of civil wars that lasted from 1467 to 1615, bows had been completely abandoned for edged weapons. Samurai now fought in large armies, either on horseback or on foot, commanding well-drilled troops of ashigaru (foot soldiers) who were armed with arquebuses, spears, or bows.
With the establishment of peace under Tokugawa Ieyasu the status of samurai was firmly defined and included the foot soldiers who became its lowest ranks. No other social classes were allowed to wear the characteristic two swords which the samurai wore through his belt. Many samurai, Musashi Miyamoto being the prime example, became master swordsmen and travelled the country as teachers of swordsmanship, a tradition from which much of samurai legend is derived. They also developed the bushido code, the "way of the warrior".
The samurai class was formally abolished in 1876 with the establishment of Japan's national conscript army. Sword-bearing was restricted to the army, and the characteristic topknot hairstyle forbidden. The Satsuma clan, who had rebelled furiously against this, turned around to become the dominant force within the armed forces (see Satsuma revolt).
The ethos lived on.
The Katana & The Koshirae
Koshirae
Edo-era Higo style Koshirae.
The Koshirae is the mounting 'worn' by the Japanese sword (e.g. Katana), when it is being worn by its owner, whereas shirasaya is the wooden sheath and grip the sword wears when in storage.
In the proper manner a Koshirae should be presented with tsuka to the left. The origin of this custom is that you cannot unsheath the sword easily this way. Also, in times of peace, koshirae is stored with tsuka to the left, while in times of war - to the right (always ready to be unsheathed).
Origin of the word
The word Koshirae is derived from the verb "koshirareru", which is no longer in use nowadays. Usually "tsukuru" is used instead; both mean "make, create, manufacture". More accurate is actually "Toso", which means sword-furniture: "Tosogu" are the parts of the mounting in general, and "Kanagu" stands for those made of metal. "Gaiso" are the "outer" mountings, as opposed to "Toshin", the "body" of the sword.
Samurai Dates of Importance
660 B.C. Legend says Jimmu Tenno became Japan's first emperor and set up the ruling Yamato State. Weapons and armour develop.
400's A.D. Horses introduced into Japanese fighting.
500's A.D. Buddhism arrived in Japan; becomes a powerful philosophy for rulers and warriors.
500's A.D. Soga clan dominated the Yamato court.
645 A.D. Taika Reforms began.
702 A.D. Taiho law codes established the Great Council of State.
710 A.D. Nara rule began with first permanent capital.
781 A.D. Emperor Kammu came to power and moved capital to Kyoto a few years later.
794 A.D. Heian period began.
858 A.D. Fujiwara family gained control of imperial court.
935 A.D. Taira Masakado revolted and proclaimed himself "The New Emperor." Other Samurai leaders exerted their influence across the land and changed the history of Japan.
1180-85 A.D. Minamoto Yoritomo takes up arms against the Taira clan in The Gempei War.
1192 A.D. Yoritomo became first permanent shogun of Japan and set up his Samurai government in Kamakura.
Late 1200's A.D. Mongols invade Japan. The Samurai defeat the Mongols after many years of fierce fighting. The Samurai developed a style of formation combat and depended more on the sword as a primary weapon in battle.
1318 A.D. Go-Daigo became the 96th Emperor of Japan. He attempted to overthrow the Hojo regents, but gave rise instead to a new dynasty of Shoguns, the Ashikaga family, who set up their government in the capital city of Kyoto.
1400'a A.D. Master swordsmen established schools to teach their style of ken-jutsu.
1467-77 A.D. The Onin War saw the decline of the Shogun's power and began the Sengoku Jidai ("The Age of the Country at War") which lasted 150 years.
1542 A.D. Portuguese guns were introduced into Japan.
1560 A.D. Oda Nobunaga began the process of unifying Japan. Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued the quest after Nobunaga's death.
1592 A.D. Hideyoshi invaded Korea on his way to invading China, but died in 1598 before succeeding.
1603 A.D. The Tokugawa family began ruling Japan. The regime lasted more than 200 years.
1605 A.D. Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's most famous Samurai, began his musha-shugyo (warrior pilgrimage). Musashi fought and won more than 60 sword fights before the age of 30. He founded the Individual School of Two Skies and taught for many years. At the age of 60, Musashi wrote Gorin No Sho ("The Book of Five Spheres"), the most famous writing about the Japanese Sword Arts. He also wrote "The 35 Articles on the Art of Swordsmanship."
1615 A.D. Tokugawa Ieyasu drew up the "Buke Sho Hatto" (Rules for Martial Families) before his death. It gave Samurai 13 guides to living as a warrior during peace time.
1630 A.D. Japan cut its ties with the outside world for more than 200 years.
1854 A.D. Commodore Matthew Perry opened trade between the United States and Japan.
1867 A.D. Emperor Mutsuhito regained his traditional powers and took the name Meiji. It was the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. Meiji (Mutsuhito) set up his new capital city in Edo (Tokyo).
