1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: from house Stuff Works dot com? Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: actually canichi Wa and welcome to the podcast. Yeah. I 5 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: had no idea what samurai we're all about. Um. Yeah, 6 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: I knew that they were excellent swordsman. I vaguely had 7 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: some sort of conception from Kill Bill Volumes one and two. Um, 8 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: And of course there was like the whole Wu Tang 9 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: clan phase that I went through for a while. But 10 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: that's really about the the limits of my understanding of 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: samurai until now. Because we've been meaning to do this 12 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: for about seventeen nineteen months now, and uh, we've researched 13 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: it just about every week. So if we fail on 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: this one, it's it's sappuko for us, exactly. Nice one, 15 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: Thank you, Chuck. Let's talk about the history of the samurai. Okay, Josh, 16 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: I have a prepared joke, should I say it? Yeah? 17 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: No one is quite sure who the first samurai was, Josh, 18 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: but we all know who the last one was. That's 19 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,639 Speaker 1: pretty good. And he was short, Yeah, he was real short. 20 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: And still I didn't like that movie Uh. In the fifth, 21 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: six and seven centuries, Josh, there were a bunch of 22 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: rivalries going in UH in Japan and a bunch of wars. 23 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: It's not a very good place to be in a 24 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: lot of these wars, most of them, in fact, were 25 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,199 Speaker 1: against the islands, the people who inhabited the islands of Japan, 26 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: which the Imperial Japanese called Imishi, which means barbarians. And yeah, 27 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: they were tough dudes, apparently, yes they were. And they 28 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: were pretty good at riding horses, right, Yeah, were they 29 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: the ones that were the riding archers? They were, and 30 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: so were another group um from the plans called the 31 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: Canto people and the Canto tribe. Um. Actually, we're kind 32 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: of in charge of fighting the Amishi and the Canto 33 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: and the Amishi were really good at riding a horse 34 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: shooting a bow and arrow at the same time. No, 35 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:13,359 Speaker 1: it's nineties and actually, um, the earliest samurai did this. 36 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: This is what they were modeled on. They were horse 37 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: back archers. Uh. And that whole school of discipline that 38 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: you identify with with samurai grew out of the kind 39 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: of training it takes to be able to ride a 40 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: horse and accurately shoot someone in the throat with an arrow, right, 41 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: And if to practice shooting someone in the throat with 42 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: an arrow while you're galloping past them, what did they 43 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: used to use, chuck? This is a bad and good 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: They bad was they used dogs running dogs, which was awful. 45 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,239 Speaker 1: The good news is even way back then, the showgun 46 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,679 Speaker 1: came along and said, no more dogs. Right he said, 47 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 1: he's cruel thing? And oh did he really? And yeah, 48 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: they didn't used to target practice anymore animal rights way 49 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: back then. Um. And so originally the samurai was, like 50 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: we said, based out of these horse horseback archers, but 51 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: horses played a big role in the lives of the samurai. Um. 52 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: And this this code that will get two more in depth, 53 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: it's called bushito. Um was grown out of another kind 54 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: of code or a way of living called Cuba Cuba 55 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: Cuba no michi. Man. Do you know how many times 56 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: I've said that in my head and I say it 57 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: out loud. It's Cuba no michi, right, which means the 58 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: way of the horse in the bow, which basically, if 59 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: you were dedicating yourself to being a horseback archer, um, 60 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: that was your life. That's all you did. You lived 61 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: eight and breathed it. Right. So that kind of disciplined 62 00:03:55,360 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: formed the foundation of the samurai outlook, samurai way of life, 63 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: the samurai super toughness. Yeah, nice work. They're also an 64 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: elite warrior and that sprung. That status sprung from the 65 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: fact that they were powerful families that lived way out 66 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,280 Speaker 1: a far far away from the capital and they would 67 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: like pass their land down, uh in their prestige from 68 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: one generation to the next over hundreds of years. So 69 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,840 Speaker 1: they were these warrior houses and they attamed noble status. 70 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: You combine that with the Amishi barbarian and the code 71 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 1: the what was it, uh, the Cuba nomici right, the 72 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: warrior code, and basically that was the formation for the 73 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: early samurai. Right. And um, the reason that you had 74 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: all these warrior clans was because, like you said, the 75 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: UM I guess, the early millennia, the first half of 76 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: the first millennia, UM was a really dangerous place. Lots 77 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: of civil war, lots of land grabs, um, lots of 78 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: just general butchery, yeah, powerships and sure. Um. So these 79 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: powerful clans grew out of this and um they started 80 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: basically cultivating samurai and one of the key aspects, key 81 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: characteristics of samurai is pretty much the opposite of ninja. 