Warriors of Japan: Samurai - Ninja - War Monks - History of Japan - See U in History

[Music] japan is a land of enormous beauty and culture it is the land of the legendary samurai warriors the samurai is a recurring figure in today's culture but what was their role in ancient japanese society the word samurai means the one who serves that was their main role to serve a feudal lord or even the emperor initially the samurai collected taxes from the peasants this work was not always peaceful therefore the samurai began to use weapons and practice martial arts they were also allowed to execute low-class citizens if they refused to pay the taxes required the main duties of the samurai were to protect their lord's assets to preserve order and customs and to be loyal to their sovereign their growing influence increased respect for the samurai class even being feared and hated by some citizens over time many samurai accumulated wealth and land but they were still considered an inferior class by the nobility with the increase in land disputes feudal lords hired more and more warriors as samurai these feudal lords were known as daimyo and obeyed only the emperor [Music] in 1185 many feudal lords went to war and after many battles minamoto no yoritomo was the winner minamoto received the title of shogun great commander of the army and all other freedo lords were forced to swear loyalty to him thus the first military dictatorship of japan was born the kamakura shogunate during this period the samurai class acquired military functions and his authority became even greater simply looking a samurai in the eye or soiling his clothes could cost the life of a peasant to secure their place in society many samurai married women from noble families their children were trained from childhood as their successors when they reached maturity rich and powerful families of samurai were born they were trained to fight either armed or unarmed these ancient martial arts gave rise to judo karate aikido and many other modern martial arts part of the payment to the samurai was made in sacks of rice since this was the most important food of the time after 400 years of relative peace japan entered a new turbulent period the central government was weakened many feudal lords went to war again seeking to achieve military control over the whole of japan this phase of the conflict became known as the sengoku didai period of states at war or period of civil war it was the most troubled civil war in japanese history this was the period when the samurai were most prominent many men from different social classes fought hard on the battlefields in the hope of being recognized and given the title a samurai [Music] the famous miyamoto musashi was one of them having participated in the battle asekigahara as warriors of the nobility the samurai fought mainly on horseback the primary weapon was the bow and arrow later they used the spear the sword was only used when there were no options left only samurai and nobles could have two swords on their waists the longsword the famous katana had great financial and symbolic value the sword was considered the soul of the samurai the short sword was known as the wakizashi wielded when the samurai enter closed environments the short sword was ideal for narrow or tight places in these environments it was more advantageous than the katana having these two sores at the waist was a great symbol of status the armor worn by the samurai was lacquered wood silk and small metal plates these armors were relatively light and allowed a wide range of movement without compromising the defensive part helmets were the heaviest item they were made of only metal and had the most varied ornaments [Music] some armor was created in order to intimidate enemies finding a samurai on the battlefield was probably a terrifying experience during the sengoku dirai the situation in japan became complicated with hunger disease and fires affecting the population many feudal lords feared that their warriors had become too aggressive and ambitious in order to control and discipline the samurai the bushido was created a code of honor that the warriors should follow bushido means the path of the warrior the code of conduct was based on the fusion of several oriental philosophies coming from religions such as buddhism and shintoism bushido valued justice courage compassion respect honesty honor and duty [Music] samurai should also learn calligraphy painting and various activities related to self-control and self-improvement for most samurai honor was more important than life itself life ends but the name and reputation are remembered for generations the symbol of the samurai became the cherry blossom a flower of great beauty but which appears only once a year and last a few days such should be the life of a samurai to live the present to serve his daimyo and to leave this world at his peak of course some only sought fame and power acts of betrayal also used to occur with some frequency tokugawa ieyasu was the winner of the battle of sakigahara initiating the tokugawa shogunate it was a new era of peace that lasted almost 300 years in japan with the end of the wars the samurai cast declined many lost their masters or were simply fired some committed suicide through the ceremony designated as seppuku feeling disgraced at the loss of their social status other chose to be merchants or policemen many became ronin wanderers this term was used to refer to the samurai without a master who walked without a clear direction in japan they set their jobs as mercenaries bodyguards and even constituted criminal groups japan passed much of its history closed to foreign countries maintaining