SAMURAI TALES Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 U.S.A. Copyright © 2010 Jeff Cohen All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hillsborough, Romulus. Samurai tales: stories of courage, honor, and fidelity from the final years of the shogun / Romulus Hillsborough. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4629-0081-7 1. Samurai--History--19th century. 2. Japan--History--Restoration, 1853-1870. I. Title. DS827.S3H533 2010 952.03'1--dc22 2010008104 ISBN 978-1-4629-0081-7 Distributed by North America, Latin America & Europe Tuttle Publishing 364 Innovation Drive North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A. Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930; Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993 [email protected] www.tuttlepublishing.com Japan Tuttle Publishing Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor 5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 141 0032 Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171; Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755 [email protected] Asia Pacific Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd. 61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12 Singapore 534167 Tel: (65) 6280-1330 Fax: (65) 6280-6290 [email protected] www.periplus.com 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in Singapore TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. Contents List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgments ix Note on Japanese Pronunciation x Foreword xi Author’s Note xiv Preface xvi Introduction: On the Samurai (by Kiyoharu Omino) xviii Dramatis Personae xxx Chapter 1 To Cut a Foreigner 1 Chapter 2 A Mortal Enemy 11 Chapter 3 Courage 21 Chapter 4 Fidelity 31 Chapter 5 Heaven’s Revenge” 41 Chapter 6 The Remnants of Shock 51 Chapter 7 “A Truly Despicable World” 61 Chapter 8 A Soul-Encompassing Dread 69 Chapter 9 The Code 83 Chapter 10 The Execution Grounds 91 Chapter 11 Cutting Test 101 Chapter 12 A Natural and Overwhelming Desire 109 Chapter 13 Discipline 119 Chapter 14 “The Infinite Sky and Boundless Sea” 125 Chapter 15 Disgrace 137 Chapter 16 An Evil Woman 147 Chapter 17 Tales of a Renaissance Samurai 155 Chapter 18 Anecdotes, Yarns and Other Vignettes 169 Chapter 19 A Brief Historical Background of the Meiji Restoration187 Family Crests and Symbols 207 Glossary of Japanese Terms 208 Index 213 “The sword is in the man.” A Japanese saying A flower is cherished for its pure fragrance. A man glories in humanity and justice. Imprisonment brings no shame, As long as one’s heart is clearly just. Takechi Hanpeita, July 1864 (Written on his self-portrait with brush in ink, as he languished in his jail cell)