samurai

[firestorm]

hey I just saw "The Last Samurai" and was absolutely amzed by the movie and was wondering if you guys know anything about the samurai culture. Do any of you guys know anything about it?

[cbwing0]

I know a fair amount. What would you like to know?

I would also ask Cephas. He appears to be the resident military historian.

[Heaven's Cloud]

I studied Samurai's last year. I can give you information on what they wear, their weapons, the size of their katanas. One thing I would like to point out is how come their are no more samurais.

In the years 1300-1500 a.d. a general of some sort banned most samurais from Japan. Trying to remember here I think his name was like Lesiyaou or something of that sort. Sorry, I'm a little rusty, I haven't dug anything up on them in awhile, but that's one thing. I think he also banned Christianity.

About the movie, that is one of my favorites of all time. I like Kurosawa and his works, escpecially Dogma and the Seven Samurais. He is one of the best Japanese filmakers of all time.The only bad thing that happened to me, when I watched it the subtitles where in white, and the movie was in black and white. lol

[Razgriz]

Ah yeah, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who officially united Japan under him, and yes, he did ban Christianity where he issued an edict in the year 1614.

[uc pseudonym]

Wrong forum. No big deal.

[cbwing0]

Ah yeah, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who officially united Japan under him, and yes, he did ban Christianity where he issued an edict in the year 1614.

There's a funny story about that (depending on your sense of humor ). When the Portuguese first came to Japan in the 1500's, they brought their religion (Catholocism). Just after a ship landed, a samurai asked one of the sailors about their religion. He told them that it was something they used to subdue the natives, so of course the Japanese would have none of that. Had it been otherwise, perhaps Japan would be like Latin America today.