82 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 1: Do you remember when we did the Ninja podcast, they 83 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: kind of they turned on whoever hired him, if you know, 84 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: somebody came along and offered him more money. Not so 85 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: with the samurai. No, they serve their master, the daimio. 86 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: Is that you pronounced it, I believe, so, okay, they 87 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: served their daimio with absolute loyalty, even uh if that 88 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: meant death. And didn't you already say it means one 89 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: who serves I didn't, did you? Maybe? I just imagine 90 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: that samurai means one who serves right, um, And that 91 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: was actually funny enough originally applied to bureaucrats. Yeah, interesting, 92 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,799 Speaker 1: and then it was ultimately applied to samurai, which little 93 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: by little, there's all these different foundations that finally come together. 94 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: And I think the twelfth century when these two clans, 95 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: these two warrior clans that we're vying for power, the 96 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: Tyra Tyra t A I R A. We're gonna go 97 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: ahead and say, the Tyra cran and the Minamoto clan 98 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: um basically came together and clashed. And in eleven ninety two, 99 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 1: the Minamotos one and this uh, the the the head 100 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: of the household, Minamoto, your atomo. How do you like 101 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: my Japanese now? Yeah? Um, he said, okay, you know what, 102 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: we now run Japan. The emperor said, hey, way to go. 103 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 1: I'm going to make you shogun, which is essentially the 104 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: the head of the joint chiefs, the head of the military. 105 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: That kind of backfired on him. What did Minamoto do? 106 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: He said, hey, thanks for making me showgun. I'm going 107 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: to take over and strip you off all your power 108 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: and if you say one word, I'll cut your head 109 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: right off of your body. And so what happened was 110 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,239 Speaker 1: the Minamoto clan set the samurai up for this elite 111 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: status that they never had before. Words before exactly they 112 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: served the daimio and there was still a a an 113 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: entire class of lower echelon samurai who served the daimio, 114 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: but then the daimio, these feudal lords served the showgun. 115 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: So when shogun, daimio samurai and then everybody else and um, 116 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: the Minamoto clan who set up the showgun. Uh, the 117 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: government that they ran was the Bukufu. Yeah, that was 118 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: a dictatorship basically, right, and uh that that was the 119 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: last time the samurai really changed from that point on 120 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: the modern samurai was born, right, Yes, so, Josh, we've 121 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: talked about how they formed. Yes, should we talk a 122 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: little bit about the just the nuts and bolts of 123 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: what makes the samurai? I think we should. If you're 124 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:54,239 Speaker 1: talking samurai, you cannot skip the armor, the lamellar armor 125 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: it's called and you've probably seen it before. It's that's 126 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: it's made by binding metals scales together on a plate 127 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: and then they they cover it with lacquered waterproof it. 128 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: And then all these little light plates are fashioned together 129 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: by like, um, leather strapping, and that's the that's the 130 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: armor that distinctively you've seen on a samurai. You know, 131 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: it's weird. I just wrote in an article about skin 132 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: disorders and um, there is a skin disorder called lamb 133 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: lammelar theosis, which is basically like fish scale skin disorder. 134 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: So you have it full circle. Uh. There were two kinds. 135 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: Early on the Yori, which was mounted samurai, it was 136 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 1: a lot heavier with the heavy helmets and shoulder pads 137 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: and stuff than the domaru, which was lighter obviously for 138 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:46,559 Speaker 1: the foot soldiers. And then later on the Goosoku in 139 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: the sixteenth century and that's what this dude is wearing 140 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: right there. Yeah, that's a pretty cool picture that you 141 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: got by Wan cal Call. Yeah, I didn't even see 142 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: there was a credit there. Yeah, there's a pretty cool 143 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: It was strach And. And did you see that moment 144 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: link I sent you or the picture from the moment exhibit. 