Get to Know a Daimyo: Toyotomi Hideyoshi

We all at one point in our lives will have a landlord, a person who will lord over the land we live on and collect a monthly tax from us mere peasants. Some of us will one day become a landlord and get to do the lording themselves.  But for those of feudal Japan, the "some" I mentioned earlier will simply be none, and the landlord will be more then a collector of rent, he will be the political and cultural head of great areas of land. The title of this mini-king? Daimyo.

This week at SFC we get to know Toyotomi Hideyoshi a rob wearing Christian killing warrior and politician who is credited with single handedly ending the Sengoku, or warring states, period of Japan. He is one of the rare men of the period to rise from lowly servant to what some would consider to be one of the most powerful and impacting men of Japanese history! So straighten your top-knot and prepare to lose face as we Get to Know a Daimyo.

Rising from Nobunaga's sandal bearer, Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the bureaucratic reformer of Japan. He created strict social classes, Inhibited all but the samurai to publicly bear arms, and restricted travel to maintain order and peace among many other things. Yet even with his penchant for inequality and restricting freedom for  the people of feudal Japan he was staunchly against slavery and ended the practice in 1590 long before the United States and it's South ever existed.

Hideyoshi was so tireless in his efforts and had such a large role in Japanese politics and law it is almost absurd that he never became Shogun. Instead he did what any daimyo would do and hiked up his robes and began swiftly  acquiring many imperial court titles. He was the (pardeon the phrase) the Shogun without the crown.

Just when you think he might be an admirable person, not all was well with Hideyoshi, like most rulers he was ruthless in keeping his subjects in order, and was known to make examples of his enemies. Sadly, those enemies included Christians. In 1597 he had 26 christians put on the cross in Nagasaki and ruined his chances of me ever looking up to the bastard. He died a year less then a year later.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi:  1536-1598

Swords To Know: The Nodachi

Here at SFC we love everything about samurai and their culture. And, like you, we especially love the samurai's implements of war. From Sai to the legendary and hard to say Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsuru or the Sword of the Gathering Clouds we will love it all! So, let's kick things off with the weapon we have all seen but know little about, that gigantic brother of the Katana known as the Nodachi!

This isn't your typical sword. Possessing great length and weight, the Nodachi was primarily used as an anti-calvary weapon of destruction. And, unlike the spear, the Nodachi could be swung in a cutting motion and brought atop the heads of invaders in the open field as well as stab from distance.

Simply carried by hand, samurai who employed this lengthy cleaver were sometimes seen with an underling hired to help draw it when shit was getting real. Any samurai carrying this giant would be a man of immense intimidation as slow as it was when compared to other swords of the day, the Nodachi held in the hands of strong and competent duelist such as the great Sasaki Kojiro, could be a merciless killing machine.  

Kojiro, well known for using the Nodachi in a duel against the famous swordsmen and author Miyamoto Musashi, was a highly regarded Kensei, or master swordsman. Their duel was Musashi's toughest as Kojiro nearly killed him several times before succumbing to Musashi's improvised Nodachi bokken (wooden sword). So tough, in fact, it is widely said that Kojiro nearly took the Top-Knot or chonmage of Musashi with one of his violent strokes.

With a four foot long blade and foot long handle (a "big" Katana) combine to make the Nodachi one of the Sengoku periods more ineresting blades. A long and lean head cleaver for chopp'n fools, I long to hang one on my wall one day.....sigh.

Here is a lulzy video of the sword in action: