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Post by Katayama Hiromoto on Aug 10, 2005 2:01:30 GMT -5
History tells us that early mass warfare in Japan was a series of single combats preceeded by the giving of a challenge....
For those of you up to a challenge... (pun intended ;D)
What would generally be included in a challenge?!? How's about the response to the issuing of said challenge?!?
Have you come across any documentation of what a challenge might consist of? If so, what?!? Where?!?
The books I have mention the issuing of challenges, but don't give any examples of what the contents might be.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Arigato gozaimasu.
Katayama.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Aug 10, 2005 8:17:15 GMT -5
OK, the book is in a box, so you're going to have to hit a library for specifics, but these sorts of challenges appear frequently in Helen McCullough's translation of "Tale of the Heike," an epic retelling of the events of the Genpei wars (12th century) written down in the 14th (?) century. Like I said, the book is in a box.
Anyway, the challenger would say something like "I am so and so, son of so and so, of blah province and I am worth ten thousand men. If any of you think yourself my equal, come and fight me!" The response is to ride forward and try to wrestle the challenger off his horse. Many of these exchanges ended up with both rolling around the ground and the loser getting a blade stuck fatally up under his armor.
M.
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Post by Katayama Hiromoto on Aug 10, 2005 13:53:51 GMT -5
Hmmm.... Very interseting. And not at all what I expected. Which is to say something long winded and full of elaborate ceremony.... ;D Something typically... well.... Japanese... I will look for the book you mentioned. Thank you very much Makiwara-hime. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Katayama
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Aug 10, 2005 20:01:11 GMT -5
Hey, I found my copy of "Heike" after all. Here's a couple of challenges to give you an idea how simple or elaborate they can get.
Chapter 9 section 11, two warriors sneak into the enemy's stronghold. THEN they shout, " Kawara Taro Kisaichi no Takanao and Kawara Hiro Morinao, residents of Musashi Province, are the first men of the Genji frontal assault force to attack at Ikuta-no-mori!" They're cut down after shooting up a number of Taira enemies.
Further in the chapter, "I am Kajiwara Heizo Kagetoki, a warrior worth a thousand men! I claim descent from Kamakura no Gongoro Kagemasa, the sixteen year old who led Hachiman Taro Yoshiie's assault on the Senbuku Kanazawa stronghold in Dewa during the Latter Three Years' Campaign, the same who earned everlasting renown when he felled an adversary with a return shot, though an arrow had pierced his left eye and penetrated to the top layer of his neck-guard! If anyone here considers himself my equal, let him kill me and display my head to his chief!" Read it anyway. It's epic stuff.
M.
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Post by Katayama Hiromoto on Aug 12, 2005 14:15:52 GMT -5
Read it anyway. It's epic stuff. Count on it. Thank you for the help. Katayama
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