defiance

[Minagawa Daimon]

"Defiance in defeat"!

[clockwork_orange]

Actually, when you look at the angle of the arrows, it looks more like he was killed while running away...

[Ronin]

Hey i know who that is!!!

I´m quoting(speling)from Stephen Turnbull´s book "Samurai Sourcebook":
"...depicting samurai Akechi Mitsuchika.
Mitchika was related to Akechi Mitsuhide and fought beside him at the battle of Yamazaki in 1582, were they were defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.It is said that during Hideyoushi´s inspection of the battlefield the following day Mitsuchika rose up from under a mound of corpses to try and kill him, but Mitsuchika was intercepted by one of Hideyoshi´d retainers and was himself killed. The image of dying Mitsuchika, blood-stained and with sword in hand, staggering beneath the weight of his sashimono flag drooped across his shoulders, is a very dark and powerfull one." End quote.
So actually the guy did die like a hero!

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"yama yama tani tani"- Oda Nobunaga.
on every montain and in every valley!

[Orion12]

Can you tell me where I could find more Samurai art like that online. I love the ending credit artworks shown in Shogun Total War and would love to find a site that had these images. I have never really been the type of person who could fully appreciate art until I started seeing some of the battle scrolls from the Sengoku Jidai period and have become quite partial to Samurai art like this.

[Anssi Hakkinen]

That woodblock print seems to be from www.shogungallery.com , which is a good place to start.

Of course, you could actually visit an art exhibition. I did.

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"6. Melyo: honor and glory."

[Ryuzoji Shingen]

That image brings a wonderful story to mind. One Samurai (can't remember the name) was in an army besieging a castle. His forces cam under heavy archer fire, and guess what he did. Walked out to the front of the army, and started knocking arrows from the sky. The position he held later charged the castle, and he was at the front. They would win a mighty voctory that day.

However, this is not the only amazing story I have heard. One man, considered the best swordsman in all Japan, was challenged by one who was considered the second best. This man, when hearing of the challenged, went to see him. At the site of the contest, he threw down his sword and picked up an oar. Shaping a wooded blade out of hit, he killed the challenger.

I have also heard many other interesting stories. The famous one about the two brothers who fought an entire army after their retreated. Well... it just so happens they killed one of the heirs of the enemy clan! Stories like these are everywhere.

[Shuko]

Ryuzoji

You should read a book or two about Miyamoto Musashi, he is the one you refer to in your second paragraph. He was one of the very best swordsmen in Japan and wrote "The Book of Five Rings".