Relationship between Swordsmanship and Japanese Religion (both History and Film)

[Shosetsu]

In the Japanese culture, Swordsmanship is intertwined with its Religions. It can be seen in Shintoism in which one of its three sacred objects is a Sword. Strangely, Shintoism is animism, which means nature-worship, that certain dieties reside in trees, rivers, etc. The reason I say it's strange is because animism is usually considered a primitive religion which normally becomes outdated and obsolete in the modern-day society. Yet even in an advanced society such as Japan, animism as a major religion continues to survive. And the Sword is a major part of it.

Since this forum is about films, let's take a look at the spiritual use of the Sword in that media. My favorite example is from Nemuri Kyoshiro. No, not the Raizo version, but the version starring actor Kataoka Takao. In this version with Kataoka, there is one episode where Kyoshiro mentions his relationship to his Sword, the Muso Masamune. What he says is quite brief, and his statement is open to multiple interpretations.

What he says is that his Sword is Female. The first impression I got is that it has to do with Shintoism in its animistic belief of different spirits or dieties inhabiting certain objects. Compared with the Raizo version in which Raizo showed Kyoshiro as a lecherous womanizer, the Kataoka version is entirely different in that he instead shows aloofness toward women. That is in addition to his concern for women, as opposed to the Raizo version of ruthlessness. Along the way from Raizo to the version with Tamura Masakazu, the Nemuri character underwent an evolution in which Kyoshiro went gradually from ruthless to remorseful to compassionate.

In one episode with Kataoka, Nemuri even blames himself for the death of a Woman even though it's not his fault at all. That is, when assassins from the Satsuma clan attacked him, the Woman was an innocent bystander who got killed indirectly during the Swordfight. If it was the Raizo version, Nemuri would have cared not the slightest whit about the Woman's death. This seemingly drastic change in Nemuri's character seemed to have begun in the Tamura Masakazu version and reached its culmination with Kataoka Takao. Evidently, the Female-Spirit in his Sword which the Kataoka version mentions has much to do with his newly-found conscience.

[Shosetsu]

Besides the religion of Shintoism, Japanese Swordsmanship also has a relationship with Zen-Buddhism, specifically its principle of Mu-shin, which means "No-Mind." In this mental state, the Swordsman does Not feel any fear or anger, and, for that matter, does Not even think. Well, at least not in the sense of strategizing his moves. At that point of Mu-shin, you could say that instead of the man guiding the Sword, it's the Sword guiding the man.

[Shosetsu]

In the sixth installment of Nemuri(Kataoka version), he is ambushed by being tricked into using an umbrella that spurts out a paralyzing powder when the umbrella is opened.

Narrowly escaping the subsequent attack by assassins who take obvious advantage of his orchestrated paralysis, Nemuri groggily finds his way to a brothel.  Luckily the sa-ke he drinks, neutralizes the paralysis.

At the brothel, in a conversation with a baishun, the baishun comments, "You don't seem happy."  To which Nemuri  replies, "What is happiness?"

Now if you really think about his reply in terms of spirituality and Nemuri's attitude, he is actually beyond happiness. And for that matter, beyond sadness too.  This is the actual and ultimate goal of Zen Buddhism with which I began this thread.  In other words, the ultimate goal of Zen spirituality is not to attain happiness but instead serenity.  And it's that attitude which can be seen in Nemuri's dialogue.

 

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

Turns out that it isn't just Chinese WuXia that exaggerates the honorable warrior-

http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/asian_studies/000017.shtml

The samurai originated during the Heian period (794-1185 A.D.) in Japan (‘samurai’ is derived from ‘saburafu’, which means “to serve”). They were local strongmen employed by military nobles who brought them along as servants on trips to the capital. Despite what the typical modern samurai image may lead you to believe, there was nothing loyal, chivalrous, or noble about these men. If anything, they were ambitious warriors who sought to enrich themselves above all else. They were not loyal to their masters by decree of some unwritten honour code (read: bushido or “the way of the warrior” didn’t exist at this point), nor were they inherently good by any stretch of the imagination. They were loyal only because they were rewarded for their services, and their allegiances could shift at any time. The court provided strong monetary incentives to those who put down rebellions, and thus samurai would eagerly carry out orders no matter what moral strings were attached, often killing their fellow warriors. The samurai at this point in time were nothing but employed thugs; mercenaries with no calling to king or country.

That’s a great example of loyalty, right? Not at all. The idea of the “loyal warrior” is one of the stronger conceptions surrounding the samurai, but it wasn’t a factor until many centuries after their emergence. This can be misleading if you read old Japanese stories about famous warriors living in the 12th century, for instance, as there are many examples of the utmost loyalty in these tales. The thing is, many of these tales were taken out of their original context and rewritten centuries later to reflect the idealized values of that time, not those of the past. Many of these re-edited compilations are the versions that are presently in common circulation, and it can take some digging to unearth the older, less embellished editions.

To give you an example of how these stories have changed over time to reflect the idealized virtues of a particular era, consider the deaths of two famous Japanese generals: Minamoto no Yoshinaka and Minamoto no Yoshitsune. In the earliest versions of the Heike monogatari (a chronicle of the war between the Minamoto and Taira clans for dominance of Japan) written closest to the time of their deaths in the late 12th century, both warriors were described as being killed by their enemies. However, in later retellings (Tomoe and Yoshitsune: A 15th Century Chronicle, for example), both characters commit seppuku (ritual suicide) instead. This illustrates how history can be rewritten so that people see what they want to see in the past, whether or not it is true. It is important that we are aware that history can easily be manipulated if we fail to think critically and challenge what is incorrect.

Here’s another example of rewritten history. In the earliest sources revolving around Yoshitsune’s endeavours in the Genpei war, the name “Benkei” is never once mentioned. However, in Yoshitsune: A 15th Century Chronicle, a retelling of the same events, Yoshitsune befriends a seven-foot tall warrior monk named Benkei who becomes his sworn protector to the very end. The enormous monk is celebrated to this day for his undying devotion to Yoshitsune, and his famous standing-death has become a motif of extraordinary loyalty and purpose.

The truth is, Benkei probably never existed. He is more likely the fictive work of romanticizing minds in the 15th century who wished to embody the virtue of loyalty that was becoming a part of the idealized samurai of that time period. Considering the two examples I’ve just given of samurai ideals that developed over time (ritual suicide and loyalty), it’s no stretch of the imagination to consider that the samurai in existence prior to the Tokugawa period (1600-1868 A.D.) were nothing at all like those you see depicted today in anime, video games, and other mediums. It was not until the 17th century that the samurai would become anything like the characters who entertain and inspire us today.

Once again referring to the Heian period, the samurai became crucial to the protection of landholders and aristocrats over the course of this era and developed a “monopoly” of sorts over the conduct of warfare in Japan. If a conflict was to break out, you can be certain that all involved parties would bring in their samurai to do battle.

The widespread employment of samurai by nobles culminated in a conflict known as the Hogen Disturbance of 1156, wherein there was an internal conflict at court between the imperial family and the powerful Fujiwara family. Both sides summoned their retainers, who led armies of mounted warriors into the capital to battle for control of the imperial court. With the support of the Taira clan, Emperor Go-Shirakawa was able to defeat the Fujiwara family, who were backed by the Minamoto clan. However, just three years later, the Minamoto forces returned to fight against the Taira in what would become known as the Heiji Incident. The Minamoto warriors were again crushed and scattered. However, they would return again over twenty years later to stage the Genpei War (1180-1185), at last emerging victorious over the Taira clan. Minamoto no Yoritomo would then set up the Kamakura bakafu, marking the beginning of samurai rule that would last for hundreds of years.

However, in the Sengoku Jidai period (1467-1573), peasants were reintroduced to Japanese warfare as foot soldiers for the first time in centuries, and thus the samurai were no longer the exclusive practitioners of war. They took on the role of officers so that they were elevated above the conscripted peasants, but needed to find more tangible ways to distinguish themselves from the commoners. Accordingly, they were forced to answer a difficult question: what made them inherently better than any other person?

 

The Sword

The samurai’s increasingly desperate need to establish their supremacy as warriors led to the widespread adoption of what is perhaps the most recognizable aspect of the samurai as we see them today: the sword; the supposed soul of the samurai. The sword is something that the average present-day anime or game enthusiast considers integral to the samurai, but in reality, it only became an essential part of their culture a few hundred years before their elimination in the Meiji era.

Prior to the 15th and 16th centuries, do you know what the favoured weapon of the samurai was? It certainly wasn’t the katana, the broad sword, or any other type of sword. In fact, there’s no mention whatsoever of the sword as the “soul of the samurai” prior to a statement made by Tokugawa Ieyasu at the beginning of the 17th century. Prior to this time, the samurai were in fact mounted archers who were highly skilled with the bow and arrow, occasionally using other weapons if necessary. For the greater part of their history, the sword was not an important weapon to the samurai.

It wasn’t until the 15th and 16th centuries when the samurai were pressured to elevate themselves above the common soldier that there was a massive emergence of sword schools. Since the size of armies had increased tremendously during this time period (as a result of reintroducing peasant foot soldiers to warfare, battles were now fought by 10-20,000 soldier armies), the sword became practical in the chaos of close-quarters combat. Thus the samurai would train to become master swordsmen so that they could confirm their martial skills as superior to those of the peasantry.

This also marked the beginning of a considerable focus on the martial arts and the ongoing task of perfecting oneself through them. The practice of martial arts led many samurai to wander across the land, challenging the students and masters of other schools to establish their supremacy. That almost sounds like the synopsis for a Way of the Samurai game, doesn’t it?

Considering that the samurai were horsemen who wielded the bow and arrow for the better part of their existence, it’s interesting that we almost never see them depicted this way in video games or other media. But that’s not all that’s gone awry in the samurai images of contemporary times.

 

On Bushido and Honour

Despite its assumed antiquity, bushido or “the way of the warrior”, is an even more recent aspect of samurai culture than the sword. In fact, the term itself was coined in modern times, so if you were to ask a samurai about bushido even in the 17th century, they would likely stare at you in confusion. Discussion of the origins of a less contrived samurai ‘honour code’ lends itself to better introspection. The results of any research into the subject reveal limited evidence of honour (by Western standards) in samurai culture. Prior to the Tokugawa era, the only notable attempt to corral a strict set of samurai values can be attributed to Hojo Soun (1432? – 1519) who wrote “Lord Soun’s Twenty-One Articles”, a number of lessons directed at regulating the behaviour of samurai retainers. Hojo Soun’s work was before its time, though, and a prevalent structure of samurai values would not be solidified for many years to come.

Yet even when samurai ideals became most rigid, it seems likely that more so than any written code, it was a new brand of Confucianism which gained popularity in the Tokugawa era that inspired much of the samurai ethics as we know them today. Neo-Confucianism put loyalty at the very core of its ideology and promoted rationalism, social harmony, and learning. Not only do these ideas capture the essence of the idealized Tokugawa samurai but they also reflect the stereotypes common to 21st century samurai entertainment.

With regard to the more open-ended matter of honour itself, what did honour mean to the samurai? Both inside and outside of battle, it certainly meant nothing to the samurai of the Heian age. However, it became exceedingly important in the late stages of samurai history, ironically in a time of peace; the Tokugawa era, wherein it prominently factored into political and social conduct. However, our Western conception of ‘honour’ did not mean very much to the samurai at any point in time as far as the conduct of battle was concerned. The samurai valued practicality above all else. In war they would frequently break truces, ambush opponents, attack in the middle of the night, and make use of any deception that would give them the edge. The concept of honour, as we see it in the relatively honest conduct of warfare in medieval Europe did not have an equivalent in Japanese culture. There was nothing at all ‘honourable’ about their wartime tactics by our definition of the term. If one was not on their guard against deception at all times, it could spell ruin for their forces.

You’ve probably noticed a recurring theme throughout this article. That is to say that the samurai image we see today is drawn almost entirely from the Tokugawa era, neglecting the greater portion of the samurai’s existence. That considered, here is some food for thought: the Tokugawa era was a time of previously unmatched peace in Japanese society. There wasn’t any genuine need for specialized warriors, and thus the samurai lived on primarily in name and status only. Their swords were essentially for decorative purposes (as well as inconsequential dueling), and a samurai’s ideal objective was to attain a post in the government, not to ride into battle and kill people for money. They were essentially nothing more than a ruling class privileged by birthright, and were extremely disconnected from the fierce samurai warriors of the past. It became necessary to create traditions like the wearing of swords, ceremonial tea-drinking, and other exclusive “samurai traits” in order to stave off their inevitable abolishment. Admittedly, they were a superfluous burden on Japanese civilization; an inflated ruling class (5-10% of population) that contributed little to society but drained a considerable amount of wealth. That said, their elimination in the years of the Meiji Restoration was most definitely warranted for the betterment of the nation.

