Japanese Feudalism

Hi folks, I found this while stumbling around LJ. Basically run a complementary site that covers some of the topics you guys are interested in (edo_meiji), but I am guessing we're a little more general in our focus.

The question of the hour is where the doctors fit in the social class structure of Edo Japan. While I suppose most persons list them as a separate group apart from the samurai, there were persons within samurai families that were trained as physicians. For example, Kusaka Genzui's father and brother (while stipended samurai) were physicians as was Kido Koin/Takayoshi's real family.

What I can't conceptualize is whether docs were raised up and trained within a class structure to service those within that class (i.e., physicians from samurai lineages served samurai), merchant-class docs -> merchants and everyone else or if doctors in general (in theory) could service any class.

Does anyone have a good background on medicine in Japan in English? What little I've picked up comes as small discussions in other larger works.

Thanks.

"On Battle"

Fate is in Heaven, the armor is on the breast, success is with the legs. Go to the battlefield firmly confident of victory, and you will come home with no wounds whatever. Engage in combat fully determined to die and you will be alive; wish to survive in the battle and you will surely meet death. When you leave the house determined not to see it again you will come home safely; when you have any thought of returning you will not return. You may not be in the wrong to think that the world is always subject to change, but the warrior must not entertain this way of thinking, for his fate is always determined.


Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578)

A recent event is that Princess Sayako
of the Imperial Throne married a common man
and left royalty in order to live with
the man whom she loves.

If you were Princess Sayako, would you sacrifice
the royal throne?

It's interesting how Japan's foreign policy rapidly changed from one of isolation
to one of invading and colonizing other countries.

Emperor Meiji ended feudalism, but also heroically opened up
Japan into a practical, powerful, competitive country.

anyone here know about the "Land of the Eastern Cross"?

I recently joined and hope to have an interesting stay with this commuinty. First off, a couple of questions:

Due to the set timeline, is it possible to move onto texts from other era's?

There are texts which was considered classical books which the samurai was taught from, these included books like Nihongi/Kojiki (Chronicles from the Earliest times 697AD) and Sun Tzu's Art Of War (originally Chinese and from an older timeline, but was a basis for a lot of Japanese tactics).

I read earlier a recommandation of books, amongst these were Hagakure and Bushido - isn't these the same book?

The bushido - way of the warrior and Hagakure in our store have a lot of the same quotations from Tsunetomo.

If you liked the earlier books, I recommend this book:

The Unfettered Mind - Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master by Takuan Soho

Farewell,
Kael

Hello i would like to into myself, I am here to learn and i wont cause any probulems, all i wanna do it learn.
My name is Elexis, im 16 and im from new jersey. I dont really talk to much unless i get to know everyone pretty well. Um Yes thats about it.

Anyone ever read any of the works of Yukio Mishima?
Best Asian author ever.
Writes about the strong tradition and its fading presence in Japan.
This guy was the last samurai, he committed seppuku.
The greatest author of all time, in my opinion.
His works are provocative, inspiring, everything you can imagine.
"The Sea of Fertility" is a beautiful series about Japan's modern history.

Prestigious samurai Musashi is often considered the greatest swordsman of ALL TIME.

Miyamoto Musashi

1584? - 1645

The famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was born Shinmen Takezo in Harima Province and may have fought at Sekigahara under the Ukita as a common soldier. He makes no mention this (perhaps unsurprisingly) in the brief biography in his book, rather confining himself to his achievements in single combat. He claimed to have defeated his first opponent (a certain Arima Kihei) at the age of 13, following this up with a victory over " powerful martial artist called Akiyama of Tajima province." After 1600 Musashi drifted to Kyoto and became involved in a well-known battle with the Yoshioka School of swordsmanship, emerging victorious. He wrote that he engaged in sixty duels without suffering defeat once, and was noted in this regard for his skill at handling two swords at once. He was also remembered for employing a simple bamboo sword, which he used to deadly effect.
Much of Musashi's life between 1600 and 1640 is the stuff of legend and some have postulated that he served at Osaka Castle (1614-1615) on the defending side, taking quite a few heads in the process. In a similar vein, he is sometimes said to have helped quell the Shimabara Rebellion of 1638 - a theory which, as with his glories at Osaka, is impossible to prove. On the other hand, many of the important events depicted in Yoshikawa Eiji's famous novel Musashi have a basis in reality, to include his battle with the Yoshioka School, his defeat of the noted spearman Inei (chief priest of the Hôzô-in), and his duel in 1612 with Sasaki Kojiro, another famed swordsman. Less well-known is his skill as a painter, his works including a number of self-portraits and naturescapes.
Musashi the man must have cut a forbidding appearance: he was said to have rarely bathed or changed his clothes as well as suffering from a somewhat disfiguring skin condition. Following his duel with Sasaki, he seems to have focused his energies on perfecting his style of swordsmanship, spending much time in travel and reflection - thus epitomizing the much-beloved image of the brooding wanderer samurai.
In 1640 Musashi accepted service with the Hosokawa clan, and three years later, in Higo Province, began work on his great book, Gorin no shô (The Book of Five Rings). He finished this influential work on swordsmanship in May 1645 - the same year he died.
Musashi has enjoyed an immense popularity in the 20th Century and beyond, largely as a result of Yoshikawa's novel (which was originally published in serialized form in the Asahi Shimbun). Musashi skillfully weaves fact and fiction together to create an engrossing tale that has experienced increasing reknown in the West. Interestingly, the Asahi Shimbun noted in 1988 that at least one Edo Period source questioned Musashi's duel with Sasaki, stating that Musashi was not alone at the fight, and that his followers killed Ganryu when he had been knocked down to the ground.
Musashi's own book, the Gorin no shô, was quite well thought of in the United States during the 1980's as a glimpse into the Japanese mind, and was thus consumed by American businessmen - perhaps to the ironic amusement of their Japanese counterparts.

ah this group seems so dead but i will try to post some new topics soon.