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Samurai Equine

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  1. Samurai Equine
    THIS BLOG ENTRY ISN'T FOR THE FRIENDS I HAVE MADE WHO ARE STILL ACTIVE HERE.
    This blog entry is only for the friends who are no longer here. I have been following their accounts, but I cannot ignore the fact that said accounts have been inactive for years and they probably will never return.
    I am tagging them here because I will be removing them from my list of users that I follow.
    The parameter for unfollowing anyone is if they've been inactive for 3 years or more.
    This list will continue to be updated depending on which accounts continue to be inactive and which ones come back.
    IF YOU SEE YOUR NAME HERE, PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE!
    It doesn't mean I am turning my back on anyone. If anything, I would love for these users to come back! I will celebrate their return if they do. 
    However, if any of these users are part of my Friends list, I will keep them on that list. Like I said, this is not about abandoning anyone. This is only about clearing my Followed Content of inactive users. It's nothing personal. The fact that I am making this blog entry shows that I genuinely don't want to ever forget.  So to anyone who happens to find or read this, please consider this a shrine to the friends that I miss dearly.
    =============================================================================================
    @Limestone-Pie
    @Prince Doopliss
    @MapleMoon
    @J.T.
    @CatCat
    @WinterMane
    @harpy
    @Buffy
  2. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... Ronin.
    Otherwise known as drifters or wanderers, ronin are commonly described as "masterless samurai". However, that definition is overly simplified and misleading. To be more precise, ronin are people who USE to be samurai, but have lost the right to hold that title due to losing the masters they were suppose to serve.
    A samurai's typical defining trait is their loyalty to their masters; specifically their daimyo's. Should something happen to their master, by order of Bushido, they are suppose to commit Seppuku/Harikiri and die out with their master. Therefore, any samurai who fail to do this are in opposition to bushido, and cannot rightfully call themselves samurai anymore. Some ronin refused to commit ritual suicide under cowardice. However, due to errors of the class system, there were times when samurai were forced to become ronin against tradition; usually when a samurai was meant to be transferred to a new clan or master but nothing came of it. Many ronin were pretty upset with the system, since they still had plenty to offer and desperately wanted to serve as samurai since they still had a lot to offer for their country.
    But hey! It's not all bad. Sure some took to crime just to make ends meet, but plenty of ronin could still get jobs. They could be hired body guards, bouncers, or they could eventually become part of the Shinsengumi!
  3. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... Boys VS Girls.
    While it is often used as an umbrella term, the word "samurai" is masculine, meant only for the male warriors of feudal Japan. However, there is such a thing as female samurai too. They are known as "Onna-bugeisha". It's similar yet different to ninja; because while "ninja" is the umbrella term, "shinobi" is meant for male ninjas and "kunoichi" is meant for females, but both words mean the same thing. The term "Onna-bugeisha" translates into female warrior/martial-artist.
    Back in the day, males and females often faced different tasks and missions, which is probably why they were categorized with different titles that mean the same thing. Samurai were meant to go out to different parts of Japan and fight on the front-lines. Onna-bugeisha were typically meant to stay behind and defend the homeland as well as their personal homes and families. They could also be employed if a region or community had a lack of male warriors. As such, there were also plenty of exceptions where Onna-bugeisha would also be used in front-line battles and would perform any duties that a Samurai would be expected to do.
  4. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    (WARNING! WARNING!
    This week's fact is VERY gruesome. It is not for the faint of heart. Reader discretion is advised.)
    This week's fact... Seppuku.
    Also known as "Harakiri", seppuku is a form of ritual suicide committed by samurai for reasons that are often complex and confusing.
    The major reason any samurai would ever commit to this is to prevent defeat or to preserve honor. If an enemy was moments away from defeating or killing a samurai, especially after breaking their will to carry on, a samurai might commit seppuku. Basically, they would defeat themselves before an enemy had the pleasure of defeating them. In this way, the samurai might not have won, but he didn't lose either. Seppuku can also be used a means of punishment, if a samurai has done something dishonorable enough to disgrace himself, his family, and/or the samurai title he represents. Committing heinous crimes or defying the way of bushido are examples of offenses punishable by seppuku. Another reason why a samurai might commit seppuku is if they disagree with the orders of their masters/lords; doing so is usually disgraceful for a samurai, but seppuku allows them to protest and retain their honor at the same time.
    The act of seppuku itself is not as easy as just killing yourself in any way you like. There is a reason why it's called a "ritual" suicide; and that's because there is a ritual to performing it correctly.
    Typically using a short sword such as a tanto, the samurai must pierce his belly/bowels, and then proceed to make a precise serious of cuts to disembowel himself. This act is usually performed in front of spectators, and when it has been ruled that the disemboweling has been done correctly, another samurai (an executioner) finishes the job by decapitating/slicing the throat of the one committing suicide (and if the cuts were not done correctly, the samurai would either have to try again or would be left alone to die from blood loss). There are variations of this ritual; one where the samurai kill himself after performing the ritual if an executioner cannot be present, one where a samurai gets a final drink or a final meal before committing the ritual, and one where the samurai recites a death poem before ending his own life.
    By modern standards, the idea of suicide for any reason is considered horrible and a waste of precious life. However, in that feudal era when the samurai class was most prevalent, seppuku was proof of their dedication to loyalty, honor, and the way of the warrior (bushido).
  5. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... Samurai Armor.