When stacked up against their ruthless warrior ancestors, the Tokugawa samurai samurai were like cheap imitators that fail to capture the essence of their source material but created a new phenomenon instead. The most important knowledge to take away from this study is the understanding that the samurai we see in popular culture today are a fabrication based upon the Tokugawa fabrication of the original samurai. Just like Tokugawa ‘samurai’ nobles and the writers of such stories as Tomoe and Yoshitsune: A 15th Century Chronicle before them, we’ve taken fragments of a past culture and infused it with embellished or purely fictional elements so that it appeals to our ideals.

Samurai images today take the Tokugawa samurai, tailor it to the desires of a modern audience, overlook the fact that the samurai were nothing like we imagine them to be for the majority of their existence, and repackage the constantly-changing warrior class into a simplified stereotype that sits well with our view of idealized heroism and other exciting ideas. For the West, the appeal of the samurai figure is just another example of our infatuation with Orientalism: the supposed exoticism of East Asia. On the part of the Japanese, the pop culture reinvention of the samurai — a societal class that that hasn’t existed for over one hundred years, and arguably lost its essence long before then — exemplifies an urge to make Japan stand apart from the rest of the world. The reinvented samurai and their deeply embellished, often fictional ideals set up yet another front for Japanese culture with which the common Japanese person is likely as mystified as any foreigner.

 

November 26, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Charles Sharam . Comments: Leave a comment

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May 6, 2009
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[Shosetsu]

Much as I hate to say it, the other poster misunderstood the intent of my thread. The intent is not Bushido.  Instead the intent is to show the relationship between Swordsmanship and Japanese religion, exactly as stated in the thread's title.  That point can be seen in the great Swordsman Miyamoto Musashi's book, The Book of Five Rings,  especially in the chapter called "The Void," clearly derived from the Buddhist teaching of Mu-shin (Emptiness).

[Shosetsu]

An underlying element in the Nemuri series (Kataoka version) is the Conspiracy of the 13 Clans. That Satsuma group is the same Satsuma we see in the Yagyu Jubei Abaretabi series.  With Chiba Shinichi in the titular role and with Shiomi Etsuko as Akane, that series had great action. In that series, Jubei goes Undercover for Shogun Iemitsu. At one point, Jubei fights a Swordsman who uses the technique Jigen-ryu.  Jigen-ryu is called a Dragonfly stance because the Sword is held vertically above the right shoulder.  I don't see it used in Kendo tournaments nowadays but it's still used as part of Iaido exercises.

[odioustrident]

The 1967 Nemuri Kyoshiro TV series had an episode called 無明剣 Mujirushi sword . This translates roughly as Unmarked Sword or Unbranded Sword. I always wanted to see it because the name evokes the concept of Silent Sword that pops up in the story Great Boddhissatva Pass ( adapted as Sword of Doom, Souls in the Moonlight and the Satan's Sword trilogy). Another " No Style" swordsman is cut down by the hero of the New Lone Wolf and Cub manga after a brief discussion of philosophy and language.

An interesting but tenuous connection to Bruce Lee can be drawn here. Bruce is believed by some to have grabbed his circular hand movements with the afterimage effects from the Nemuri Kyoshiro films. He was also a big fan of Tatsuya Nakadai and supposedly Sword of Doom! Bruce often discussed Style with No Style as a concept. If this was an established concept in samurai film he may have been influenced on this particular point.

[odioustrident]

https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ETD_SUBID:157569

This article really opened my eyes in regards to this topic.

[Shosetsu]

Thanks for those links, Trident. It had lots of information that I did not know about Shibata Renzaburo.

But it still makes me wonder whether the version of Nemuri which starred Kataoka Takao used the actual stories from Shibata or not.  Because the version with Kataoka is so different from the Raizo version.  After all, the Raizo version had the character as so ruthless but the Kataoka version had Nemuri even blaming himself for a lady's death even though it was not Nemuri's fault at all. 

