Question on other talented people

[tienyi]

Did Japan have any talented advisors, because from all the threads here seems to be many of the great shogun warriors and ninja spies, is there any particular information on other people like:

trainers in the army,

military advisors who plans for war strategies,

politician that governs the inside while the outside are left by the warriors,

also any ideas of japan women in war rather men, it seems like its not very fair for them just stay at home to do the work.

etc etc?

Many Thanks for your share of information

[Lu Meng]

I don't know alot about "heros" but you can go to www.koeigames.com (http://www.koeigames.com) or get Dynasty Warriors 3 for PS2

[Winkel]

Quote Originally posted by tienyi:
also any ideas of japan women in war rather men, it seems like its not very fair for them just stay at home to do the work.
[/QUOTE]

Cannot think of a Japanese equivalent to Jean d'Arc, if that is what you mean.

[Tac]

Women samurai (as warriors that is) were uncommon, but they were there. The Takeda clan was notorious for having quite a few wives who were "warrior queens" http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif .

To be a samurai was hereditary, and both men and women samurai could carry a sword and had the same responsabilities and priveldges AS samurai. Their social/gender roles were different though.

As far as advisors, i know that the Oda clan had 2 ... 1 who served Nobunaga while he was a child (and who commited suicide to teach nobunaga a lesson so its said)... and 1 which served Hideyoshi, I think Takenaka Hanbei was his name. Anyway, most of the "advisors" of most clans were their generals... sometimes some clans used men of learning or men who traveled a lot (like monks and priests) to advise them on the status of the nation and current trends and stuff.

[pdoan8]

Quote Originally posted by tienyi:
... also any ideas of japan women in war rather men, it seems like its not very fair for them just stay at home to do the work.
[/QUOTE]

I remember that I saw in either Ran or Heaven and Earth where a group of women cavalry fight to their death. Can't remember the details.

[Tac]

I saw a samurai movie en-route to Tokyo (heck 12 hour flights.. and only ONE decent movie AAAAAGH) that had the wife of one of the warring clans accompanying her husband in the campaign.. she led a small unit of cavalry women.

Then in the battle, the wife takes off to challenge enemy soldiers to single combat in an effort to demoralize the enemy... and the wench gets shot off her horse by by an arquebus fired by the enemy daimyio.

I think the story took place in Echigo.

BTW, anyone give me a list of good samurai movies (dubbed in english or with subtitles) please? Ive been wanting to see some but only know of Ran (and now of Heaven and Earth hehe). URL to buy them? Or download them?

[pdoan8]

Here is the link

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/8353/movies.html


This site has a good list of Japanese movies.

These are a few movies I have seen and like:

Seven Samurai
Samurai (1 to 3)
Ran
Heaven and Earth
Throne of Blood
(I forgot a few more)

[This message has been edited by pdoan8 (edited 05-18-2002).]

[Wishazu]

Yojimbo, Sanjuro and Kagemusha are all good films..they all directed by Akira Kurasawa who was himself descended from samurai

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Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your toops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical......Sun Tzu the Art of War

[Tac]

dead link pdoan. thnx for info =)

[pdoan8]

Sorry Tac.

I always check the link after I posted. It worked before. I don't know what happened.


Edit:

The link works again.

[This message has been edited by pdoan8 (edited 05-22-2002).]

[Yoshitsune]

By far the most famous warrior-woman was the semi-legendary Tomoe Gozen. She was consort to Minamoto 'Kiso' Yoshinaka who fought in the Genpei War of 1180-85. Her exploits are recounted in the great war chronicles of the time such as the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seizui-ki. Some accounts have her commanding one of Yoshinaka's seven army divisions and in her final battle engaged an opponent in single combat, taking his head.

One of the most famous military advisors was Yamamoto Kansuke who counselled Takeda Shingen. His story is told in the movie 'Samurai Banners' starring Toshiro Mifune, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.

[tienyi]

You guys don't mind if you can give me an full detailed article about the military advisors and the women warriors?

Many Thanks

[james]

i never knew there was women soldiers,is that true?

[tienyi]

I am not suprised, because other women warriors like:

Xena Warrior Princess,

the woman leader of the Britons who fought against the Romans,

The Yang family in China mostly widows who fought the Liao in Sung Dynasty.

Therefore Japan should have women warriors.

[Yoshitsune]

Heike Monogatari (The Tale the Taira Clan) Chapter 9, Verse 4 (as translated by Helen Craig McCullough)

'Kiso no Yoshinaka had brought with him from Shinano two female attendants. Tomoe and Yamabuki. Yamabuki had fallen ill and stayed in the capital. Of the two, Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his 'first captain', equipped with strong armour, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valour than any of his other warriors. Thus she was now one of the seven who remained after all the others had fled or perished.

(after a fight that reduced Kiso's force from 300 to 5) Even then, Tomoe remained alive.

"Quickly now," Lord Kiso said to Tomoe. "You are a woman, so be off with you; go wherever you please. I intend to die in battle, or to kill myself if I am wounded. It would be unseemly to let people say, "Lord Kiso kept a woman with him during his last battle".

Reluctant to flee, Tomoe rode with the others until she could resist no longer. Then she pulled up. "Ah! If only I could find a worthy foe! I would fight a last battle for His Lordship to watch," she thought.

As she sat there, thirty riders came into view, led by Onda no Hachiro Moroshige, a man renowned in Musashi Province for his great strength. Tomoe galloped into their midst, rode up alongside Moroshige, seized him in a powerful grip, pulled him down against the pommel of her saddle, held him motionless, twisted off his head and threw it away. Afterward, she discarded her armour and helmet and fled towards the eastern provinces'

...Not a babe to mess with http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

Wouldn't it it be great if there was a game that allowed us to recreate these heroics? Great as it is, STW/MI is not the one. The game I speak of would have to be 'cross-genre' like the old Microprose 'Sword of the Samurai'. It would incorporate FPS for personal duels, tactical combat as per STW and the strategic/diplomacy play of Sword of the Samurai. Maybe one day some game company will have the vision and determination to create such a product. Oh, and I volunteer to be the historical advisor http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Yoshitsune (edited 05-25-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Yoshitsune (edited 05-26-2002).]

[tienyi]

Cheers Yoshitsune, it was very kind of you for helping out, any more women warriors or other advisors, trainers etc.

By the way did this woman warrior have any descedants to carry on her duties?

[Khan7]

Don't forget Lieutenant "Yasha" Botchkareva(sp), organizer and leader of the Womens' Battallion of Death against the Germans in WW1. This was around the time of the governmental upheavals, tho, and she sorta picked the wrong side (White), so she doesn't get much mention in history and all the stories about her are kinda fuzzy, or at least conflicted with different people telling different versions. She did get some notice in the lecture circuit in the US after the Reds won out..

Matt

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Shogun 2 has arrived! Check it out here (http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000398.html).

[Yagyu Jubei]

I would like to bring your attention to Takuan Soho...He changed the world of swordsmanship and calligraphy in Japan forever! He taught the Tokugawa and many others the benefits of Zen in martial arts.