Welcome to my Blog. I will be discussing Eiko Ikegami’s book The Taming of the Samurai: Honorific Individualism and the Making of Modern Japan. Published in 1995, Ikegami looks into Samurai culture through a sociological lens, giving a unique angle that she claims is new in the study of Japanese history. In each post I will be analysing and critiquing a specific topic or chapter, and connecting it back to Ikegami’s main idea or thesis.
Honor and Identity
Just like the introduction, Ikegami’s epilogue is packed full of information. At some points, it feels as though there is almost too much to digest. On top of this, Ikegami uses very lengthy sentences that border confusing language. Though so much has been said within this book, it is necessary that she touches on the many topics within the epilogue.
She explains that honour was necessary for samurai to cope with the changing times. Since institutions and social classes were always changing, the samurai could use honour to “legitimate his various decisions” (371) and to keep his dignity through times of hardship (371). Ikegami also claims that she has shown how the samurai “culture developed and flourished in parallel to the continuous social and political revisions of their organisations” (377). I believe she has successfully shown this throughout her book. She touches on many outside factors such as inheritance, farmers, social class, etc. She did so much that it ran the risk of seeming off topic for the study of the samurai. Though this is exactly what she planned to do, and she has done it quite well. The scope of this book is impressive. It leaves readers with a wide range of information on the samurai because of its consideration of outside forces. In Western literature, it is one of the only books of its kind. Ikegami filled a considerable gap by writing this book, allowing English readers access to the samurai’s cultural development and demise. She has also managed to break the honour culture into smaller pieces, creating a manageable experience for an audience that most likely only understands honour in a modern sense.
When looking at her thesis throughout the chapters, Ikegami has successfully explained the everchanging social climate that allowed samurai to progress and decline the way they did. I would recommend this book to anyone curious about the honour culture of the samurai throughout the centuries leading up to the Meiji restoration. Ikegami writes in a professional tone, often using complex words to get her point across, so one must be willing to stop and think about the ideas and what they are reading. Her use of medieval literature makes for an enjoyable reading experience and provides evidence for her claims. Overall, Ikegami succesfully began the process of closing the gap in Western literature about the samurai.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai. U.S.A: Harvard University Press, 1995.
“Themes of Control and Change”
Ikegami opens this chapter by explaining two cultural impacts the Tokugawa period had on the taming of the samurai. First, she says that refocusing the honour culture allowed samurais to blend their sense of personal identity with their expected institutional roles (329). The second claim she makes is that this new period allowed samurai to keep working towards their autonomy and build their dignity and individuality. She categorizes these two aspects into “Control and Change” (330). She continues to say control has personal and corporate elements (330). The personal element had been developed since medieval times and runs consistent with the samurai honour culture and keeping one’s reputation. “Change” became a part of samurai culture when the drive for individualism arose, creating a desire to initiate change. Ikegami analyses these parts of samurai culture well, linking new ideas that emerged with the Tokugawa period to medieval culture. She assesses the honour culture and how it has shifted with time. She then recaps her thesis and includes an informative table detailing the reorganization of the samurai.
Ikegami also delves into the term she has coined, “Honorific Individualism”, within this chapter. She claims honorific individualism began in the medieval period when the samurai “entertained strong aspirations toward independence and self-direction” (354). This led to “a flamboyant, self-assertive style of honor based upon a spirit of self–reliance” (354). In the Tokugawa period, honorific individualism “provided a mechanism for change”(351) and emerged alongside proud land ownership. This allowed for an elitist honor culture to emerge within the samurai class. Ikegami ties this to the restraints of the Tokugawa period. Restraints came from a genetic hierarchy, meaning one could only go as far as his last name or bloodline would allow. However, she claims that even with the subduing of the samurai in this period, they still tried to fit their new ways into their honorific code. Ikegami explains the factual complexities of this period. It was a time of change for the samurai class, though one where they could continue to fit themselves within their ancient honour code. This was until the abolishment of the samurai status in the Meiji period.
After the samurai class was dispersed, with many joining the public service sector, Ikegami claims the honor culture continued within the now non-existent class. Honor developed into nationalism just in time for Japan to globalize.
This chapter was full of information and easy to get lost in what was being read. Because it is the last chapter, Ikegami related a lot of the information back to the medieval period, though this could have been organised differently so that it is easier to follow for the reader. On the other hand, this chapter explains how honor had changed along with the samurai’s taming, following the book’s title. Though the organisation may be slightly confusing, she follows her thesis and continues to analyse honor, even after the class was dispersed.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai. U.S.A: Harvard University Press, 1995.
“Social Reorganisation in the Late Medieval Period”
This chapter details the structural reorganisation of the Samurai class. Because of an eroding land tenure system and a confusing struggle for power between social groups (122), samurai and most social classes underwent changes.
In this chapter, we see the beginning of the Daimyo. This structure that once allowed local samurai autonomy would soon become a restrictor of individual freedoms. By page three of this chapter, Ikegami asserts, “ The eventual pacification of the samurai under the Tokugawa shoguns at the beginning of the seventeenth century was the final result of this process of vertical consolidation. I maintain that this pattern of consolidation is key to understanding the subsequent cultural and social developments of this class” (123). This allows readers to know exactly what she is going to try to prove throughout her chapter and how it relates to the thesis of the book.
The next section focuses primarily on the marginalization of women. She makes an interesting connection between the rise of samurai houses and its negative effects on women’s power over the household. Because the samurai were a warrior class, women could not take part. This subsequently limited their power in the household. On top of this, women would slowly lose their inheritance rights. This was because a prior system of scattered properties seemed weak, therefore the samurai would turn to a single heir inheritance (126). However, this change varied greatly throughout the region (126). Though Ikegami touches briefly on this topic, other authors, such as Dorothy Ko, assert a similar claim that the household system became more patriarchal throughout the medieval period. (88) This addition to the chapter is interesting, giving readers a deeper look into society. Because of the large scope of this book, I think the addition of women’s marginalisation works under the context of this chapter. It shows how the social reorganisation affected not just samurai but those around them, such as family.
Ikegami also writes about how this change affected local villages and the farmers that worked the land. Wealthier farmers were not fully distinguished from samurais. The blending of classes resulted in the ikki system. This system allowed samurai and wealthy villagers to control their provinces during conflict (133).
This chapter allows readers a look into the social structures that changed throughout the late medieval period. Looking at other actors such as women and villagers shows how Japan was changing, with the samurai class being no exception. She uses primary sources within this chapter, such as a diary by Kujō Masamoto that details the shifting power relations within villages. This gives evidence directly from the period to solidify her claims.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai. U.S.A: Harvard University Press, 1995.
Ko, Dorothy. “The Creation of Patriarchy in Japan: Wakita Haruko’s ‘Women in Medieval Japan’ from a Comparative Perspective.” International Journal of Asian Studies 5, no. 1 (January 2008): 87–96. doi:10.1017/S1479591407000939.
Ikegami uses the first 11 pages to introduce the aim of her book. After reading this section, it may take a minute to digest exactly what this aim is. She offers a layered analysis of the Samurai, leaving the reader to pick apart the pieces needed to understand her thesis. She attempts to tackle many ideas surrounding honour, such as dignity, reputation, self-esteem and violence (6). Then she mentions the importance of politics and state-building. On top of this, she adds complexity by addressing tensions between conformity and individuality. Finally, she claims that “the development of the Samurai class was marked by two major cultural themes: control and change”. (11) We can see how this information makes for a slightly overwhelming introduction. For a clearer understanding, I will highlight the following passage “I will investigate the social process by which a violent class with an honorific culture emerged, developed, and was subsequently tamed through centuries of state building.” (7) This seems to be the goal of the book, while also exploring a broad range of other social and cultural contexts within Japan throughout its history. Personally, I believe a simplified version like the one stated above should be put at the forefront of the introduction so that readers understand exactly why they are reading her book by the first pages.
Ikegami distinguishes herself from earlier works on the Samurai by using ancient texts, even if they are extremist or flaunt outrageous behaviour (8). She claims these should not be skipped because “ writings of samurai intellectuals are important, not because the represented the average samurai (often they did not) but because the analysis of such materials contains clues to their elusive “ethnomentality” and to hidden power struggles among them” (8). We will see the use of ancient stories in chapters throughout her book. These stories bring rich context and entertainment to the reader.
Finally, as the title suggests, throughout this book, we will be seeing constant ideas surrounding honour. Ikegami states “that the fact that the Samurai’s honor culture cannot be reduced to a neatly codified formula does not mean that no social code existed.” (8) Samurai’s honour culture was complex, and Ikegami’s book will help readers understand how it was formed, why it continued to change, how the honour culture impacted Japanese society. As well as how society impacted the honour code.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai. U.S.A: Harvard University Press, 1995.
“The Rite of Honorable Death: Warfare and the Samurai Sensibility. Honor as the Catalyst for Change”.
