Excalibur!

590 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Myths of Japanese culture and traditions

Chikako and Chiyo knelt behind a large Japanese maple tree. Sunlight filtered through the red leaves, the golden rays illuminating the ground at irregular intervals. “Chiyo, it must be done.” Chikako looked down as Chiyo nodded and replied in a mutter, “It all comes down to this. If we don’t get the sword back, who knows what the empire will do with it?” He swept his black hair out of his startling green eyes, an oddity among the people of Japan where the predominant eye colour was brown, and perhaps betraying the fact that he was not entirely human. The sword had been lost in battle only months ago, and if they did not retrieve it, it would be brought to the Emperor. The sword could unleash unbridled evil in his hands.
The sword itself was a curved, slender single-edged weapon, not unlike the katana you might find belted to the average warrior’s waist. What made this sword special, however, was that it did not dull or break, and it seemed that a certain magic pervaded it for it could not fail the wielder. In fact, Chiyo was not sure that it was possible to destroy the sword. He had ...

Show More
Related

  • The Go Masters And Turtleback Tombs And Japan's Impact Of War In Modern Japan

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    Much of what is considered modern Japan has been fundamentally shaped by its involvement in various wars throughout history. In particular, the events of World War II led to radical changes in Japanese society, both politically and socially. While much focus has been placed on the broad, overarching impacts of war on Japan, it is through careful inspection of literature and art that we can understand war’s impact on the lives of everyday people. The Go Masters, the first collaborative film between China and Japan post-WWII, and “Turtleback Tombs,” a short story by Okinawan author Oshiro Tatsuhiro, both give insight to how war can fundamentally change how a place is perceived, on both an abstract and concrete level.

    Read More

  • Book Exploration of State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth Century Japan by Thomas Donald Conlan

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Plodding through what had to be no doubt a great many gunchujo to see with what regularity and what ways warriors endured injury. He demonstrates that the fighting around the fall of Kamakura shogunate was far and away the most extreme of the fourteenth century and that the preponderance of wounds were caused by arrows, followed by swords, while pikes and rocks were rarely used. “The lack of stopping power by arrows is reflected in the fourteenth-century vocabulary. Warriors are rarely described as being ‘shot to death’ (igoroshi).

    Read More

  • Pearl Harbor Dbq Essay

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    "(Doc. A) The beliefs Japanese grew up with were that the Emperor was sublime and his empire should be followed everywhere nerveless by everyone. They were trained to be dedicated; willing to do anything to please their superior. “An old order... (European and American)... is now crumbling.

    Read More

  • Kokoro and the Parallels of Historical Events

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history artists have used art as a means to reflect the on goings of the society surrounding them. Many times, novels serve as primary sources in the future for students to reflect on past history. Students can successfully use novels as a source of understanding past events. Different sentiments and points of views within novels serve as the information one may use to reflect on these events. Natsume Soseki’s novel Kokoro successfully encapsulates much of what has been discussed in class, parallels with the events in Japan at the time the novel takes place, and serves as a social commentary to describe these events in Japan at the time of the Mejeii Restoration and beyond. Therefore, Kokoro successfully serves as a primary source students may use to enable them to understand institutions like conflicting views Whites by the Japanese, the role of women, and the population’s analysis of the Emperor.

    Read More

  • Comparing Beowulf In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sword just so happened to be a magical one that was blessed by the giants that made

    Read More

  • Shogun

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout most of Japanese history, the power of the emperor, tenno, has been either limited or purely symbolic. Still, all Japan's effective rulers, from the Fujiwara and Hojo re...

    Read More

  • The Motif of Blades

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Akutagawa is famous for his use of symbolism and aspects of modernism in order to convey a hidden truth about human nature in society. To put it simply, his story, “In a Grove,” is a tale about a murder. However, underlying throughout the story are themes of deception and honor. The murder victim, a trained samurai is lured into a grove and killed, and the suspects are his wife, the robber, and himself. Rather than plead innocent, each suspect pleads guilty to preserve their honors. The blade is a recurring symbol in this story and shows the preservation of this honor. On page 25 the robber, Tajomaru, claims that he “didn't like to resort to unfair means to kill” the samurai, Takehiko. Instead, he claims that he offered to cross swords with him, and then killed him after twenty-three strokes. In this way the sword represents a means to accomplish an act of honor. To murder the samurai without a fight would be dishonorable, but by using the sword Tajomaru achieves honor. Furthermore, Takehiko goes on to claims, You, you don't use your swords. You kill people with your power, with your money,” (Akutagawa 20). Takehiko makes the accusation that the Ju...

    Read More

  • Importance Of Revolutionary War Weapons

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    One sword that was used in the revolutionary war was called “The Hanger”. The hanger was equipped with a blade that was very long, and the blade had a curve to it. The hanger had a short metal pommel which ...

    Read More

  • Japanese Katana

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    A popular ancient Japanese saying states that “The sword is the soul of the warrior.” (Buchanan 120) The warrior in the proverb pertains to the samurai of feudal Japan and the sword refers to their most prominent weapon, the Katana. An ancient blade made through a complicated forging process, the Katana is truly a work of art. Also known as the Japanese long sword or the samurai sword, the Katana is a curved, single-edged blade with ridges along its exterior. It is primarily used as a weapon to cut down or slash its foes (Robinson 28). The ridges along the blade, called the hamon, divides the soft metal components, the shingane, from the hadagane of the hard metal components used to forge the sword to give it its trademark razor sharp edge and flexibility (Turnbull 12). The blade of the Katana is around sixty to seventy centimeters in length and is often likened to the arc of the new moon. With its signature curved edge and its fusion of hard and soft metals, the Katana is considered to be the greatest offensive weapon ever created (O’Neill 114,116). It is a hallmark of Japanese sword history and is a noteworthy aspect of Japanese craftsmanship. The Japanese Katana is an important symbol of Japanese culture whose significance must be asserted.

    Read More

  • death of samurai

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    The samurai were a warrior class that gained immense power during feudal Japan. They held high status positions in society and exemplified the power of the shoguns. Samurai often faced death on the cruel battlefield of medieval Japan. However, most interesting about the samurai is their conception of death. The samurai not only faced death much more frequently than the average man but they also had a practice of hara-kiri or seppuku, in which they took their own life. In this paper, I will look at the notions surrounding death for a samurai. I will begin by first by discussing the origins and rise of both the samurai class and Zen Buddhism in Japan. Thereupon, I will look at the samurai philosophy of bushido and in specific the notion of seppuku. My main interest will be to delve deeper into the samurai practice of ritual suicide and how Zen Buddhism may have affected the samurai ideology. Finally, I will look into if these cultural constructs emphasized in medieval Japan, can still be made relevant to Japanese suicide during World War II.

    Read More

  • History of Samurai

    2853 Words  | 6 Pages

    Gaskin, Carol. and Hawkins, Vince. The Ways of the Samurai. New York: Byron Preiss Visual

    Read More

  • Kamakura Period Research Paper

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1274 The Mongols were invading and conquering much of china and they set their eyes upon Japan. The samurai in Kyushu were outnumbered and at a major disadvantage. A mighty storm came into the area and...

    Read More

  • Green Willow(Japanese Literature)

    494 Words  | 1 Pages

    Furthermore, this tale manifested a true dilemma that our society goes up against daily. Responsibilities are supposed to come before one's own personal gain. If a person becomes enraptured in their own self-seeking task and overlook their duties, that person will eventually suffer for it. Japan regards honor as something you have to strive for. It must be earned. The main character broke the rules of his the country had already established and paid for it in innumerable ways.

    Read More

  • Orientalism and 47 Ronin

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Louis, Thomas and Thomas Ito. Samurai: The Code of Warrior. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008.

    Read More

  • Reflection of Modern East Asia

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...

    Read More

More about Excalibur!

Open Document