The Age of Hakkenden

What is SAMURAI?
Samurai means Warrior; however, during the peace after civil wars the samurai became bureaucrats under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

KANTO the Cradle of Samurai
The Kanto Area is in Eastern Japan. The Capital Tokyo is in Kanto. Here is a map of Kanto.
"Kanto" means east side of the barrier. The largest plain in Japan is in Kanto; it was a rustic area.
Every landlord in Kanto was armed to defend his rice field; the early Samurai were armed farmers. There are eight provinces; Awa, Kazusa, Shimousa, Musashi, Sagami, Shimotsuke, Kouzuke, Hitachi. This is the stage of HAKKENDEN.

KATANA the samurai sword
Sword is the symbol of samurai. He has two swords, Long and Short. In a typical Hollywood Ninja Movie, samurai has a straight sword; this is wrong! Katana has a slight curve. (Ninja used a straight sword, but Samurai didn't use it)

What is SHOGUN?
Shogun means General. Later, it reffered to the leader of the Shogunate (Samurai's government). From 1192 to 1867, Shogun ruled Japan. The Emperor reigned but did not rule.

Three Shogunates

The First Shogunate in Kamakura
The Emperor's Palace was in Kyoto, West Japan. The Shogun's Office was first in Kamakura, East Japan. Why? The lords of East Japan resisted to Court Nobles and Heike (an eminent family of Samurai which lost the Samurai spirit and became Court Nobles). A leader was neccessary for them. They selected Minamoto-no Yoritomo, a prince of Genji (another eminent family of Samurai. Heike's rival. His father was killed by Heike). They won and Yoritomo became Shogun in 1192. The first Shogunate was the government of the lord, by the lord, for the lord.

The Mongolian War.
In 1274 and 1281, the Mongols used their navy to try and invade Japan, however their forces were defeated by the Japanese Samurai.
Samurai normally fought for land. The winners would share the loser's land. The size of the share was controlled by the Shogunate. However after the Mongolian War, Samurai did not get any land. The Shogunate did not care enough for them. As a result many Samurai grew discontented with the Shogunate.

The Second Shogunate in Muromachi
Emperor Godaigo wanted to rule Japan. Many Samurai took side with the Emperor. In 1333, Ashikaga Takauji attacked the Kyoto Office of Kamakura Shogunate, and Nitta Yoshisada attacked Kamakura. The Kamakura Shogunate was over.
The Emperor once more became the ruler of Japan. Emperor Godaigo favoured nobles over Samurai.
A War between two sides started. Nitta Yoshisada and Kusunoki Masashige were the leaders of the Emperor side. Ashikaga Takauji was the leader of Anti-Godaigo's side.
In 1336, Emperor Godaigo ran away from the Capital Kyoto to Yoshino in the south mountain. Then Ashikaga Takauji selected a prince of royal family as a new Emperor. It's the opening of the age of two Emperors. The Emperor in Kyoto appointed Ashikaga Takauji as Shogun in 1338. The current Emperor of Japan is a descendant of this northern Emperor.

Ashikaga Shogunate

The Age of Civil War
Ashikaga Shogun's Office was in Muromachi, Kyoto, near the Palace. What was there in Kamakura? There's the Office of Fuku-Shogun (Vice-General. Formal name is Kanto-Kanrei. It means Viceroy of the East). In 1439, Fuku-Shogun Ashikaga Mochiuji rebeled against Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori. Shogun's army attacked Kamakura quickly. Fuku-Shogun and his first son were killed in Kamakura. The another sons ran away to Yuuki and lots of Samurai in Kanto supported them. In 1441, Yuuki Castle fell. Mochiuji's second son and third son were killed, and the forth son Eiju-oh ran away. Shogun's army searched him, but they could not find out him. Some months later Shogun Yoshinori was killed by Akamatsu Mitsusuke the lord of Harima Province. This was the opening of the age of the civil wars.
HAKKENDEN is the story of this age. Satomi Yoshizane was one of Yuuki side samurai. (Satomi was the blanch family of Nitta)

The Gold Period
Oda Nobunaga the lord of Owari(Now Nagoya) won and won civil wars. He became the king of central Japan. If he was not killed, he would open the Oda Shogunate. After Nobunaga, in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (One of Nobunaga's chief vassals) made Japan into one. He became Kanpaku Dajo-daijin the top of nobles, not Shogun.
In this century, Japan was the top producer of gold on the earth. Hideyoshi loved gold and monopolized gold mines. His Osaka Castle was goldfull; the warehouse was filled with gold ingots, the roof and the wall were richly decolated with gold, and lots of gold objects were in the rooms. Especialy the "Tea-Room" was extremely gorgeous. All in the room foiled with gold; the wall, the ceiling, the floor, the pot and the cup. Everyman who was invited in for the tea ceremony was very surprized. (Most of the gold mine became exhausted in Edo era)

Fan

The Last Shogunate in Edo
1598 Hideyoshi died. His son was too young. Five great lords supported him. The greatest lord of the five was Tokugawa Ieyasu, the lord of Kanto. In 1600, the war between Ieyasu-side(east) and Anti-Ieyasu-side(west) began. The definitive battle was in Sekigahara. The east won. Ieyasu was the final winner of the very long civil wars. He was appointed as Shogun in 1603. Toyotomi's Osaka Castle became isolated. Osaka Castle fell in 1615. This was the end of civil war age. It is the start of very long peace.
The famous Movie "Shogun" is the story of this age. Tokugawa's Castle in Edo became Shogun's Office. A lot of Samurai came to Edo. There were many men and few women in Edo city. Is it Tragedy or Comedy?

Bakin in Edo City
Kyokutei Bakin was born in Edo. He had written HAKKNDEN in the age of 11th shogun Tokugawa Ienari and 12th shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi. Last days of Tokugawa Shogunate (Last shogun was the 15th).

The End of Samurai
Just after Bakin's death, in 1853, U.S.Navy Commodore Perry and his fleet came to Japan. Many samurai thought "Japan must be strong country as the western powers". Under the feudal system, every lord had his own army and only samurai could become a soldier. There were not united Japanese force. Centralization and equalization were neccessary to be strong Japan. Then the samurai decided to abandon the feudal system and the samurai's rule. This was the Revolution of Meiji. The Emperor was the symbol of centralization.
In 1868, the Emperor's army (revolutionary samurai) took Edo Castle. Edo city was renamed to Tokyo, meaning East Capital. Next year Emperor Meiji moved to Tokugawa's Castle. The Caslte changed into the Palace. Then we Japanese lost real samurai culture.