This chapter focuses on the Samurai’s unique mix of honour, death and warfare (95). Its focus on warfare makes for an interesting read. Personally, this is one of my favourite chapters as it gets to the root of what samurai are known for today. When you think of the Samurai, you probably imagine a mounted warrior, willing to go into battle while also having a high moral code. This simple picture is much more complex, and Ikegami describes these complexities using primary sources such as medieval war tales.
In the first paragraph, Ikegami asserts that
“of specific importance in this conjunction was a mental disposition that induced a samurai to risk his life for the sake of his reputation, particularly his military honor. This willingness to lose one’s life is clear evidence of the emergence of a new norm. The samurai ‘s honorific mentality and unique attitude toward death not only reflected their political economy, which enforced such an attitude, but, along with their professional military skills and technology (including the use of horses, bows, and swords), were vital force in helping the samurai to achieve political hegemony over the country” (95)
She does a good job of explaining and summarizing what the chapter will entail, first explaining the change in early medieval warfare, and then how this change in warfare caused samurais’ social status to evolve. One of the main reasons for this change is the growth of a public honor culture.
Because of the vassal relationship between samurais and their lords, honor was a thing that needed to be witnessed in medieval Japan (99). She states, “Battle represented successive moments of tension through which the individual samurai’s commitment to honour was tested, and which opportunities to win official recognition of that honor”(99). This introduces why the Samurai collected heads and killed themselves to keep their honor or be revered as great warriors. One example Ikegami uses is a tale of a warrior that was unable to show a collection of heads, and had to file an official grievance with the Kamakura shogunate (99). He wanted to be recognised as the first warrior to face the Mongol invaders (99). After months of arguing his case, he was rewarded and recognised for his honourable act. Ikegami uses this story to argue her point successfully. This story shows readers just how important recognition was to the samurai and how this shaped the honour culture. The use of stories such as this one shows just how far an individual would go to be recognised.
So, this chapter explains how death became permanent in Samurai honor culture. Ikegami’s use of historical stories supports her claims throughout the chapter. Personally, this is one of my favourite chapters throughout the book, as it adequately follows the thesis and is easy to understand. The use of primary sources gives it a reputable feel and allows the reader to understand society during the medieval period fully.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai. U.S.A: Harvard University Press, 1995.
“The Coming of the Samurai: Violence and Culture in the Ancient World”
In this chapter, Ikegami explains how Samurai effectively built their military up to professional standards while also using agriculture to join the economic world (47-48). The samurai were unique in that they existed alongside the aristocracy and would not fulfil court positions until the 19th century (48). Ikegami claims the honour culture in Japan arose “only” alongside Samurai, with mentions of honour in Japanese literature rising alongside the class of warriors (49). In this section of the book containing chapter 2,3 and 4, Ikegami explores all aspects of the rising Samurai class. She argues that Western literature about the rise of the samurai is one-dimensional and does not assess all the necessary aspects important to the social class. Though her book was written in 1995, her sentiment still holds true, at least about ancient Samurai. When scrolling through databases such as JSTOR, it is difficult to find articles detailing the rise of the samurai as Ikegami’s book does. Nancy K. Stalker’s book Japan: History and Culture from Classical to Cool has a chapter titled “The Rise and Rule of the Warrior Class: 12th–15th Centuries” this chapter feels as though it is a quick summary of events and does not delve into why the Samurai class developed the way it did, rather presents a timeline. This is also valuable information, though cause and effect must be discussed to understand events fully. In a recent discussion about Ikegami’s book within the classroom, there has been feedback that her book is too general or vague, though in order for her to address all the topics and keep her book multi-dimensional, she must delve into a variety of topics which does indeed run the risk of seeming vague to the reader.
After her discussion on religious and ceremonial hunting practices, Ikegami uses folklore to explore the rise of the samurai. Specifically, she uses the story “A Crusade Against the Monkey Gods” which details how the violent samurai class began controlling villagers and expanded past the old ways of society (61- 62). The latter half of this chapter uses this story as a transition to explain how samurai slowly gained power and continued to grow their honour culture. Sometimes they were seen as “landed lords resembling the bosses of organized crime” (65).
This chapter does not mention the honour culture as much as some of the other chapters we will see, though it gives the reader important context. As I have said before, to understand the samurai from multiple dimensions, it is important the reader sees all the sides of development. In this way, the book will better illustrate how the honour culture emerged and why it formed the way it did.
Ikegami, Eiko. The Taming of the Samurai. U.S.A: Harvard University Press, 1995.
Nancy K. Stalker. 2018. Japan : History and Culture From Classical to Cool. Oakland, California: University of California Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=nlebk&AN=1838711&site=eds-live.