The Roving Ronin Report

Kachiya Matsuri - Lucky Arrow Festival. Held on May 5th. Kachiya Matsuri celebrates an event that happened in the Kameido area of Tokyo a long time ago.  In 940 the samurai Fujiwara no Hidesato offered a bow and arrow to Kameido Katori Shrine in appreciation for his victory in battle.  In 939 a local samurai rebelled against the Imperial Court and eventually titled himself the New Emperor. His name was Taira no Masakado. The Imperial Court in Kyoto ordered his rebellion crushed and charged Fujiwara no Hidesato and Masakado's cousin Taira no Sadamori to do so.   Before setting out to battle, Hidesato prayed at Kameido Katori Shrine for victory.  On March 25th, the armies faced off at the Battle of Kojima (in modern day Ibaraki Prefecture). Masakado though outnumbered chose his ground well and actually forced the Imperial army back. This success proved to be his undoing as Masakado pushed too far alone and a lucky arrow shot by an unknown hand struck him down and his a...

Japan in the mid-19th century was in turmoil. The two centuries of seclusion from the outside world had been shattered by the arrival of the black ships of the American Commodore Perry in 1853. The once strong and secure Tokugawa Shogunate government began to totter and reel. Anti-Shogun activists chanted " Sonno Joi !" (" Revere the Emperor! Expel the Foreigners! ") wanting a return of power to the ancient Imperial Court. Assassinations became the order of the day. A top Shogunate official was assassinated in front of the very gates of the Shogun's castle in 1860. In early 1863 a historical meeting between the Shogun and the Emperor was to take place in Kyoto. Such a meeting between the Shogun and the Emperor had not taken place since the mid-17th century. To protect the Shogun, the Shogunate raised a force of ronin (masterless samurai) known as the Roshigumi. Upon arriving in Kyoto, the leader of the Roshigumi promptly revealed he was really wo...

In 1561 two great samurai armies clashed at a place known as Kawanakajima. Although nothing was decided in a historical sense (hence why stuffy academics tend to overlook the battle in lieu of those which were more decisive), this battle has become the stuff of legends over the centuries. It was a battle between two great rivals who were alike and yet unlike like yin and yang. They were destined to fight but not destined to destroy one another. One was Takeda Shingen, lord of the Kai province. Takeda rose to power by usurping his father and following an aggressive policy of expansion. Kai was a landlocked domain and Takeda desired to have access to the sea. The Pacific was originally out of the question as it was controlled by the powerful warlord Imagawa so Takeda looked northward to the Sea of Japan. He subsequently increased his territory in the Shinano region driving toward that goal. The lords of Shinano who did not submit to Takeda fled into Echigo and took service with...