145 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: Now there's a moment exhibit of Yes, yes, the of 146 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: the guy who had like the black lacquered like deer 147 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: antlers coming out of his helmet. Basically, if you saw 148 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: this guy coming at you with the sword, you would 149 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: probably die of fright, at the very least you would run. Um, 150 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: And I think that's kind of what is intended for. 151 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: You know. They had iron masks that went with the 152 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: iron helmets. Yes, well, the helmets called the cabudo and um, 153 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: like you said, they would often add like the devil 154 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: face and they would add like horsehair mustaches, uh, and 155 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,599 Speaker 1: little beards made out of horsehair on the front of 156 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: the mask as well, yes, which makes them even more 157 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 1: even scarier. Yeah, and they're they're riveted together. You see 158 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: the ribbts and does this I got a picture of 159 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: one here I'm showing Josh. Does this look like anyone familiar. Uh. 160 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: It looks kind of like the parawel Nder Powell pearl 161 00:09:54,960 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: to skateboard from the Dune Dune Vader. Yes. Nice, This 162 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: helmet is absolutely well. Actually, George Lucas absolutely modeled the 163 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: Darth Vader look in helmet after the Samurai kobuto. Isn't 164 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,080 Speaker 1: jedi a Japanese word? Yeah? And then the sword, you know, 165 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 1: the lightsaber was um And we might as well talk 166 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,079 Speaker 1: about the swords since we're there. The katana, Yeah, the 167 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: katana and the wakizashi, which together is called the dice 168 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: show which die is large, show is small and the 169 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: katana is a larger show. Was sword longer? Uh? In 170 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: thinner blade? And the was it kashi? Yes? Or wakazashi 171 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: wakazashi thank you? Um is shorter with a broader blade, 172 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: but you're you never saw a samurai without both. And 173 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: actually you know where the katana is curved? Uh? Because 174 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: of the process of making it. No, No, it's purposefully curved. 175 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: Remember we talked about how horses played a pretty big 176 00:10:56,679 --> 00:11:00,960 Speaker 1: role in Samurai Unsung roll Um. The curved blade made 177 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,680 Speaker 1: for a deeper slashing wound which was inflicted by a 178 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: horseback swordsman got you pretty cool? Did you hold one 179 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 1: that day? At the meeting we took people are like 180 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: you guys took a meeting where there was a samurai sword. 181 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: Remember at the School of Humans deal, I didn't see 182 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: that they had a samurai So yeah, this guy brought 183 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:21,559 Speaker 1: in a Samurai sword at the end for one of 184 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,439 Speaker 1: their little jobs coming up, And um, I held it. 185 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: Where was I in my hand? You might have been 186 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: in the bathroom or smoking before you quit smoking, and 187 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,319 Speaker 1: I held this thing in my hand and I've never 188 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: held Have you ever held a real samurai sword? I 189 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 1: was messing with a couple in Japan, But yeah, I 190 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: mean it's it's like way heavier than I thought. And 191 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: when you hold it, and when you feel how sharp 192 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: it is, you're like this, I could literally cut you 193 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 1: in half right now if I wanted. All the ones 194 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: that I were messing with were in like, um, tourists, 195 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: they're a little plastic key chain ones, they were wood. 196 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 1: Got you. Well, it's really intimidating. It's extremely heavy, and 197 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: you feel like the power of the sword when you 198 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 1: hold it right. And the smiths who made samurai swords 199 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: are generally recognized as the greatest sword makers in the 200 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 1: history of humanity as h And one of the reasons 201 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,319 Speaker 1: why is not just because of these gorgeous, really heavy, 202 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: perfect swords that they made again and again. Yeah, um, 203 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: that you could actually cut someone's head right off with 204 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: one slice. Um. But they actually came. They created a 205 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: technology or a method, a technique for an age old problem, 206 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: which was, you wanna sword with a sharp blade that 207 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 1: won't break. You can use a hard metal to keep 208 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: a blade that will keep its edge, but it makes 209 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,719 Speaker 1: it a very brittle sword, so it'll break easily. Right, 210 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 1: So what did they do, Josh? They made a sword 211 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:52,079 Speaker 1: with a core made out of soft metal that wouldn't break, 212 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: and then covered it with layers of hard metal that 213 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,559 Speaker 1: were folded in hammer. They hammer it to squeeze out impurities, 214 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: and they keep folding it repeatedly until there's all these 215 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: layers laminated together, right, like literally millions of layers. Well, actually, 216 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: this this article has a slight mistake in it, because 217 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: that's lower Um. I looked this up that that when 218 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,959 Speaker 1: they fold a blade, they hammered out and there have 219 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: been lord that they folded them hundreds of times and 220 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: thousands of times to create millions of layers Apparently after 221 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: anything over twenty folds adds no more layers. That's what 222 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: they said. So a twentyfold sword would have one million, 223 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: forty thousand, five hundred and seventy six layers, which is 224 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: I mean, so it's kind of like hammering a chicken 225 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 1: that's been shot by a horseback archer. You just can't 226 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,839 Speaker 1: make it anymore dead. It's yeah, right, yeah, okay, So 227 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: you talked about kill Bill though, Yeah, you know, you 228 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: can buy a hat Tori Hanzo sword on the internet, 229 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: autographed by David Karneen for six hundred bucks. I can't 230 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: believe he's dead. Still hung himself in the bankok hotel room. 231 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: It was fitting somehow though, the odd But yeah, you 232 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:02,679 Speaker 1: can buy one of those for six entred bucks. Or 233 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 1: if you don't want to spend that kind of dough, 234 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,199 Speaker 1: I think you can get like a functional katana for 235 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: about two bucks online, or you can get a wood 236 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: one from a tourist trap in Japan. Yeah. Well that's 237 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: what the used for training, you know, yeah, back in 238 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: the day. Yes, um, you know the whole uh, the 239 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: cruel tutelage of master pay from kill Bill, and it's 240 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: certainly Quentin Tarantino wasn't the first one to um come 241 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: up with the idea that samurai masters taught their students 242 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: through you know, rigid and brutal methods. Yes, Um, that's 243 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: that's been a recurring theme through samurai stories all along. 244 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: And the reason why it's because it's true. It really happened. Um. 245 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 1: There was one sword training master who used to walk 246 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: around with a wooden katana day or night, completely unprovoked 247 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: and without warning, would smack his students pretty hard. Those 248 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: things are hard. They hurt, like just holding it and 249 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 1: like tapping it in your hand, your hand starts to hurt. 250 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: So actually getting hit by one of these swords hurts bad. 251 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: And if you get hit by one m randomly and 252 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: you learned pretty quickly never to let your guard down, 253 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: which is what he was trying to impart. Yeah, you 254 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: could be like a sleep and a sword upside the head. 255 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: You can be you know, using the bathroom and right anything, 256 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: eating gruel. Yeah, hammering a chicken that's been shot by 257 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: a horseback archery. Good point, uh josh. They also used 258 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: things called pole arms, which was a long pole with 259 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: like a blade on the end of it that was 260 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 1: good for, um, stabbing it at dudes on horseback. It 261 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: gives you a little more reach obviously. And they even 262 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: had guns, is what something I didn't know. In the 263 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: sixteenth century they started trading with Europe, Japan did, and 264 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: they bought these matchlock guns and kind of kept them 265 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: as backup though the same ware. I was like, I'll 266 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: put a gun on my horse, but I'm not going 267 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: to use it. I'm still gonna use the katana unless 268 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 1: I really needed it. Turns out the they got those 269 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: guns from European missionaries. Oh really, yeah, look at that 270 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: who were kind of infiltrating Japan to try to start trade. 271 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: They were missionaries. Relaxed, We're just missionaries. But interesting, have 272 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: you seen a gun before? Chick? This is my boomstick, 273 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: so chuck um. One of the other characteristics of the 274 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: samurai's is this idea of a very noble, loyal life. 275 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: And we said that the Cuba Nomici was the foundation 276 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: for bushito, which means way of the warrior. Boushi is warrior, 277 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: and doe is the way right, So this is the 278 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: way of the warrior. And essentially it's just this code, 279 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: this guide that was kind of put up by one 280 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: samurai or another and Uh, it was. It formed the 281 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: legend of the samurai, but it also informed the way 282 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,600 Speaker 1: they lived their lives, right, Yeah, and it's um. A 283 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: lot of people hear this and they think it's like 284 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: a formal set of rules that everyone followed, but it 285 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: was actually different depending on who you were and where 286 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: you had passed it down or gotten it from. And 287 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't even written down until the seventeenth century. So, right, 288 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 1: there was a there was a samurai um named Yamamoto Sunnitomo, 289 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: and he was a he turned into his en monk, 290 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: and he had a follower who he just basically dictated 291 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: the tenants of bushido to and he wrote them down 292 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: right he uh. And actually some of the some of 293 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: the high points of bushido, well, it covers everything from 294 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 1: um like life and death situations. If you're presented with 295 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: the choice to choose death and you can't ever go wrong, 296 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,680 Speaker 1: you will never be afraid because you're always prepared for 297 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: death for that reason. Right. It's a little you know, um, 298 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: and then to to really kind of trivial matters like 299 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: you should never sneeze in front of somebody because it 300 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: makes you look foolish. Uh. And then my favorite is 301 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: the lesson of the downpour, where you know, like when 302 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: you're being rained on, you're just so uncomfortable and you're 303 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,080 Speaker 1: running you can't get wet, and oh we gotta can't 304 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: get wet. So there's this Bushido tenant that says, if 305 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: you remind yourself that it is natural to get soaked 306 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: in a rainstorm, that's what's supposed to happen in a rainstorm. 