I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Book review: Historian uncovers lesser-told stories of samurai
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By Kang Hyun-kyung
By Kang Hyun-kyung
The samurai have long been portrayed as the epitome of Japanese warriors' courage and unwavering loyalty to their masters. They are a cultural icon of the valor of Japan.
The now disappeared warriors are well-known for committing ritual suicide with their own sword in the event they were defeated on the battlefield, rather than pleading with their enemies for their lives.
According to Japanese historian Masaaki Takahashi, however, the samurai were not all about heroics, bravery and loyalty.
Like all people, the samurai were humans with their own needs and desires and they tried to meet their needs, not always sacrificing themselves for the cause. Some misused their skills and military training to make personal gains. Some played hitman-like roles by killing their masters' enemies.
Unlike popular portrayals of the samurai as being faithful only to their masters, the samurai during the medieval days of Japan were like “nomads” wandering from one master to another searching for better working conditions.
In his 2018 book “Bushi No Nihonshi” ― recently translated into Korean and published by HanulMPlus publishing house under the title “The History of The Samurai” ― Takahashi examines thoroughly the Japanese warriors since they appeared in the ninth century as the private armies of the nobility until their disappearance in the 19th century.
The historian says quite a bit of their image was invented.
Compared to the warriors of medieval Europe who worked for their employers ― lords ― based on contracts, Takahashi said the samurai of Japan were more subjugated to their masters personally.
“There are two types of samurai. One was fully dependent on their masters … while the other were contract-based warriors who were free to leave their masters once their contracts of service were over,” the book reads.
The samurai are portrayed as heavily armored soldiers with leather body armor and swords, a description the author says is not quite accurate. “It was archery, not swordsmanship, which characterized the Japanese warriors,” he said.
Unlike the popular image of samurai committing suicide when they were captured by their enemies, the author says surrender didn't translate into shame.
According to him, the fate of samurai prisoners of war depended on whether they were captured or surrendered. Their fates differ as some were victimized at the cruel hands of the victors. “During the medieval days of Japan, those who were captured were treated relatively generously. People didn't blame them for being captured because it was not their fault… Some of the captors even became part of the victors' armies,” the book read.
It went on to say the samurai id their masters' dirty laundry, such as assassinations or revenge killings and their violence often led to gang fights.
“History of Samurai” by Masaaki Takahashi
“The History of The Samurai” suggests conventional beliefs about the samurai's complete loyalty to their masters is untrue. “Just like plants are swayed by the wind,” the book says, the samurai searched for new masters who were mightier and richer than their previous one.
There are historical records about a samurai who had served 40 or 50 different masters one after another and the warrior recalled he found his attitude and loyalty had changed depending on the masters he had served.
Some samurai prioritized personal gain and fame.
In an epilogue, Takahashi is critical of the inappropriate representation of the samurai in modern Japan.
“Few people raise questions about the use samurai associations when describing Japanese sports,” he wrote. “For instance, men's national football team is called “Samurai Blue,” a baseball team named “Samurai Japan” … although warriors and sportsmen are very different. The critical difference between sports and war is that safety is guaranteed in a stadium, whereas battlefields entail killing ... Considering the very different nature of two things, I wonder if using the term samurai for sports teams is appropriate. They've gone too far.”
The author reveals his disgust about the attempt to revise Japan's pacifist Constitution as he considers it an extended version of the “samurai spirit,” saying he is appalled when he imagines Japan sending its troops to war in the event an armed conflict occurs in East Asia.