restricted commercial relations but in 1854 this began to change due to a severe financial and commercial crisis japan was forced to open its porch for trade with foreign nations this brought many novelties and improvements to japan however many citizens mainly from samurai families were unhappy with the changes in the traditional japanese lifestyle all these changes led to the meiji restoration a period that was marked by samurai's resistance against the new government model during the meiji restoration the samurai cast was officially extinct the last representatives were forced to surrender their swords those who refuse were arrested and punished the era of the samurai had come to an end during the second world war the japanese government propagandized to exalt the samurai spirit the aim was to encourage the people and to keep the soldiers active on the front line to help restore the samurai spirit japanese officers received swords similar to those used by the ancient samurai warriors however they were mass produced and their quality was not at all compared to the katanas which are true works of art in modern japan many samurai families continued to exist their code of honor and martial arts continued to be practiced by people all over the world therefore the glory of the warriors of the rising sun is [Music] eternal in ancient japan there were many wars between powerful and ambitious feudal lords these wars were mainly fought on the battlefields but not only that there was a world of shadows and fertivity only highly trained men and women could enter it these fearsome shadow warriors were known as ninjas the origin of the ninjas is obscure as their very existence they arose around the 12th century at the beginning of the kamakura shogunate the word ninja was not always used to designate the secret agents the most common term was shinobi which means the one who hides in the beginning ninjas were just spies they pretended to be ordinary people walking the streets and talking naturally to citizens in order to obtain valuable information many of these agents pretended to be merchants blacksmiths artisans and even monks they use many disguises to accomplish their goals after all nothing drew more attention than someone dressed in black and wearing a mask some became so skilled at pretending to be ordinary people that they spent years or even their entire lives as spies without arousing any suspicion with the increase of political intrigue in feudal japan ninjas became increasingly in demand on the other hand security in castles and other important areas increased many of these places were guarded by very skilled samurais the art of spying became incredibly risky many ninjas were executed after being captured the ninjas became specialists in various martial arts these arts are known as taijutsu they mix judo jiu-jitsu aikido karate and kung fu all adjusted to became serious injuries and put the opponent out of combat as quickly as possible but this was not enough to secure the safety of the ninjas and weaponry training was also included ninjas specialized in the use of many different weapons most of them were sneaky used in enclosed spaces such as rooms or corridors the dreifu makibishi was one of those weapons small pointed iron junctions thrown against the ground when ninja was chased very difficult to see in the dark they caused serious damage when stepped on they were very effective against horse ridden pursuers they could also carry a weapon called kusarigama consisting of a small sickle and attached to a chain with metallic weight at the other end kusarigama was a difficult weapon to use and even more difficult to fight against it had an enormous range it could do a lot of damage with its chain and if that failed the sickle was used tekogaki were weapons used in wrists especially effective in hand-to-hand combat the classic shurikens and kunais were not thrown to kill the enemy but to wound him and leave him out of combat they were thrown in sequence seeking to reach vital points on the body contrary to the common idea the swords used by ninjas had no straight blade many carried normal wakizashis or even katanas many ninjas also used chain mail under their kimono to ensure their protection ultimately they could throw a smoke bomb to blind the enemy and escape to ensure their safety in the shadows ninja training began as a child in addition to fighting techniques they had to learn how to hide their presence in the most diverse environments they also needed to master survival tactics in the forest learn how to climb cliffs and walls and resist hunger and sleep to be masters in art the ninjas needed to learn the various accents of different japanese regions the use and manipulation of gunpowder or poisons was also something delicate and deadly the ninjas did not follow the bushido they had their own code of conduct and ways of facing life and death the information about this code of conduct is not very precise it's in a document known as bansin shukai the training also included meditation and breathing techniques in addition to a practice called kutikiri it consisted of creating manual signs symbolizing elements such as fire wind water earth lightning among others kujikiri allowed ninja to focus his mind and even distract his enemies these new skills led to ninjas being chosen for assassination and sabotage missions this work was considered dishonorable and dirty by most of the samurai and the general population the ninjas were people despised by society but vital agents during the sengoku jidai period the ninjas emerged as a serious threat they were hired as mercenaries and killed many generals samurai and nobles during the war they also infiltrated castles inside them they caused fires poison the water or food wells they even placed bombs destroying the gates of the castle and allowing the entrance of soldiers there were also female ninja the kunoichi their main role was to infiltrate where they pretended to be cooks or housekeepers to enter the castles and fortresses [Music] the most beautiful could pretend to be geishas the famous luxury curtisans this allowed them to get even closer to their targets these ninja arts became known as ninjutsu many ninjas even fought openly on the battlefields causing terror and confusion with their unusual tactics during the sengokujidai some ninja families emerged specialized in different secret arts two of these families had great prominence forming powerful clans the iga ryu clan the school or tradition of ega resided in the province of ega a mountainous area that was difficult to access at that time the clan koga ryu the school or tradition akoka was in the province of omi a humid region interrupted by rivers differences in terrain and environment allowed these two clans to create their own spying tactics these two ninja clans fought a secret war their members ambushed each other not only because they were hired to do so but also to eliminate rivals in order to control the espionage networks with this increase in ninja activities many became legendary warriors the most famous was hattori hanzo real name hatori masanari hattori hanzo was born in the province of ika and as was the tradition of his clan was trained as a child in the arts of ninjutsu at the age of 16 he was employed as a samurai in the service of tokugawa ieyasu hanzo was a master in the use of the spear his bravery and savagery on the battlefield made him known as oni no hanzo the devil hanzo one of hanzo's greatest contributions was the rescue of the wife and son of tokugawa who had been hostages thanks to hatori hanzo tokugawa managed to survive the sengokujirai and achieve the shogun title with the end of the wars the ninja clans became a serious concern of the feudal lords these clans had accumulated much information about members of the nobility trade routes and government fraud in order to control these clans and to end disputes between them the shogun tokugawa yoshimune eighth shogun of the tokugawa lineage created the oniwapanshu the oniwapanchu was a secret organization with members of the iga and kohler clans serving the shogunate its main role was to spy on feudal lores to prevent rebellion or corruption this organization existed officially until the beginning of the meiji restoration it is believed that some members were sent to the united states to spy on the us government during the meiji restoration samurai and ninja family members were banned from carrying weapons and in an attempt to end these families the japanese government imposed heavy taxes on them this caused many to flee to other parts of japan changing their last name during this period the image of the ninjas as practicing warriors of magic became popular in japan and the west stories about ninjas able to fly able to run over water or able to shoot fire with their hands filled the imagination of many people during the japanese invasion of maturia in 1931 some ninjas were recruited again to spy on the chinese government the ninjas were never officially extinct and some families kept the old names of their ancestors it's perfectly possible that ninjas are still among us nowadays watching our world as hidden warriors the samurai were the most important cast of warriors in feudal japan the bravery and loyalty of these elite warriors were legendary but even among them some stood out for their martial achievements or skills as commanders of troops in battlefields minamoto no yoshitone was a great samurai and member of the minamoto clan he was the ninth son of the minamoto lineage who fought a war against the taira clan for control of japan after an unsuccessful rebellion against the taiwan clan which had greater military power yoshizune's two older brothers were liquidated yoshisune still a baby was sent to be raised in a temple on mount hie near the city of kyoto legend has it that in his youth yoshisunae fled from the supervision of temple monks towards the mountains where he learned the art of the sword from a supernatural creature known as tengu when he came of age yosisune became a great general under his command the minamoto destroyed the taira clan initiating the first shogunate in japanese history the kamakura shogunate kusunogi masashige is one of the main symbols a loyalty in samurai history kusunoki lived during the kamakura shogunate and served the emperor gold daigo between the years 1324 to 1339 there was a civil war between the imperial government and the forces of the shogunate kusunoki fought numerous battles in defense of the imperial family but the enemies were many and determined having managed to defeat the imperial army the emperor and his family found refuge on mount hie knowing that they would be found and surrounded kusunoki gathered the last 700 warriors loyal to the emperor and running down mount hie he advanced against a far greater number of enemies kusunoki masahige died in that battle with his brother with his sacrifice he allowed the emperor to escape the impending siege tomoe was born around the year 1157 into a family of samurais she was trained since childhood to use bow and arrow and the naginata a heavy spear capable of knocking down a horse in addition to being a fearsome warrior tomoe had the reputation of being a beautiful woman in a perfect combination of beauty and danger tomoe fought in heavy armor she was always present at the most dangerous