307 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 1: You'll never run for cover again, you just get soaked 308 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: to the problem. And this can be applied to all 309 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,479 Speaker 1: aspects of life. That's my favorite one. Yeah. I used 310 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: to play in the rain like up until you know 311 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,919 Speaker 1: what you're trying to set fires. No, I mean as 312 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: an adult sometimes it's fun. Yeah, highly recommend it. Okay, 313 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: I didn't know I was following some samurai. Yeah, you're 314 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: right there. If you would be willing to die, chuck, 315 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:25,440 Speaker 1: you would be a samurai. No. I come from the 316 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: Wham Choose life school. That's my code tiny running shorts 317 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:36,160 Speaker 1: and choosing life. I guess we have to talk about suppuku. Well, yeah, 318 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 1: I mean if you were dishonored um then yeah, you 319 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:44,320 Speaker 1: had to kill yourself. Yes, otherwise known as I didn't 320 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: know it was a vulgar phrase, but hara kari, Yeah, 321 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:51,439 Speaker 1: it essentially means gut cut. No wonder if that is vulgar. Well, 322 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: vulgar also means common. God, you're right. I feel like 323 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: an idiot, now, don't. I still am trying to figure 324 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: out the way I'm reference. Yeah. When I think vulgar, 325 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: I think of nasty words. I know what you mean. 326 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: But that's again, it's common, right, you know what I mean? 327 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: So this is what you you know, when you have 328 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: seen the person thrust the sword into their gut, it's 329 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: sort of doesn't really happen that way. What happens is 330 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: you got to wear the right garments, very ritualized. Oh 331 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: is it white? And they present you with a ritual 332 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: knife wrapped in paper right to to give you a 333 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,200 Speaker 1: better grip. Normally, you're gonna do this in a garden 334 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: or a Buddhist temple, never a Shinto temple, because a 335 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: Shinto temple is not to be tainted with death. I 336 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,119 Speaker 1: would choose a garden. Yeah, that'd be my pick. And 337 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: you insert the knife first, First, you write a little 338 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,719 Speaker 1: death poem, okay, and you take four steps of saki 339 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:46,680 Speaker 1: for being she she meaning remember the Friday thirteenth Podcast 340 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,920 Speaker 1: Japanese four and death are the same kanji character. So 341 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 1: Flour is kind of like a pawn on I'm about 342 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,040 Speaker 1: to kill myself, okay, go ahead, uh, And then you 343 00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 1: just kinda plunge the sword into myself and please go 344 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,479 Speaker 1: ahead and chuck. So you plunge a sword into your 345 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: ballet and you go from left to right. It's very important, 346 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 1: and you do a little final upward cut at the end, 347 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,920 Speaker 1: and if you're lucky, and usually you're lucky, there was 348 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: another samurai behind you with their sword to cut your 349 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: head off really quick, so you're not like writhing in 350 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:23,479 Speaker 1: agonizing pain, right, and that was what's what's that samurai called? Uh? 351 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,919 Speaker 1: The second in command is called the kashuku nin. Right, 352 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: And if you were kashaku nin, if you were forced 353 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: to commit sappuku, right, which was you know kind of routine, 354 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 1: you choose to though, right, No, you could be forced to, 355 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 1: okay um, the kesha ku nin would be assigned by 356 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: the bakufu, right, the military dictatorship, right to end it quickly. 357 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 1: If you decided to do it yourself, then yeah, it 358 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: was up to you to come up with the kasha 359 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:54,400 Speaker 1: ku nin. And what probably who you would want would 360 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: be a friend, right or And I've never heard of 361 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: this before, and I I ju suca. This is somebody 362 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: who had practiced drawing a sword, slashing it and returning 363 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 1: it to its Oh no, drawing a sword slashing, wiping 364 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 1: it off and returning it to its sheath, and one 365 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 1: fluid motion and the aa ju suca succa could Um, 366 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: they could cut your head right off with one slash. No, 367 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: you know it's bad news for the um the the 368 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: second samurai. Oh, but that's what you want, is as 369 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: the you want to be killed the media and that 370 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 1: was the point. But um, you didn't cut somebody's head 371 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: right off. You you would leave the throat, it's the 372 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: skin attached to the throat, because it was bad form 373 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,239 Speaker 1: to cut somebody's head right off, because you don't want 374 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 1: it rolling all around on the floor. I wonder how 375 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: those conversations went down, Like, hey man, you want to 376 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: give me a solid this afternoon, I gotta kill myself 377 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: and you could be there to cut my head almost 378 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: all the way off. I would really appreciate that. And um, there, 379 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: let's see what else was Oh, if you were young, 380 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: or if they didn't think you could be trusted with 381 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:13,680 Speaker 1: a wazukashi. Wakuzashi, are you serious? Oh yeah, yeah, the 382 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: second sword? Yes, sorry, if you if you, if you 383 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: couldn't be if like they were afraid you'd get up 384 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:20,719 Speaker 1: and kill everybody in the room rather than kill yourself. 