The movie, "The Last Samurai," wasn't far off from the philosophical ideals of Inazo Nitobe. The samurai in the movie are shown as brave and honorable warriors as described in the book, Bushido. I believe Hollywood never could portray the true meaning very well in the movie. It is hard to go in-d...

The ordinary peasant in the Tokugawa period (1609-1868) observed many years of gradual change in their feudalistic society. When we consider the political, economic and social roles they have held within their society, we can see how vital the peasants were to the Tokugawa Shogunate. Peasants were ...

The Tokugawa period of Japanese history was a time of rigid class stratification. The Weak Body of a Useless Woman: Matsuo Taseko and the Meiji Restoration by Anne Walthall deals with the transformation from the age of the samurai to the modern; from the Shogunate to Empirical rule and the...

The Medieval Era saw the emergence of two distinct warrior classes in Europe and Japan. These were the Samurai's and the Knights. They were marked in history as a code for courage and sacrifice. Never had the world seen such courageous and dedicated "military class" before them. ...

The Meiji Restoration was a revolutionary period during which Japan was transformed from a feudal state into a modern state. The opening of Japan's ports to Western colonial fleets showed the weakness of Tokugawa and triggered nationalist movements. In 1867 pro-imperial daimyo suggested that Tokuga...

When the average American hears the term "Bushido", visions of sword swinging samurai warriors often come to mind. Literary works, as well as the media has shown us many elements of the Bushido code such as honor, justice, loyalty, and bravery which have greatly impacted Japan. Bushido...

The 47 Ronin Story Oishi's and Kira's differences The book The 47 Ronin Story is a very interesting and historically correct book. This book uses the common "good vs. evil" tactic. The main characters in this book is Kira and Oishi. This book is about Ronin or masterless ...

Although the films "Seven Samurai'' and "A Bug's Life" may seem like two very different movies, they actually have a lot more in common than one might think. The plots of the two films are nearly identical. Basically, there is a group that is invaded once a year by a ...

The artwork, "Samurai Battle Scene" painted in the 19th century, is a Japanese style artwork painted on a single four-fold screen in color and gold leaf on paper. In the painting, we get an overhead, almost birds-eye view of a samurai battle. Warriors are riding into battle on horseback, wearing a...

Samurai The term Shogun means general. Later, it refered to the leader of the Shogunate (Samurai's government). From 1192-1867, the Shogun ruled Japan. The Emperor reigned but did not rule. The Shoguns were a type of warlords that governed providences and states as a type of Japanese check and bala...

Code of the Samurai The samurai warrior class came to dominate Japanese society because for most of its history the country has been at war. Apart from the Mongol invasions of the 13th century and the debacle of World War II, the warfare has been internal warlords fighting each other, or the centra...