points of battle her end is uncertain some say she died next to her husband during a battle others claim that she ended her days living as a buddhist nun date masamune was one of the most iconic samurai in the edo period during his childhood masamune contracted smallpox an infectious disease that caused the loss of his right eye although the lack of an eye was a serious problem for a warrior it was not enough to stop masamune he became an active and ambitious young man at the age of 14 he participated in his first battle helping his father lead the attack against a rival clan at the age of 18 he was already a feared and respected samurai he was identifiable on the battlefields he wore a helmet with an ornament in the shape of a crescent moon masamune was the victim of a poisoning attempt by his own mother she thought her son's behavior was too raucous and wanted his younger brother to be the heir masamune survived this terrible attack and killed his brother securing his position as the daimyo he was nicknamed dokugan rio the eye dragon date masamune spent his entire life in battle he accumulated great wealth capturing castles and fertile lands he became famous for allowing european foreigners to enter his territories creating his own trade routes his admiration for western technologies led masamune to embark on the first maritime expedition in japanese history in this expedition he visited the philippines mexico spain and rome tadakatsu is known as the warrior who overcame his own death in the 55 military campaigns he participated in he was never injured they say he wasn't even hit once even though he fought actively on the front lines he served under the command of the mighty tokugawa ieyasu and helped pave the way for the creation of the tokugawa shogunate tarakatsu was a tall samurai and had frightening strength that made him even more dangerous when he used a spear called tonbo giddy he wore a helmet with a big deer antler his name was known and respected by all daimyos even among those who belong to enemy factions the famous oda nobunaga named him samurai among samurais is one of the most famous samurai of the sengoku period yukimura was known as the crimson demon of war and was one of the most skilled warriors in japan the sonata clan served different daimyos during the war but had a conflict with the powerful tokugawa clan during a battle in the region of nakasindo yukimura had only two thousand men under his command nevertheless they managed to defeat an army of forty thousand soldiers commanded by tokugawa hidetada at a military meeting with members of the sonata clan and the tokugawa clan yukimura swore he would rip the head off of tokigawa iyasu during a battle in the siege of osaka yukimura advanced towards the enemy army accompanied by a small group of samurai on horseback after fighting at every step he arrived at the place where tokugawa ieyasu was in an act of bravery he managed to hurt him yukimura deeply wounded and tired lost his strength and fell dead even ieyasu himself recognized yukimura as the greatest warrior in japan tokugawa ieyasu is believed to have died a few years later from the injury caused by sanada yukimura born in 1534 oda nobunaga is one of the best known names in japanese history during his childhood nobunaga was seen as a distracted child and was even called a fool because he played with other children a lower social strata nobunaga was an eccentric man he enjoyed several arts such as painting and a theatrical practice that combined singing music and poetry nobunaga was a fan of the use of firearms in japan buying these weapons from foreign european sellers such as the portuguese an exceptional military commander nobunaga managed to conquer much a japanese territory during the sengoku jirai defeating other powerful feudal lords at the height of his power oda nobunaga was betrayed by akechi mitsuhide one of his main generals he was surrounded inside the temple at honoji in a coup d'etat with no way out and fearing the dishonor of being captured by his former general nobunaga committed seppuku before he died he ordered to burn the temple his remains were never found born in miyamoto village and named shinmen taketso he was the son of a low-ranking samurai who served the tokugawa clan musashi was a violent child with a strong temperament he was avoided by many people in the village where he lived when musashi was only 13 years old a samurai named arima kihei visited his village looking for an opponent for a duel musashi accepted the challenge with only a wooden stick he managed to defeat the opponent who wielded a real sword at the age of 17 musashi engaged in the famous battle of sekigahara serving lord toyotomi hideyoshi a few years after the battle of sakigahara musashi began a journey in japan he sought self-improvement in martial arts challenging kenjutsu schools and even renowned samurai with proven skills miyamoto musashi's name became known throughout japan he received numerous invitations to serve many powerful daimyos musashi refused most preferring to dedicate himself to his personal journey in 1612 he had the famous duel against sasaki kojiro on the sands of the island of ganriujima musashi with only one rowing boat defeated kojiro who used a long sword striking a violent blow to his head musashi was never defeated at one over 50 duels in the last years of his life musashi lived alone in a cave where he dedicated himself to meditation and wrote the well-known book gorinosho the book of the five rings in this book musashi describes his experiences in his duels he teaches techniques of his ninten ichirio style which involved the use of two swords miyamoto musashi immortalized his name he