1868 A.D. Emperor Meiji introduced the "Five Articles Oath" which began the dismantling of the Samurai class.
1873 A.D. Emperor Meiji established an army based on conscription; an army open to anyone.
1876 A.D. Emperor Meiji declared a new law that ended the wearing of swords. The Samurai had lost their profession and their right to wear swords. Their position as a special class ended after almost 1,000 years.
- - - - - UNDER CONSTRUCTION - - - - -
YinYang
Yinyang (yin-yang) is one of the dominant concepts shared by different schools throughout the history of Chinese philosophy. Just as with many other Chinese philosophical notions, the influences of yinyang are easy to observe, but its conceptual meanings are hard to define. Despite the differences in the interpretation, application, and appropriation of yinyang, three basic themes underlie nearly all deployments of the concept in Chinese philosophy:
(1) yinyang as the coherent fabric of nature and mind, exhibited in all existence
(2) yinyang as jiao (interaction) between the waxing and waning of the cosmic and human realms
(3) yinyang as a process of harmonization ensuring a constant, dynamic balance of all things.
As the Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu) claims, Yin in its highest form is freezing while yang in its highest form is boiling. The chilliness comes from heaven while the warmness comes from the earth. The interaction of these two establishes he (harmony), so it gives birth to things. Perhaps this is the law of everything yet there is no form being seen.
In none of these conceptions of yinyang is there a valuational hierarchy, as if yin could be abstracted from yang (or vice versa), regarded as superior or considered metaphysically separated and distinct. Instead, yinyang is emblematic of valuational equality rooted in the unified, dynamic, and harmonized structure of the cosmos. As such, it has served as a heuristic mechanism for formulating a coherent view of the world throughout Chinese intellectual and religious history.
Origins of the Terms Yin and Yang
The earliest Chinese characters for yin and yang are found in inscriptions made on oracle (skeletal remains of various animals used in ancient Chinese divination practices at least as early as the 14th century BCE).
In these inscriptions, yin and yang simply are descriptions of natural phenomena such as weather conditions, especially the movement of the sun. There is sunlight during the day (yang) and a lack of sunlight at night (yin).
According to the earliest comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters (ca. 100 CE), Xu Shens Shuowen jiezi (Explaining Single-component Graphs and Analyzing Compound Characters), yin refers to a closed door, darkness and the south bank of a river and the north side of a mountain. Yang refers to height, brightness and the south side of a mountain.
These meanings of yin and yang originated in the daily life experience of the early Chinese. Peasants depended on sunlight for lighting and their daily life routines. When the sun came out, they would go to the field to work; when the sun went down, they would return home to rest. This sun-based daily pattern evidently led to a conceptual claim: yang is movement (dong) and yin is rest (jing). In their earliest usages, yin and yang existed independently and were not connected.
The first written record of using these two characters together appears in a verse from the Shijing (Book of Songs): Viewing the scenery at a hill, looking for yinyang. This indicates that yang is the sunny side and yin is the shady side of hill. This effect of the sun exists at the same time over the hill.
Feng Shui
Feng Shui is a natural science and it's history goes back more than 2000 years. Feng Shui literally means Wind and Water. "Raise the head and observe the sky above. Lower the head and observe the environment around us," is the ancient proverbial term for Feng Shui.
It is considered that the environment we live in is an integral element in the art of living. Based on the interactions of the Solar System (heaven), one's living environment (earth), and one's birth date (individual), Feng Shui is the system that with mathematics uncovers the most favorable directions to live and work in.
Feng Shui is the Chinese science and art which harmonizes one's environment with the universal patterns inherent in nature - it is the ultimate art of living in a harmonious environment. Feng Shui can identify where it's most advantageous for you to move and how to create a beneficial environment. Feng Shui can also indicate which colors will elevate your personal living space, and how to change your workplace, business, or home into centers of power.
The Chinese of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and those living abroad have long known about Feng Shui. Today, more and more people, businesses, and corporations around the globe are applying essential Feng Shui principles in order to gain positive shifts in their lives. It is experiencing a massive revival in the Western World, including the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. It has mainstream appeal as more and more people become aware of its wonderful benefits and have develop a desire to live in harmony with the earth's natural environment.
From 25 A.D. during the East Han Dynasty, the first written evidence about Feng Shui had been uncovered. Moreover, it is widely held that Feng Shui theory is primarily based on Yin/Yang theory - 'Everything needs to be balanced or leveled.' With Yin/Yang theory known to be at its height of popularity during the period of 770 B.C. to 475 B.C., we can conclude that Feng Shui roots are from this same period.
You may upload a file using the upload box below. The size of files
uploaded from your client to the server should not exceed 1024 KB (1 MB) each.
Supported file types are JPG (JPEG), GIF and PNG.
Image stored successfully.
Please assign the image you just uploaded to one of your Albums:
Upload successful!
There was an error uploading your image.
Error message:
Please ensure the image is less than 1024KB, and is a GIF, JPG, or PNG image.
