Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (6 page)

One great example of this uprising and shift in power is the Tokugawa family, the family that took control of all of Japan. It is surprising to some to discover that the Tokugawa family were born from the Matsudaira family. Their lineage had to be adjusted to endorse their hold on Japan. This was because the Tokugawa family did not have the correct pedigree to have the right to rule—i.e., “proper samurai” should be linked to the Heike or Genji clans. They were not. Of course they had defeated all of Japan and unified the land, so there was nothing that could be done to challenge their unrivaled power. So instead, facts were changed to “allow” them to rule.

The image you should be developing is that of the samurai as a very stratified group. Even within their own ranks, there are pedigrees, hierarchies, and factors that need to be taken into account. A samurai could be at the bottom of the samurai ladder while a supreme ruler or lord of power sat at the top. However, that ladder could be climbed and people could fall off—some climbed from the bottom to the top. Some fell from great heights back to the ground—this is the reason that most wars were started. That is to say, most wars were started by clans that wanted to displace those in power.

Were the samurai aristocrats? I have tried to avoid using the words “aristocrat,” “noble,” and “blue-blooded.” To term the samurai as aristocratic is difficult but not incorrect. Yet, on the other hand, this term is not wholly inaccurate. This is because the line between aristocrat and non-aristocrat is a difficult one to draw. In Europe the line is drawn at the level of a knight. The knight is sometimes considered an aristocrat, yet at other times and in different countries, they are not. Their position is just outside aristocratic, or at least straddling the line in between. This is similar for Japan. The true aristocrats of Japan have a connection to the imperial line and are offspring branches of royalty.
Some
samurai were not from that world, but they once served the aristocratic families. In the end though, the samurai formed an uprising; taking control of the country from these noble families. Thus, they slotted themselves into the position of “nobles.” The complex connotations and difficulty in explaining the individual uses of these terms creates difficulty with using the word, “aristocrat.” We should try to avoid calling samurai “aristocratic” or “noble,” unless they are from a family of correct pedigree. Remember, some samurai had an aristocratic background and came from royal families; some did not.

Koku and Payment

The economy of medieval Japan was heavily based on its food production. For all the romanticism samurai hold, in truth, samurai history is a tale of those who owned the most farmland. Therefore, those who had the most produce had the most power. This makes the story of the samurai a story of the land and of rice. Originally a samurai family would have owned their lands and, as farmer-warriors, they would have ruled over the farmers of that area. They would have distributed the wealth of that land appropriately. As is always the case when human culture moves to agriculture, a surplus of food develops, and individuals—normally to produce luxury goods—undertake skills and professions and then the population explodes. This population explosion means that the food, which once fed a nation, becomes insufficient. Warriors protect their land from raiding parties, living off any surplus, which exists for as long as they defend it. In short, a samurai had land, families banded together, and production kept the warrior class in their position of power. This gave the population of that area protection. After the wars had taken the country by storm, independent samurai communities were moved to cities and the day of the samurai as a farmer-overlord ended.
All
land belonged to the shogun, the Tokugawa family. From this high position they distributed the land between other major families—the smaller ones that were once the stock of Japan were absorbed.

The major samurai families distributed the land they were allowed to rule to their warriors, who were paid in “koku.” Koku is a term of measurement that is equal to the amount of rice that feeds a person for one year. Samurai are paid in multiples of this amount—remembering that they have to redistribute this amount to any other samurai families that are under their patronage, at least to others under their control. A samurai of 10,000 koku was considered to be a daimyo warlord—some warlords earned more than 1,000,000 koku—while other samurai earned sums like 5000, 1000, 500, 300, 100, 25 koku, etc. This number is always representative of a part of land that produces that rice. Giving them the actual land that produces the amount could pay samurai, or instead they could be given pay equivalent to the cost of rice itself as an annual wage. To understand the samurai and his payment, imagine that at first, early samurai held their own land. This was in the service and protection of a higher lord, family head, or as independent samurai families. Then as land was swept up by mega-lords, this system was replaced with permission to run farmland or a salary was paid directly to them. In all cases, the samurai is tied to the land and wealth is not far removed from the agricultural world. Food is power. Control of more food gives someone more power. Remember, a samurai could own land that produced food and he would pay people below him with this food. A samurai could also live in a town and be given a salary that was measured by amounts of rice, but delivered to him in monetary form.