385 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: They give you a paper fan and then the moment 386 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: you touch the fan or touched the fan to your belly, right. See, 387 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: I thought I didn't know that was because the lack 388 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 1: of trust. I thought it was just like a tamer version. 389 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: It's both okay yeah um. And then one last thing 390 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 1: can I really was like, I want to understand spuku. 391 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: There's this type called jumanji geary and that was where 392 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,679 Speaker 1: you committed sepuku and you bled to death that sword, right, 393 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: And the last guy to do this was a general 394 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: Nogi who did it in nineteen twelve, remember the Mesgi Emperor. 395 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:58,879 Speaker 1: That's after it was outlawed. Interesting, somebody's committed as recently. 396 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: It's nineteen seventy, but they had the samurai, the backup samurai. 397 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,200 Speaker 1: This guy did it himself. He cut himself in the 398 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: ritual cut and then put his shirt on afterward and 399 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,879 Speaker 1: just set kneel there and bled to death. After the 400 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: death of the emperor, and the shirt just held all 401 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 1: his his guts in. I guess it's for like the 402 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 1: horse diaper. Yeah. Yeah, it was officially abolished though in 403 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three, although, like you said, Japanese like to 404 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: stick to their traditions, So it has happened as recently 405 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:29,919 Speaker 1: as like the two thousand's right. Oh is that right? 406 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: At last? I saw it, but yeah, or maybe it 407 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 1: started to make a resurgence in nineteen seventy and it's 408 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 1: still going on. Yeah. I seemed to think there was 409 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: ahead of some corporation that did it recently, but really 410 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: I can't confirm that. It's pretty it's a way to go. Yeah, 411 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: it's hardcore. So, Chuck, we should probably talk about what 412 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 1: happened to the samurai, right, Yeah, where they went? Well, 413 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:54,119 Speaker 1: let me talk about this one guy first. Um, remember 414 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,719 Speaker 1: we're talking about warring clans and power struggles and everything. Um, 415 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: there was a huge civil war called a Sengoku, which 416 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 1: was a civil war period in Japan. Right, It was 417 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 1: from like thirteen thirty eight to sixteen o three, and 418 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 1: in that year Takagawa ai Yasu grabbed control and this guy, 419 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: he was a minimoti ascendant. So he took the showgun 420 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 1: title and he kept the piece. His family kept the 421 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: piece for two d and fifty years. He kept a 422 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 1: complete stranglehold on the other samurai, the damio. Um. He 423 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: made it so that your family had to live in 424 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 1: the capital. That's that guy and you, right, and you 425 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: lived like way out in the provinces. He basically helped 426 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: family's hostage right to keep to keep the other the 427 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 1: the other samurai, um, yeah, the other daimyo under control. Right. 428 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: He also had a castle called Nijo Joe and I've 429 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: been in that castle and we've talked about it. Yes, 430 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: remember in the Ninja podcast we talked about a guy 431 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: who had a castle that had squeaky floors. I've walked 432 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: down those floors. They sound like nightingales are called nightingale 433 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: wars come down. And I tried walking on it. I 434 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: got like two steps without making a sound. Really, so 435 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 1: I could see a ninja possibly doing it. But it 436 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: was random, like wherever you stepped like it was gonna 437 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: make the sound. It was pretty amazing stuff. I don't 438 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: think you and I would be candidates for ninja or samurai. 439 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: Maybe Sumo possibly. That's where that's where I'm headed. So, 440 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: like you're saying, we got to talk about where they went. 441 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:31,359 Speaker 1: What happened in the samurai um There was a what 442 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,880 Speaker 1: would you say, two and a half centuries a peaceful rule, Yeah, 443 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,719 Speaker 1: under the Takugawa family. Right, So during that time, obviously, 444 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,919 Speaker 1: if you've got peaceful rules, samurai are gonna decline gradually 445 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: just because there's no one to fight. And then the 446 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:47,440 Speaker 1: main two things Josh are urbanization and the end of 447 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: their isolationism. Right, that's what really drove them out of business. Yeah, 448 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:56,400 Speaker 1: because Takagawa and his descendants didn't like the Europeans very much, 449 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: and we're like, you guys need to beat it, because 450 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: we know how to cut someone's off and just leave 451 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:04,040 Speaker 1: a flap of skin of the throat, right you know. So, yeah, 452 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: they were isolationists, and then all of a sudden, the 453 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 1: Americans started going, you know, we'd like to trade with Japan. Yes, 454 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,080 Speaker 1: we get people who get shipwrecked around there somewhere, and 455 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: we want to make sure they're taking care of and 456 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,680 Speaker 1: we want to use his place as a supply port, 457 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: so we're gonna sail over there. Yeah. So in the 458 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty three, They Commander Chandler Bang sailed into 459 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: Ato Bay. Is that not his name? Yeah? Oh, I'm sorry, 460 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,520 Speaker 1: Commander Matthew Perry had that wrong. He sailed over there 461 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: to chat with the Millard Fillmore sent him to chat 462 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: with the emperor, who was a figurehead. But that's who 463 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:38,840 Speaker 1: you know. You can't go talk to the show gun. 464 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 1: You gotta go talk to the emperor, right, So he 465 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: went and said, just what you said. We want to 466 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 1: open trade, and we want if we get guys that 467 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:50,920 Speaker 1: are shipwrecked here, please take care of them and open 468 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,119 Speaker 1: your ports so we can like dock here and resupply. Right. 469 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,760 Speaker 1: And apparently when he showed up, he said, I'll be 470 00:26:57,840 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 1: back in a couple of months. You guys talk it 471 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: over right, talking amongst yourself. But when he showed up, 472 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: he showed up with you know, full cannons out like guns. 473 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: Everybody was basically strapped to the teeth. He's like to 474 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: think about it, but that I guess that kind of 475 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: intimidation really struck a chord with the Japanese or the 476 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: Japanese who are like, WHOA, what's what's been going on 477 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: outside the borders of Japan while we haven't been paying attention. 478 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: Um And so there was a split in the samurai 479 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: class where some wanted to go ahead and open up 480 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: Japan and modernized Japan, and this is the people in charge. 481 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,239 Speaker 1: The lesser samurai didn't like that at all, so they 482 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: actually went and staged a revolt, and the lesser samurai 483 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: actually won. It was because they beat the shogun it, 484 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,439 Speaker 1: which is kind of a big deal. Although they had 485 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 1: gotten kind of fat and lazy in the in the 486 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 1: two and a half centuries of peace. Um. So the 487 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 1: lesser samurai, who hadn't gotten quite as fat and lazy 488 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,680 Speaker 1: and comfortable over through the shogun it took the the 489 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: emperor and restored them to power. The Mesgi restoration. Yeah, 490 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,520 Speaker 1: and that was it was actually a boy emperor. Emperor 491 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 1: Meiji was I think like a teenager at the time. Yeah, 492 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 1: I'm not quite sure, but he was young. He was 493 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: boy king. And now he makes a really good yogurt drink. 494 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:21,159 Speaker 1: You should try what's it called meggie really well, I 495 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: mean that's the brain. They're like nestly. So they overthrew 496 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,840 Speaker 1: they That was called the nest Le restoration, right, and 497 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:32,399 Speaker 1: the power of the daimios was taken away the government 498 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: sees their land. Um, there was no way to pay 499 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:37,720 Speaker 1: the samurai, so they basically started paying them off with 500 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: bonds depending on what their rank was. Right. But it 501 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: was like, here's your settlement, yeah, you know, and go 502 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: and don't be samurai anymore. Right. They had basically turned 503 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: into the modern the equivalent of what in the modern 504 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 1: era is somebody who falls in the in the grocery 505 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,520 Speaker 1: store and laze around watching Jerry Springer waiting for their 506 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 1: settlement to come through. Yes, that was kind of what 507 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: happened at the end of the Samurai. It's pretty sad 508 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: and uh. In eighteen seventy six, it finally culminated with 509 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: the final blow, which was the emperor said you cannot 510 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 1: wear your swords anymore and we're going to draft an army. 511 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:14,479 Speaker 1: So that was kind of like no more, no more 512 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,040 Speaker 1: used for you, right, And so there were some rebellions 513 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 1: here there. Tom Cruise shows up, um and the rebellions 514 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: in the outlying areas are crushed, and uh, that was 515 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: the end of the samurai. Japan became modernized, but it 516 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 1: wasn't the end of the samurai spirit. As Chuck said, 517 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: there's a CEO that recently killed himself maybe suppuku probably, um, 518 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: but also that it kind of informs Japan. There's that 519 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: whole keep a stiff upper lip, don't complain, uh kind 520 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,000 Speaker 1: of tradition and culture. And you can argue that the 521 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,720 Speaker 1: history of the Samurai is the history of Japanese culture, right, um. 522 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:58,240 Speaker 1: But also in World War Two, the Bushito was resurrected 523 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 1: and kind of perver hearted by the Japanese government and 524 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: sold to the Japanese military who would go crazy and 525 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: kill everybody before they were killed. The Kama Kazee pilots, Yeah, 526 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 1: that was part of it. There was the Bondsai guys, 527 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:19,960 Speaker 1: yeah and um yeah, just basically their their whole death 528 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: before dishonor because it's like a suicide bomber today. If 529 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: you're facing somebody who would rather die than lose, that's 530 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: the most dangerous foe you have, as opposed to the 531 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:35,200 Speaker 1: American way, which is do anything you can to save 532 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: your butt, right or fall into the grocery store, right somebody. 