JPN 362B - The Samurai in War and Peace, History and Memory

This course explores the history and mythology surrounding one of the most iconic symbols of premodern Japan: the samurai. Comprising only six percent of the Japanese populace, the cultural prestige and historical memory of Japan's warrior elites far outweigh their undersized ranks. Yet much of samurai lore has also been romanticized, embellished, or even made up. Were the samurai loyal retainers or pragmatic power-grabbers? Were they stoic swordsman or struggling bureaucrats? Why do we care so much about the violent social world of the samurai, and how do our impressions of them diverge from what we know about the history of their rise, reign, and fall? How do ideas of the "Way of the Warrior" get reinterpreted and recycled in Japan today? This course investigates these questions in two broad units: The History of the Samurai in War and Peace; and Remembering and Reinventing the Samurai in Modern Japan. This course welcomes undergraduates of all interests and majors, and no prior knowledge of Japanese language or history is required. Additional materials in East Asian languages will be made available upon request.