is considered the greatest swordsman of all time and a legitimate representative of the samurai spirit [Music] the life of a samurai was full of obligations and codes of conduct that life would be put at the service of a feudal lord whom the samurai would have to obey and protect at all costs in turbulent times the samurai were crucial warriors and made a difference on the battlefields but wars also came to an end and after all what purposes do warriors serve when wars are no longer fought the low-ranking soldiers returned to their lives in the plantations and other daily jobs but for the dismissed samurai there were few alternatives to make a living many could not bear the shame of seeing their status diminished they would rather take their own lives to maintain their dignity others adapted to the new times they found a livelihood through trade or open academies to teach the art of the sword but for those who did not know how to engage in any other activity than combat all that remained was the destiny full of uncertainties the former samurais wandered around japan looking for jobs that needed strength or an intimidating presence they became known as ronin or waveman for not staying for long in the same place dispersing like the sea waves the ronin maintained the custom of carrying two swords at the waist but with less authority compared to the times when they had the title of samurai in fact many ronin were despised in japanese society most ordinary people did not like the samurai and unburdened the cells of their frustrations on those who had lost their nobility titles for that reason aroni could hardly get an honest job many in order to survive needed to sell their belongings including pieces of armor and even one of the swords being a ronin wasn't a lifestyle that one would opt for in an attempt to regain the title of samurai many ronin began to challenge famous swordsmen hoping to emerge victoriously in this way they could be famous increasing their chances of being hired by some feudal lord the ronin agreed to work as paid assassins mercenaries and tax collectors in some cases they organize themselves into groups to attack government convoys stealing money and other valuables that was also a way to take revenge against the feudal lords the story of the 47 ronin is one of the most fascinating in this story daimyo asano was ordained to commit seppuku after having offended and assaulted lord kira yoshinaka during a ceremony at the shogun palace the 47 samurai under asano's service were forbidden to follow their lord in death as was customary at the time and were relieved of their duties becoming ronin not accepting such an enormous injustice the 47 ronin spent three years in hiding and created a plan to take revenge on lord kira when they finally launched the attack the ronin invaded lord kira's mansion the guards of the mansion had no chance against the group avengeful ronin after killing lord kira the ronin were able to follow their master and they all committed seppuku thus recovering their honor the story of the 47 ronin is famous all over japan it is seen as an example that honor is above titles and injustices [Music] during the troubled history of feudal japan numerous wars were fought that influenced social organization culture and many aspects of the life of the ancient japanese the warrior class had a special place in japanese society with the famous samurai having the most prestigious position below only the nobility or the imperial family but the samurai were not the only elite warriors to fight on the battlefields and even they had equally skilled rivals the wars caused many misfortunes for the japanese population there was a constant increase of criminal groups who took advantage of the chaos and instability of governments to attack villages and even sacred temples the need to defend their sanctuaries caused the buddhist monks to initiate the practice of martial arts this was possible because some monks had a violent past as thieves mercenaries or even ex-samurai who then decided to seek a life of peace and harmony around the 10th century armed groups of buddhist monks with the name sohei meaning warrior monk appeared they quickly became to be recognized and feared for their military expertise religious divisions in the buddhist branches meant that the sohe did not have a centralized leadership but they were commanded by regional leaders with their own interests some temples began to maintain a regular army of warrior monks these were the main ones te and riyakuji temple near kyoto city todaiti temple in nara city and the medera temple built near malhie many of these temples were fortified becoming fortresses to prevent the attack of invaders there was also another group of monks who caused a supernatural fear in their enemies yamabushi the mountain monks the yamabushi were monks who lived like hermits in the mountains that were difficult to reach and full of wildlife there are many mysteries around the yamabushi as their religious practices involved exoteric concepts including the practice of exorcism divination and magic warrior monks also became more popular thanks to the support of the lower japanese classes most peasants disliked the samurai and the aristocrats they thought the monks were a kind of rebel defying the rules and laws imposed by the rulers for this reason some people thought that the sohe monks were holy men and others considered them evil enemies political rivalries between buddhist temples became even more evident in the 12th century when feudal lords daimyo began to seek the support of warrior monks in wars daimyo promised financial and political support to the temples which led many sohe groups