533 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:42,959 Speaker 1: As we would be remissed, Josh before we leave if 534 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: we didn't mention a few movies, notably The Seven Samurai 535 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 1: or and The Magnificent Seven, The Awesome Western with you'll 536 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: Brenner was based on the Seventh Samurai, but a Western version. 537 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: There's also a Ghost Dog, which I've been meaning to see, 538 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,320 Speaker 1: but well you haven't seen that. Yeah. I was about 539 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: to say that's my favorite all time maybe favorite Jim 540 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 1: Jarmish movie. Definitely top two, more than Dead Man. Huh. 541 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 1: I think it's probably in a dead heat with Dead Man. 542 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: It's awesome. You gotta see Ghost Dog. That's where Forest 543 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 1: Whittaker is like sort of a modern day Samurai living 544 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,520 Speaker 1: in New York, in Brooklyn, I think even does anybody's pigeons. Yeah, 545 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: he's very peaceful. He's just the heat. It's full of 546 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: the bushito like it's broken up with him reading passages 547 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 1: from the Samurai Code. Pretty cool. Nice, Okay, Well it's 548 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,480 Speaker 1: about it. If you want to see some pretty cool 549 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:44,400 Speaker 1: images of samurai armor, uh and learn more about the Samurai, 550 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: including what a ronin is and what happened to the 551 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: forty seven ronan, you just want to type in Samurai 552 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:52,920 Speaker 1: to the handy search bart how stuff works dot com. 553 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: So now I guess then it's time for listener man. Yes, Josh, 554 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this the cute kid in New Zealand. Hey, dudes, 555 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: Chuck and Josh. This email comes to you from Felix 556 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,920 Speaker 1: from Wellington, New Zealand. Oh yeah, he's a cool kid. 557 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,239 Speaker 1: I'm nine years old and I've listened to pretty much 558 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:12,640 Speaker 1: all your podcasts. Dad usually plays them in the car 559 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: on long drives. The recent one on taxidermy I thought 560 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: was seriously gross. I wish I could do a keiy accent. 561 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna try it, though I wouldn't. I had 562 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 1: a thought that you guys might want to do an 563 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,880 Speaker 1: episode on really long place names around the world and 564 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: how that came about and what do they mean. We 565 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,160 Speaker 1: have one in New Zealand called and I won't even 566 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: bother to say it because it's it looks like the 567 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 1: alphabet or has just been written down in random order. 568 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: I dared to try and say it in your podcast, 569 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 1: but Felix, I will not. But I did attach an 570 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:45,720 Speaker 1: MP three of me saying it to impress you with 571 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 1: my skills that Felix, Yes, you guys are cool and funny. 572 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 1: And by the way, it translates roughly as the summit 573 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 1: where Tomatilla, the man with the big knees, the climber 574 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 1: of mountains, the land swallow who traveled about played his 575 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,680 Speaker 1: nose flute to his loved one. That's what this name 576 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: translates to. That's crazy. So we got permission from Felix's 577 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 1: dad since he's a little kid, and he said go 578 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 1: ahead and play it. So without further ado, here is 579 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:15,880 Speaker 1: Felix from New Zealand. Hi, this is Felix here. I 580 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: listened to this tom with Tony Hanka Tia tutti Poka 581 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: copy game. That is awesome. I'm glad we finally got 582 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:31,080 Speaker 1: around to playing that clip. I think it is cool, 583 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 1: very cute little kid there. Well, um, I don't think 584 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: we should make a call for audio files see you. No, no, 585 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: I think that one belongs to Felix pretty much. He 586 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,280 Speaker 1: is his numbers being retired in the Stuff You Should 587 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 1: Know Hall of Fame. If you want to come with 588 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: something cool and interesting and clever and have your number retired, 589 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 1: you should put it in an email send it to 590 00:33:53,920 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 1: Stuff podcast at how stuff works dot com. For more 591 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff 592 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 1: works dot com. Want more how stuff works, check out 593 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:10,440 Speaker 1: our blogs on the how stuff works dot com home page. 594 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:15,240 Speaker 1: M HM brought to you by the Reinvented two thousand 595 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,320 Speaker 1: twelve camera, it's ready. Are you