[odioustrident]

I think the Nemuri of the novels was not a good guy. The TV version may have toned down the negative content... although I remember a scene from the first series where he cuts down that episode's heroine just because the villain used her as a human shield!

[Shosetsu]

On 11/29/2018 at 11:30 AM, odioustrident said:

I think the Nemuri of the novels was not a good guy. The TV version may have toned down the negative content... although I remember a scene from the first series where he cuts down that episode's heroine just because the villain used her as a human shield!

Trident-- are you referring to the version starring Tamura Masakazu?  Those are not to be confused with the 2-hour tv-movies that Tamura did almost Ten Years after he did the TV series!  If you count both his movies and TV series, then Tamura did even more of Nemuri than Raizo ever did!

Then there is also the Kataoka version where he is so aloof to women, so sexually abstinent that he seems a Saint when compared with Raizo as habitual womanizer.  To me, the version starring Kataoka where he practices abstinence makes so much more sense because a Master Swordsman would avoid any womanizing because it would distract from his Swordsmanship.  That can be seen in the stories of the historical Miyamoto Musashi who totally avoids contact with women because he has to focus on his Swordsmanship.

In the Kataoka series, there is one episode where a beautiful princess has the hots for Nemuri and wants him to make love to her (and with no strings attached!).  But Nemuri refuses!  Goodness gracious, that version of Nemuri has the mental composure of Star Trek's Mr. Spock!  

Seriously, though, I think that the Supreme Swordsman would have to be both a master swordsman as well as a Buddhist ascetic.  That's why I prefer the Kataoka version who practices abstinence.

[odioustrident]

I am referring to the 1982 Kataoka TV series. Each episode was written and directed by different people so maybe that is why there are different interpretations in one season. In the essay I linked earlier it mentions that Nemuri was trained in a Buddhist style of swordsmanship but rebelled against it... instead using the technique to lull his enemies into a "void." I do also agree that a chanbara show focusing on Buddhist themes should have a stoic and ethical hero.

[Shosetsu]

The "Void" that you mentioned is certainly a big part of Zen Buddhism.  It was also an important component of Miyamoto Musashi's Book of 5 Rings.

Nowadays in the martial art of Kendo-Swordsmanship-- in order to achieve the coveted Hachidan (8th rank), it's interesting that even if you defeat your opponent, the judges won't award you that rank if your spirituality is seen to be lacking.  Because the Hachidan level is not about defeating your opponent but instead to attain spiritual development.  As the saying goes, "He who has conquered himself is greater than he who has conquered a thousand foes."

[Shosetsu]

In the Nemuri episode "Wicked Woman Whose Whisper Kills," there is a segment where Kyoshiro is doing an ink painting.  It's a spooky painting, maybe even an unnerving one because it depicts a scene from Hell itself.  His sidekick Kimpachi is understandably rattled by viewing the scene.

What baffles me is Kyoshiro's statement that he is destined to wind up in Hell.  Actually, you would think he would wind up in Heaven because many times he selflessly helps people in need.  I suppose that co-relates more with author Shibata Renzaburo's original conception of the character--- wheras the actions of the TV version, by comparison, shows such a striking contrast.  In some other episodes, Nemuri goes even beyond compassion by showing altruism.  For example in the episode "Journey with Child," he blames himself when a girl's elderly grandfather is accidentally killed when assassins attacked Kyoshiro.  Blaming himself, Kyoshiro helps the girl find her lost Mother.

[Shosetsu]

Going back to the actual history of Swords and their relationship to Japanese religion, I guess the most famous would have to be the Kusanagi sword because it is enshrined at one of the Shinto temples.  That Sword is believed to have the supernatural power of controlling the wind, because it saved the life of the warrior Yamato Takeru.  His enemies had trapped him on a grassy plain by setting fire to all the grass. But Yamato managed to use the Sword to redirect the wind so that the flames swept toward his enemies.

Due to its supernatural properties, the Kusanagi sword is tied to the Japanese religion of Shintoism so, as I said, is also enshrined at one of the Shinto temples.

[Shosetsu]

While I'm at it about that Kusanagi Sword, let me add that it also made an appearance in Stanley Sakai's Usagi Yojinbo magazine.