The Samurai Army

A samurai army is not a standing army
per se
in the true sense of the concept. It is more of a conglomerate of promises—but as always, this, too, changes depending on which time period you are looking at. Different samurai periods offer different attitudes and organization. For example, the Edo Period saw what could be considered the closest to a standing army, where samurai are made to live in towns, close to their lord, ready to go to war if they should be called upon. At the height of the Sengoku Period, armies could be said to be regular in use and formation, i.e., on the field and on campaign for extended periods. This resulted in long-standing forces, but this is also a period of defection and changing loyalties. At other times, a samurai army was made up of a
union of loyalty
; this was an amalgamation of oaths given and sides taken. Before the Edo Period, you must imagine samurai living across Japan, some close to centers of habitation. Imagine still vast numbers of samurai living in fortified manor houses and residences in rural areas, among mountains and farmlands. Those samurai would have sworn loyalty to a warlord, but would live away from any form of court life, managing their own land. These samurai may live in peace for a number of years, they may have skirmishes with other samurai; or even engage in family vendetta and blood feuds. When battle broached the horizon, orders to go to war would be given. The samurai, with equipment prepared, would leave his dwelling and make the journey to where the army was forming up. A knight with his hired (and maybe loyal) troop accompanied him. Together, he and his “squires” and servants would take up their position in the allied forces, under the leadership of a warlord. All of which is a system based on promises and land rights.

The following translations and statistics will help form a better visual understanding of such an army. This will help to solidify the idea of a mass of men coming together under the leadership of a prominent samurai.

Percentages of Distribution in a Samurai Army

A samurai army should not been seen as static. Some factors, such as size and technology, will greatly change. To form an understanding of ratios in military troops, two examples of army percentages are presented below. Remember that there are many varied roles in an army. The following statistics contain only the primary units.

The distribution of military personnel within the Hojo clan in 1572, in numerical order.

♦
47% Spearmen

♦
22% Mounted warriors

♦
11% Samurai on foot

♦
8% Flag bearers

♦
6% Musketeers

♦
3% Archers

♦
3% Personal standard bearers

The following list is the distribution of military personnel found within the same clan in 1587. Notice the massive increase in the use of firearms, more than doubling in fifteen years.

♦
27% Spearmen

♦
19% Mounted warriors

♦
19% Samurai on foot

♦
14% Musketeers

♦
14% Archers

♦
6% Flag bearers

♦
1% Personal standard bearers

Numbers Found Within a Samurai Army

It is impossible to answer the question, “How many men were in the average samurai army?” There was no common size and both situation and time period have an impact on the answer—it could range from a light skirmishing force of a few hundred samurai to the epic conflict of the Battle of Sekigahara, where more than 150,000 soldiers took to the field of battle. Remember that a battle can be a mixture of clans coming together and those armies were made up of coalitions of clans. The following example is taken from the Uesugi family and was recorded in 1575.

An army that is 5,135 men strong was divided thusly:

♦
Mounted warriors – 566

♦
Samurai on foot – 650

♦
Musketeers and archers – 320

♦
Pikemen – 3,519

♦
Short spears – 80

To get a better view of the samurai army, the question should be changed and should instead read: “What are the component parts of a samurai army?” Doing this shows the makeup of a military force in Japan. The following detailed list is taken from the Gunpo Jiyoshu military war manual of c.1612.

The Command Group

Musha Bugyo (samurai commander) – 1

Tactician – 1

Archers and musketeer commanders – 15

Flag commanders – 2

Foot soldier commanders – 4

Monomi scouts – 20

Secretaries – 3

Suppliers of weapons – 2

Drummer – 1

Bell ringer – 1

Conch shell blower – 1

Baton holders – 2

Spear commander – 1

Doctors – 4

Carpenter – 1

Total: 59

[Second group]

Standard bearers – 3

Flag bearers – 30

Archers – 100

Musketeers – 200

Shinobi [ninja] – 20

Non-mounted samurai – 60

Accountants – 5

Chefs – 2

Grooms – 30

Komono servants – 450

Laborers – 50

Spearmen – 130

Blacksmiths – 2

Arrow smith – 1

Bowyer – 1

Cordage maker – 1

Total: 1,085

[Third group]

Mounted samurai – 80

Ponies – 15

Total: 95

Note: Fourteen people attend each mounted warrior and they are as follows.

Helmet bearer – 1

Footed soldier – 3

Spear bearers – 2

Sandal carrier – 1

Grooms – 3

Servants – 2

Laborers – 2

The above is the estimate for a warrior of 500 koku.

Total mounted warriors: 154

Total retainers: 2,156

Packhorses of the lord – 50

Packhorses of the retainers – 350

Grooms for the above horses – 400

Grand total for this army is 3,796

It is extremely interesting to note that in the list, shinobi appear as being twenty in number. This would mean that on average there would be one shinobi for every 180–200 men of the force. These were openly hired as shinobi and were allotted a section of the camp. They would sleep during the day and work the perimeter at night, lead night attack squads and hunt out enemy shinobi.

An even more detailed list can be found in the Giyoshu manual written in 1690. It clearly describes the people taken on campaign or those who follow military armies: