LEGENDS OF THE SAMURAI

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Elements of Japanese aesthetics were adopted in European decorative arts, furniture, paintings and textiles. Many artists and designers were influenced by the Japanese style like the English architect-designer Edward William Godwin who incorporated in his furniture designs elements of the “Anglo-Japanese” taste and the Aesthetic movement of the late 19th century. Yukimura was born in 1567 and was known as A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years” and “Crimson Demon of War”. His clan, the Sanada, was caught up in the wars of Oda Nobunaga and eventually found themselves split after Nobunaga’s death, fighting on different sides. He would later build a castle in Osaka. While trying to complete the late Nobunaga’s attempt at unifying the country, he clashed in battle with Tokugawa Ieyasu. The battle was inconclusive and the two samurai agreed to an alliance. From an early age, he faced many challenges, facing death during the Heiji Rebellion in 1160 and placed in the care of monks at Kurama Temple at age ten.

Kotaro’s machine had never failed even once. But one day, while testing an ancient and authentic Muramasa sword, something went terribly wrong. First of all, while in possession of the Muramasa, his heart would not stop pounding fast. Then while he tested the metal’s sharpness, the machine would go crazy and numbers would jump up and down on the scale. He then decided that this type of metal could not be scanned and that something was wrong with it. The only real oddity is the Unearthed Arcane like weapon proficiency system. Rather than the usual Simple, Martial, and Exotic it divides weapons into groups and exotic weapons. During the mid nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century several private collections of Japanese artefacts were assembled.Founder of the city of Sendai, Date Masamune lived from 1567 to 1636. He was an incredible tactician. As a child, smallpox caused him to lose sight in his right eye, which was later removed. He continued to serve Ieyasu through many battles and campaigns and died in 1610, considered one of the shogun’s most loyal retainers and even his toughest general. 10. Uesugi Kenshin (1530 – 1578) After the death of Oda Nobunaga, he helped lead Tokugawa Ieyasu to safety and some sources state that he helped rescue Ieyasu’s family. He served until he died suddenly at 55, supposedly collapsing while hunting- or died in a fight with a pirate, or spent his last days as a secluded monk. In the nine years since the restoration of the Meiji Emperor, the Japanese government actively promoted Japanese craftsmen and industrial designers at the First Domestic Industrial Fair held in Tokyo in 1877, and later participated at the International Exhibitions in Europe and United States with great success, gaining recognition by many collectors and scholars in the West for the excellent Japanese craftsmanship.

He passed away in 1616 and his mausoleum at Nikko is one of the most important shrines in the country. 3. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537 – 1598) Masamune is the most renowned Japanese swordsmith. More or less, he came from the same period as Sango Muramasa. They were both extremely good Katana makers and in some stories, they appear competing against each other to find the best sword. According to one such story, one day, Masamune and Muramasa were testing their swords’ sharpness and durability. However, as both did exceptionally well, they decided to place their swords inside a fast-moving river to test them better. When inside the river, with the blade tip pointing against the current, the swords cut dead leaves swiftly in halves without a problem. But when fish or other types of debris passed by, the Muramasa katana was the only one that killed. The last chapter covers basic Japanese weapons in plenty of detail. It suits this game and is easy to shift into any other game as well. To my surprise I found a few weapons, the O-Yumi (a crossbow) and the Himo Gatana (Stilleto) which I was not familiar with. I appreciate the attention to detail.

Private Collections

You live in Feudal Japan, where many are weak and few are strong. The road to Greatness is not an easy one. Samurai must train in the martial arts to destroy their enemies. Clans must battle to survive. Learn the ways of the Samurai to protect your allies and slay your enemies. You control your own destiny. Do you choose to prey upon the weak or to be preyed upon? Yoshitsune fell out of political favor when his brother Yoritomo schemed to end his growing power and forced him to flee to Kyoto. He found refuge with Fujiwara no Yasuhira, son of his childhood protector. However, with pressure from Yoritomo, he had Yoshitsune’s residence surrounded, defeated his retainers, and forced him to commit suicide. Many of the samurai are almost larger than life. Their fame has lasted centuries. Here are some of Japan’s famous samurai warriors! 1. Miyamoto Musashi (1584 – 1645) Miyamoto Musashi. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. At four years old, Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to the Imagawa clan to secure an alliance. He was raised and educated in their court. In 1567, he took leadership of his clan and changed his name to Tokugawa, after his family’s home region, and took the first name Ieyasu. Hanzo’s ferocity and skill in battle caused him to be known as “Demon Hanzo”. He is closely associated with ninjas due to his association with his native Iga Province, the center of ninjutsu.

After finding that the land he had been gifted was not as productive as hoped, he took himself, his family, and 52,000 vassals to the small fishing village of Sendai, causing it to grow into a prosperous city. A welcome antidote to the one-dimensional image of the samurai...a revealing, entertaining, and often surprising portrait of pre-modern Japan's heroic warrior elite." - Mangajin

The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is a legendary sword in Japanese mythology and is believed to have been wielded by the god Susanoo and the Samurai warrior Yamato Takeru. According to legend, the sword possesses magical powers and is one of the three sacred treasures of Japan, along with the mirror Yata no Kagami and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama. The sword is often associated with the divine right to rule and has played an important role in Japanese history and mythology. With his forces whittled down to 70, he committed suicide and died in 1336. His devotion and cunning have made him a very popular samurai and he is renowned as a hero especially in his native Osaka. 6. Hattori Hanzo (1542 – 1597) Second the flavor of these martial arts and feats is second to none. The feel authentic and cinematic while maintaining game balance. My knowledge of Japan is pretty much limited to video games, movies, and So Taguchi. While probably half the DVDs I own are Japanese in origin, they are pretty much Kaiju movies (ie, Godzilla, Gamera, or my favorite, Mothra). So this is going to be a relatively short review, since I don't know much about the subject material.