to fight each other on opposite sides during the military conflicts it would be easy to recognize a sohei monk on the battlefield his equipment consisted of wearing traditional samurai armor but with the addition of a wooden rosary to his neck and sometimes they combine their traditional garments with a white hood over their heads and faces the sohe trained in the use of various weapons but became known for their lethality with the naginata a heavy halberd capable of devastating blows in addition to their martial talent the sohe fought supported by their faith often committing acts of fanaticism and giving up their own lives to achieve their goals this behavior caused the warrior monks of japan to be compared in modern times with the medieval knights of the templar and teutonic orders this religious fervor intimidated the enemy troops and increased the admiration of the population something that was not seen with good eyes by the feudal lords as they feared the growing influence of sohai and japanese society many daimyo saw the sohe as a serious threat against the samurai class and even the feudal system the famous oda nobunaga decided to fight the groups of warrior monks on september 29th 1571 oda nobunaga and his army of thirty thousand men besieged the enryakuji temple and defeated a large number of monks who had gathered to fight oda thousands lost their lives during the fighting and the temple was completely destroyed in the following years the sohe were persecuted by oda nomunaga and his successor toyotomi hideyoshi their temples were destroyed and they were forced to flee to the mountains with tokugawa ieyasu's military victory in 1603 and the establishment of a strong and organized central government the monks were forced to surrender and were banned from using weapons again the era of japanese warrior monks came to an end but their life philosophies fighting techniques and unshakable courage were an inspiration to subsequent generations honor courage benevolence and loyalty are some of bushido's main virtues the code of honor that guided the samurai warriors in their life of servitude and personal improvement for a long time the samurai were the dominant warrior class on the battlefields of feudal japan this superiority came from privileged training in different styles of martial arts and weapons such as bow and arrow spears and swords but the advancement of time is inevitable and progress eventually gave japan a new kind of weapon the age of firearms had started in 1543 portuguese merchants took to japan a weapon known in the west as archibus the japanese were impressed with the destructive power of the weapon capable of piercing even the thickest armor the japanese quickly created their versions of the firearm the tanegashima tanegashima was used by special units of ashigaru light infantry soldiers who represented a large part of the japanese feudal armies a few years after its introduction this new weapon completely changed the way of war in japan firearms were used mainly during the sengoku period when japan plunged into a terrible civil war where many feudal lords fought for the country's military supremacy in 1549 the famous oda nobunaga ordered 500 weapons for his army the effectiveness of the tanegashima was unquestionable compared to other traditional weapons the estimate says that a professional archer could shoot 15 arrows while a soldier orange with a rifle had to load the gun and could fire only once the round bullets used and rifles constantly changed direction making accuracy difficult also there was the problem of humidity and rain as the gunpowder could become unusable the japanese quickly created more effective models that were better able to withstand climate adversities they also developed new firing techniques the main one was to aim the weapons at a higher angle thus increasing the range and creating a rain of bullets on the enemy even the proud samurai could not deny the effectiveness of firearms and gradually began to include shooting training in their daily routines and contrary to what many think the samurai did not refuse to use these methods for them firearms were another instrument to be mastered and used against the enemies the greatest honor for a samurai was to defeat as many enemies as possible in a battle and do their duty for this he could use a sword or a rifle the brilliant japanese craftsman created a powerful variation known as ozotu tanegashima a heavy hand cannon that required a special posture to be fired despite its low accuracy the cannon could cause great damage especially if several were fired at the same time oda nobunaga was a great firearms enthusiast using many at the battle of nagashino in 1575 where he faced takeda shingen's army takeda shingen's cavalry was the strongest and most feared in all of japan at the time still it failed to defeat the three thousand men armed with tanegashima under nobunaga's command definitely marking the defeat of the takeda clan the demand for firearms was so great that for a long time japan manufactured more firearms than all of europe with the end of the wars and the beginning of the edo period which established 250 years of peace in japan firearms lost importance becoming restricted to activities such as castle defenses hunting and training during almost the entire edo period japan interrupted trade with foreigners and the tanegashima technology stagnated in 1867 japan reopened its doors to the outside world during the meiji era they realized that their weapons were already very obsolete because they were more advanced models used by europeans and americans the japanese put an end to the samurai era and embraced a new modern system of