Re: [HIST] Japanese Culture shock

On Tue, 25 Jun 2002, Ryan M Gill wrote:

> At 12:16 AM +0200 6/26/02, Derk Groeneveld wrote:
> >On Tue, 25 Jun 2002, Ryan M Gill wrote:
> >
> >>  And as I said, what people know of from the movies takes place in
> >>  these later periods not the far earlier periods. Tsubaki Sanjuro
and
> >>  Yojibo take place in post 1600 Japan.
> >
> >You are of course aware this is a silly argument?
>
> The whole idea of Samuraii fighting Chevaliers or English Long Bow
> men is silly in and of itself. I thought you Dutch had better senses
> of humor than this...:-P

:P I do. But I like tearing apart arguments just as much ;)

> >"Yeah, sure, HISTORICALLY it spanned from 1000 onwards, but MOVIES
only
> >cover the later period" "Therefore my statement that samurai were not
> >around at the same time as knights is correct" ????
>
> Duh. The point was though, what people popularly know as Samurai is
> from movies that depict a very short period spanning about 100 years.
> Probably mid 1500s to mid 1600s. The styles and weapons changed a
> great degree over that time from 1000 to the time that Commodore
> Perry sailed into Tokyo Harbor with the Black Fleet.

Yeah, but then they'd have to fight the people wearing tin foil
designer's
dreams that look nothing like armour, known as 'knights' ;)

> >If one would believe movies, then the medieval period is a time that
I can
> >not account for by studying history at all, as movies represent some
silly
> >fantasy crap.
>
> The point is people are saying Samurai like its one finite fixed
> period. There was development and change over that time. What was
> common in the Heian wasn't true in the Nanbokuchou, more so for the
> Edo period.

True. No argument there.

> Oh and you know the Federation could beat the Empire any day right?

Of course not. But let'snot go there today ;)

Cheers,