Historical Context |
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Historical Context |
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Musashi was born in the final stage of 400 years of civil war. After the 12th century weakening of the Emperor's power, the provincial lords (daimyo) struggled to maintain and increase their power and rule the nation as Shogun (military dictator). As always, the wars divided and impoverished the country. Finally, in 1573, Oda Nobunaga, gained the upper hand thorough a more practical application of the rifle as a weapon. Nine years later, after his assassination a commoner, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, took over. Hideyoshi was tough as nails, possibly due to experiences rising through the ranks of the nobility. He ruthlessly enforced a regulation that prevented non-samurai from wearing a long word. His heartless efficiency helped subdue the rebellious masses but civil strife was not completely extinguished. Things came to a head in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu, a former ally of both Hideyoshi and Nobunaga, defeated Hideyoshi's son, Hideyori at the battle of Sekigahara. Tokugawa's rules were many and detailed, practical but heartless, strict but effective.
Musashi's own cruel behaviour has to be seen in comparison to the rulers of his time who set the standards.
Tokugawa
moved the capital to Tokyo, turning it from a forgettable village into a major
city. The roads were designed to be hard to navigate, to thwart invades.
The castle was strong and the rules kept Tokugawa's family in power for nearly
300 years. There were now four classes of people. From highest to
lowest they were:
samurai
farmers
artisans
merchants
The system had contradictions. The Samurai were the highest class, but in peacetime many of them were unemployed and broke, but armed. The farmers were second, but poor and forbidden to travel. The merchants were wealthy but the lowest class.
It is rarely spoken of, but there was a fifth class, the burakujin (
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people considered literally too unclean to count. These stateless people
were undocumented and therefore open to abuse. You sometimes see them in
samurai films living on the outskirts of town with their own impenetrable social
structure.
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| Due to the recent popularity of the Musashi TV series there are Musashi souvenirs at major tourist attractions |
Recently in Japan there has been a Musashi revival due to a TV series based on the Yoshikawa novel which is based on his life. Although the novel doesn't contradict the known facts of his life it add an interesting love triangle for the women viewers.
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There is even a temporary Musashi Museum |
A deeper analysis of the book itself:
Book of Five Rings - One ring at a time
