The Roving Ronin Report

Spring is the time of cherry blossoms in Japan and Japanese love their hanami. Hanami is cherry blossom viewing parties where people gather under the sakura blossoms and make merry. One of the grandest hanami events ever held was over 400 years ago at Daigo Temple in Kyoto. The host of this hanami was the most powerful man in Japan at the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and this gala event could be see as the culmination of an extraordinary life which began in a farmer's hut. Toyotomi was the medieval Japan's ultimate rags-to-riches story.  Toyotomi was born to a poor farmer/foot soldier during a time of anarchy known as the Sengoku Period or Warring States when Japan was torn apart by feuding warlords. He joined the services of Oda Nobunaga an innovative warlord who began unifying the land. After Oda's death, Toyotomi continued this work and by 1590 succeeded in uniting all the warring factions in the country.  Toyotomi became the strongest leader in Japan bu...

ISHIDA MITSUNARI A couple of years I went to a festival to celebrate one of the most famous and decisive battles in Japanese history - the Battle of Sekigahara. Two great armies fought for supremacy of Japan in 1600 and the outcome changed the history of Japan. At the festival I bought 5 locally-brewed beers which were based on 5 of the leaders at the battle. I originally planned to talk about the beer but got sidetracked and talked more about the battle, Japanese history, and the individuals the beers were commemorating. Instead of making the viewer suffer thru an entire hour I broke into 5 parts. This part is on the leader of the Western Army - Ishida Mitsunari. He was commoner who like his master Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose to great fame and power but unlike Toyotomi, Mitsunari was not well-loved and this came to haunt him at the Battle of Sekigahara. All video was shot by me and most of the photos are from me or Wikipedia. UKITA HIDEIE Ukita Hidiei owed a lot to Toyoto...

In the small town of Sekigahara a festival is put on to commemorate one of the most decisive battles in Japanese history - the Battle of Sekigahara. In 1600, two massive armies converge on Sekigahara and fought a great battle. The winner, Tokugawa Ieyasu went on to become shogun and started a new era known as the Edo Period named after his capital which is today Tokyo. The main star at the festival is not either of the two opposing leaders suprisingly but Otani Yoshitsugu, a warlord suffering from leprosy who fought for the Western Army against Tokugawa. He's the tragic hero of the tale of Sekigahara. It's his forces which get attacked from the rear by a turncoat by the name Kobayakawa Hideaki. Overall it's a small re-enactment for such a pivotal piece of history but they do a good job with the drama. The festival is held around the 3rd Sunday in October. It was October 21, 1600 in the small town of Sekigahara which lies somewhere between Kyoto...