OT: A New Pinnacle of Frustration

So my professor and I had an argument today about kabuki, and why I
think it was wise of the Tokugawa to control it. Finally, I conceded
defeat (I still want to pass this course). In response, I spent the
next 20 minutes writing this poem, titled simply, "Samurai".

SAMURAI
-------

You see murder,
I see power.
You see filth,
I see loyalty.
Giri- the sense of duty.
Makoto- total devotion.
Do you know
the pain they felt?
Do you know
how the people
in Aizu and Nagaoka
stood their ground?
Do you see
anything beyond war?
Can you see
Musashi, his swords to one side,
sculpting?
Do you hear
the komuso warriors
playing mournful tunes
on the shakuhachi flute?
Do you see
the arrangement of flowers
before the mounted suit of armor?
Do you hear
the poems
being composed under
falling blossoms?
Do you see
the daimyo
visiting the teashops
in Edo?
Do you hear
the laughter and
vitality?
Do you see
Tokugawa Yoshimune
reading the complaints
from his suggestions box? (Author's note: Real historical fact)
Do you realize
that the country was at peace?

You see a sword
and smell murder.

I see a sword
and see the extension of a soul.

The word "samurai"
means "one who serves".
They lived with war
so others wouldn't.
They lived in harmony
with nature.
Whatever was taken from
the earth in those daysd
was returned to it.
In the days of the shoguns
the water
from the Sumida River
in Edo was clean enough
to brew tea with.
Not any more!
Are the samurai so bad,
so vile and vicious?

You see a murderer,
I see a protector.

You smell blood,
I see falling cherry blossoms.

Tokugawa Ieyasu
brought the nation
out of centuries of war.
Do you think he's evil for that?
Granted, the Tokugawa
ruled with an iron fist--
but would it have been better
for the country to have
stayed in perpetual strife?

You smell blood
I smell toil.

You see a sword
I see a code.

Are they so evil?
Are they so cruel and heartless?
You speak of haiku--
do you so easily forget
that Matsuo Basho himself
was a samurai of Iga province?
Are the 47 loyal retainers
evil for avenging their lord?
You say that their period, the Genroku era,
was the high point of Edo culture.
Was that not also
the most corrupt part
of the Tokugawa era?

You see a sword
I see a spirit.

You see murder
I see fidelity in revenge.

----------

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "Shimazu Masayoshi"
wrote:

> So my professor and I had an argument today about kabuki, and why I
> think it was wise of the Tokugawa to control it.

Ofcourse in our day and age we believe in free speech and the
representation from all sides. Now, I don't know enough about kabuki,
but weren't there other forms of entertainment that the masses could
view...all of which could be well beyond the control of the Tokugawa? I
bring this up because I study Thailand and although theatre/poetry that
has been recorded and handed down is supposed to be "court"
entertainment however there is more than enough evidence suggesting
that whatever was popular amongst the "lower" class soon became
popular in the courts as well. And yes ofcourse the upper class didn't
enjoy seeing themselves mocked/parodied but they couldn't REALLY
stop it. So the issue may be "how effective was the Tokugawa was in
controlling kabuki?".

Feudalism=bondage/vassal system there is no denying this...similarly so
was the monarchical system in Thailand before 1932 however many
ancient poems I read convey the need for the leader to be sure that the
people were well fed and that the leader be just (to the point of people
summoning the leader with a bell to preside over major conflicts). Note
the people could call upon the leader. Thus, there is a very CLEAR
understanding that an unjust leader will be overthrown...mismanagement
of the government will result in challenges. My point is
that "mainstream" history is based on generalizations and that cannot be
avoided because people have to start "somewhere" before mastering a
body of knowledge.

Try to be respectful when addressing your professor and understand that
it is very healthy to see things from many points of view...it is not
innappropriate to type a short and sincere apology:) It is odd that your
instructor seems to disregard the fact that the samurai ideal can be
found in all social classes and in the case of Aizu amongst women and
peasants as well...they weren't -just- defending their lord but their
homes/families and basically the only world they have ever known
(seeing how people rarely travelled beyond their domain). Ofcourse the
ideal, like religion, has been at times manipulated and its followers
exploited but alongside these cases people like your professor must
acknowledge that there are those who have interpreted the samurai
ideals in a noble way as well.

Wow. . . very nice poem, and very nicely put. :-) You must be so
frustrated in that class! :-P



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I'm sorry-- I should have clarified-- I wrote it as a response, but
didn't give it to him. I never would. This was written more to calm me
down than to respond to him.

--M.