Erg.
Gents, I was joking about English in subtitles. JOKING, I say!
Seriously, I'll watch whatever movies y'all recommend on the subject, and
would prefer some sort of translation in to the bastard tongue of English,
but I can probably chew through something all in Japanese if I had to. I
just wouldn't know why people did what they did, but it's sorta like watching
those Japanese soap operas. It can be amusing... for a few minutes, if
"Desperate housewives" isn't on at the moment.
I sense that Momoyama period might, indeed, be the one I'd find the first
interest in, but only due to the relative safety of knowing a bit about the
1550s elsewhere in the European sphere and thus having some safety to flee
toward when cornered on a period. "Um... I don't know... um... but the
Fuggers *were* a very powerful banking family in the Germanies, you know."
See? Pull out not-very-useful fact and wave it around to distract people
while you slip the other direction.
While Mr. Turnbull is engaging in his own way, I was attracted to a shiny
thing, like a magpie, and went burbling into the pre-history of that
thoroughly unSamurai-like fellow, Mr. Ming ("The") and his happy, rollicking
dynasty. Now that we know the ships thing was related to the rise and fall
of the eunichs-- and make no mistake, no double entendre there; none
possible-- I'm still fascinated about what the heck those crazy Chinese were
thinking in 1351 during the whole Red Turban affair, and how it relates to
"let's sink a perfectly good largest fleet in the world in 1433 and turn
really insular." A monk, you say, as emporer? Preposterous.
In the meantime, then, I shall be chastened to return to the pearl isle to
learn more about how many soldiers you have to provide for every cho of
riceland you own (and here I thought, all along, Koko was the name of the
gorilla who did the sign language with a cat. With a CAT! The cat can't do
sign language. It was a doomed experiment).
This sort of mundane detail brings me to a quick question, perhaps not easily
answered: What did the sandal-bearer and the rain-hat carriers do? Rain-hat
carrier? This, from a list on page 9 of Mr. Turnbull's Samurai ("u" not "a")
Armies: 1550-1615 Osprey book. No offense to Tony, but this was the only
offering from those fine �5,000 per book fellows available at the Central
Library, so I took it.
You've got all these ashigaro carrying all sorts of things, but to have a guy
to carry rain hats? Interesting. And sandals? Wouldn't people carry their
own? Maybe they were artisans to make/create new ones when old ones wore out
or damaged. Still...
--- Silk Road School <
silk.road.school@...> wrote:
> Matt -
> I don't think anybody else is actually gong to be blatant or direct enough
> to recommend Anthony Bryant's Osprey book on the Samurai of the Tudor
> period
> (although oddly enough, as you may think, it isn't titled _exactly_ that),
> because Tony's too ethical (and too proud) to do it and Nate knows him too
> well... so I might as well just out and say it. Good book. (And I didn't
> even know the author was here when I signed onto the list.) Particularly
> interesting to you, I would guess, because of the period it covers - Japan
> during Queen Elizabeth's time (God save her).
> Now knowing your dramatic background, and knowing that this isn't your
> usual milieu (Pilot Adams, I presume? -Sorry, that's a kind of 'Shogun'
> joke), let me commend to your attention a few films for general 'feel'.
> None of these is actual history, of course. But there's lots (and lots and
> LOTS) of crrrap out there, and it's easy to get lost in delusions based on
> bad period drama. You know how it goes. (A perfectly pleasant and
> intelligent soul recently said here that "Rurouni Kenshin" seemed to be
> reasonably historical, for example, provoking uncontrollable fits of
> laughter from Tony.) So here's some _good_ period drama, by way of
> contrast.
> ...It'll be interesting to see how this list goes over on this list, in
> fact. (By the way, I have to admit here and now to a sneaking fondness for
> the manga of "Rurouni Kenshin" (I've seen nothing of the anime, so have no
> opinion), but let's say I've ...reserved judgement ...on any historical
> details I came across in the storyline...)
>
> Stuff by Kurosawa Akira (look under 'K', not 'A')
> Seven Samurai
> Hidden Fortress
> ...both set in the Warring States period (roughly while Gloriana sat the
> throne of England)
> Yojimbo
> Sanjuro
> ...some centuries later - these are bloody hilarious: and I mean both.
> As
> I recall, these are set in the mid-1800s.
>
> Stuff by Inagaki Hiroshi (under 'I', not 'H')
> Chushingura
> ...set about 1700 -the archetypal samurai epic: the 47 Ronin done on the
> scale of 'Gone With The Wind' - think of it as the Japanese cultural
> equivalent to Thermopylae, the Alamo, the Titanic, and the Easter Uprising
> all rolled into one. This film is long and slow, and it's hard for a
> gaijin
> (at least) to keep track of everybody the first time or two through it...
> but it's wonderful for all that. Many of the shots were taken directly
> from
> classic woodcuts of the episode.
> The Samurai Trilogy
> ...a popularised (and fairly implausible) version of the life of Musashi
> Miyamoto, author of the Book of Five Rings (or Spheres)... arguably the
> greatest of the samurai. (I've heard he's referred to as "Kensei" in
> Japan,
> and if someone would give me a more clear definition of that than Harris's
> "sword-saint" I would be most grateful.) Matt, I've made the better part
> of
> a life's study of this work. Strong talk from an Arrogant Son-Of-a-Bitch
> like me, you may note. I carry a small copy of the book on me the way some
> folks carry a Bible, and I have never exhausted what I can learn from it.
> If I ever achieve a fraction of Musashi's mastery, I will regard myself as
> fortunate beyond my deserts.
> ...Now don't expect this trilogy to make a hell of a lot of sense in terms
> of sequential plot line unless you've read the lengthy book on which it's
> based, but it's beautifully made and it's packed with a zillion little
> period details. The novel was written and serialised in the 1930s, and
> reflects some of the most impressively developed virgin/whore dichotomy
> I've
> ever seen anywhere.
>
> Now then: if Kitsuno (the list-owner: a Mysterious Figure with whom I've
> never exchanged a post: some say he's really a fox spirit), or Tony, Nate,
> Dean or any of you other elitist, ASOB lot have some suggestions I've
> missed, I'd be only too happy for the recommendation. I've just about got
> the ones I've listed memorised already. (I only pray I'm not opening a
> floodgate of raving fandom.)
> Gereg
>
>
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.
http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250