    The image of a samurai has been made iconic thanks to the signature suit of armor they typically wear. This suit often includes floating shoulder armor, a helmet with horns, and the occasional scary face mask. While there have been plenty of moments where a samurai might go into battle with little to no armor, the full suit is preferred for large-scale battle conditions. Some pieces of the armor might be used for other classes of warrior, but the horned helmet is typically reserved for samurai only.
    The armor is usually light weight to allow for as much mobility as possible. The optional armored mask is used to scare easily-frightened foes; the fear and moment's hesitation provides an opening for an attack. Samurai helmets are often (but not always) designed after animals and monsters. Samurai armor can differ from the period it was made in, as well as how many pieces of protection it provides. (More on that in a future fact.)
    While it's not a hard tradition, your rank and position would often decide how nice your armor is. Members of the shogunate (the war lords/battle generals) would often get the fanciest or most regal of samurai armor; they also got first dibs on the newest armor designs. A rookie samurai stepping into battle for the first time, or one that is limited to providing defense, might get a very basic suit of armor, often without any kind of decorative horns or fancy side wings.
  6. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... The Three Great Warlords.
    In the big civil war "Sengoku" (warring states) era, there were 3 big samurai warlords. While there were others, these were the big three that played the biggest part in unifying Japan. Their names are... Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
    Oda is often described as the most cruel and tyrannical of the big 3; if ever there was a warrior that could make you question the honor of the samurai class, Oda would be the poster child for it. The irony is that, for all his bluster and ambitions, Oda never truly unified Japan as he dreamed. Tokugawa is known as the most patient and caring; his legacy is one of the most inspiring. And Toyotomi is often seen as a middle ground between the other two; not quite as kind, but not nearly as cruel either. Yet it's Tokugawa that is often credited as putting an end to the era of civil war in Japan.
    If you ever need to remember who is who, there are three similar phrases that best describe them.
    For Oda Nobunaga... "If a song bird will not sing for me, then kill it. It is useless to me."
    For Toyotomi Hideyoshi... "If a song bird will not sing for me, the get rid of it. It serves no purpose."
    For Tokugawa Ieyasu... "If a song bird will not sing for me, then I will wait for it to sing."
  7. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... The Class System.
    In the era of feudal Japan, there was a hierarchy of importance for different kinds of citizens. To put a very abridged spin on it (because sometimes the hierarchy could be more complex than this), peasants and commoners were at or near the bottom tier of the hierarchy. The next tier above them were warriors and elites; such as Samurai and Ninja. The upper tier consisted of regional lords (daimyo) and the battle generals/warlords (shogunate). And at the very top, though he was often more of a figure head than actual ruler, was the Emperor.
    In these times, it was easier to be promoted up the hierarchy. Going in reverse direction, or getting a demotion, was often shameful and frowned upon. Think of it like having a white-collar job one day, then homeless the next. In the earlier years, mostly the Edo period, it was a lot harder to go from one tier to the next. In fact, no commoners could become samurai themselves; you had to be born into a samurai family to become one. In later years however, like the Sengoku era, things were a bit more fluid. The Sengoku Era, best translated as the "Waring States" era, is when civil war in Japan was at its worst. So naturally, there was a higher demand for soldiers, thus the need to welcome more commoners into their ranks IF they pledged their loyalty.
  8. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... Code of Honor.
    I mentioned the major difference between Ninja and Samurai in my first weekly Samurai Fact post. The only other *major* difference between them is their code of honor.
    For the samurai class, it was a requirement to have a code of honor. Historically, the samurai's code of honor was known as "bushido", or "the way of the warrior".
    For the ninja class, there was no requirement to have a code of honor. Ninjas were often called to perform jobs of espionage, assassination, and other acts that would usually be seen as dishonorable under normal circumstances. Having a code of honor would get in the way of completing these jobs.
    Ninja still had their own ethics, so it was not impossible for a ninja to adopt a code of honor. It just wasn't a requirement. It mostly depended on what a ninja wanted to do with their life and the skills they've acquired. There were times when ninja armies would dedicate their loyalty to a samurai clan. And as I mentioned before, being a ninja is not a job title, so plenty of ninja could go on to become actual samurai themselves.
    Sorry this fact is a day late! The forum was having technical problems, and as they say in Japan, it couldn't be helped. 
  9. Samurai Equine
    It's time for another weekly Samurai Fact!
    This week's fact... Archery.
    Before they were famously known as skilled swordsmen, the samurai class started off as horse-mounted archers.
    The need for swords and other weaponry arrived when the samurai would be the first ones to charge into war and other battle situations.
    But we'll be covering the full gambit of their weapons arsenal in another, future samurai fact. 
  10. Samurai Equine
    This week's fact... The main difference between a samurai and a ninja is one's an occupation, the other is not.
    If you are a samurai, you are a soldier employed by the emperor, a member of the shogunate, or a regional lord. You are usually paid in money, resources, education, and a greater status in life than the average commoner.
    If you are a ninja, you are a practitioner of ninjustu. It's a martial art, not a job. Shinobi are male ninja, kunoichi are female ninja. Which is exactly why ninja can also become samurai (or work for samurai), and why a samurai can learn ninja skills.
    Basically, whatever shows like Naruto teaches you, take it with a grain of salt. There is some truth in those shows, but also lots of fantasy.
    What do you think, my crowd? Should I keep this up every week? Silence, positive reactions, and positive comments will be taken as a yes.  Only negative comments and negative reactions will be taken as a no.
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