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Today’s topic is about the end of the chaotic Sengoku era, and how Masamune lived after the war.

Nobunaga Oda was the first person with the potential of having a ruling influence over all of Japan, but he was betrayed by Mitsuhide Akechi, one of his vassals. Mitsuhide raided Honnouji Temple one night while his master was staying there — Nobunaga knew how smart Mitsuhide was, so he chose to commit suicide rather than concede.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi was also one of Nobunaga’s vassals. He avenged Nobunaga by killing Mitsuhide and succeeded Nobunaga’s position, but was not powerful enough to control all of Japan, and was thus unable to maintain as strong an influence as he desired. Ieyasu Tokugawa and some other local lords refused to follow Hideyoshi’s son after Hideyoshi’s death. In the end, the battle of Sekigahara, the largest battle of the Sengoku era, broke out in 1600. Masamune fought for Ieyasu, and their side won the battle. Ieyasu began the Tokugawa Shogunate, and Masamune became one of the central minds of the new government.

Once the war was over, Masamune concentrated on developing his region. His region became famous for huge harvests of high-quality white rice. Masamune also created a port from which to transport the rice to Edo (currently known as Tokyo). Masamune died of cancer at the age of 70 while staying at his mansion in Edo. His casket was moved back to his region in a parade, in the same manner as when he was still alive. The Tokugawa Shogunate ordered a 7-day period of mourning even for the people of Edo. Although he died around 400 years ago, and he never attained the highest position in the central government, Masamune has consistently been one of Japan’s most famous historical figures. His flashy and playful character, bold decisions, thrilling political deals, and of course, his highly recognizable appearance with the eyepatch, have all left strong impressions. He has been chosen again and again to be the main character of all different kinds of media, including novels, TV dramas, anime, games, manga, etc., and now a Super Dollfie!

Once again, don’t forget to enter the Hometown Dolpa Kobe Limited Items lottery! The lottery entry period will close at 11:00am PST on Wednesday, August 3!

Kayo

The local lords’ helmets and armor were well-designed in this era. They were, of course, practical for protection, but at the same time, they were things that they used to express their personalities and beliefs. It’s worth the effort to learn the traditional designs, color combinations, etc., but it’s not easy for everyone. So let me go over just one point that you can use to further your enjoyment of old Japanese armor.

Look at the helmet. If there is an ornament, usually placed just around the forehead, that helmet most likely belonged to a high-class person. This forehead ornament was called a “Mae-tate.” During wartime, the local lords would use their own symbols for their Mae-tate.

Masamune’s Mae-tate is a long and sharp crescent moon. Isn’t it easy to imagine this part being broken while he was running around on the battlefield? Indeed, he broke his crescent moon a lot, and eventually he made a more stable half-moon version as well! The moon, the stars, and the sun were believed to be special, and to have mysterious power in old Japan. The spots on Masamune’s battle surcoat were said to be stars. And even today, the Japanese national flag is the sun. So the reason why Masamune decided to use the crescent moon is understandable, but the reason why he made the crescent moon so long is bizarre. I think it reflects Masamune’s colorful and playful character, don’t you think? While it’s not practical, it looks so cool!

Besides Masamune, there were a lot of famous Mae-tate during the Sengoku era. Kanetsugu Naoe’s Mae-tate was a huge kanji character meaning “love.” Can you imagine a wild warrior running through the battlefield with love?! Shigezane Date, Masamune’s uncle, chose a gigantic caterpillar for his Mae-tate. I think I would rather run away than fight if I met him on the battlefield… Yukimura Sanada’s Mae-tate was the 6 coins that we included in a casket so that the dead person can pay the fee to cross over the river between this world and the world of the dead.

What would you choose for your Mae-tate if you were born in the Sengoku era?

Kayo

I’ve noticed that there is a typical Japanese thing that foreigners love: ninja creeping into castles. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen it in movies.

Although the designs and materials are completely different from European castles, there are quite a lot of castles in Japan. The most popular castle, which many tourists visit even today, is Himeji Castle in Hyogo prefecture. Himeji Castle has been preserved in good condition for over 400 years, even though it suffered through World War II and a great earthquake in 1995. You might have seen this castle in the movie “The Last Samurai.”

During the Sengoku era, castles were important for local lords as fortresses. Their designs, locations, strategic uses, etc., depended on the individual tactics that each lord used to protect his region and to fight against other lords. So once this chaotic era was terminated by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the central government ordered all local lords to keep only one castle in their region, and to destroy all extra castles. The central government had learned a lot of things during the Sengoku era, and they were extremely careful to monitor the local lords. Some castles were destroyed according to the order, but constructing a castle costs a lot of money. And then, to destroy it, of course, also costs a lot of money. So some sneaky lords destroyed or buried only a little bit of rampart. In my opinion, they probably weren’t sure if the chaotic wartime was really over, or if the peace was only temporary.

But for some reason, Masamune was an exception. His region was officially allowed to keep two castles, Sendai Castle and Shiraishi Castle. Masamune lived in Sendai Castle, and honored his most reliable vassal, Kojuro Katakura, by placing him in charge of Shiraishi Castle. Was this because his region was in the middle of nowhere? Did Masamune perhaps do something weird again? Or was the central government afraid of the One-Eyed Dragon? What do you think!?

Kayo

Kamon (traditional Japanese clan crests) were already extant during the Sengoku era. If you were interested in Okita’s Kamon, you might be interested in the Date clan’s Kamon, as well. The Date Clan’s Kamon is “Take ni Suzume (Sparrows in Bamboo).” Do you think that’s too cute for the One-Eyed Dragon?

Besides Kamon, there were also “Kaou.” A Kamon is the crest for the entire clan, and is embroidered or dyed, not drawn. A Kaou is the personal crest that was drawn next to a signature. Kaou eventually turned into stamps during the Edo era, and the stamps eventually superseded Kaou entirely. So while Kamon are still in use, Kaou are not.

Masamune’s Kaou was the “Sekirei (wagtail),” and he also used his Kaou to ensure his family’s survival.

As I mentioned in a former post, Hideyoshi Toyotomi once suspected Masamune of being a traitor. Masamune went to see Hideyoshi wearing a dead man’s white kimono, bearing huge golden crossbeams. Hideyoshi even had a letter in which someone had forged Masamune’s handwriting and his Kaou, as evidence of his treason. The letter was addressed to the rioting people, saying, “Hey, thanks for holding riots just like I asked you! Let me know if you need more food, weapons, soldiers, or whatever. Good luck!” Oh, no! The Date clan was in danger! This was serious. If Masamune couldn’t prove his innocence, the Date clan would be ordered to disband!

Don’t worry! He was a “date” kind of guy. Masamune just laughed hard and said, “No, that’s not my letter!”
He continued, “Have you ever looked closely at the other letters that I sent you before? Check the wagtail’s eye on my Kaou. I always use a needle to make a tiny hole in its eye!” Hideyoshi checked the old letters, and indeed, all of the wagtails had needle holes in their eyes!

It’s a mystery now. We don’t know if Masamune really did such a thing for all of his letters, or if he was just lucky that day. But seeing as it’s Masamune, for some reason it feels like it’s quite possible!

Kayo