SAMURAI WISDOM: DATE MASAMUNE - Time and Tide

[Music] Sendai capital of Miyagi prefecture and the premier city of Northeastern Japan with a population of more than a million it has long been the commercial and Cultural Center for the [Music] area the man who laid the foundation for this Prosperity still looks down on the city his [Music] name Dante masamune this samurai from four C CES ago is honored and adored by the people of [Music] Sendai you'll even find his name here the standard Japanese [Music] dictionary D is widely used as a noun and adjective it means having a sense of flow lay or style the kind that draws attention a sense of Verve of sophistication if your taste runs to flamboyance people may call you D mono literally a person with d style perhaps no other Samurai has put this kind of stamp on the Japanese language but how did it come about we'll uncover this and much more as we learn from his wit and [Music] wisdom in the 16th century the nations of Europe take to the Seas in East Asia Japan is fractured into dozens of contending Clans Samurai leaders are caught up in an unending struggle for local dominance they excel in the Arts of War but some are also farseeing Visionaries their wisdom will lay the groundwork for the long piece under the Tokugawa Shogun and a legacy for modern Jaan who were these men of vision Samurai [Music] wisdom Dante masamune was born in 1567 into one of the ruling clans of OSU OSU is about 6 00 km east of kyto the ancient Capital correspondents took more than 2 weeks to arrive when D was born Oda Nobunaga was in his mid-30s extending his power in the Kyoto area and chasing a dream of unifying Japan conditions in OSU were unsettled with multiple small domains vying for Supremacy masamune was the son of tune the head of the Dante Clan but he suffered an unexpected Misfortune as a [Music] child a contemporary portrait of masamune look closely and you'll notice that one of his eyes is closed a childhood case of smallpox cost the future Dio the sight in his right eye for a general on the battlefield having one eye is a great disadvantage some of the D Clan's vassals whispered that mamun was unfit to lead his mother doted on mamun's younger brother and supported him as the future leader because of his disability mamun was a shy retiring child his father tune concerned asked the Zen priest kosai soitsu to act as masamune's tutor soitsu introduced the boy to the wisdom of the Chinese classics a tetsuo has studied this period for half a century he cites one person who had a particular influence on masamune Kong was a famous Chinese military commander born in the 9th century though blind in one eye he led an army clad in Black armor and was feared as the oneeyed dragon hearing about the outstanding achievements of a man facing the same challenge rought a profound change in masamune this armor was used by D masamune the coating of black lacquer May well be a nod to Lee kyong under soit's guidance masamune grew into a strong young Samurai so much so that tune decided to step down as leader of the clan when his son was only 18 but the young man's Fitness as a military commander was soon to be tested seeking to unify OSU masamune launched a campaign against the surrounding Clans one of the enemy generals took tun hostage planning to take him back to his own own domain with his father in enemy hands mamun's ability to prosecute his campaign would be greatly compromised so masamune did not hesitate he opened fire killing his father and those who held him captive [Music] [Music] 3 years later at 23 masamune is a military commander with the largest territory in OSU but a powerful enemy threatens his success toyotomi hioshi is past 50 and a battle tested warlord he controls the Western half of Japan his next objective is the Hojo Clan which controls the kto region and then the de domain which lies to the north hi Yoshi first sends a series of warnings to masamune threatening him if he fails to capitulate but masamune ignores him he has already Allied himself with the Hojo in hide Yoshi's campaign against the Hojo he marches East with a force of more than 200,000 Warriors hide Yoshi sends an ultimatum to masamune join me against the Hojo or prepare for Destruction masamune is outnumbered 10 to one standing against the toyotomi forces would be suicide after careful deliberation he decides to seek out hioshi directly but hide Yoshi's attack on the Hojo is already underway masamune's deadline has past if hi Yoshi refuses to accept this delay masamune may not survive their meeting so mamun does something unexpected he meets hioshi dressed in the white garments of one who is about to be executed masamune puts his life in hide Yoshi's hands hioshi places his staff alongside mamun's neck and says count yourself fortunate that you didn't arrive later masamune's gamble is successful he returns to u to fight another [Music] day mamun's performance doesn't and [Music] there he becomes a member of hoshi's government at the age of 26 he marches to Kyoto with 3,000 soldiers to join hi Yoshi's invasion of the Korean Peninsula Tokugawa easu and other powerful feudal Lords are there too but Dante's participation is a surprise this diarama depicts the departure of Dante's forces mamun's horses were decorated with leopard tiger and bear skins even peacock tails the Cavalry was armed with swords decorated with gold in place of their customary dress the foot soldiers were also decorated they wore gold colored pointed hats a meter high their armor was covered with black lacquer with Vermilion lacquered sheaths for their shortswords Sato norikazu is a DAT masamune scholar he believes that masamune's reputation derives from this [Music] spectacle this Japanese Portuguese dictionary was compiled in the early 17th century by missionaries in Japan it does indeed have an entry for de meaning to show something [Music] off mamun's dazzling display Drew hoshi's attention and benefited his clan mamun's name spread far and wide as a synonym for flamboyance something else contributed to the prosperity of the deante domain masamune's passion for Cuisine he checked the morning and evening menus personally he sometimes did the cooking himself it was rare for a military commander to be in the kitchen we recreated an actual breakfast from that era grilled Arc clams from domain Waters game bird is steamed then cooked over high heat the crisp skin is fragrant tofu and vegetables are added and finished with broth masamune worked hard to encourage rice production important guests were served the finest dishes the domain could offer here is an episode from mamun's later [Music] years masam didn't send the usual gift of gold or silver he chose a simple delicacy made with his own hands he knew how to make an indelible impression masamune himself was D visit Sendai today and you can experience the same Cuisine that masamune loved A Generous portion of salmon and row served over rice masamune valued miso so highly that he built a factory to produce it now and in masamune's day miso was highly prised for its Exquisite saltiness and excellent keeping properties on the March mamun left these words he who cannot cook is a man of poor heart put heart and soul into a single dish and it will be a supreme [Music] Feast 1598 toyotomi hosi dies Tokugawa yasu steps into his shoes 5 years later at 62 he will establish the Tokugawa shunet mumun however is 37 he joins forces with yasu and becomes lord of the Sendai domain he builds a castle without a keep demonstrating that he has no intention of defying the shogunate but a DE decade later masamune builds something more impressive than any Castle a 55 M western style sailing vessel that can carry 200 people masamune intends to use the ship in a bold venture to enrich his [Music] clan his plan to trade with foreign Nations but the shogunate is keeping a close eye on Japan's daos any signs of rebellion are suppressed is foreign trade even feasible hakawa Arata is an expert on masamune's foreign policy he believes masamune was engaged in some horse trading with easu [Music] [Music] for masamune takes advantage of yasu's cold attitude toward Christians when news reached him that the Spanish Envoy ship was no longer seaworthy he offers to step in and build a new one to carry them [Music] home October 1613 the envoys sail away from Japan in their new vessel Bound for Mexico Spain and beyond that Rome they are accompanied by mamun's personal Envoy hasura tsun Naga hasura is tasked with conducting trade negotiations on masamune's behalf for mamun's goal is to negotiate with the King of Spain and even the pope to establish trade links with the West after more than a Year's Journey hura arrives in Madrid in December 1614 where he is granted an audience with the King [Music] 10 months later he arrives in Rome for an audience with the Pope hura gives him a letter from masamune that begins Dante masamune king of U encourages the propagation of Christianity in our land and allows free trade with Spain but news has also reached Spain concerning the shogunate's ban on Christianity and the suppression of Believers the king of Spain increasingly distrustful of Japan turns hasura away the negotiations end just short of agreement between the two [Music] sides for [Music] in 1636 masam dies at the age of 70 his Mausoleum is built posthumously in accordance with his will the Magnificent carvings that cover the walls are the work of kto Craftsman [Music] the Sendai domain absorbed the era's most advanced artistic [Music] techniques 20 monuments stand alongside the mum erected to the memory of vassals who died serving [Music] him mamun's wish to ensure cai's Prosperity has been passed down to [Music] today each summer the city is blanketed with decorations for the star festival or tanabata masamune brought the festival to Sendai after seeing the gorgeous festivities in Edo now Tokyo in his fin years masamune worked to expand the rice Harvest his success contributed greatly to his domain's Prosperity modern Miyagi prefecture is still one of Japan's leading rice producing regions masamune overcame daunting challenges to build OSU into one of the Tokugawa era's greatest domains [Music] masamune navigated skillfully through years of strife with flamboyant displays and daring Maneuvers but his greatness went beyond [Music] that masun is still Dante to this day through his Devotion to his subject's prosperity and his contributions to food Commerce and culture he has become a symbol of something we can all aspire [Music] to

Channel: NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Views: 46,664

Keywords:

Id: LZMm36G0mWc

Length: 28min 6sec (1686 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 14 2024