military recruitment importing new weapons into japan and establishing the japanese imperial army today many works represent the samurai as warriors who only use the sword and despise firearms but as history shows they not only used firearms but also had a great appreciation for the new technology that would change the world [Music] forever on the battlefields of medieval japan the sound of swords could be heard in the distance courage or cowardice were always present during the terrible battles some samurai performed heroic acts worthy of having their names recorded in history one of these samurai was takeda shingen who lived during the famous period of sengoku jidai also known as the warring states era shingen was born in kai prefecture a mountainous region west of tokyo he was the son of the takeda clan leader and right from childhood he was trained and educated to be his father's successor in his youth he already showed signs that he would be a great military leader shingen assumed a role of great importance in the takeda clan by the age of 15 he was already helping his father command troops in a battle against a rival clan but when shingen came of age he rebelled against his father he felt the takeda clan should strengthen itself and conquer new lands his father on the other hand was content only to protect his borders and so at the age of 21 takeda shingen became the leader of the powerful takeda clan conquering the title a daimyo takeda shingen was a perfect example of a samurai he was a skillful and fearless warrior a daring commander and a refined man who was very fond of music and poetry he was easily recognized in battle as he wore intimidating armor with red and gold colors and a great white mane when takeda shingen was 49 years old his clan was one of the few capable of taking on the mighty oda nobunaga who had already begun his campaign to unify japan was a powerful daimyo who also lived during the sengoku jidai he was born in echigo prefecture and his childhood was quite troubled his father was a famous warlord who was always in conflict with neighboring clans at the age of seven his father was killed in battle kenchin was sent to be raised in a buddhist temple where he lived the next eight years of his life at 14 uyasugi kinchin returned to his homeland he deposed his older brother to take control of his birth clan in the following years kimching focused his efforts on improving living conditions in echigo province establishing new business alliances and new buildings uesugi kinchin was famous for being an honorable and eccentric warrior he was a fervent buddhist follower and a follower of rice savannah the god of war his qualities as a warrior and military commander made him known as the dragon of echigo the peace lasted a short time in uasugi's life takeda shingen's ambition to conquer new land took him to areas near the province of echigo this is how one of the most famous rivalries of ancient japan was born uesugi kinchin against takeda shingen or as they became known the tiger akai against the dragon of echigo uesugi and takeda spent many years in arduous battles but neither side was able to take advantage but in 1561 kinshin defeated takeda's army forces and almost defeated him in battle during that battle uasugi kinchin identified an opening in the defenses of the opposing army and quickly seized the opportunity he instigated his horse and passed takeda's personal guards putting the two powerful generals face to face in battle kenchin struck a few sword blows against takeda he managed to defend himself in extremis using a fan made of wood known as tessen the duel was broken off when takeda's personal guards managed to drive uasugi away forcing him to retreat to his troops huasugi and takeda are said to have nurtured mutual respect and aberration after several years of battle they came to know each other's strengths and weaknesses that respect became clearer during a particular episode there was a lack of salt in kai province and since salt was highly valued at the time this was a difficult problem to solve upon learning of this uasugi sent many sacks assault to kai province although these were his declared enemies this noble act moved to takeda shingen who out of respect for his rival suspended the war for a period of time this legendary rivalry ended abruptly with takeda shingen's death takeda shinkan after defeating a large army combining the forces of the oda and tokugawa clans retreated to his military camp where he fell victim to a mysterious death he is believed to have died of pneumonia but other sources suggest it was a sniper shot when uasugi kinchin learned of takeda's death he said i lost my great rival we will never have another hero like that now that the takeda clan was weaker it seemed like nothing could stop oda nobunaga and his great army kinchin gathered 30 000 warriors at matsumoto castle where he would confront oda nobunaga's 50 000 men army even with this difference between the two armies uasugi managed to win the battle forcing the enemy to retreat uisugi kinchin continued to defend his clan until 1578 when he succumbed to a disease the story of these two great commanders is heroic and tragic these brave men who might have been friends in other times stood on opposite sides in a sad and devastating war [Music] you

Channel: See U in History / Mythology

Views: 264,689

Rating: 4.8945632 out of 5

Keywords: history, mythology, samurai, see u in history, see you in history, japanese history, ninja, war monk, ronin, katana, history of japan, japan, the tiger and the draron, sengoku, sohei

Id: f6l8_d2VtV0

Length: 49min 16sec (2956 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 15 2021