Hello Young Samurai,
As discussed in class you have an assignment to complete for next friday (yes friday as thursday is Remembrance Day). 1. Have you MON designed. In the weeks ahead we will be working on weaponry, armour, banners and flags and all need you Mon. 2. Create your Family Scroll or tree. Traditionally the Samurai had a scroll of their ancestory. They wrote from top to bottom for each generation, working their way right to left. You can also do a more traditional Family Tree or Map. Have Fun! Here are the Young Samurai at Glendale Gardens receiving training from Nathaniel Stormcloud and enjoying a Japanese inspired lunch at Nourish Cafe.
Coming Together - National Anthem followed by guided meditation.
Review of the Bushido Code covered this far -Makat0 - Honesty -Rei - Respect -Meiyo - Honour Discuss Samurai Daily Living and Daily Karma Ceremonies. Calligraphy Discuss the Japanese Inspired Lunch. Meet at the Art Gallery 10am.
Guided Tour of the Samurai exhibit. Drawing/Sketching in the Gallery of Samurai Armour Tour rest of Gallery. Mon - Family Crests
Check out this website to see some Japanese Mon, Click Here. To see some Japanese emblems and banners, Click Here Originally, "mon" or family crests were used in Japan in much the same way that nobles in Europe used heraldic devices. Imperial court families have been recorded using "mon" in the 8th century, but the practice was not very widespread or rigorous. With the rise of the samurai class, there was a greater need for identification of friend and foe and "mon" proved popular and easy forms of identification. The wars of the centuries prior to the peace of the Edo period spread the popularity of crests throughout the samurai class and also saw the nobility adopt the custom. Family crests became highly developed and popular during the Warring States and Edo periods, but can be found mentioned as far back as the Nara period (710-794) in the imperial court. Early crests were often simple: the 12th century wars between the Minamoto and the Taira families took place under simple red and white banners (friendly competitions in schools or on television are still conducted under these colors). Crests began to be identified with particular warrior families. The Tokugawa, for example, adopted the hollyhock as its crest while the 16-petal chrysanthemum became the imperial family's. As the prestige of the samurai rose, use of crests spread further; they were eventually adopted by all the court nobility who applied their standards of taste to the design of crests. Their influence essentially imprinted crest designing with strict standards of beauty and simplicity which nevertheless succeed in producing refined levels of creativity pleasing to the eye then and now. During the peace of the Edo period, "mon" attracted the attention of the merchant, the peasant, and the artisan classes. And just as samurai used crests as family identification as well as on battle standards, weapons and armor, these classes also used "mon" in their work as well as for their families. Merchants and artisans put crests on items of business; bills and invoices as well as the actual items produced. Wine was labeled with the company's "mon" or cakes with the producer's crest. They also used "mon" on their clothing after the manner of the samurai. Even richer peasants adopted crests although few of them had the right to bear a family surname until that right was extended to them in the Meiji period. Every prosperous farmer had a "kura" (store house) and on the front and probably on the roofing tiles, he would put his "mon". The ruling samurai class objected, of course, to the appropriation of symbols of great importance to them. Specific complaints were directed at use of a prominent family's crest and general complaints objected to the lower classes using crests at all. Neither complaint was effective; even the hollyhock of the Tokugawa house was appropriated. In this way, "mon" began to develop into trademarks but without the legal framework which protects modern trademarks from being stolen or misused. Crests became more than family identifiers; they were also awarded in return for exceptional service to a lord. The design was often reworked for this purpose in order to both bring into the extended family the loyal retainer as well as to maintain a visible difference between the true family and the retainer's descendants. Crests also developed into an art form. Great effort was spent refining variations of specific designs so that although there are only about 250 basic designs, there are at least twenty times that number of "mon" and probably many more that have been forgotten, lost, or destroyed. By the end of the Edo period, family crests were liberally festooned on clothes, food, packages, wrapping paper, wood block-prints, roof tiles, and so on. Even peasant families, at least the richer ones, in small post-towns along the Nakasendo indulged in use of crests with as much pride as the samurai. In the modern period, use of crests as family crests began to die out; as Japanese clothing gave way to Western clothing, there was no longer any place to wear a "mon". Their use as trademarks and their service as models for design and taste in developing trademarks, however, has remained strong. Today, there are no limits on ordinary people using "mon" and whether walking along the Nakasendo or through the city streets, crests can be seen everywhere. Companies have adopted crests as company logos which are festooned on packaging, containers, and advertising. Advertisements on wooden boards from the turn of the century had stylized "mon" burned into them just as today's plastic cases for beer, sake or soy sauce have them molded on. Honesty, Sincerity - Makato
Truth is the cornerstone of any human relationship and interaction. It is the foundation of how we view the world and how we are viewed by it. It is strong and undeniable, yet is the most easily manipulated, fragile and potentially damaging of all the virtues. This is because the simplest false impression can go a long way and create an alternate reality that when revealed as fiction, can potentially create profound levels of destruction and pain. Honesty is most often compromised by greed and selfishness. Sincerity and truth reside on a steep hillside that must be constantly supported and upheld by each and every one of us. Once we compromise our commitment to honesty, then that hillside becomes a slippery slope and little "white lies" eventually lead to compulsive misrepresentations necessary to support previous untruths and so on. The choice to represent oneself or situation truthfully may initially be painful, embarrassing or scary, but those momentary feelings will be nothing compared to the pain that could be caused down the line when a long-believed lie has been exposed. The "straight and narrow" is known as such because it is that which does not waver and does not make accommodations for any kind of color or compromise--truth is black and white and sincerity lies within speaking from the heart with complete integrity of expression. Indeed, truth can be painful, but it is ultimately preferred and always most respected. More importantly, it is the only way of expression and communication for someone on the path of Bushido. Coming Together - National anthem followed by guided meditation.
Honesty - Makato - Discussion of this Bushido Virtue and its different meanings. Battle Tactics - Discussed the rules of the Samurai Battlefield and how through history the formations and tactics were formed. We discussed some of the advancement of weaponry and how that changed the tactics on the field. We discussed a few of the different ceremonies to get ready for battle. We learned about 'mons' or 'ka-mons' - which are the emblems the Samurais used to distinguish themselves. We researched some Japanese 'mons' and then designed our own. 10am Meet at Glendale Gard
10:30-12 Japanese sword demo by Nathaniel StormCloud. Nathaniel demonstrated some of the Samurai 'katas' that the warriors learned for their training. He showed the Young Samurai a katana which each had a turn to hold a swing. The young Samurai each also had a chance to use a bokken. Nathaniel taught KIA's to the young Samurai and they had a chance to test the difference. 12pm Tour of the Japanese Gardens 1pm Japanese inspired lunch at Nourish Cafe. The young Samurai learned about chopsticks and had quite the Samurai discussion. SOme of the Young Samurai assisted with making the food and serving. Thanks Nathaniel and Thanks Hailey and Thanks Glendale Gardens! |