Japanese history is littered with characters whose resumes are flooded with Herculean tasks so impressive and numerous that they force you to raise an eyebrow and ask the question ‘Were they real?’. In the case of Yamamoto Kansuke, tempting as it is to believe his accolades, the evidence supporting them is underwhelming to say the least. Arguably the second most famous general in all of…
Welcome to part two of this study of arguably the greatest samurai of all time. In this part, we’ll be looking at some of the reasons why he’s considered the greatest by so many. I hinted at one reason at the end of part one, where Oda Nobunaga dealt a devastating blow to the Imagawa at the battle of Okehazama―one of the three major upsets…
We’ve reached the 6th part of this overview of Japanese history. This part covers the Azuchi-Momoyama era, and that means the rise of Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful and, arguably, influential samurai of all time. When it comes to samurai, people tend to have a very specific image: lavish kabuto helmet decorated with gold ornaments, demonic masks, plated armour and long tachi swords. This is…
