Chapter Sixteen

“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.